bedtime story
“And then a huge, red dragon flew in the window. It had orange wings and it breathed fire, and its name was… Matilda.”
“I wanna ride on the dragon.”
“Okay. So Claire climbed on Matilda’s back and held tight on to her orange wings.
“And Matilda flew out the window and up over Bernal Heights, with the red-tailed hawks. And beneath them they could see the microwave tower and the hospital where Julia was born.
“And Claire held on tight to Matilda’s orange wings.
“And Matilda flew north over the city and the Golden Gate Bridge, over Marin and Muir Woods and Stinson Beach and Bolinas, over Sonoma and Bodega Bay and Jenner where the sea lions sit on the sandbank at the mouth of the Russian River.
“And Claire held on tight to Matilda’s orange wings.
“And Matilda saw the Point Arena lighthouse, and so she swung down and over the mouth of the Garcia River. And she came down to land in a little pocket in the hills.
“And Patrick and Seana and Willa looked out the window of their little cabin and saw the red dragon with orange wings come in to land in the apple orchard.
“And Claire climbed off Matilda’s back, and she said hello to the chickens and the cats and the rabbits, and she picked some apples off the apple trees for her dinner.”
Claire yawns and snuggles into my arms.
“And then she climbed up the stairs, up up up up, to Newbird Cabin. And she went inside and climbed into bed and gave a huge yawn.”
Claire closes her eyes.
“And then she closed her eyes.
“And pretty soon?”
(Tiny snores.)
“She was asleep.”
