To the Reel Family

A long time ago, near a village called Benson Hills, 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. 

Everyone in Benson Hills was scared of the dragon...everyone but one precocious girl.

Loreina Reel 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 Loreina Reel. She had been praying to God for strength to fight the dragon. She remembers the verse in the Bible that said, "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" (Joshua 1:9). And so she was not afraid anymore.

Armed with her homemade sword, helmet and shield, Loreina

Reel ran through the deserted village toward the cornfield. 

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

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

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