The Dragon Who Was Allergic to Gold
An adult dragon cannot stop sneezing whenever anyone brings him treasure. With a practical hedgehog's help, he tries building a hoard of things that make his home worth visiting.
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How it begins
Ember sneezed so hard that the gold crown landed in the soup.
“Again?” said Pip.
“Sparkly things,” Ember explained, between sneezes, “are not agreeing with me.”
He was a respectable dragon. He had a cave, a fine pair of wings, and a certificate saying he had completed Advanced Roaring.
What he did not have was a suitable hoard.
Every coin made his nose itch. Every necklace made his eyes water. Diamonds were all right until someone put them in gold.
Pip fished the crown out with a spoon.
“What about silver?”
“Tried it. Too much polishing.”
“Seashells?”
“Too many crabs.”
“Interesting sticks?”
Ember looked at him.
Pip put down the spoon.
“Some people like sticks.”
A trumpet sounded outside.
A small lizard in a uniform unrolled a notice.
“Inspection of Traditional Dragon Standards. Thursday.”
Ember stared at the soup.
“That's tomorrow.”
“Correct,” said the lizard. “Please have your treasure arranged by size, rarity, and capacity to impress.”
After the lizard left, Ember sat on the floor.
“I could borrow a hoard.”
“And sneeze on it?”
“I could hold my breath.”
“For the whole inspection?”
“I'm quite large.”
Pip opened the cave door.
Outside waited three neighbors.
The first carried a comfortable chair. The second had brought a game. The third held a small red flower in a cracked pot.
“We heard you were having trouble,” said the rabbit with the chair.
Ember looked at the gifts.
None glittered.
None would impress a traditional inspector.
The chair, however, looked exactly right beside the fire.
“Would you like some soup?” he asked.
Pip quietly removed the crown from the bowl.
By evening, the cave contained conversation, a slightly crooked flower, and a dragon laughing so hard that everyone checked whether he was about to sneeze.
He wasn't.
That seemed worth keeping, along with the comfortable chair.
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Outline and characters
Develop this idea
Use a short illustrated chapter-book format for ages six to nine, with repeated treasure experiments and varied comic outcomes. Keep the allergy magical and avoid presenting a real treatment or cure. Ember should genuinely want something impressive, not immediately prefer the story's eventual answer. Let the useful hoard include pleasure as well as practicality. Pip can help test ideas while leaving the final choice to Ember.
- Ember sneezes whenever a coin arrives.
- Pip suggests testing different treasures.
- A traditional dragon inspector announces a visit.
- Ember collects increasingly unsuitable impressive objects.
- Friends bring small useful gifts.
- The cave becomes welcoming but uncatalogued.
- The inspector demands a proper gold hoard.
- A sneeze scatters the inspection checklist.
- Ember shows what each chosen object makes possible.
- The cave opens for an unconventional treasure evening.
Characters
- Ember, 87. Adult dragon with an unsuitable treasure habit
- Pip Thistle, 39. Adult hedgehog and practical friend
Series possibilities
- Ember and Pip challenge other expectations that make magical creatures unnecessarily uncomfortable.
