Dragon Tears Needed!

Sloosh, slosh. Dhruv filled a bucket with water from a swift creek. Weeks ago, a roaming imp* had dried up the town’s well. Now Dhruv had to walk for miles each day, carrying water to his grandmother’s cottage near the edge of town.

 

- Maggie Murphy

He set the heavy bucket on the creek’s grassy bank. Then he cooled his feet in the shallows, careful not to disturb a water strider’s perfect balance. A frog croaked. Ducks paddled by.

Dhruv jumped up and turned a cartwheel. “The creek’s a fine place,” he said to a duck, “so how could I complain about coming here?” Still, trudging back beneath the searing sun, he thought, What if the dragon has forgotten us?

You see, a traveling wizard had told the town’s mayor, “The only way to reverse the imp’s trick is to drop a dragon’s tear into your well. I’ll send a friendly dragon your way, but he’s on his own journey and can’t stay long. Please understand that his visit may not solve your problem. Dragons seldom weep.”

Reaching the cottage, Dhruv found his grandmother at the gate. “I have good news,” she said, taking the bucket. “The dragon has arrived.”

“Hooray!” Dhruv did a handstand. “May I go to the well and see what happens?”

“Yes. Remember, though: no smiles or stunts. The mayor must simply coax tears from the dragon.”

On his feet again, Dhruv said, “Don’t worry. I’ll act gloomier than a ghost who’s lost his gravestone.”

He waved good-bye, dashed off, and joined a group of townsfolk welcoming a dragon the size of his cottage.