As I try to help our children process our big move, I have revived the Elliot the Dragon stories as a way of teaching through story as we walk to school. However, it is Callum who is particularly tickled by them at the moment, so I have been telling them as Callum the Dragon stories.

Callum the Dragon and the clouds

Once upon a time there was a little dragon named Callum. He lived in a lovely cave with a big backyard in Panda Bear country with his Mama, Dadda and Big Brother Elliot the Dragon. Dadda was a grey dragon with silver wings, Mama was a blue dragon with gold wings and Elliot was a green dragon with sparkly wings. Callum Dragon had been yellow and pink because little dragons often change their colours as they grow but right now, he was blue with purple wings.

Callum Dragon loved his life in Panda Bear country and especially his tree house. Sometimes he and Elliot would fly up to the tree house and feast on their favourite food – Doritos and Sprite! And Callum would look up at the big sky and at the clouds. Now, something you have to understand about this world is that the clouds didn’t change. In our world, clouds are blown around and change their shape. Sometimes they are light and wispy, other times they are dark and heavy. But in this world, they are always white and fluffy and happy, like they are shining down with love. And it made Callum happy that whenever he looked up, they were always there, always the same, yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever.

Then one day Mama Dragon and Dadda Dragon told Callum and Elliot the Dragon that they would be leaving Panda Bear Country and moving to Dragonland. Elliot and Callum the Dragon had both hatched in Dragonland and had visited once or twice but Callum the Dragon didn’t remember it much and he had lived his whole life in Panda Bear Country. His beautiful blue scales had been grown in Panda Bear Country; he had used his lovely purple wings for the first time in Panda Bear Country. Panda Bear Country was his home and he loved it.

So, when Callum the Dragon thought about moving to Dragonland, he had lots of big feelings. He felt sad to be leaving his home, Panda Bear Country. He felt a bit scared and worried about what life in Dragonland would be like. He felt angry that he was being taken from his home to somewhere else. When Callum Dragon had these feelings, he liked to look up at the sky and see the clouds. They were the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever. Everything else might be changing, but the clouds were the same, still shining down on him, still happy.

Then something happened. Callum the Dragon’s big feelings moved from his heart to his eyes. They filled with tears. Now when Callum the Dragon looked up at the sky, the clouds were blurry and he couldn’t see them. He began to worry. Were they still there? Did they still look the same? What if they were different? What if they weren’t happy anymore, what if they were heavy and dark?

What a scary thought! Callum began to tremble and he trembled so hard, some of his beautiful scales dropped off. Mama Dragon saw the trembling and the tears and the scales dropping off and she came to Callum Dragon and gave him a big hug. Callum the Dragon bravely told her what he was worried about, that he couldn’t see the clouds so how could he know if they were the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever? Everything else was changing – would the clouds change too? Mama Dragon told Callum the Dragon of course the clouds would not change! They are the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever! Wherever you are in the world, whether in Panda Bear Country or Dragonland, they are the same.

“But I can’t see them!” Callum the Dragon wailed! Mama Dragon looked kindly into his tear-filled eyes and told him that she would look for him. She gazed up at the sky and reported that the clouds were still happy, still shining with love, still white and fluffy. She told Callum the Dragon that even though he couldn’t see them, they were still the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever, whever you are.

Mama Dragon told Callum the Dragon something else as well. She said, “One day soon, your tears will be fewer and the big feelings will be smaller, and then you will be able to see the clouds again.” She told him that at that time, they would look just the same as they had before, because they are the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever. But for now, she would look for him and tell him what they looked like, until he could see them again, all white and fluffy and shining and happy.

Categories: Cross-cultural parenting Written by Tamie

Tagged as: Callum the Dragon Elliot the Dragon prepping for the big one storytelling TCKs transition

Tamie Davis

Tamie Davis is an Aussie living in Tanzania, writing at meetjesusatuni.com.