The Joyous Resolve
Lucas was an ordinary accountant leading an ordinary life in a small city named Moss. His routine involved crunching numbers during the day and reading books to his 6-year-old daughter, Lucy, at night. He lived in a modest house near the woods, and Lucy adored the quaint tranquillity of it, especially the nighttime chirping of the crickets that lined along the woods.
Lucy was an intelligent kid and loved listening to stories. She constantly asked her father about the hidden tales of the woods. Lucas, creating stories out of thin air, entertained Lucy, slowly embellishing her mind with fairies, unicorns, and brave knights.
One day, after reading Lucy to sleep, Lucas noticed a glowing object in the woods. Curiosity piqued his interest, and he decided to investigate. He tiptoed out, trying not to wake Lucy up, and slowly approached the glowing entity. On reaching, he was surprised to see a translucent artefact shimmering in the night, resembling a floating jeweled casket.
Lucas reached out and as he touched it, the casket opened, revealing a tiny, glowing fairy. Seeing Lucas, the fairy, who introduced herself as Felicia, thanked him for freeing her. She explained that she was trapped and could only be freed by a kind-hearted human. Felicia granted him one wish as a token of gratitude. Startled yet excited, Lucas wished for the inevitable - his daughter to always be happy.
Days passed, and Lucas began to notice changes in Lucy. She smiled more, her eyes sparkled brighter, and she could now communicate with animals. Lucas realized that Felicia's wish had manifested. Lucy's happiness was so absolute that it spread like the sunrise, washing over everything in its path, lending the wilderness newfound luminescence.
One fateful evening, the city of Moss was attacked by the dreaded dragon, Gloomfang. Sensing the dragon's presence, Lucy fearlessly approached it. As she stepped forward, the force of her boundless joy startled Gloomfang. Lucy’s purity and joy overwhelmed the dragon - a creature accustomed only to fear and destruction. Gloomfang’s steely exterior melted away, revealing a sorrow-stricken creature of boundless potential.
Lucy approached Gloomfang and touched its scaly exterior. A surge of joy flowed through the dragon, magnified by the purity of a child’s love. Gloomfang shrank in size and transformed into a tiny dragonfly, the black scales turning iridescent. The peace of the night returned, and the dragonfly, Gloomfang, flew off into the dark sky.
Lucas watched as his daughter ran back towards him, her eyes twinkling with joy. The tranquillity of their house near the woods had returned, but with a comforting change. The chirping crickets were now joined each night by the iridescent dragonfly, forever a symbol of pure joy overcoming impending doom.
The story of Lucy and Gloomfang spread across the city and then the whole world, telling people that unconditional joy could even change the mightiest of the beasts. As for Lucy, she lived happily in her modest house, her joy unaffected, and her spirit unbroken. For happiness comes from within, it’s the most potent and pure magic of all, a lesson Lucy reminded Moss every day.