There was the merest hint of dawn showing beyond the mountains east of Puget Sound. Ramóna and Desdemona, damsel dragons far from their homes in the Sonoran Desert, met their new friend Cindy Lu Dragon in a field on the edge of the forest near the human community of Tacoma.

Cindy greeted her companions and said, “We have a long flight ahead of us to my home near Vancouver – Oh! The one in B.C., not Vancouver, Oregon. The sky is clear, and we’ll have a tail wind for most of the way. Prepare for liftoff!”

The250-kilometer flight took the three dragons about three hours. Yes, there was a tail wind speeding them along, but it was very cold, and it blew right up their … well, you know. The damsels were relieved when they landed on the mountainside and Cindy led them into a large cave. “Welcome! You are now in Cindy’s Eyrie!” she said exuberantly. In the darkness, she found her way to a niche in the cave wall; her fiery breath caused the rocks there to glow and provide a dim light. She then quickly made her way to other niches where she again made the rocks glow. Now that the chamber was illuminated, she pointed out a boulder. “Hey girls! Breathe some flames onto that big rock and heat it up. It’ll then keep the room warm. I’ll get busy in the kitchen.”

Desdemona and Ramóna looked about them. They were in a large room, with small café-style tables and comfortable dragon-sized chairs. Oh, but the walls! They were lined with shelves, and the shelves were loaded with books! Elsewhere in the room were statues and paintings. Well, that’s okay; they had already concluded that Cindy was a bit of a nerd. And, after all, she had been generous with her hospitality.