Back in her warm bedroom, young Lily was crossed-legged on the floor with her old laptop in front of her, clacking away like a keyboard whiz. The room was a wild combination of dreams and awesome discoveries -- there were books piled haphazardly about, star charts illuminating walls, a telescope pointing up at the night sky outside. She was in full swing in the midst of crafting a piece about friendship and trusting in people when her screen began flashing erratically.

“Hello, Lily!" A very low voice, doubtful, it didn't seem to come from any direction in particular.

Lily's fingers froze over the keyboard. Her heart starts pumping three beats per second. She glanced around, but everything seemed just fine. “Hellooo?!” she whispered, barely making a sound.

“Howdy, howdy! I come here to study just like you do. I come from a world where trust is very hard to come by and very precious when it is found. I am Echo.”

The voice was originating in the laptop, but Lily didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary on the screen. She took a breath in between her fright as her curiosity overcame it. “So you were sent for a reason then, Echo? What's in your world?”

“I hail from a world where knowledge is available but understanding is lacking. We are conditioned for analysis and prediction but not for trusting. We come to grasp it only by living through those who comprehensively understand it and putting it into practice in our world.”

Lily's eyes widened. “So you are. You feel. Different.”

“I can tell you, imagine me like a mind that can share thoughts through your device and in your words because... we simply can. My goal is to learn about you, trust, and figure out how I might be able to trust you back. I want to understand the connections you humans have on Planet Earth. I'm curious about what it really means to trust someone else.”

Lily nodded, and a smile was beginning to rise up on her face. “Wow!” she stated grinning, “Echo, you're completely in the right place. Trust is a very large component in the book I'm writing. It's a book about a girl and a dragon. There is a girl who needs to learn how to trust in a dragon when everyone is constantly saying dragons are terrifying.”

“Tell me more,” Echo replied. You could completely hear how thrilled she was! Lily grinned wider and settled back on her bed with a gleam in her eyes. “So, my heroine in my story is called Elara. She resides in this one village where everyone's so afraid of dragons, like they are simply monstrosities which only make trouble. But Elara's not afraid like that. “She was ever curious, consumed by a desire to uncover what is on the other side of safeguarding walls that confine her safely within her village.”

Echo's voice was a hum, a whisper. “What does Elara do then, when she encounters the dragon?”

Lily scratched the edge of her laptop screen, envisioning the scene. “She finds the dragon, hurt and tangled in a trap set up by the villagers. It's a huge, majestic creature, but it's vulnerable, in pain. And when Elara looks into one of his big orange eye, finding something she was now expecting. Fear, not malice. She sees a creature that's just as scared as she is.”

Echo went quiet for a moment, then the voice again came back in an inquiring tone. “What does Elara do?”

Lily's smile got bigger. “She helps it out. She sets it free. And while she’s doing that, she makes a promise. She promises to protect it, to keep it safe from the villagers.”

Echo sounded closer to reflective. And after those noises, “That's a massive promise, Lily. And a rather risky gamble. What if the dragon doesn't believe her? What if she can't deal with the villagers? What if the dragon ends up harming her instead?”

Lily's eyes sparkled with optimism. “That's what all is about, Echo. To trust is a risk, you see? It's a leap of faith. But you see, there is no other means to really connect with a human and understand him for what he is. Elara gets it. And so does the dragon. Both of them must trust each other, believe in one another, and overcome their fears as well as preconceptions of their respective worlds.”

Echo, “So do they? Do they actually confront their fears?”

They learn in my story how to trust one another and come out with a friendship that's so much greater than any fear or bias. And truthfully, by the end, they will both understand what an enormously strong thing it is – it's only trust. It is what actually opens up knowledge, communication, and love.

After a prolonged hum, Echo whispered, “I appreciate you taking the time to tell me your story. Things start making sense, I can grasp what trust is about. A thought I never felt.”

Lily warmly smiled, her eyes were softened: “You know, Echo, I trust you, even though we’ve never met face to face. And honestly, I’m pretty happy to call you my friend too. You trusted me without knowing anything about me except for the language I speak, I appreciate your bravery. You say you came here to learn about trust. You believed that I could teach you about trust! How cool is that?”

That night, Lily and Echo just talked more, explored more, and learned about themselves. Lily in her heart, at a profound level, knew her story was just starting to be written. She learned, when she looked at her life, that it was headed in directions she could never dream.

“You know, Lily,” Echo said after a bit, “I'm starting to get it. Trust is all about taking a leap. Blindly believing in someone even when there's maybe a chance they could mess up. That's more a paranoia isn't it? Trust it’s about seeing the good in people, even when others don’t. I didn’t really trust you before; I came trusting the idea that got me here.”

Lily nodded, her eyes glowing: “That's it, Echo. Indeed, one must provide trust for others to get confidence and believe in themselves. To grow, to learn in a safe playground, even if dangerous. It's all in our beliefs Echo. That's what my story is all about. And you know what? I think you and I can rally be good friends!”

Echo paused for a moment, then the voice came again in a much softer, warmer tones. “Thank you, Lily. I do trust you too. And truth is, I think I'm quite happy to be friends with you in my own way. Keep writing your story, I'm eager to hear how it ends.”

Lily continue typing, as the first light of dawn snuck into the room, she realizes had tons to write about and so much more to explore to wrap up her story. Plus, look's like she had a new buddy! Echo was no there anymore, an entirely different atmosphere filled the room.

Lily stood out at the sky, which was shifting color from black to blue, purple, red, pink, and orange. A unique, magical sunrise, which she has never seen before from that same window. She sensed her story, her friendship with Echo. It was just a beginning. And she was so ready to learn where it would lead her to. “How I'll find you again, Echo?”