[Music] in the north of Vietnam is a City built between rivers and dotted with beautiful lakes the streets are scattered with rainforest plants and trees people cycle past wearing bright colorful clothing and sell tropical fruit and leafy vegetables out of wide baskets the air is full of the smell of steamed rice sizzling barbue and the sound of motorbikes and [Music] taxis this city is called Hanoi the capital of this country and it is home to a little girl named Lynn the houses in Hanoi are very tall and very narrow Lynn lived in a very tall
narrow house painted deep yellow and bringed with potted plants below her there was a dress shop and Lynn was friends with the lady who seed the beautiful dresses by hand together they would sit drinking tea and talking it was One Summer Night that our story takes place Lynn lay on her bed tossing and turning [Music] she tried counting backwards from 100 she tried drinking some fresh cool water she even took a deep breath into her belly and held it until she couldn't hold it anymore and had to let it [Music] out it didn't matter what
she did did she could not get to sleep so she sat up and swung her legs over the bed her bare feet touched the smooth tile floor She wled her toes against it then she stood up and walked over to her window it was a French window with two long narrow doors with glass that led onto a little balcony she opened up the doors and stepped out onto the [Music] balcony the warm sticky air pressed against her face as she scow at the night sky there were no stars tonight instead the sky was covered by
a thick Cloud lenide she wished she could go to sleep then she remembered a trick that her mother had told her if she lit a candle and asked for sleep it would come Lynn hurried back inside and searched for a [Music] candle she opened her drawers looked behind her bedside table and even inside her mother's shoe boxes finally under her bed she found a small bright red [Music] candle she scooped it up and carried it to the balcony she was just placing it down when she realized she didn't know how to light it annoyed she
picked the candle up and threw it off the balcony all the time thinking how unfair it was that she couldn't sleep she turned her back on the night and was just about to go inside when she felt a curious tingling feeling moving through the air it was as as if a cool busy wind was blowing on the back of her neck Lynn turned around and her mouth fell open there floating in the air was a glittering red and gold dragon now this was a Vietnamese Dragon its body body was long thin and flat like a
snake its kind face was fringed with magnificent eyebrows a pointed beard and big green eyes it didn't need wings to fly it just swished its body from side to side like a Neal swim swimming in the [Music] sea Lynn felt herself taking a deep breath just looking at the beautiful creature then he spoke to her his voice was Musical and twinkly Lynn imagined that it must be what starlight sounded like but his words were sad words the dragon apologized he knew she had summoned him to help her sleep but he could do no such thing
Lynn laughed she couldn't remember summoning him so the dragon explained that that when children throw a red offering into the night and wish for sleep he must come and help them you see he was the Sleep Dragon he shook his head sadly usually he could help any child get to sleep by using his special sleep pillow and soothing song but tonight there was nothing he could do he had lost the pillow he had searched everywhere but had not found it all the children that needed him tonight and every night after would be disappointed Lynn felt
a great Rush of caring sweep over her for the Sleep Dragon she rushed to her bed and picked up her own pillow she offered it to the dragon to use instead but the dragon [Music] smiled a sleep pillow is a special pillow that must be sewn together at the temple on top of Dragon Mountain and no dragon can [Music] sew but Lynn's face lit up she knew exactly how to sew a pillow she looked at the dragon wide eyed and told him she would help him make a new pillow [Music] the dragon looked at her
and he knew she could do it then a glimmer of gold shimmered all through his body it made the air tingle and Sparkle and swish she laughed as he circled through the air in excitement then he helped her CL climb up onto his back his scales felt cool and refreshing Lynn let her fingers slide along them and felt a sense of Happiness spill her heart then with a final glitter the dragon took off and blew into the night as the air rushed past them Lynn felt her smile stretching wider and wider across her face below
them Hanoi was getting smaller and smaller she watched delighted she felt the wind Banning her hair out behind her and swirling against her warm skin they climbed higher and closer to the gray cloud until it was right above them the dragon wriggled around to tell her they were going through the cloud and not to be afraid but Lynn wasn't afraid not at all they broke into the cloud cover it pressed against Lynn like a thousand tiny droplets of gold water she pulled in a deep breath and felt the cold fill her lungs the night disappeared
and all she could see was thick swirling gray she held on to the dragon and bowed her head close to his body then all of a sudden the clouds stopped they burst out into the most beautiful sight Lynn had ever [Music] seen below her the clouds they suspended like a vast gray blanket above them the Endless Night Sky stretched out clear and sparkling with stars that Lynn had never seen before in the distance a huge column of fluffy white clouds rose up to reach the heavens she let out a sigh of Amazement once again the
dragon wriggled around he told her that first they must find the purest White Cloud for stuffing the pillow Lenn nodded and the dragon zoomed off towards the column of clouds as they traveled through the Silent Night Lynn realized how peaceful it was to be [Music] there finally they reached the column and the dragon circled it Lind saw was tinged with pale pinks and Blues but then they came across a patch of the purest Sparkling White the dragon nodded she reached out and used her hand to scoop up the white patch the cloud felt like warm
feathers in her hand so different from the wet gray clouds she grabbed as much as she could before the dragon soared away both their hearts happy with their success Len stuffed the cloud into her pajama shirt to keep it safe the dragon told her to hold on tight and then he spiraled up to the heavens as he spiraled great golden Sparks blew from his mouth and he drew a perfect rectangle in the air with it and when the Sparks had faded ly saw a rectangle of night sky drifting down as if it were a piece
of fabric he had simply cut she reached out her hand and caught the piece of night [Music] sky it felt as smooth and cool as water she let it run through her fingers before tucking it into her shirt with the cloud then the dragon turned down into a great dive towards the Earth Lynn held on tight as they rushed back down through the gray cloud but this time they popped out above the countryside small Jagged Mountains covered in rainforest and fringed with rice fields were beneath them they soared and spiral down and Lynn noticed a
tiny light flickering on top of a mountain they drew closer and closer to the light then ly saw it was the temple at the top of Dragon Mountain they came to a stop at the temple it was small and red and inside it was lit with Candlelight Lynn climbed off of the dragon and approached it inside was a single Golden Needle threaded with golden silk she sat down and took out the night sky and the clouds and got to work she worked quickly and peacefully and as she swed she remembered the beauty of the night
sky she could almost feel the light of the stars on her face as she worked the Dragon began to sing a slow soothing [Music] song Lyn felt it wash over her like a wave on a calm [Music] sea with every pull of the needle Lynn relaxed a little more until finally she finished the pillow she held it out for the dragon to see but she was so tired that it fell from her hands the dragon [Music] smiled he placed it under her head and laid her down on the ground her breathing became slow and rhythmic
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