One spring night, little dragon Freddy couldn't sleep. His tail kept getting in the way of finding a comfortable position, his wings poked his nose, and the spikes on his back kept catching unpleasantly on the blanket.
And then his tummy started rumbling. That really wasn't right—sleeping on an empty stomach. He had to quietly get up and sneak past old nanny Agatha to the exit. It was lucky she was snoring very loudly, so she didn't hear the wooden door with the letter F creak.
Freddy went outside and thought for a moment. What should he eat? He couldn't fly to the kitchen at night, could he? Instead, he just wandered along his branch, wherever his eyes led him. And his dragon eyes looked boldly forward. And a little bit up. When he made his way to the very end of the branch, he couldn't hold back an amazed "wow!"
From the sky, clusters of bright stars looked down at him, illuminating the night tree. They sparkled and glittered like dew on grass. And Freddy 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. Freddy 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 sca-ary!
Freddy got frightened. And then his tummy started to hurt. The dragon hung his head and looked down: he had swelled up all over and was glowing slightly from the inside, like a broken lantern. His stomach felt really bad, and he started crying hot tears. So loudly that everyone on the dragon tree woke up.
And immediately there was a commotion, 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 Freddy'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 was shaking her head, stern teacher Xenophon was looking carefully at Freddy, the others were whispering barely audibly, trying to figure out what was going on.
Finally, Xenophon addressed the cause of the sudden gathering:
What are you doing here, youngster?
At the stern tone, Freddy started crying 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 Freddy.
Were you really hungry? You had first-rate cutlets for dinner!
The old woman was indignant. Her face, which looked more like a crocodile's, shook.
I don't like cutlets.
Freddy whispered barely audibly.
So why didn't you go to the kitchen?
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?
They asked from the crowd.
The stars.
Freddy 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 Freddy. Everyone started talking at once again. They urgently began deciding what to do with Freddy.
We need to 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 immediately. He might need surgery!
Xenophon proclaimed. And at these words, Freddy became much more worried than about the mysterious "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 bright, because all these stars hung over the tree and were in no hurry to rise back up. Soon the stars in Freddy's tummy ran out. Almost all the adults had dispersed. Only old nanny and Xenophon remained near the little dragon.
Well, was it tasty?
The teacher asked wearily.
No, not tasty. They're so prickly and cold, those stars. My tummy just hurt. And I'm still hungry.
Freddy 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 is so yellow, probably sweet. I should have taken a bite of that instead, silly Freddy."
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 the first-rate cutlets.
