Peter found Medina squirming on her bed, still wearing a sweatshirt covered with pink hearts and sneakers that lit up with every wiggle. “Da!” She looked up happily, a front tooth obviously missing and puffy blanket in hand. “‘m tucking in the bears so they’re ready for bed.”

“The stuffies look to be well taken care of, m’dear,” Peter replied gravely. “And Peanut’s content as well, which means you brushed your teeth.”

Medina nodded. “I gotta find my PJs.” She wandered toward the hallway.

The dragon lifted its head from the upper bunk and flicked its tongue toward him with a friendly hiss, half-hidden in the fairy lights that were the room’s illumination. Originally barely six inches, the dragon was now closer to six feet of curled ferocity, with baby-pink scales darkening rapidly to glistening red.

He leaned forward and gave the scaly jaw a good scratch. Peanut growled in a contented purr, the sparkles glittering as much as the Halloween evening the creature had joined their already unusual family.

“I come bearing your daughter, freshly washed,” came his wife’s voice.

He turned with a start to find the smiling blond steering a now flannel-clad miniature version of herself toward the lower bunk.

She leaned against the doorframe. “Who’s doing storytime tonight?”

“My turn, I believe.” Peter settled into his usual perch nestled into the pillows, arm around his daughter. “What’ll it be tonight?”

“Pirates,” Medina declared promptly. She snuggled into his elbow, then yawned broadly.

Peanut lowered her head and gazed at them, unblinking and upside-down. The dragon would be awake far longer, and probably do some reading of her own before a final nighttime flight and retiring.

“Pirates,” he repeated, and his eye fell upon the shelf of classic children’s tales. “Well. Have I ever told you about the time I ordered a takeaway and discovered m’own shadow inside the fortune cookie?”

June raised an eyebrow.

“‘Tis a true tale,” he continued, keeping his eyes on his wife. “You see, I was an arrogant young lad, working for the embassy, and there were pirates always trying to get in.” It was a good enough way to describe things until Medina was older, anyway.

“My job,” he continued, “was to hunt down the pirates before they breached the gates…”

***
Glitter was the first Peter and June story. I’m slowly working my way back to their world, so I hope you enjoyed! This prompt on shadows in fortune cookies was inspired by Parrish Baker, while mine sent TA Leederman to Mars. Check out more, or play along, over at MOTE!