The Lamb and the Lion

Chapter 1

For those who don't know her yet, Abigail is that little girl with curly hair, big brown eyes and a wide smile, who lives in the blue house at the end of the avenue of parks. The residents of that street recognize her as the child who hangs out on the windowsill day after day, stepping over the sofa at home. When the soft afternoon wind changes direction and ruffles the curtains in the living room, Abigail knows it's time to wait at the window. So she keeps watching the movement of the neighbors and the cars speeding down the road, hoping that one of them will come to her house.

While she waits, Abigail draws in a notebook with a flowered cover, which looks as if it has never been used. With each finished drawing, she tears off the used page to give it to someone as a present. The lucky person this time (most of the time, to be honest) was about to receive yet another illustration made by the hands of a child.

- Mommy! - Abigail shouts excitedly into the kitchen. - You won't believe the drawing I've done for you.

- I can't even imagine what it is, Abi. - Judite replies, as she stirs the chocolate pot to complete the dessert for the next few days. If only Abigail would cooperate and not sneak a spoon out of the fridge every hour.

- Ah, there's no way you'd get it right. But I'll give you a hint. It's a very, very scary animal that's climbing a mountain. It's the highest place on earth and, up there, this animal encounters something sinister!

Without waiting for an answer, Abigail runs into the kitchen as soon as she's finished painting the picture, and puts it in front of Judith's face, almost preventing her from seeing anything.

- Wait, girl. - Judith laughs as she turns away from the child. - Come on, let me see the drawing.

As she holds up the sheet torn from the notebook, she realizes that it's a dragon that's actually climbing a mountain, but there's one detail. The animal is wearing a pink and yellow butterfly wing, identical to the one that Abigail usually wears back and forth around the house. Furthermore, at the top of the mountain, a tree has several butterfly wings of different colors and shapes, making up a set that resembles the fruit of a common tree.

- It's for the dragoness to change her wings when she wants to change her style. - Abigail explains, laughing, before Judith can make any comment.

- Um, let me choose which one I'd take. The blue one in the corner is pretty. I'd tell her to wear that one.

- I'd go for the green one. I even thought about making the dragon with it. But I said no, we'll use the same butterfly wing for a while. The day I get a green one, I'll draw the dragon like that too.

- And where did that idea come from, eh? The drawing turned out really well. Thank you, darling. - Judith kisses the top of Abigail's head.

- I saw a lizard climbing the tree. - Jumping up, Abigail returns to her observation post at the living room window.

- Oh dear. - Although disgusted by the thought, Judith can't help but smile. Abigail does this very often. She draws something that Judith fears, in catastrophic proportions, but softens the drawing with humor. It's something like the Riddikulus spell, for those who know the wizarding world.

Back at the window, without the distraction of her drawing, Abigail feels disappointed because once again, nothing has changed. Her little-girl mind is easily distracted, turning lizards into dragons, trees into mountains and fruit into butterfly wings. But her childish heart yearns for something that only one person can offer her. And it seems that person wasn't going to arrive that day. To her frustration, no car had stopped to make her wait worthwhile so far. Discouraged, she hears Judith calling her.