On his birthday, a very special day for any young calf, little Jimmy was especially excited. "I see dragons, momma" he cried with glee. Jimmy's mother looked up at the sky where he had pointed with his snout. "I only see clouds," his mother mooed softly. "It's right there mom, don't you see it?!" She squinted a bit to shield her eyes from the bright reflections and though she couldn't see any dragons, she entertained her son and said, "Oh yes. That's a birthday dragon. She must have come just for you." Little Jimmy snorted and stamped his feet with approval. "For me?," he asked with a growing anticipation. "Yes. Just for you. And guess what. Birthday dragon's grant wishes. Why don't you make one." Little Jimmy had never heard that before, but had no reason to doubt his loving mother. So he closed his eyes and leaned against her side. Her thin layer of fur was a bit rough, but warm, as is commonly the case for mother cows. "I wish...," he began. "I wish I were a cloud." To his mother's surprise, as he whispered his wish into the sky, Little Jimmy began to transform. His tail turned to vapor first, followed shortly after by his hind legs and torso. When all that was left was his little face, Jimmy turned to his mother and said, "Don't worry momma, I'll be back soon." And so he floated up and away, like a gentle fog evaporating as the sun burns through its blanketed layers of condensation. But when he got really high, he was suddenly frightened. Little Jimmy had never floated in the sky before. "What if I fall?," he thought to himself. His fear grew rapidly and he tried as hard he could to point his snout back to the ground. Try as he might, he continued to rise. Little Jimmy struggled to control his new cloud feet. He couldn't get any traction underneath them. He tried to jump, run, stomp and twist as hard as he could. But nothing could stop his body from climbing. Before long, little Jimmy started to cry. But before a single tear could fall from his little calf cheeks, his birthday dragon appeared in the swirling haze. She was beautiful, and big like his mother, and she spoke with a voice so comforting that little Jimmy began to soothe his own thoughts. "Why are you crying little one?," asked the dragon. Between sniffles, little Jimmy, a bit embarrassed by his tears, told her, "I'm afraid I'll fall." "You won't fall, honey" said the dragon in a loving, playful manner that calmed little Jimmy's heart. "You're a cloud! Chin up now. It's time to play." The dragon nuzzled her snout against his. Then she introduced him to her own offspring who taught little Jimmy how to ride the currents of the wind and change shape to match the patterns in his mind. It was the best day of his life. But before long he heard his mother's voice carry into the sky. "Time to wake up sweetheart. It's your birthday!" Jimmy opened his eyes. He had never felt so happy to see her. "I was a cloud momma. I really was!" She kissed her imaginative son on his little calf head and listened to his story with the love and attention only a mother could offer. When he was finished, she told him she loved him and together they ate hay-birthday-cake and opened presents outside in their field of soft green grass. Jimmy glanced upward one more time and watched a cloud dissipate into the ether. For a moment, he thought he heard the voice of the dragon whisper through the crisp morning air. "Happy birthday little Jimmy. We'll see you next year."