In the Enchanted Forest, where blue mushrooms rang like tiny bells and golden acorns rolled downhill by themselves, lived a brave Boy with a very unusual name. Everyone called him My Big Brother the King. It was a long name, but he liked it.
My Big Brother the King did not wear a heavy crown. He wore a soft green cap, a red scarf, and muddy boots. He was not the king of a whole country. He was the king of helping. If a squirrel dropped a nut, he picked it up. If a snail needed to cross a puddle, he found it a leaf boat.
One bright morning, his friend Prince came running through the ferns.
“Big Brother!” cried Prince. “The forest colors are disappearing!”
Prince was a young prince with curly black hair and a shiny little silver crown. He was quick, curious, and sometimes worried before breakfast.
My Big Brother the King looked around. Prince was right. The pink flowers had turned pale. The purple berries looked gray. Even the rainbow waterfall was dripping plain, clear water.
“Oh dear,” said My Big Brother the King. “We must help the forest.”
A tiny ladybug landed on his cap. “The Dragon took the Color Crystal,” she whispered. “He carried it to his cave behind Thunder Hill.”
Prince gulped. “A dragon? With huge claws?”
“Maybe,” said the Boy gently.
“With smoky nostrils?” Prince asked.
“Maybe that too.”
“With a roar that shakes socks off feet?”
My Big Brother the King smiled. “We will bring our socks extra tight.”
Prince giggled. His worry became a little smaller.
They packed a red apple, two cheese sandwiches, a coil of silver rope, and Prince’s toy trumpet. Then they followed a trail of faded yellow leaves toward Thunder Hill.
First they came to the Whispering Trees. Their branches leaned close together, making a dark, tickly tunnel.
“Turn back,” whispered the trees. “Turn back, little feet.”
Prince held My Big Brother the King’s hand. “I do not like whispery trees.”
The Boy listened carefully. “I think they are scared too. Their leaves lost their colors.”
He touched one gray leaf. “We are going to get them back.”
The trees rustled. “Then take this,” they said.
A branch bent low and gave them a lantern made from a glowing moon-peach. Its warm light pushed the shadows away.
“Thank you,” said Prince.
“Thank you,” said the trees, sounding less whispery.
Next, the friends reached the Wobble Bridge over Bubble Brook. The bridge bounced up, down, left, and right. Under it, the brook made round bubbles that popped with little plops.
“I cannot cross that,” said Prince. “My knees are doing a dance.”
My Big Brother the King looked at the silver rope. He tied one end around a strong oak tree. Then he tied the other end around his own waist.
“I will go slowly,” he said. “You can hold the rope. One step. Then another.”
The Boy stepped onto the bridge. Wobble, wobble! Prince took a deep breath and followed. Wobble, wobble, wobble!
Halfway across, Prince’s silver crown slid over one eye.
“I cannot see!” he squeaked.
“You can,” said My Big Brother the King. “You can see my red scarf. Follow it.”
Prince followed the red scarf all the way to the other side. When they arrived, the Bubble Brook splashed happily.
“Brave crossing!” it burbled.
Prince straightened his crown. “My knees still danced, but I crossed anyway.”
“That is what brave can be,” said the Boy.
At last, Thunder Hill stood before them. Dark clouds curled around its top. A cave mouth opened in the rocks. From inside came a deep sound.
“GRRRRUMBLE-RUMBLE!”
Prince hid behind My Big Brother the King. “Was that the dragon?”
“Perhaps,” said the Boy. “Or perhaps his tummy.”
They crept inside. The cave was full of sparkling stones, old teacups, shiny buttons, and piles of spoons. In the middle sat Dragon.
Dragon was enormous. His scales were dark green. His wings were folded tight. A bright Color Crystal lay beside his tail, glowing red, blue, yellow, and green.
But Dragon did not look fierce.
He looked sad.
“GRRRRUMBLE-RUMBLE,” went his tummy again.
My Big Brother the King stepped forward, though his boots felt very small.
“Hello, Dragon,” he said. “The Enchanted Forest needs its Color Crystal back.”
Dragon lowered his great head. One golden eye blinked. “I know,” he rumbled. “But I took it because nobody visits me. Everyone sees my claws and runs away. The crystal makes my cave colorful. Without it, my cave is only gray rock.”
Prince peeked out. He saw a small blue teacup near Dragon’s paw. It had a crack in it. Beside it was one tiny chair, much too small for a dragon.
“Do you have tea parties alone?” Prince asked.
Dragon sniffed. A puff of smoke made a circle in the air. “Sometimes.”
My Big Brother the King’s face became kind. “You should not have taken the crystal. The forest needs it. But you should not have to be lonely, either.”
Dragon’s tail curled around the crystal. “If I give it back, will everybody still run away?”
Prince looked at the Boy. The Boy looked at Prince. Then Prince took out his toy trumpet.
“I have an idea,” said Prince. “A very loud idea.”
Outside the cave, Prince blew, “TOOT-TOOT-TOOOOOOT!”
The sound rolled over Thunder Hill. Birds flew near. Rabbits hopped close. Squirrels climbed onto rocks. Even the Whispering Trees leaned toward the hill.
Prince shouted, “Dragon is not asking for a castle! He is asking for friends!”
The animals murmured. A mouse said, “But he is big.”
Dragon heard that and drooped.
My Big Brother the King stood on a stone. “He is big,” he said. “And he must use his big size gently. But we can be kind and careful at the same time. Let us make a tea party where everyone has room.”
Dragon blinked twice. “A tea party?”
“Yes,” said Prince. “With apple slices. And no eating guests.”
“I never eat guests,” Dragon said quickly. “I only eat toasted turnips.”
A rabbit whispered, “That is a strange menu.”
“It is a delicious menu,” Dragon said.
The animals laughed, just a little. Dragon gave a tiny rumbling laugh too. It sounded like a friendly drum.
Then Dragon lifted the Color Crystal with one careful claw. “I will return it,” he said. “But may I come to the forest party?”
“You may,” said My Big Brother the King. “You can even be our lantern lighter.”
Dragon carried the crystal down Thunder Hill. At the heart of the Enchanted Forest stood an old stone bowl covered in vines. The Boy placed the crystal inside.
For one quiet second, nothing happened.
Then—whoosh!
Color rushed through the forest like paint dancing in the wind. Pink flowers opened wide. Purple berries shone. Blue mushrooms chimed. The rainbow waterfall leaped in seven bright ribbons. Even the gray leaves turned green, gold, and red.
The forest animals cheered.
Dragon carefully breathed one small flame into the air. It lit a hundred paper lanterns hanging from the branches. The lanterns glowed orange, pink, and blue.
Soon there was a tea party bigger than Dragon’s cave. Dragon had a cup as large as a bathtub. Prince wore a napkin like a royal cape. My Big Brother the King passed around cheese sandwiches and apple slices.
The Dragon toasted turnips over his gentle flame. He gave one to Prince.
Prince took a nibble. His eyes grew wide. “It is sweet!”
“Of course,” said Dragon proudly. “I add a pinch of cinnamon.”
At sunset, the oldest owl flew down with a small wooden box. On its lid was painted a red scarf, a silver crown, and green dragon wings.
“For My Big Brother the King and Prince,” said the owl. “You restored the colors and made room for a new friend.”
Inside were two treasures. For Prince, there was a golden trumpet that played a happy tune whenever he felt afraid. For My Big Brother the King, there was a little crown made of bright forest leaves.
The Boy put it on his soft green cap. “Is this because I am king?” he asked.
“You were already the king of helping,” said Prince. “Now you are also the King of the Colorful Forest!”
Dragon clapped his giant paws very softly. The animals clapped too.
And from that day on, whenever the Enchanted Forest needed help, My Big Brother the King and Prince listened closely. Sometimes Dragon came along with a basket of toasted cinnamon turnips. Nobody ran away anymore.
Well, except the turnips. They rolled away whenever Dragon sneezed.
“ACHOO!” went Dragon.
Roll, roll, roll went the turnips.
And everyone laughed beneath the bright, beautiful trees.