It was a corner flower shop in a tiny Dutch village. Next to it, a hairdresser where no one ever seemed to go. Yet, still open, every day. The shop window wonderfully weirdly decorated with hundreds of coffee cups, the obvious choice for a hairdresser. On the other side of the little square, a popular green grocer where most people in the village came to buy shiny and crisp fruit and vegetables shimmering in all the colours of the rainbow. And then there was a little supermarket.
Dennis came to the flower shop with this mother every week to pick up whatever they could afford to spread some joy in their tiny apartment. Lilies (without scent, otherwise mom would become nauseous), roses, the small ones, eucalyptus branches or tulips. Mom liked white flowers and Dennis could tell she felt special every time she bought a bouquet for herself just because. Spending money on beauty made her happy.
The flower shop was Christmas decorated and lit up like a minor space station. An awkward mix of porcelain animals, angels, santa clauses and fairy houses were all dressed in an astounding amount of light chains.
Dennis looked around in the little moss-smelling shop while mom picked out her weekly bouquet. Reindeer and trolls, pine cones and glitter. Long slender Amaryllis stalks. They were expensive, Dennis knew as much. When he was grown up and made his own money, he would buy them for mom. Many.
Under a light burdened Christmas bear lay a big book. Thick, hardcover in a faded purple colour. The letters on the cover were painted in layers of gold.
THE BOOK OF DRAGONS
Dennis looked around. There were no other books laying around. It was a flower shop after all, why would they sell books here? It was just this single one.
He created some space in the Christmas chaos and opened the book. There were illustrations in rich colours and between every illustration a thin sheet of paper that looked like sandwich paper. It made a secretive and promising sound when he turned the pages. Deep shades of green, magenta and fiery red made Dennis' eyes widen.
Silvery, beautiful, flying, fire-breathing giants with the sharpest teeth and dark eyes.
They filled the pages of this book with unknown grace and Dennis young heart with hunger.
He wanted this book.
Like really, really, really wanted it.
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