Art by Louise Chen

Botanica Fabrica

It was a cold and grey day in Silver Lake. The sounds of chatter and skill saws filled the air, stirring the dragon from her slumber. She opened her glassy eyes, let out a fiery yawn, and climbed down the ladder from her attic lair.  The kitchen was full of last night’s haul, so she got down on some dragon munchies and gulped a jug of water fresh from the lake. 

After breakfast, she caught a gust of wind and headed south with a sense of urgency, towards the smell of flowers and damp wood. She traveled for miles and crossed many lands, almost growing too exhausted to go on. She did not know where she was going, just that she had to get there.

Finally, she arrived at her destination, the Forest of Enlightenment. There, she found the smallest and saddest tree she had ever known. At the sight of this, the fire in her heart grew big, and her scales fluttered like butterfly wings. Almost as if a force was guiding her, she made an altar out of twigs, flower petals, and stones from the riverbed. Then she closed her eyes and sang a prayer to the gods of F.U.N. for this tree to be happy and grow as tall as the tallest tree in the world, then even taller.