Penny’s Gentle Glow

“My breath is ready!” Penny announced, just as the first lantern swung wildly on its hook.

The little lantern dangled from a rocky ledge along the winding path through the Dragon Mountains. Below it, the evening shadows stretched long and blue. Penny’s friends, Saffy and Ollo, waited beside a pine tree with their walking sticks.

“We’re ready too,” said Saffy. “We promised to walk together before the stars come out.”

“And we can’t see the twisty parts in the dark,” Ollo added. He peered at the path. “Especially the part that looks like a sleeping snake.”

“It’s a path,” Penny said. “Not a snake.”

“It looks a little like both,” Ollo said.

Penny grinned and turned toward the first lantern. She had practiced her fire breath all afternoon. She planted her feet, lifted her chin, and blew.

“Fwoooosh!”

A bright flame leaped from her mouth. The lantern bounced on its hook. Its tiny wick flickered, then went out.

“Oh,” Penny said. “That was too much.”

Saffy tilted her head. “Maybe try a smaller breath?”

Penny nodded. “A teeny one!”

She took a deep breath and blew a little less hard.

“Fwoosh!”

The lantern swung the other way. The wick sputtered and went dark again.

Ollo’s tail curled around his feet. “Maybe the lanterns are playing a game.”

“They’re not supposed to play,” Penny said, though she laughed. “They’re supposed to glow.”

The three friends moved to the next lantern. Penny tried turning her head sideways, then puffing with her cheeks almost closed. Each time, a gust rattled the lanterns and snuffed the little wicks.

The sky deepened to purple. Saffy rubbed her hands together. “We can wait a little. But those lanterns are very small.”

Penny looked along the rocky ledges. One by one, the dark lanterns waited above the winding path.

“I’ll figure it out,” she said. “We’ll walk together. I just need a gentler breath.”

She took another breath, but before she could blow, a cool mountain breeze brushed her nose. Penny shivered and curled her claws beneath her belly.

“My toes are chilly,” she murmured.

“Mine too,” said Ollo. “Even my tail tip.”

Penny tucked her wings around herself. As she warmed her claws, she felt a soft heat gather in her chest. It didn’t crackle or roar. It simply spread, slow and cozy, like a sunny patch on a stone.

Penny opened her wings and looked at her claws. They were warm now, and the cozy feeling still glowed inside her.

“Wait,” she said. “I can make a little flame if I breathe slowly.”

Saffy leaned closer. “What do you mean?”

Penny took a careful breath. A tiny flicker of flame appeared at her lips, then vanished. “I was breathing too hard before. I need to keep the flame small.”

Ollo’s eyes widened. “A tiny fire breath!”

Penny looked at the nearest lantern. “Let’s try it. But I’ll go slowly.”

She stepped up to the rocky ledge. The first lantern swung gently in the breeze. Penny spread her wings around it, making a little shelter on either side. Then she took a small breath and let out a tiny flame.

“Easy,” whispered Saffy. “Like you’re warming a cup of cocoa.”

Penny breathed softly. The little flame touched the wick. It gave a tiny golden wink, then caught and began to glow.

“It’s glowing!” Ollo said.

Penny smiled, but she kept her wings steady. The little flame grew bright and calm.

They went to the next lantern. Penny cupped it with her wings and breathed. A tiny flame touched the wick. A golden wink. Then a glow.

At the third lantern, the breeze brushed past. Its wick trembled.

“Hold on,” said Penny. She tucked her wings closer around the lantern. “The wind can’t push you while we’re here.”

Saffy stood beside her, and Ollo stood on the other side. Together, they made a cozy little wall. Penny let out another slow, tiny flame. The wick glimmered, then shone.

“Three little stars on the rocks!” Ollo cheered.

Penny’s chest felt warm, but she kept her fire breath small. At each ledge, she paused, cupped the lantern with her wings, and breathed softly. Saffy and Ollo watched for swaying hooks and helped shelter the flames whenever the breeze passed.

One by one, the lanterns along the winding path came to life. Their golden circles joined together over the stones, around the bends, and down toward the valley.

At the last lantern, Penny breathed out the smallest, softest flame yet. Its wick glowed bright.

Saffy smiled. “You found just the right kind of fire.”

“It’s a tiny, gentle flame,” Penny said. “And it feels warm, too.”

Ollo pointed along the trail. “And it’s just right for walking.”

Penny folded her wings, and her friends gathered close beside her. Together, they stepped onto the glowing path.

The lanterns shone along the mountain path, each one making a warm circle on the stones. Penny walked in the middle, with Saffy on one side and Ollo on the other.

“Let’s go slowly,” Saffy said. “The path is much prettier when we notice it.”

So they walked slowly. They noticed a small fern growing from a crack in the rock. They noticed a smooth white pebble shaped like a sleeping bird. And they noticed how the lantern light made Ollo’s shadow look as tall as a mountain.

“Look at me!” Ollo whispered, stretching his neck. His shadow stretched too.

“You’re a very tall dragon,” Penny whispered back.

“A very tall dragon with a very small tail,” Saffy added.

Ollo glanced behind him. His shadow’s tail was tiny indeed. He giggled, and the sound floated softly down the trail.

At each bend, the lanterns made a new pattern of gold and blue. The rocky ledges looked cozy, like shelves holding little bowls of light. Above them, the first stars appeared, quiet and bright.

Penny felt her claws grow cool again, but her chest still held a gentle warmth. She gave one small puff toward her nose. It warmed the tip, and a little curl of mist drifted away.

“Was that a dragon cloud?” Ollo asked.

“Just a sleepy puff,” Penny said.

Saffy yawned. “I think the whole mountain is getting sleepy.”

They reached the bottom of the winding path, where the stones gave way to soft grass. Behind them, the lanterns glimmered all the way up the mountainside. Their light seemed to rest on the rocks, peaceful and still.

“Tomorrow,” Ollo said, “I’ll remember that your breath can be gentle.”

“And I’ll remember to warm my claws,” Penny replied.

Saffy gave Penny a friendly bump with her shoulder. “You helped us find our way together.”

Penny looked back at the golden trail and smiled. Then the three friends followed the grass toward their warm homes, walking slowly beneath the stars. Penny’s last little puff warmed her nose as the mountain night grew quiet around them.