Being keeper of the dragons and head of the town’s heating company is not for the weak.

I wake at exactly midnight, when the night is at its coldest, and slip on my slippers.

I walk downstairs and through the stable doors to where the dragons snooze. I used to hate waking them up, but they really don’t mind me.

They love me.

Carefully, I kick each of the dragon’s tails, signaling they must fly to each house and re-light the fireplaces.

Birdy, a small green dragon, yawns as she jumps into the sky and flies to her assigned house.

I watch as she breathes fire down the chimney, reviving the dead flames.

All homes are now heated once more.

Having done my job, I walk back to bed, only to find a happy Birdy smiling back at me.

“I did my job in record time!” She exclaimed.

I laugh and let her on my bed.

She curls into a ball and falls instantly back to sleep.

How I love my job.