Sparky was a little dragon, and little dragons are usually very good at sleeping. They spend all day zooming and swooping and practicing their fiery puffs, and then they curl up and snooze. But Sparky? Sparky couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned in his nest of soft moss and shiny pebbles. He wiggled his toes and flapped his wings, but nothing helped.
“I’m just too… sparkly!” he sighed. Sparky wasn’t like the other dragons. While they had scales of ruby red or emerald green, Sparky’s scales shimmered with every color imaginable. They twinkled and flashed, even in the dark. “How can anyone sleep when they’re *this* bright?” he wondered.
Old Man Tiber, a wise, grey dragon with scales like ancient stones, heard Sparky’s worries. He slowly landed beside Sparky’s nest. “Having trouble, little one?” he rumbled kindly. Sparky explained his problem, flapping his wings in frustration. “It’s my sparkles! They won’t stop!”
Old Man Tiber chuckled, a sound like pebbles tumbling down a hill. “Sparkles are wonderful, Sparky. They make you *you*. But even sparkles need a little quiet time. Close your eyes,” he instructed. Sparky hesitated, but he trusted Old Man Tiber. He squeezed his eyes shut.
“Now,” said Old Man Tiber, “imagine your sparkles are slowly dimming, like little stars fading into the night sky. One by one, they grow softer and softer.” Sparky tried. It was hard! His sparkles wanted to shine. But he focused on Old Man Tiber’s voice, and slowly, he imagined each tiny sparkle becoming a gentle glow.
“Good,” Old Man Tiber said. “Now, listen to your breath. In… and out… like the gentle waves of the ocean.” Sparky listened. He breathed in deeply, and out slowly. He noticed how the air felt cool as it entered his nose and warm as it left. With each breath, his sparkles seemed to calm down a little more.
“It’s okay if they don’t disappear completely,” Old Man Tiber continued. “It’s okay to be sparkly, even when you’re sleepy. Just let them be soft and gentle.” Sparky realized Old Man Tiber was right. He didn’t need to *stop* being sparkly; he just needed to find a way to be sparkly *and* sleepy.
He continued to breathe deeply, imagining his sparkles as soft, glowing embers. He thought about all the fun he’d had that day – zooming through the clouds, playing hide-and-seek with the fireflies, and sharing berries with his friends. He felt a warm, cozy feeling spread through his body.
Before he knew it, Sparky’s eyelids grew heavy. His breathing became slow and even. His sparkles dimmed to a gentle, peaceful shimmer. He was finally drifting off to sleep. Old Man Tiber smiled and quietly flew away, leaving Sparky to enjoy his sparkly, sleepy dreams.
And so, Sparky the dragon learned that it’s okay to be different, and it’s okay to need a little help finding calm. Even the sparkliest dragon can find peaceful sleep, one gentle breath at a time. Now close *your* eyes, little one, and let your own sparkles dim as you drift off to dreamland.