Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a dragon named Spike. Spike was a very obnoxious dragon, and loved to spew fire and smoke everywhere he went. He never realized how his behavior was affecting those around him.

One day, Spike became very ill. His throat was sore from all the fire and smoke he had been spewing, and he could no longer breathe properly. The kingdom's wise wizard heard of Spike's illness and decided to help him.

The wizard took Spike to a special place, where he was given therapy to help him breathe better. Spike was surprised to learn that his obnoxious behavior was the cause of his illness, and he was determined to change.

As part of his therapy, Spike was given a special rock called pumice. He was told to breathe on it every day, and that the pumice would help him get better. Spike did as he was told, and before long, he was feeling much better.

However, one day, while Spike was breathing on his pumice, he suddenly started to feel a surge of clouds building up inside him. He tried to hold back the clouds, but they spewed out of him in a big, fluffy, white cloud. The irony of the situation was not lost on Spike, as he realized that he was no longer obnoxious, but instead had become a friendly, white cloud dragon.

Spike now goes around the kingdom, spreading happiness and joy wherever he goes. Although he sometimes still tries to be obnoxious, it comes out unconvincingly, and everyone just laughs at his silly antics.

And that is the story of Spike, the obnoxious dragon who learned to be happy just being himself.

Reflections

1. Why was Spike feeling sick?
2. What did the wizard give Spike as part of his therapy?
3. What happened when Spike breathed on the pumice every day?
4. What did Spike learn about his behavior?
5. How did Spike change by the end of the story?
6. What lesson can we learn from Spike's story?