This book is dedicated to my mother who died when I was seven so it is a very emotional story based upon facts about her but for the most part, it is fake.

Preview audio:

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That's me in that photo over there Kayla's Daughter her firstborn child my name is Sydney Shan'tee Perkins.

A long time ago, near a village called Yellow butter flie, there lived a dragon. He was the color of midnight. He was huge and covered in sharp, pointy scales. The fire he breathed could light up the night sky.

He lived in a nest high above the village in an old, dead tree. He never came down or so eveyone thought.

Everyone in Yellow butterfly was scared of the dragon...everyone but one precocious girl.

Kayla wanted to be a knight. She was strong and brave and unafraid.

Sure, the dragon breathed fire. But there were people with worse breath. And sure, the Dragon looked scary. But there were dogs in the village with scarier faces.

One day, the dragon had come down from his nest and was hiding in the cornfields.

Everyone ran to escape the dragon. Everyone except for Kayla.

Armed with her homemade sword, helmet and shield, Kayla ran through the deserted village toward the cornfield.

When she spotted the dragon, Kayla snuck up behind him.

“Excuse me!” Kayla yelled. The dragon roared. He lowered his head to her level. Kayla felt the dragon’s hot breath on her face.

“I’m Kayla,” she said. “I’ve come to tell you to go away. You’re scaring everybody.”

The dragon’s breaths quickened. Huff! Huff! Huff! It looked like the dragon’s fire was about to blow! Kayla braced herself. But instead of fire coming out of his mouth, tears began pouring down the dragon’s snout.

I did not mean to scare everyone I just wanted a friend to play with.“I’m so lonely. Nobody likes me,” the dragon said.

“Why should anyone like you?” Kayla replied. “You burned down the castle.”

“I didn’t burn down the castle,” the dragon said. “It was struck by lightning. I would never do that.”

“Wow,” Kayla said. “Sounds like you’re the victim of a smear campaign. We’ve got to fix this. What are you good at?”

“Breathing fire,” replied the dragon.

“Well, let’s see it,” ordered Kayla.