Ozzie Gipson was a little girl with bright boots and a very careful heart. She lived in a tall silver Castle with Queen Maribel, who wore a crown that jingled when she laughed, and Princess Luma, who could never find both of her socks at the same time.
Every evening, the Castle windows shone with warm gold light. Every evening, one special star winked above the highest tower.
“It is the Castle Star,” Queen Maribel always said. “It helps sleepy children find sweet dreams.”
One night, Ozzie looked up from her cup of warm milk.
The sky was dark.
The Castle Star was gone.
“Oh, dear,” said the Queen. Her crown did not jingle.
Princess Luma peeked behind a curtain. “Maybe it is playing hide-and-seek?”
Then a small voice came from the moonbeam on the floor.
“Please help!” it squeaked.
Out of the moonbeam stepped Moon Child. He was tiny and round, with a pale blue coat and hair like soft silver fluff. He held an empty little star basket.
“The Castle Star fell,” said Moon Child. “It rolled over the hill and into the Whispering Woods. I tried to catch it, but my feet are only good at moon-hopping.”
Ozzie felt a flutter in her tummy. The Whispering Woods were dark at night. Leaves whispered there. Branches made creaky sounds. And, beyond the woods, there was a cave where a Dragon lived.
Still, Ozzie put on her brightest yellow scarf.
“I am scared,” she said quietly. “But the star needs us. I will go.”
Queen Maribel knelt beside her. “Brave does not mean never being scared,” she said. “Brave means taking a kind step, even when your knees feel wobbly.”
Princess Luma gave Ozzie a small bell. “Ring this if you need us. Also, I packed three cookies.”
“Only three?” asked Ozzie.
“I ate the other seven,” said the Princess.
Moon Child giggled. The Queen smiled a little.
So Ozzie, Princess Luma, and Moon Child walked out of the Castle gate. The Queen watched from the tower, holding a lantern high.
The Whispering Woods were full of rustly sounds.
“Who goes there?” whispered the leaves.
“Ozzie Gipson,” said Ozzie, though her voice was small. “We are looking for our missing star.”
A fox popped out from behind a fern. “I saw something shiny bounce past!” he said. “It went boing, boing, boing, toward the Dragon’s hill.”
“Thank you,” said Ozzie.
They crossed a bridge over a sleepy stream. They climbed a hill covered in round purple stones. At the top, they found a huge cave. Smoke curled from its entrance in little gray loops.
From inside came a sound.
“Sniff. Snuffle. Aaaachoo!”
A warm puff of orange smoke whooshed out. It blew Princess Luma’s hair straight up.
“Excuse me!” she said, patting it down.
Ozzie held Princess Luma’s hand. Moon Child held Ozzie’s scarf.
Together, they stepped into the cave.
There was the Dragon.
He was enormous. His scales were green as peas. His wings were folded like two giant blankets. His eyes were gold, but they were full of tears.
On a pile of soft moss beside him lay the Castle Star.
It was not shining.
The Dragon sniffed again. “Do not come closer,” he rumbled. “I am having a terrible, horrible, sneezy night.”
Ozzie’s knees felt very wobbly. But she remembered the Queen’s words. She took one kind step.
“Hello, Dragon,” she said. “I am Ozzie. That star belongs above our Castle. May we take it home?”
The Dragon covered his nose with one claw. “I found it cold and frightened in the grass. I warmed it with my breath. But then I sneezed sparks at it. Now it has lost its twinkle.”
Moon Child hurried to the star. “Its light is tucked away,” he said sadly. “A star needs three gentle things to shine again: a moonbeam, a happy sound, and a brave, kind wish.”
“I can bring a moonbeam!” said Moon Child. He opened his star basket. He hopped once, twice, three times, and caught a silver moonbeam inside.
“I can make a happy sound!” said Princess Luma. She took out Ozzie’s little bell and rang it.
Ting-a-ling! Ting-a-ling!
The sound skipped around the cave. The Dragon’s ears wiggled. Then Princess Luma began to sing a silly song about a duck wearing boots. Moon Child clapped. Even the Dragon gave a tiny chuckle.
But the star stayed dim.
“It needs a brave, kind wish,” whispered Moon Child.
Ozzie looked at the Dragon. He looked lonely. His cave had no pictures, no pillows, and no friends. Only moss, stones, and one very large sneeze.
Ozzie knew what to wish.
She placed both hands near the cool little star.
“I wish the Dragon has a friend,” she said. “And I wish he does not have to be lonely in his cave anymore.”
The Castle Star flashed.
First it glowed like a firefly.
Then it glowed like a lantern.
Then it burst into a soft golden sparkle that danced over everyone’s heads.
The Dragon gasped. A tiny golden star landed on the tip of his nose.
“A friend?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Ozzie. “You helped the star. You wanted it to be safe. Would you like to be our friend?”
The Dragon blinked his big gold eyes.
“No one has asked me that before,” he said.
Princess Luma stepped forward. “Friends can visit the Castle. But please do not sneeze on the curtains.”
“I will try very hard,” promised the Dragon.
Moon Child placed the shining star carefully in his basket. “Now we must take it home before the dream clouds drift away!”
The Dragon unfolded his great wings. “Climb on,” he said. “I know the fastest way.”
Ozzie gulped. Flying looked very high. Her boots trembled.
The Dragon lowered one wing like a staircase.
“You may hold on to my neck,” he said gently.
Ozzie took a deep breath. One kind step. Then another. She climbed up with Princess Luma and Moon Child.
Whoosh!
Up they flew over the Whispering Woods. The trees looked like tiny broccoli. The stream looked like a silver ribbon. Ozzie laughed so loudly that the Dragon laughed too.
At the Castle, Queen Maribel raised both arms. “The star!”
Moon Child tossed it high into the sky.
The Castle Star flew up, up, up, and settled above the tallest tower. It winked brighter than ever.
All the Castle windows turned golden. The sleepy children in the village below smiled in their beds.
Queen Maribel hugged Ozzie. “You were brave, caring, and wise.”
Then she brought out a velvet box.
Inside was a treasure: a small silver whistle shaped like a dragon wing, with a tiny yellow star on it.
“This is the Castle Friend Whistle,” said the Queen. “When you blow it, the Dragon will hear. He can come for tea, for a flight, or for help.”
The Dragon bowed his huge head. “And I will always come, Ozzie Gipson.”
Princess Luma held up a plate. “Now, shall we eat the emergency cookies?”
“You ate those,” said Ozzie.
“I found more,” said the Princess.
They had cocoa in the Castle courtyard. The Dragon drank from a bucket, very politely. Moon Child told jokes that were not very funny, but everyone laughed anyway.
Before bed, Ozzie looked out of her window. The Castle Star winked above. Far away, on the Dragon’s hill, another little golden light winked back.
Ozzie touched her dragon-wing whistle and smiled.
She still knew that dark woods could feel scary. But now she knew something else, too.
A kind step can lead to a shining friend.