By

Brian W. Antoine

October 3, 1993

"Oh, it's so cute!"

"He goes with your hair too." The little red bronze baby dragon was sitting on Kalindra's shoulder and peeking out around the side of her head at me as we discussed its fate. "So you'll take him?"

"Try and get him away from me."

"Believe me, that's the LAST thing I want to do. That just leaves two that I need to get rid of."

"One," came a quiet voice from the monitor on the wall.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You only need to find a home for one, Star is staying here with me."

Both Kalindra and I echoed each other. "What!"

"I've decided to keep one and train her to help me around here."

"Now wait a minute! Three hours ago you wanted permission to pop the launch hatch on the lunar lab while the three of them were playing in the reduced gravity."

"So? A female has a right to change her mind, right Kalindra?"

"Absolutely!"

When the two of them gang up on me, it's time to beat a hasty retreat. "Fine, see if I care. You get to clean up the mess it's going to make."

While we had been talking, one of Penny's remotes had floated into the area. I did a double take when I spotted one of the dragons holding on to a small set of handles that had been spot welded to the top. With the baby dragon holding on tightly, the remote did a barrel roll and headed back through the lunar gate. "I take it that was Star?"

"Uh huh. The remote can move faster then she can and she likes riding it around."

I just muttered something about the female mind and plopped down on the couch. "Ok, ONE dragon to get rid of."

"I think you ought to keep it. In a few years, it will go with your hair and we can be a matched couple."

"What in the world are you talking about? That thing's silver, my hair is dark brown."

"Hold still," and Kalindra leaned over and yanked a hair out of my head. "See, silver. You'll match great."

I was still wincing when I yelled. "And just who the hell is causing me to turn gray? The two of you are enough to cause anyone to go gray early." I stood up and stamped my way to my desk.

"So, do you think he will let the last one stay?"

"I think we can talk him into it. Males always resist good ideas, that's why we females have to watch over them."

"I know just what you mean. You should have seen him the last time..."

It was going to be one hell of a month, and it was only four days old.