The Rainbow Dragon

Bartholomew the dragon was a very special dragon. His scales shimmered like a thousand rainbows, his wings carried him across the sky faster than a shooting star, and his tail swished with the grace of a ballerina. But there was one thing Bartholomew couldn't do, something that made him feel a little bit like a sad, soggy pancake: he couldn't breathe fire. All the other dragons in his cave, from the grumpy old dragon named Grumble to the playful little dragon named Sparkles, could breathe fire with a roar and a whoosh. They could roast marshmallows on their fiery breath, melt ice cream with a single puff, and even make their own fireworks displays. Bartholomew, however, just blew out puffs of smoke that smelled like burnt toast. "Why can't I breathe fire?" Bartholomew sighed, watching the other dragons light up the night sky with their fiery breath. "It's not fair!" "Maybe you're just a special kind of dragon," said Sparkles, who was always trying to be helpful. "Maybe you breathe something else, like glitter or rainbows!" Bartholomew wasn't sure about that. He tried to breathe glitter, but all that came out was a cloud of dust. He tried to breathe rainbows, but all that came out was a puff of smoke that smelled like burnt toast. One day, Bartholomew was feeling particularly sad about his lack of fire-breathing abilities. He was sitting by the cave entrance, watching the other dragons play a game of fiery tag, when he saw a little girl with bright, curious eyes. She was holding a beautiful, red balloon. "Hello," said the little girl, her voice as sweet as honey. "What's your name?" "I'm Bartholomew," said the dragon, feeling a little shy. "What's yours?" "I'm Lily," said the little girl. "What are you doing?" "I'm watching the other dragons play," said Bartholomew. "They can breathe fire, but I can't." Lily looked at Bartholomew with a smile. "That's okay," she said. "You can do other things. You can fly really high, and you can make your scales shimmer like a thousand rainbows." Bartholomew felt a little bit better. Maybe he wasn't a fire-breathing dragon, but he was still a special dragon. He could fly high and his scales were beautiful. "Do you want to see my balloon?" asked Lily. Bartholomew nodded. He had never seen a balloon before. Lily held up the red balloon, and Bartholomew's eyes widened in amazement. It was so bright and shiny, and it floated in the air like a little red cloud. "It's beautiful," said Bartholomew. "It's magic," said Lily. "It can fly without wings." Bartholomew thought about that. Maybe he didn't need to breathe fire to be magical. Maybe he could be magical in his own way. "Do you want to play with me?" asked Lily. Bartholomew smiled. He had never played with a human before, but he thought it might be fun. "Yes," he said. "I'd like that." Lily and Bartholomew spent the rest of the afternoon playing together. They flew high in the sky, Bartholomew carrying Lily on his back. They played hide-and-seek in the forest, Bartholomew hiding behind trees and Lily searching for him. They even had a race, Bartholomew flying as fast as he could and Lily running as fast as she could. As the sun began to set, Lily had to go home. "Thank you for playing with me," said Bartholomew. "I had a lot of fun." "Me too," said Lily. "I'll come back tomorrow." Bartholomew watched Lily walk away, feeling happy and content. He realized that he didn't need to breathe fire to be happy. He had friends, he could fly, and he had a special talent: he could make his scales shimmer like a thousand rainbows. The next day, Lily came back to the cave, and Bartholomew was waiting for her. They played together again, and this time, Bartholomew had an idea. "Lily," he said, "I want to show you something." He took a deep breath and blew a puff of smoke. But this time, it wasn't just smoke. It was a cloud of shimmering, rainbow-colored dust. Lily gasped in amazement. "It's beautiful!" she said. Bartholomew smiled. He had finally found his own special magic. He might not be a fire-breathing dragon, but he was a rainbow-breathing dragon, and that was just as magical. From that day on, Bartholomew and Lily were the best of friends. They played together every day, and Bartholomew learned that being different wasn't a bad thing. It was just a different way of being special. And sometimes, being different was even better.