The start…

"A dragon's egg! A dragon's egg!" Elika gazed in wonder at the golden egg that gave off a golden glow that warmed her hands. Its surface seemed to shimmer and change as she tried to understand the pattern on its surface. It was magical and the best thing she'd ever held.

When it seemed she'd learned everything she could from the swirling patterns, she turned her eyes away from the egg to her mother and held it up. "Mummy, may I keep it?"

Her mother returned a sad smile. "It's known that a dragon's egg brings little joy and a lot of pain. Do you wish that on yourself?" She gestured at the crack in the rock where Elika had found it. "Put it back, sweetie."

Despite her mother's instruction, Elika knew she just had to keep it. For it felt so natural, as if it were something she was born to have, to be part of her. "Mummy, it wants me to have it. I can feel it." She held it out to her. "See, you hold it and feel how it wishes for me to keep it."

"I cannot. It's said that once touched, it belongs to whoever first touched it." Her mother's face darkened, as if disappointed in her. "You're too young to know what you're doing. So, put it back."

Elika was torn. The desire to keep the egg was such that she couldn't return it to where she'd found it. It had been hidden, but when she'd sat down on the rock, it was as if the egg wanted to be found, for it had suddenly glowed, revealing its hiding place. But she couldn't disobey her mother. What to do?