Once upon a sunny morning, Dinosaur Briggs lived in a tall, warm Castle. The Castle had blue doors, red flags, and one hundred soft steps. Briggs was small for a dinosaur, but he had a big green tail and a very kind heart. He liked helping. He helped carry apples. He helped tuck blankets around sleepy birds. He even helped tiny bugs cross puddles.
Briggs had two best friends. Wolf was quick and curious. His ears went pop, pop, pop when he heard a new sound. Lion was big, gentle, and brave. His golden mane looked like a fluffy sun. Every day, the three friends played in the Castle yard.
One day, a bell went ding-dong. Then it went ding... dong... very slowly.
“Oh,” said Briggs. “The happy bell is sad.”
They looked up at the highest Castle tower. There sat Dragon, curled around the bell. Dragon was red, round, and grumpy. A little puff of smoke came from his nose.
“Go away!” grumbled Dragon. “I lost my shiny treasure. Now I do not want the bell to ring.”
Briggs felt worried. But he took one small step forward.
“Dragon,” said Briggs softly, “we can help you look.”
Dragon blinked his big yellow eyes. “Help me?”
“Yes,” said Wolf. “My nose can sniff.”
“Yes,” said Lion. “My paws can dig.”
“And I can reach high things,” said Briggs, lifting his long neck.
Dragon gave a tiny nod. “My treasure is a golden box. Inside are bright star stones. I had it near the Castle garden. Then the wind whooshed. The box was gone.”
“Let’s go!” said Briggs.
Down the soft steps they went. Stomp, patter, pad. Briggs stomped. Wolf pattered. Lion padded.
First they searched the garden. Wolf sniffed the pink roses. Sniff, sniff, sniff.
“Not here,” he said. “Only flowers. Achoo!”
Lion looked under a big leaf. “Only a sleepy snail.”
Briggs looked behind the pumpkin patch. “Only three funny worms.”
Then Wolf’s ears popped up. “I hear something by the little bridge!”
The friends hurried to the bridge over the silver stream. There was a trail of golden dust on the ground.
“Shiny dust!” said Briggs.
They followed it past the apple tree. They followed it past the old stone wall. They followed it to a dark, small cave beside the Castle.
Wolf stopped. “The cave is dark.”
Lion stopped too. “Very dark.”
Briggs’ tummy felt wiggly. He was scared of dark caves. But he remembered Dragon’s sad face.
“I am a little scared,” Briggs said. “Can we go together?”
“Together!” said Wolf.
“Together!” said Lion.
Lion stood on one side. Wolf stood on the other. Briggs stood in the middle. Step by step, they went in.
Drip, drop. Drip, drop.
Then Briggs saw a small blue light. It was a firefly.
“Hello,” buzzed the firefly. “Why are you walking so slowly?”
“We seek a golden box,” said Briggs.
“I saw it!” buzzed the firefly. “A gust of wind pushed it onto the high rock. But a baby owl is sleeping beside it. Please be quiet.”
There was the box, high on a smooth rock. And there was the baby owl, snoozing. “Hoo... hoo...”
Wolf wanted to jump. Lion wanted to climb. Briggs had an idea.
“Wolf, find a soft moss pillow. Lion, hold it under the rock. I will gently use my tail.”
Wolf was fast. He brought moss. Lion held it wide. Briggs touched the golden box with the tip of his tail.
Tap.
The box slid down.
Plop!
Right onto the moss pillow. The baby owl did not wake up.
“We did it!” whispered Wolf.
Back at the tower, Dragon opened the golden box. Inside were red star stones, blue star stones, and yellow star stones. They sparkled all over the walls.
“Oh!” said Dragon. His grumpy face became a happy face. “You found my treasure.”
He lifted one bright green star stone. “This is for Briggs, because he was scared and still helped.”
Then Dragon gave Wolf a blue stone for his clever nose. He gave Lion a yellow stone for his gentle, brave paws.
Dragon moved away from the bell.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! The happy bell sang again.
The Castle filled with light. Dragon smiled. “May I play too?”
“Of course,” said Briggs.
So Dinosaur Briggs, Wolf, Lion, and Dragon ate apple slices in the sunny yard. Their new star stones glowed in their paws. Briggs wore his green stone on a little ribbon.
And when the bell went ding-dong at bedtime, Briggs smiled. He had a shiny treasure, three good friends, and one new dragon friend too.