Transparent scales of glimmering glass cover her delicate skin.

Slitted pupils in sea colored eyes written off as a trick of the light.

Low growls of anger and sorrow lost in the din.

Her mane of hair, goldish when dim, flame-like when bright.

Someday she will spread her shimmering feathered wings and soar.

Someday she will let people see her, as she truly is.

Until that day she will wander within their midst, appearing to be one of them.

Just another invisible dragon.

The beat up, old station wagon drove down the road, the driver carefully watching for ice. 

"You missed your turn." Chad said from the back seat. "You were supose to turn on Wise street."

"The GPS shows me turning on the next street." Amy replied from the drivers seat. 

"The GPS updates slow. You missed your turn." Chad said, "Tell her Donny."

Donny sighed. "He is right babe. We missed the turn."

"The GPS says..."

"Recalculating— make a u-turn and proceed to the planned route."

"Dang it! I can't make a u-turn you stupid machine. There is a snow drift in the way."

"You should have let me drive." Chad said. 

"Not helping." Donny said. "Here babe, pull over and hand me the GPS. I'll find us a way."

"Fine." She said, pulling the car over. "Hurry though, Mary is having her first baby and I want to be there." Amy put the car in park. "You grabbed the gift, didn't you, Chad?"

"Yeah," Chad said. "but what does a baby need with insence?"

"Insence?" Amy turned around. "You grabbed the blue bag, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Chad said holding up a purple bag. "I'm not stupid."

"You idiot!" She punched him in the shoulder. 

"Oww! Stop it!" He shielded himself with the bag. "Don, your wife is hitting me."

"Dear," Donny said, not bothering to look up. "stop hitting my brother."

"No, he deserves it. I spend three weeks searching for the perfect baby gift and he leaves it behind." Amy socked Chad in the arm one more time. "What do we do now? We can't give them frankincense and myre."

"And gold." Chas added. 

"Gold?"

Chad pulled a handful of chocolate gold coins from the bag. 

There was a knock on the window.

"Ahh!" Incense flew everywhere. 

Donny rolled the window down. 

"Don't be afraid." The officer said. "Let me guess, you're looking for the hospital."

"Yes sir, our friend is having a baby."

"She picked quite a night for it. You don't need that infernal contraption. End of the block. Turn right. Follow the shining star. That easy."

"Thanks Officer."

"No problem at all. Merry Christmas."

"You too."

Donny rolled the window up as the officer walked away. "You get that?"

"Yup." Said Amy, starting the car forward.

"What kind of directions were those, 'follow the shining star'? Oh—"

As they turned the corner the street glowed in the light of the star that sat atop the hospital. 

They drove down, circled the parking lot twice without finding a spot, and finally pulled into a lot across the street. 

"It is packed." Donny said. 

They waited for a horse drawn carriage to go by before crossing the street. 

"Poor horse was limping." Amy said. 

They entered the hospital and took the elevator to the delivery floor. The doors opened. 

"Dear God." Amy said. 

Pregnant ladies filled the waiting room. Impatient husbands paced nervously, bumping into eachother. 

Donny went up to the desk. "Excuse me."

A frazzled nurse looked up. "Please tell me you are not checking in."

"Just looking for my friends, Mary and Joe."

She type the names into the computer. "I'm sorry I don't have anyone by that name."

"Donny," Amy grabbed his arm pulling him back towards the elevators. "Max Sheperd just texted. They are in the ER because of overflow."

"As they stepped into the elevator, Chad pressed the first floor button. 

The doors opened on ground level.

"What the..." Chad began. 

A Clydesdale stood in the lobby all by itself with a bandage around its foreleg.

"Owner must have brought him in.   Should we...do something about this?" Donny asked. 

"No, we are here to see a baby not wrangle a horse." Amy said. "The ER is this way."

They left the horse, went down the hallway, and found the Sheperd's hovering in a doorway.

"Go on in." Max told them. 

Mary had her baby cradled in her arms. Joe sat next to her utterly transfixed by the sleeping baby.

Amy let out a suppressed squeal. "He is adorable."

Max made a startled noise from the hallway. 

"What is it?" Joe asked. 

Donny stuck his head out the door. "Wow."

The Clydesdale pushed through the door into the small room. 

Joe grabbed the baby from merry and sat him down behind him.  

"Get it out of here!" Joe yelled. 

"It's just a horse." Chad said. 

A man in a top hat and a suit ran into the room. "Marmalade, what are you doing wandering off like that?" His eyes took in the crowd. His face flushed. "He is sorry... I am sorry. Uhh... congratulation. Uhm... come on marmalade." He lead the horse from the room. 

"Joe," Mary said, "get my newborn son out of that sink."

And that is the story of how Mary and Joe shared their room with livestock while their son slept in a water trough and the Sheperd's and three not so wise people watched, all under the shining star. 

I had a Vodka Cranberry last night.

It told me I could dance.

When my flailing arms made me look like a joke,

I went and grabbed a Rum and Coke.

The rum said I'd get a special surprise,

if I quickly downed a Tequila Sunrise.

Tequila said I need someone to adore me,

So I found some courage in a Dark 'N' Stormy

The flaming shots promised to make me cool.

After several of them, I skinny dipped in the pool.

What at the time I thought was celebration,

now I can see clearly.

It was alcohol's manipulation.

A Young Child ran across the street to ask a grizzled old man a question. 

"Sir, why do you look like that? " 

The old man responded, "I made mistakes during my life and the consequences of my mistakes make me look this way. " 

A Young Child stood in front of busy food vendor on the street to ask her a question. 

"Sir, you are feeding people all day. Is it a good thing to feed people? " 

The vendor replied, "People need to eat. I guess that is why people pay me. We help each other." 

A Young Child sat in his classroom as the teacher asked everyone a question. 

"Class, who knows why it is important to Listen to your parents? " 

The Young Child raised his hand and then answered, 

"Because they tell me to never trust anyone except them. I get hurt when I make mistakes and sometimes it means I cannot eat. " 

As the child grew older he asked more and more questions. Every Street corner and every storekeeper knew his face even on days when his face would be swollen to the point one could not clearly see his eyes. One those days one could still see his mouth-- a curious smile as always. 

One day he saw family walking together on the sidewalk. He perceived that his own family was different and that maybe he should ask his parents more questions. 

When he asked his Father if he loved him the reply was "yes." 

When he asked his mother if she carried him as a baby the reply was "yes." 

When the child finally went to college he didn't get along well with others and preferred to be alone. He got excellent grades in his courses and earned the admiration of his fellow peers. They appreciated his intelligence but were disturbed by his blank expressions. He never really seemed to look at a person, but rather he would look passed them. It was as if he was doomed to stare into space when confronted by a warm gesture or acknowledgment. 

When the day came to walk down the college  aisle he received his diploma and walked back down rather than join the other graduates of his class on stage. 

As the audience roard and cheered for the Young Adults entering the world, the boy, now a young man stood outside under the moonlight. 

Nearby was an ice cream peddler who bent down to hand a small child an ice cream cone. 

The young man removed his graduation cap and approached the child and the peddler, kneeling down to ask the child a question. 

"Little boy. Do your parents treat you well? " 

The child replied with a nod, "They tell me what to do and what not to do. " 

The young man asked him another question. 

"Do your parents love you? What happens when you make mistakes and what happens if you tell them you are hungry? " 

The child tilted his head and answered, "When I make mistakes I get punished. If I am hungry I wait until it is time to eat. I love them. " 

The young man was distraught as he asked the child one last question. 

"If your parents loved you wouldn't they be walking with you on the sidewalk? At the park? Wouldn't they?? " 

The child pointed over his own shoulder at the peddler and smiled, "Dad's my Dad and my Mom.. but he always got to go work so I sometimes get to walk with him at parks and sidewalks!  I help him and if I'm good I get ice cream too~" 

A parent leaning slowly over the shoulder of their toddler: “Sweetie, please, let’s just go home now… We will be back tomorrow. Mr. Teddy is waiting for us at home, he is lonely…”

“Nn.. No”

“Look, how about this, we are coming back tomorrow morning first hour, and play some more, OK? Now the sun is setting, and you know what that means, right? We need to put Mr. Teddy to bed!”

A slow step forward, and then back.

“No”

“Look, there is no one left here. All the nice children are in bed and they are waiting for…”

“NO”

“Sweetie…”

“NO! NO! NO!”

“OK, how about this? We go home now and I’ll let you watch an episode of your favourite cartoons! Deal?”

A reluctant “A-huh” afterwards, they are slowly driving towards home. Baby steps.

Moral of the story: Who got what they wanted?