In which Laura has no idea how to follow up after Gracie's masterpiece but she tries her very best because she's now on Thanksgiving break and actually has time to think about things that aren't related to nursing or choir.

"So now what?" Danny asked. "If we have this great wisdom, how do we put it to use."
"We could try to fly away now." Jesse looked questioningly at Rutherford.
"Your guess is as good as mine." He said, lowering a shoulder for the three friends to climb aboard...

...Danny was the first of the three friends to ascend the quivering dragon, followed closely by Jesse, who offered a hand down to Becky to help her up. Slowly, with wings that had not been properly exercised in ages, Rutherford lifted himself off of the sandy beach and high into the Robin's egg blue sky, gaining speed and strength the further up into the atmosphere he climbed. Eventually, when his wings caught a jetstream with just the right amount of buoyancy, Rutherford was able to fly west at a steady pace, racing greedily over the glittering ocean below.
    "I can't believe this!" Danny cried, spreading his arms out freely. "This is just like magic!"

Accidentally plagiarizing Gilderoy Lockhart. Oops.

    Rutherford flew on into a magnificent purple sunset, dodging clouds and other dragons in the dusky sky. Occasionally he would greet the beasts they flew past. "Hey, Quincy! Lookin sharp!" he shouted to a shimmery green dragon with a very long neck, who flashed him a sharp-toothed grin.           "Hi Teddy and Franklin!" He yelled at a black one with two heads.
    "Hi Rutherford!" Teddy and Franklin replied in unison.
     Eventually, Becky grew tired and absentmindedly laid her head on Jesse's shoulder, slipping her arms around his waist.
     When night finally settled in, Danny leaned forward and, with his head practically inside Rutherford's external auditory canal, (because once an anatomy student, always an anatomy student #nursing) shouted, "Hey! So exactly where are we going?"
     Rutherford looked up at Danny out of the corner of one of his luminous green eyes. "Home." He replied steadily. The dragon directed his gaze at the dark ground and began to make his descent.
     They landed softly in an empty field surrounded by trees. One by one, the teenagers slid off of Rutherford's back and onto the dewy grass. Besides the numerous stars and sliver of a pale moon in the midnight blue sky, the clearing was pitch black.
     "Hang on a second," Becky said, her voice rough and squeaky from disuse and turbulent air travel. "I know exactly where we are."
     "Where?" The boys asked at the same time.
     "This is the field on the other side of the cemetery behind the woods in my backyard. We're back in Salem!"
     "Great!" Jesse said. "But what are we here for? How does revisiting the field I used to get my butt kicked on in peewee soccer help resolve any of our stories?"
     "I think we all know why." Danny said solemnly.
     "Do we?" Jesse asked.
     "I don't think this has anything to do with the soccer field, Jesse." Becky said in a small voice.
     No one spoke for a few moments, letting the sound of the wind rustling in the tree branches fill the silence. Finally, Jesse began walking at a steady pace towards the cemetery. Without words the others followed, Rutherford bringing up the rear while Becky and Danny walked quickly behind Jesse's determined stride. Becky trotted up to Jesse and silently slipped her hand into his.
     Jesse was able to find his mother's grave without help in the darkness of the chilly autumn night. Letting go of Becky's hand, he knelt in front of the headstone, his breath coming out in visible, short puffs. No one spoke; Danny scarcely allowed himself to breathe for fear of disrupting whatever thoughts might be running through his best friend's head. Becky saw the anguish on Jesse's face and allowed a single tear to roll down her cheek. Rutherford stood very still and observed his new human friends with a strange sense of camaraderie and affection which the lonely dragon had not felt in years.
     After what seemed like several hours, Jesse finally stirred, throwing himself down in a bowing position and crying brokenly, "Forgive me." He remained like this for several minutes, shaking and crying and letting himself truly love and let go like he had never done before.
     Finally, Jesse stood up and wiped his eyes. Turning around, he found Becky and Danny standing side by side a few feet away from him. Becky's face was wet with tears and Danny had a look on his face that was either some uncommon form of affection or attributed to constipation. Jesse determined that it was the former when Danny bear-hugged him and whispered, "I am so proud of you, man."
     Becky slipped her arms through theirs and the three best friends stood in a group hug, sniffling and shivering in the still night air.
     After some time had passed, Rutherford grunted and said "Look, not to break up this little love-fest, but half of us have stories that need to be finished and the other half are tired and would very much like a donut and some black coffee from Dunks. So can we go?"
     Becky, Danny and Jesse broke apart from their group hug. "Becky, now it's your turn." Danny said.
     "My turn?" Becky cried.
     "Sorry kid. Proximity rules." Danny gestured in the direction of her house.
     "Becky sighed. "Fine then." She trudged off into the woods.

I liked this GIF because it reminded me of the call lights in the nursing home where I have clinical.

     Well, I tried. Mercy, we'll hear from you tomorrow!
     P.S, in the spirit of it being Thanksgiving-eve-eve I just wanted you girls to know how incredibly blessed I am to have such supportive friends who I can always be really weird with. You are all beautiful, inside and out, and you rock my socks. Your friendship reminds me of God's love with every private joke, fangirl session, and encouraging conversation we have. I love y'all to the moon and back and I'll stop being lame now.

--Laura :)