The Dragon Island
Firlefanz dreams of a mysterious island in the sea. There he finds a dragon skeleton — and a glowing egg that accompanies him through dark caves and luminous mushroom forests.
Firlefanz woke up and sleepily rubbed his eyes. He had dreamed of a mysterious island — far out at sea, wrapped in fog and the cries of seagulls. He jumped out of bed. An island! Today he wanted to find it.
At breakfast, Firlefanz ate three slices of honey bread and thought about the island the whole time. Would there be treasures there? Or mysterious animals? The more he thought about it, the more excited his heart became.
Firlefanz ran to Papalapapp, who was sitting on the veranda comfortably drinking his morning coffee. "Papalapapp, do you know where there is a mysterious island in the sea?" Papalapapp set down his cup. "The Fog Island... very far out." He stood up and smiled. "You don't do adventures like this alone — I'm coming with you!"
Firlefanz put on his sturdy boots, grabbed his walking stick and wide hat. He also packed a bright orange life vest — very important at sea. Papalapapp was already waiting with a long oar at the small village dock.
They rowed and sailed — over seven glittering seas and seven foaming bays. They sailed through seven tall waves and seven quiet fog banks, through seven wide river mouths and seven mirror-smooth lagoons. Then, on the horizon, a dark rock appeared with a single ancient tree — and that was the Fog Island.
They pulled the boat ashore and explored the island. Then Firlefanz stopped. In a quiet valley lay a massive skeleton — the bones of an ancient dragon, as large as a ship. "A dragon skeleton," whispered Papalapapp in awe. Between the large bones lay something round and shining.
It was an egg — as big as a pumpkin, dark blue with golden spots. When Firlefanz held his hand over it, he felt a gentle warmth. "Someone must look after this egg," he said quietly. He carefully picked it up and carried it firmly in both arms. It was warm and felt alive.
On the way back to the boat, they discovered a cave entrance in the rock. Inside, a vast underground ocean opened up, as far as the eye could see. The water glowed pale blue, and small fish with their own little lights floated within. They found a stone boat and glided silently across it. Firlefanz held the egg firmly in his lap.
Beyond the ocean, a tunnel led into a gigantic cave. In it grew mushrooms as tall as houses — glowing in purple, orange, and green. The mushrooms shone softly like lanterns and warmed the air. Papalapapp took Firlefanz's hand, and together they walked through the colourful mushroom light until a shimmer of daylight appeared at the end.
They stepped outside — and then Firlefanz tripped over a root! The egg flew from his arms and landed softly in the moss. A crack ran through the shell. Then another. And then — crack! — the egg broke open. Out crawled a tiny dragon, no bigger than a kitten, with blue scales and big, wondering eyes. He looked at Firlefanz and sneezed a tiny spark of fire.
"Hello, little one," said Firlefanz very quietly and stretched out his hand. The little dragon sniffed it briefly — and then laid his head into it. Firlefanz laughed with pure joy. The whole way home, the little one sat on Firlefanz's shoulder. At home, the dragon curled up on Firlefanz's tummy, and Papalapapp sat beside them. "Some friendships," he whispered, "begin before you even know each other." Firlefanz closed his eyes and fell happily asleep.