Sabrinetta and the Fiery Dragon

There was a princess called Sabrinetta. She lived in a white tower at the edge of a wood.

Every morning she climbed to the top of her tower and waved good morning to the sun.

Every day she swept and sang and worked hard and was kind to everyone she met.

One day, a fiery dragon came to the kingdom.

The dragon blew fire on the fields. The dragon growled at the villages. The dragon was terrible.

The King sent brave knights. The knights ran away.

The King sent clever wizards. The wizards ran away.

The King sent for Sabrinetta.

"Oh dear," said Sabrinetta, who was not frightened but was very concerned for the dragon.

She went to the wood where the dragon lived. She knocked on a tree.

"Excuse me," she said.

The dragon opened one enormous eye.

"I brought you this," said Sabrinetta. She held out a bottle filled with something that shone.

"What is it?" said the dragon.

"It's kindness," said Sabrinetta. "I put some in a bottle. I hope you like it."

The dragon smelled it. The dragon thought about this for a long time.

Then the dragon said: "I didn't know kindness smelled like flowers."

"A lot of good things do," said Sabrinetta.

The dragon breathed out. Not fire this time. Just a long, warm sigh, like the last breath of summer.

"I think," said the dragon slowly, "that I have been lonely."

"I know," said Sabrinetta. "Would you like to come and live by the tower? I'll wave good morning to you too."

The dragon said yes.

And after that, the dragon was the most peaceful dragon in the world.

Because kindness, it turns out, is the one thing that can warm a cold heart from the inside.