Hiding from the dragons

     I just have to tell you about what happened this morning.
     I took a little trip down the hallway, past the computer area and the reading area, into the Children's Library.  I went there specifically to find a couple of yellow books to put on the children's display table.
     It was quiet in the big room and I thought I was by myself.  But I wasn't.
     As I rounded the corner of the long, low bookshelf, I saw a little black-haired boy, maybe about five years old, sitting under the children's table.  He sat cross-legged and was looking at a book.
     "Hi," I said.  "Whatcha doing?"
     He didn't say anything.  Apparently, I was interrupting his deep reading.  But I tried again.
     "Whatcha doing?"
     "Hiding," he said in a whisper.
     "From what?"
     "Dragons," was his answer.
     Now, that intrigued me.  Dragons.  In the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library's children's library.
     "I don't see any," I said as I looked around.  I decided if I sat down close to the table, close to him, maybe he'd tell me more.  So, I did.
     "Where are they?" I asked.
     He stared at me with big eyes, like he was thinking of what to say next.
     "They're in the shelves, watching us."
     "OH!" I gasped.  "Do I need to hide too?"
     He shook his head.  "No, you can't see them, so they won't get you."
     Wow, I thought.  This is worth writing about.
     "How are you going to get out of here?" I asked.
     "When my mama comes back."
     "What happens then?"  I wondered how long he was going to have to wait.
     "She'll come get me and we'll go home."  He seemed very positive about that.
     "Where is she now?" I asked.
     He wrinkled his little nose and said, "Doing computer stuff."
     "When will she come back for you?"  I had no idea how long he would have to stay under the table.  What if he had to go to the bathroom?
     "In a little while," he said.
     "OK," I said.  "Do you have enough books?  Want me to bring you more?"
     "No," he said. 
     "What are you reading now?" I asked.
     For the first time he had a smile on his face.  He was really cute and he surprised me when he said, "The Library Dragon."
     "How do you know what that says?" I asked.  "Can you read?"
     Again he smiled.  "I've been reading since I was three," he answered.  "I've read almost all of the dragon books in the library.  When are you going to get some more?"
     Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather...a dragon feather, that is.
     "I don't know," I answered.  "I'll have to ask Miss Norma.  But you take care of yourself, you hear?  Those dragons won't get you, will they?"
     "No," he said.  "I'm hiding."