#dragon speaker

digital edit: red brown overlay layer intensified faded soft lines from scan size: 2 by 3 inch

Her mother quietly crossed the porch and sat down at the table, her smile sad and her eyes wet.

"Ma, what's wrong?" Shynear asked.

Her mother waved her off with a quiet click of the tongue. "Your father used to sing that song to you.”

Shynear felt her heart race. They never talked about her father.

“You two really understood each other,” said Ma, continuing on without any notice of Shynear’s heart. “Most times he was the only one who could get you to go to sleep." Ma grinned at her next and said, "I remember the day you were born, we were Dr. Rosing's office because we didn't make it to the big hospital, and the first time he took you in his arms, he opens his mouth like he wants to ask a question. But then he closes it again. Your Dad, everybody thought he was a little strange--even me. He acted like he had these traditions and this culture, but it was nothing like I had ever heard of. Your grandparents and I didn't want to put him down though, because we knew a thing or two about not being believed about our own traditions.

"So anyway, he looks like he wants to say something, so I ask him what. And he wants to know if he can take you outside for a minute. It's a tradition in his family, to take you out to look at the stars, or something like that. Well, Dr. Rosing says that as long as we keep you swaddled it's fine, so your grandparents help me out of bed and we all go outside. And the dawn had just begun--it was beautiful the way it just lit up the sky. And your father said some words over you like a blessing, and so your grandfather had to say one too. Then we all go back inside so you can I can rest a little, and I can feed you."

Shynear titled her head to one side. "So, he just wanted to show me the stars?"

"Well, no." Her mother waggled a finger at her. "I asked him if that was all, and he said traditionally at least one of a child's names came from the first star they saw. And you reached your fat little hand out to what he called the first star of the morning. In his tongue that was Shynearaian." Ma shook her tongue and clucked again. "He said that he didn't want to give you a bad name, and so he would let me decide. Well, I said that I like Shynearaian just fine, it sounded so pretty the way your father said it. And well, he wanted you to have my last name since his was so strange, so I figured it was a fair trade."

"That's a nice story," said Shynear, resting her chin on her hands. "I never knew that's how you came up with my name."

"How'd you figure we did it?" asked her Ma.

"I always sort of thought scrabble tiles," said Shynear, gently.

Ma threw her head back with a deep laugh at this, nearly toppling her chair over.

"Anyway," said Shynear, standing, "your version is better." She learned over and kiss her ma on the cheek before she went back into the house for a set of mugs and the coffee pot. Two mugs in one hand and the coffee pot in the other, she came back out onto the porch and settle them down. "I've been thinking about him a lot, lately, you know?"

Posted this on my IG stories (tho it's a priv acc) but i liked it a lot so you'll have it too!

Happy Pride to everyone who celebrates and are a part of the community, remember that you are valid, seen and loved, no matter what the government, family or anyone says.