Solstice

1 of 4!

The night was crisp. Chill, even, some would say.

Yet beautiful.

Solstice stood, looking up at the heavens, thankful it was a clear night so the stars could be seen shining down upon the earth.

A year ago, the purple Nocturne had been born on the longest night of the year. Some dragons viewed Winter Solstice as a time of darkness and terror. Hope seemed lost to many as the plants died around them, and sunlight rarely shone his face in some regions. Cold wrapped its arms tight, almost in a deathgrip. So much hardship. It was more than many could bear, burdened with several more months of winter.

But looking up at the shimmering stars, Solstice knew that was not what tonight was about. At first glance, the sky, dark for so many hours at a time, appeared dismal and foreboding. Much like some dragons felt of their lives, crippled with sorrow and worry. Yet as the eyes adjusted, one realized there were faint specks of light, peaking through the purple heavens The longer you looked, the more radiant the light became.

That was what Winter Solstice was about.

Not the black night filled with the unknown. No, this was a night to celebrate what was known. Once the longest night passes, each day there would be more and more sunlight. Tonight was filled with Hope, not with dismay. It was a reminder that no matter how dark it was, or how hopeless the future seemed, it was not the end. Night could no more hold the world hostage than the sun could stop traveling its course across the sky, bringing with him new beginnings, and the knowledge that goodness and light would always return, even from the bleakest of times.

Smiling, the Birthday Dragon looking down at another gazing at the skies in anticipation. Not a Solstice hatchling, but still a youngling. Her upturned face sparkled with blues and purples at the wonders above. She understood the mystery of this night, and had come to welcome the return of light and warmth to the cold lands.

A time for looking forward in Hope.



story and art by the wonderful Dragonsmom!