Ana-Maria Chircea, 38 years old, participated in the 6th International Literary Creation Competition, section Stories for children, from Oradea, Romania, and won the 1st Prize for the section and her age group. Publishes in English under the pseudonym Stephanie Locksan. You can read the fragment from the competition here: https://festivaluldearte.com/2025/06/20/ana-maria-chircea-stories-for-children-group-iv/.

Here is another fragment of her book:

As Daius grew, so did his appetite. The fairy gave Daius a recipe for a magic potion. Once brewed, the magic potion would satisfy his hunger. Otherwise, he would eat everything around him, from the edible to the less edible. Everything must be gathered by the dragon mistress in the moonlight and shadows of midnight. Daia saw herself as a friend of the dragon, rather than his mistress. If the fairy said so, so be it. She began to gather the sticky sap from the marsh near the Stone Forest. Then she searched for horsetail, wild garlic, lily-of-the-valley, goose onion and red hawthorn berries. Once the magic potion was brewed, the fairy gave her a new task. The task was to prepare her Persian saddle bag for the journey ahead of her.
“What journey?” asked Daia, looking very puzzled.
“It is the journey that awaits you, darling! I can see it with my mind's eye, the seeing of the unseen. It is a journey for which you are both ready. You must fly like two young birds from their mother's nest.”
“What do I need in my Persian saddle bag?” Daia wondered aloud.
“The magic pepper from old Patty the badger’s hole, the ladybird’s mushroom from the Weeping Valley, wolf fangs... ”
 “Where from should I get them?” Daia interrupted.
“Wherever you can find them,” she replied sharply. “Remember the list. It's important not to forget any of them. Where were we?”
 “You will need the wolf fangs!”
“So, the wolf fangs will show themselves to you, ant's wings given to you, a sliver from the antler of a seven-year-old deer, a chocolate bar flavoured with hazelnut and a rope with three knots, made by you in three hours. Be on guard my darling, use them sparingly, for at the end of the journey you will need them, to pass through a magic portal.”
“Now, let's eat. Let's not waste the potion while you're still here.” said the Fairy of the Woods.
The dragon sat down at the table, began to rock in his chair, play with his plate, make airplanes out of napkins and do many other things not exactly to the fairy's liking. He slurped down no less than twelve quarts of parsnip soup and feathered himself as he was eating three turkeys cooked in the oven.
“You're eating less, Daius!” observed our girl. “The potion is starting to have effect.”
“Well,” the fairy clarified, “the effect of the first spoonful is wearing off. In the morning he'll be hungry if you don't give him another spoonful of the magic potion. The bottle will last you seven days. Oh, Daius! We'll have to teach you some manners. Wipe your fingers! Here is the kitchen towel, do not put them in your mouth!  I'll forgive you this time for not knowing, but next time you won't have any excuses, understood?”
Daius nodded. His mistress made a warning sign with her pointing finger, for him to behave. He sensed her displeasure and it seemed to burn him. Whatever state Daia was in, he seemed to share it. After supper, with the Persian saddle bag over Daia’s shoulder and the potion at her waist, they set off on their journey, following the straight path behind the fairy’s house.
“Always right!” Daia whispered to the dragon. “Always right!” She whispered again to herself.
They walked as far as they could and came across the old Patty the badger’s hole. He was a sociable, humorous and generous being. He gave them, without any reluctance, an old pepper mill filled with magic pepper. They waved goodbye to him and continued their journey. After a while on the straight path, they came across a strange fox with a wedged shaped head, prominent whiskers and a bushy tail, apparently wandering through the woods. It sniffed the dragon, then it asked in a softly fake voice:
“What are you doing in the forest at this late hour? Are you lost?”