**The Dragon’s Egg**
Lila was a young girl who lived in a small village near the mountains. She loved to explore the woods and the hills, looking for flowers and berries and animals. One day, she stumbled upon a cave that she had never seen before. Curious, she decided to enter it and see what was inside.
She walked deeper and deeper into the cave, until she reached a large chamber that was filled with treasure. Gold coins, jewels, crowns, swords, and other shiny things were piled up everywhere. Lila gasped in wonder and awe. She had never seen so much wealth in her life.
But then she noticed something else in the chamber. Something that made her heart skip a beat. In the center of the treasure pile, there was a huge egg. It was bigger than Lila herself, and it had scales of different colors that shimmered in the dim light. Lila knew what it was. It was a dragon’s egg.
She had heard stories about dragons from her grandfather. He had told her that they were powerful and majestic creatures that could fly and breathe fire and magic. He had also told her that they were very rare and that most people had never seen one in their lives. He had said that dragons were loyal and kind to those who befriended them, but fierce and wrathful to those who harmed them.
Lila felt a strange attraction to the egg. She wanted to touch it, to feel its warmth and life. She wondered what the dragon inside looked like, what its name was, what its personality was. She wondered if it would like her, if it would be her friend.
She took a step closer to the egg, then another, then another. She reached out her hand and gently touched the egg’s surface. It felt smooth and warm. She smiled and stroked it softly.
Suddenly, the egg moved. It shook slightly, then more violently. Lila heard a cracking sound and saw a crack appear on the egg’s shell. She gasped and backed away. The egg was hatching.
She watched as the crack grew bigger and bigger, until a hole appeared on the egg’s top. A small head emerged from the hole, followed by a neck, a body, a tail, and four legs. The baby dragon was out of its shell.
It looked at Lila with curious eyes. It had scales of different colors, just like its egg. It had horns on its head, spikes on its back, claws on its feet, and wings on its sides. It was beautiful.
It opened its mouth and made a soft sound. It sounded like a purr mixed with a growl. Lila smiled and approached it slowly. She held out her hand and said softly:
“Hello there. I’m Lila.”
The baby dragon sniffed her hand and licked it gently. It seemed to like her scent. It nudged her hand with its nose and made another sound.
“Hello,” Lila said again. “Do you have a name?”
The baby dragon tilted its head and looked at her with curiosity.
“I’ll call you…Sparky,” Lila said. “Because you look like a spark of fire.”
The baby dragon seemed to approve of the name. It wagged its tail and rubbed its head against Lila’s hand.
Lila laughed and hugged it gently.
“I think we’re going to be great friends,” she said.
And they were.
The Journey of Life 