Lola's carnival

Granny had spent three weeks sewing the dragon costume. It was made of green felt, with golden scales stitched on one by one, two stuffed cloth horns and a long tail that reached down to the heels. On the morning of the carnival, Lola put it on in Granny's living room. She looked at herself in the mirror and was speechless.

But when she got to school, Lola's heart sank a little. In the playground there were five superheroes, three film princesses and two silver robots, all shiny and brand new, bought in a shop. Her green dragon looked a bit pale next to them. And her tail was dragging in the dust, flap, flap.

"What are you supposed to be?" asked Gabe, who was wearing a red cape. "A dragon," said Lola. "My granny made it." "Oh," said Gabe. He didn't add anything, but he looked at the tail three seconds too long.

Lola clenched her fists inside her felt sleeves. Then the teacher clapped her hands. "Everyone line up! We're going around the neighbourhood!" The parade set off. The superheroes marched in front with their chests puffed out. The princesses followed, holding up their dresses. Lola came last, her tail scraping the ground.

At the corner of Market Street, Tom, a little boy from the reception class dressed as a bee, stopped to tie his shoelace. When he looked up, his class had vanished down the street. He started to cry, and the big children walked past without seeing him.

Lola stopped. She thought for a second, then held out her tail to Tom. "Hold on. Dragons always know the way." Tom grabbed the end of the tail with both hands, and the two of them hurried along to the crossroads. There they caught up with the little ones' teacher, who was counting her bees and ladybirds again. She thanked Lola with a wink. But Tom didn't want to let go of the tail.

Then Gabe, behind them, asked, "Can I hold on too?" Then Jade. Then one of the robots, whose hinges went click. Before the end of the street, the dragon's tail had become a long line of children, a bee clinging to the end, a cape behind the bee, a princess dress hooked to the back of the cape. They moved along in rhythm. "Rawr!" went Lola, breathing out imaginary smoke. "Rawr!"

When the parade got back to school, people from the neighbourhood clapped on the pavement. Granny was there by the gate, with a big smile on her face. She didn't say anything, but she straightened a golden scale on her granddaughter's back.

That evening, Lola laid the costume at the foot of her bed, the tail folded on the rug. She had schoolyard dust on her socks and snack-time jam on her chin. In the dark, the golden scales still glowed a little in the light of the night-light. Lola fell asleep with calm, steady dragon snores.