6

Pearl was in such a hurry to fly on a dragon that she forgot all about changing her clothes. Luckily, it was a balmy summer night, so her pajamas and leprechaun slippers were plenty warm. Saltshaker in hand, she opened the hatch that led to the roof.

It was nearly impossible to see up there. The streetlamps weren’t working. And the moon was currently on the other side of the earth.

“Hello?” Pearl whispered. “Where are you?”

“Over here.” A streak of orange light suddenly appeared, guiding the way. While dragon flame can burn a village and melt a bridge, it can also serve as a convenient torch. Pearl crossed the roof and joined Ben, who was also in a pair of pajamas and sneakers. His pajamas were yellow, and his sneakers hadn’t been made by a leprechaun.

Metalmouth closed his mouth, extinguishing the flame, and Pearl’s vision began to adjust. That was when she noticed the red saddle strapped to the dragon’s back.

“Did you really ride here on Metalmouth?” Pearl asked.

“It was amazing,” Ben said in a hushed voice. “He tapped on my bedroom window. The cat went nuts.”

“Did you tell your grandpa you were leaving?”

“No. Luckily he didn’t wake up. But I left a note for him next to the box of doughnuts. He has one every morning, so he’ll find the note for sure.” Ben pointed to the saltshaker. “How’s the fairy?” The creature was flying around, screaming again. It sounded as if Pearl had trapped a miniature storm.

“She’s not very happy,” Pearl said with a frown. “I don’t think she likes me.”

“Well, you did trap her.”

“Hey, you guys, we’d better go,” Metalmouth said. “Dr. Woo’s waiting.”

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Pearl said with an excited giggle.

Metalmouth lay on his stomach and stretched out a wing so Pearl and Ben could climb easily onto his back. Pearl settled in the front of the saddle. The seat was padded and quite comfortable. Ben sat behind her.

“Just in case you’re wondering, there aren’t any helmets,” Ben informed her. “Or seat belts. I already asked.”

“You don’t need that stuff,” Metalmouth said as he rose onto his paws. “No one’s ever fallen off, except for that one time when Mr. Tabby fell into the lake. Gee whiz, he was mad. Cats sure hate water.” As he spread his wings, a piece of roof tile tumbled to the sidewalk. Way down in the basement apartment, wiener dog barks arose.

“Uh-oh. Sweetness and Light will wake up the whole neighborhood,” Pearl said. “We’d better get outta here.”

Metalmouth perched on the edge of the roof and began flapping his wings. “Hold on super tight,” Ben warned, his arms wrapped around Pearl’s waist. “He flies really… fast!” With a sudden lurch, they rose into the sky. For a moment, Pearl forgot to breathe. She couldn’t speak. She squeezed the saltshaker so tightly her hand began to ache.

Metalmouth flew up Main Street, then dipped his wing and banked to the right, carrying them over the company houses, where Grandpa Abe lived. Barnaby, Abe’s black cat, stood on the front porch. His back arched when he spotted the huge scaled beast. A pair of raccoons darted behind a garbage can as the dragon’s shadow swept across driveways and lawns. Cold night air stung Pearl’s eyes, but she didn’t care. A fairy in one hand, a dragon saddle in the other—what could be better? (Perhaps a not-so-cranky fairy would make things a tad bit better, but Pearl wasn’t going to fuss over details.) She squealed with joy as Metalmouth finished the 180-degree turn.