Clara sat in the garden wearing her Cinderella ball dress, throwing treats for the dog to find.
‘Clara?’ called Clara’s stepmother from the house and Clara sprang to her feet and sped to the bushes the dog at her heels.
‘Shh,’ whispered Clara to the dog when they were well hidden by the leaves, ‘we mustn’t let the dragon find us. She’ll take away our dress like she did at the shops last weekend.’
Walking out into the garden, Clara’s stepmother called several more times, but Clara bit her lip and even the dog was still except for his tail.
When Clara’s stepmother went back into the house, she sighed and checked her watch. The surprise birthday party she had arranged for her husband would begin in half an hour.