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**Whispers of Dragons in the Autumn Hearth**
In the chill of an autumn night, deep and drear,
A wooden house stood firm 'gainst the whispering wind's sheer.
Inside its warm heart, a family of three lay close,
Mother, father, and son—five summers old, their most precious dose.
"Mama," the boy piped up, eyes wide as the moon's glow,
"Are monsters real? Do they lurk in the shadows below?"
She chuckled soft, like leaves in a gentle breeze's sigh,
Shook her head with love, and laid down by his side.
Her fingers traced his chest, light as a fairy's wing,
"No, my love, no monsters haunt the night we sing.
But fairies? Oh yes, they're real as your beating heart—
They dance in dewdrops where the wild woods start."
"Really?!" he gasped, his voice a spark in the dark.
"Where do they hide? What trails do they spark?
How do they look, with wings of silver and gold?
Then dragons, Mama—are they real, brave and bold?"
Her laughter bubbled again, warm as hearthfire's embrace,
As she tucked him in blankets, soft as a lover's grace.
"Questions like stars, my curious one, so bright and so fleet—
Fairies flit from the meadows where moonflowers meet.
Tiny as fireflies, with eyes like emerald flame,
They weave dreams from moonlight, whispering your name."
Through the door's cracked seam, a sliver of hall-light gleamed,
Stood the father, gaze softened, heart by love redeemed.
He stepped in with a smile, bright as dawn's first ray,
And laughed from his belly, chasing the night's gray.
"Dragons? Aye, lad, they're real as the salt on my skin—
Your father's seen one, in days wild and thin!"
His voice dropped low, a traveler's tone, woven with woe,
Echoes of seas and storms from long ago.
"Really, Papa?!" the boy bolted up, blankets askew,
His cheeks flushed with fire, eyes sparkling anew.
"Where? When? Tell me quick—did it breathe flame so blue?"
The father coughed once, cleared the husk from his throat,
Pulled up a stool by the bed, in the lantern's soft vote.
Mother watched, smiling, her hand on his knee,
As he spun the tall tale, wild as the sea.
"'Twas when I was little, scarce bigger than you,
With Grandpa at my side, bold and tried-and-true.
We sailed yonder waters, unforgiving and vast,
Harsh waves like God's hunger, lashing fierce and fast.
Storms choked the heavens, clouds black as sin's own shroud,
Sun swallowed whole in a giant's mouth, roaring loud.
"Then came the thunder—a bellow from depths untold,
We clung to the mast, hearts gripped in fear's cold hold.
Up from the horizon, a shadow loomed blacker than night,
Darker than nightmares, blotting sea from sight.
A fiery inferno plunged down in a blaze,
Red as fresh blood, setting the world all ablaze.
"The sky overturned, painted crimson and wild,
Grandpa and I huddled, like lost, frightened child.
His arms wrapped me tight, strong as oak in the gale,
But I peeked through his grip—saw a tail without fail!
Thicker than towers, coiled like a serpent's spite,
Lashing the waves into froth under fiery light.
"It vanished as quick as a thief in the mist,
Leaving us breathless, with wonder we've kissed.
No soul believed us, they called it a dream's mad flight,
But we know the truth, in the stars' endless night."
The boy hung on every word, breath held in delight,
"Papa, was it scary? Did it chase you through flight?
Grandpa—did he roar back? Was he brave as can be?"
The father leaned close, ruffled his tousled hair,
"Aye, scared to my bones, but thrill filled the air.
Grandpa laughed through the terror, said, 'Lad, that's life's fire—
Dragons teach us to dream, to reach ever higher.'"
Mother slapped Father's arm, playful yet firm in her shake,
Her eyes danced with mirth, for the tall tale's sake.
"Enough of your yarns, you two dreamers so wild—
Bedtime calls now, my loves, rest like a child.
Dream of fairies and dragons, but heed reality's call,
For tomorrow brings dawn, and duties for all."
Yet as they kissed his brow, the boy's eyes stayed alight,
In that wooden house haven, under autumn's soft night.
Monsters may fade, but wonders take wing,
In a family's love, where tall tales forever sing.
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