Caitlyn loves dragon stories, and today she can barely wait for the last bell to ring. The moment it does, she hurries out of her sixth-grade classroom, waves to a few friends, and heads for the little lending library in her neighborhood.
Last night, she spotted a flying dragon on the cover of one of its books. She wanted to take it then, but she hadn’t brought a book to exchange. Today, she’s ready.
She reaches into the middle compartment of her backpack to make sure her book is still there. It is. She smiles—and stops.
Mr. Bellows is standing at the little library.
Caitlyn darts behind a row of bushes and crouches. She lifts her head just high enough to see him open the glass door and pull out one book. Then another.
Please don’t take my dragon book.
By the time he closes the door, six books are in his bag. He hasn’t put a single one back.
Where are the books he’s supposed to trade?
Mr. Bellows heads down the sidewalk. Caitlyn rises from behind the bushes—and nearly screams when Jeremy lands beside her.
“Why are you spying on Mr. Bellows?” he asks.
“He just took six books.”
“As long as he swapped them, who cares?”
“He didn’t. His bag was empty when he got here.”
“Then let’s ask him about it.”
Jeremy starts to stand. Caitlyn grabs his sleeve and pulls him down.
“I don’t want to make a thief angry,” she whispers.
“A thief? Cait, he’s our neighbor. I’m going to ask him a question.”
“You’ll make a scene.”
“What scene?”
Caitlyn glances down the sidewalk. “Let’s wait until he turns the corner. Maybe he left a note explaining why he borrowed them.”
Jeremy settles back on his heels. “Okay. That’s worth checking.”
They watch Mr. Bellows turn the corner, then hurry to the little library. Caitlyn opens the glass door and searches every shelf.
No note.
“He took my dragon book,” she says, her voice catching. “And he left nothing for the six books he took.”
Jeremy peers inside. “That’s almost half the library.”
“We need to tell Emma’s mom. She takes care of it.”
“First, let’s find out what’s going on.”
“It’s obvious what’s going on.”
“Then asking him won’t change anything.”
Jeremy starts toward the corner. Caitlyn stares after him for a moment, tightens the straps of her backpack, and runs to catch up.
They spot Mr. Bellows crossing the park. He continues across the street and walks around the back of the retirement community.
Caitlyn motions for Jeremy to keep quiet. Together, they circle the building and slip behind a cluster of evergreens.
Beyond the trees, six older women are gathered around a patio table. Mr. Bellows lays his books on it. Each woman adds a book of her own.
“Okay, ladies,” he says. “You have twelve books to choose from today. I’ll return whichever six are left to the neighborhood library.”
Jeremy looks at Caitlyn.
“What?” she whispers. “How was I supposed to know?”
“He’s giving them more choices. They can pick from twelve books instead of six.”
“Yeah, I can count.” Caitlyn watches the women turn the books over, reading the covers. “But somebody could be standing at the library right now, hoping to find that dragon story.”
Jeremy leans against a tree. “There’s more than one way to share a story.”
Caitlyn looks at him. Then at the women. Then at the dragon book on the table.
“Oh,” she says.
She steps out from behind the evergreens.
“Mr. Bellows?”
He turns. “Caitlyn! Hello.”
She swallows. “Before everyone picks a book, would you like me to read the first chapter of that one?”
She points to the dragon on the cover.
The women pull their chairs closer. Mr. Bellows hands Caitlyn the book, and she opens it.
“Dark clouds swirled above the stone castle. Along its walls, torches burned in black iron sconces. The Watchers hurried to their posts, searching the sky for the dragon hidden somewhere in the clouds…”
By the end of the first chapter, no one wants her to stop. Caitlyn reads a second. As the sun sinks below the treeline, the women thank her and begin choosing their books.
Caitlyn makes her way around the table, hugging each woman. She gives the dragon book back to Mr. Bellows.
“You made everyone’s day,” he tells her.
Caitlyn glances toward the women. “I’m glad you bring the library to them.”
“Well, I’d better return these six before supper.” He gathers the remaining books into a stack.
“I can do that. I live next door to the little library.”
Mr. Bellows hands them to her and heads inside. Jeremy joins Caitlyn as the women carry their new books into the building.
“You’re a pretty good storyteller,” he says. “No wonder your imagination got so dramatic.”
Caitlyn jabs him lightly in the ribs.
“Ow! Be nice, and I’ll carry those books for you.”
She drops the stack into his arms, then takes the dragon book from the top.
“I’ll carry this one.”
Together, they cross the street and cut through the park, bringing all six books back to the little library.
Copyright © 2026 by CJ Powers
