Dear Ryan,
Thirty years old, can that be? Why it was just last week wasn't it that we were sitting on your parents deck looking up that the powder blue clouds with their edges sun tinged in pink and vermillion.
"Ryan, see how those clouds are glowing like fire? You know why that is don't you?"
"Because the sun is setting?" You said quite sure of the fact.
"Well that is what most people think. Look at this." I showed you my dragon and moonstone ring. "This is a magic ring. You see the fire in the clouds is not the sun but the glow from flying dragons that live in the sky. They are breathing fire to warm the clouds against the oncoming cold night. It will be nice and cozy so they can sleep up there on the downy clouds in comfort all night."
At this point your eyes were the widest I had ever seen them. "This ring is magic too. It can make the dragons come down from the sky and fly over us."
"Make them come down!"
Oh dear, now I had painted myself in a corner with the brightest eight year old I had ever met. Usually Tibbs men don't fall for fairy tales. They are a pretty practical bunch… but this one had a little dreamer inside of him that I had woken up with my story.
"Um…well that wouldn't be a good idea. You are only supposed to call them in an emergency and besides they are getting ready for bed."
"They won't mind and we can play with them. They like you Mike and I know they won't mind."
"No I don't think it would be smart. They are kind of cranky at this time of the day and if I called them and there was noting wrong. Well they might get mad and blow a ball of fire over the tops of the trees and set the house on fire…. Maybe next time I come to visit we can use the magic ring."
"Okay, Mike, next time."
And for the next two years every time I came to visit you asked me to make the dragons come down to play. And each time I had to find a reason whey they couldn't come….
Well, now that I no longer have the ring and YOU do…. I can come clean… You see Ryan…there ARE dragons up there in the clouds. But I didn't know the magic words I needed to say to call them out of the sky. But you know what? I bet you do know the right words. It has something to do with never loosing that little eight year old dreamer who believes in magic.
Happy Birthday my dear friend.
Love,
"Uncle" Mike
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