On a spring night, little dragon Filbert couldn't sleep. His tail kept getting in the way of finding a comfortable position, his wings kept poking his nose, and the spikes on his back kept catching unpleasantly on the blanket.
And then his tummy started rumbling. That really wasn't on — trying to sleep on an empty stomach. He had to quietly get up and sneak past old nanny Agatha to the exit. Lucky for him she was snoring very loudly, so she didn't hear the wooden door with the letter F creak.
Filbert went outside and thought to himself. What should he eat? Surely he shouldn't fly to the kitchen at night? Instead, he simply wandered along his branch, wherever his eyes led him. And his dragon eyes looked boldly forward. And a little bit upward. When he made his way to the very end of the branch, he couldn't hold back an amazed "woah!"
From the sky, clusters of bright stars looked down at him, illuminating the night-time tree. They sparkled and glittered like dew on grass. And Filbert loved dew. It was so sweet. He even licked his lips.
The dragon looked at them, and looked, and suddenly remembered how hungry he was! And started gobbling up those stars. Filbert swallowed the stars quickly, without discrimination: small ones and big ones, bright ones and dimmer ones. He only came to his senses when it became completely dark all around.
Oh! What's this? Why is it so dark? Oh, I can't see anything, how scary!
Filbert got frightened. And then his tummy started hurting. The dragon hung his head and looked down: he was all puffed up and glowing slightly from within, like a broken torch. His stomach felt really bad, and he started bawling hot tears. So loudly that everyone woke up in the dragon tree.
And then the commotion began, dragons were stepping on each other's wings, heads and tails, someone was falling and stumbling. And someone nearly started a fire trying to light their way. The darkness was pitch black. And only Filbert's tummy glowed faintly in the middle of all this chaos.
Very soon the tree's inhabitants gathered around the only source of light. Nanny shook her head, stern teacher Xenophon looked carefully at Filbert, the others whispered barely audibly, trying to work out what on earth was going on.
Finally, Xenophon addressed the cause of the sudden gathering:
What are you doing here, young one?
At the stern tone, Filbert started bawling so hard that smoke poured from his ears. Then the teacher spoke to him more gently.
Which room are you from?
My room is under the letter F.
The little dragon sniffled. Nanny Agatha nodded.
And how did you end up here?
She asked.
I went to get something to eat.
Said Filbert.
Were you really hungry? You had first-rate rissoles for tea!
The old woman was indignant. Her face, which looked more like a crocodile's, shook.
I don't like rissoles.
Filbert whispered barely audibly.
Well why didn't you go to the kitchen then?
Someone shouted from the darkness. Everyone immediately started nodding and agreeing.
I don't know. I was walking along the branch and suddenly I saw them.
Saw who?
Someone asked from the crowd.
The stars.
Filbert lifted his nose and looked to where the stars used to shine. And only then did the dragons understand why it had become so dark.
Did you eat all the stars?
They shouted and protested from all sides.
Not all of them. Only the ones I could reach.
Said Filbert. Everyone started talking at once again. They urgently began deciding what to do with Filbert.
We should hang him upside down — they'll fall out by themselves.
Some said.
No, we need to take more drastic measures here.
Others said.
What are you talking about, we need to take the little dragon to the doctor urgently. He might need an operation!
Xenophon proclaimed. And at these words Filbert became much more worried than about the unknown "drastic measures" and the prospect of hanging upside down.
From fright, the dragon started hiccupping loudly. And suddenly a little star popped out of him. First one, then another. And with each hiccup they flew out more and more frequently.
It became completely light, because all these stars hung over the tree and weren't in a hurry to rise back up. Soon the stars in Filbert's tummy ran out. Almost all the adults had dispersed. Only old nanny and Xenophon remained near the little dragon.
Well, did you enjoy them?
The teacher asked wearily.
No, they weren't nice. They're so prickly and cold, those stars. My tummy just hurt. And I'm still hungry anyway.
Filbert glanced at the sky and shook his fist at the troublemakers.
You shouldn't have been poking my tummy, you'd better hang up there and shine.
And to himself he thought: "But the moon up there is so yellow, probably sweet. Should've had a bite of that instead, silly Filbert."
With such thoughts, the little dragon headed to his bed following old nanny Agatha, and she kept shaking, disapprovingly shaking her head and quietly grumbling about first-rate rissoles.
