I ran into the house. At first I went to get my dad, but then I remembered he couldn’t help. I took a shaky breath. Then I I grabbed the phone and called my mom.
I tried not to cry while the phone rang. The call went to voicemail. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears ran down my face. The dragon was going to die, and it was all my fault.
My dad came running. “Zoey? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
I wasn’t sure what to say that would make sense. Finally, I choked out, “I really need to talk to Mom, but she isn’t answering.”
My dad hugged me and sat down with his arm around me. “You’re really missing her, aren’t you?”
I nodded and tried to stop crying.
“She’s presenting at the conference right now, so her phone must be turned off. Why don’t you leave a message? I’m sure she’ll call you as soon as the talk is over.”
Oh no! Mom’s talk! It might be hours before she turned her phone back on. And by then it might be too late. I cried harder.
“I know I’m not Mom, but could I try to help? Can you tell me what made you so upset?”
If I told Dad about Marshmallow, he wouldn’t understand at all. But maybe he could help me with the problem anyway?
“I was running an experiment where I fed a creature I found in the barn. It ate a bunch of one of the foods I gave it yesterday. And it looked really good when I came in last night. But this morning it seems really sick. It’s barely moving. I don’t know what’s wrong with it.”
Dad frowned a bit. “It’s not a wild animal, is it? That could be dangerous. Maybe I should come take a look.”
“No, it’s not really a wild animal. It’s more of a, um, creature. Mom said it was OK. And, uh, I don’t think you’d really be able to see it.”
Dad looked confused. “Is it another one of your bug experiments? I hope it’s not a spider. I really don’t like spiders.”
I shook my head no.
“I’m glad you checked with Mom first. Hmmm. Maybe the food you fed it was a little rough on it? Remember how awful you felt when we went camping last summer and you ate way too many s’mores?”
S’mores. Marshmallows. Too many marshmallows. Maybe that was it! My science experiment showed me what the baby dragon liked to eat, but maybe not what he should eat.
What had my parents done to make me feel better last summer? That was one of the worst stomachaches ever. Let’s see, Mom lectured me about eating too much sugar. And she had me drink a lot of water. And eat a really healthy meal that had no sugar.
I needed to get Marshmallow some water and some healthy food right away! I jumped up and dashed to the door. Then I stopped, ran back, and gave my dad a big hug. “Thanks, Dad! I think I know how to fix it!”