text: “His name is Benny.” Samantha explained to her great-grandson, little Sammy. The toddler’s small fingers poked the side of the faded, mangled stuff animal. As much as Samantha tried to repair Benny over the years, time, and the affection of her children and grandchildren, had taken a toll on the beloved toy. “My mother, your great-great-grandmother, passed away a few weeks before I started high school. I was lost in the months that followed. Then my dear friend Benny came into my life, and I knew I wasn’t alone.” She smiled sadly. She had told some variation of the story to members of the family over decades and generations. “When you feel sad about your daddy, just give Benny a tight squeeze, and Benny will help you.” Samantha touched the toddler’s cheek lightly. Little Sammy did not say anything in reply, he just squeezed the stuffed animal tightly and nodded to his great-grandmother. “Memaw, are you sure? Sam might not be gentle with Benny.” Beth vocalized her concerns. Samantha smiled at her granddaughter. “Benny has already served me well. Now there’s a new child who could use his help.” Samantha responded. The grandmother and granddaughter exchanged a knowing look. The change in little Sammy’s demeanor since his father left was noticeable. Beth had done her best to play the role of both parents, and Walter had stepped in to help them both, but some things were difficult to explain to a child. Little Sammy smacked the plush against the side of Samantha’s chair. Beth looked to her grandmother as if to say, “are you really, really sure?” Samantha just smiled and nodded. Beth had not been gentle either when she used to play with Benny during visits, nor had Walter. Seeing how little Sammy smacked the plush against the chair made Samantha think about how she would love to beat Beth’s no-good-deadbeat-ex to a pulp, but alas, the man was difficult to find. Even if she could find the scoundrel, she wasn’t exactly in a fighting condition at her age. “Little Sammy, do you want to hear a secret?” Samantha asked. Little Sammy nodded yes. Samantha had Beth pick up the boy and set him in her lap. Samantha whispered into little Sammy’s ear. “I used to have a real pet dragon.” As she whispered the words, the boy’s eyes went wide. Ah, the wonders of childhood, she thought, a time when the mind is not yet closed to the possibility of fantastic truths. Samantha smiled, knowing only she and her late father knew it was true. She thought back to those days. The sound of Hound Dog by Elvis Presley blared on the radio. Samantha danced around in her room, Benvolio stood up on two legs, swaying with the music and swishing his tail. He was getting bigger, having more than doubled his size in the last three months. At 18 inches long, he was too big for his old enclosure. The wings on his back were becoming more pronounced. Samantha’s dad shrugged and attributed it to some sort of deformation or mutation, but the truth was becoming harder to ignore. Samantha’s dad rapped on the door and asked her to quiet down. Samantha turned off the music and walked over to the dresser where she had a book on standby. “I have a new book for us today; we are going to read *The Hobbit*.” She lifted the book. “I haven’t read it yet, but everyone says it’s really good.” Benvolio lifted his wings in interest. Samantha picked him up and plopped down on the bed. She sat with one arm around Benvolio and the book propped up on some pillows. They began the journey to Middle-earth together. Over the last few months together Samantha had noticed a change in Benvolio when she read. When Benvolio first came home with her, he seemed to react only to the pitch and tone of her voice. Lately, he seemed to recognize the words she spoke, reacting to them. Benvolio swished his tail joyfully as Samantha read the scene where the Dwarves showed up unexpectedly at Bilbo’s home. She chuckled and lightly bopped his snout with her finger. As the story progressed Benvolio’s mood changed. When the characters in the story began to talk about slaying the dragon, Benvolio snarled and shook his head in protest, as though angered by the events in the story. Samantha stopped reading, realizing too late how the subject matter might be offensive to Benvolio. Benvolio’s scales felt hot to the touch, causing Samantha to loosen her hold on him. That is when it happened. As if by a sneeze or cough, a tiny ball of flame erupted from Benvolio’s mouth and ignited the pages of the book. Samantha yelped in fright as a fire spread to the pillow beneath the book. She jumped up, instinctively scooping up Benvolio who was still hot to the touch. Samantha’s father barged into her room to find her furiously trying to put out the fire with a blanket. He ran out of the room and then returned with a bucket of water, extinguishing the flames and dousing Samantha’s bed. A startled Samantha and Benvolio both looked at the scorch marks on the bed. Samantha’s skin was red and blistering where she had handled the hot little dragon. Samantha’s dad fetched the first aid kit. He looked at Benvolio and then turned his eyes to Samantha. The look in his eyes was somber. “Sweetie, we need to talk.