Hey there, Aral Stein Story Club members.

I'm Ivy, your ghostly host and keeper of those strange and spooky tales from the hidden vault of R.L. Stein.

Today is another chilling tale.

This fiery tale story club members might make you back away from the heat. It's one I call

Brenna and the Beast. Brenna Drake loved dragons. Since she was three years old, she had cherished

a stuffed blue dragon that her father had bought her from the local bookstore. And for the seven years

since, she'd been what her family and friends at school called Dragon Crazy.

If there was any movie or series to be seen about dragons, Brenna was there.

Any book or webpage about them, and she was there too.

For breakfast, Brenna poured over pictures of dragons and books, ignoring her oatmeal.

During lunch at school, she wrote dragon stories in her journal,

while other girls chatted about their girlfriends, cute boys, and slumber parties.

Brenna thought that was all silly. Nothing was as cool as dragons.

Somehow, she identified with the dragons of folklore. In ancient Western culture, they were feared beasts that belched fire,

kidnapped pretty maidens, and fought with knights.

In ancient Eastern culture, dragons were admired for their nobility and wisdom.

Brenna felt like she was both. Brenna felt wise. Well, at least about dragons.

But at the same time, she felt feared, as the other girls in her fifth grade class called her the dragon lady, or simply weird.

If you don't eat your breakfast and just keep reading all those dragon books, her mother warned,

you're going to grow up and become a dragon yourself. That's just silly, Brenna thought.

Where's your tail, dragon? Her annoying uncle would ask, and your wings. Breathe some fire for us,

dragon. Ludacress, Brenna wings. Breathe some fire for us, Dragon. Ludacrous,

...