“Dragons In The Sky”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “People only see what they are prepared to see.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Papa, is it true that there are dragons in the sky?”

I chuckle as I look down at Joanna, who’s pulling on my pant leg. She’s looking up at me with those huge, curious eyes that she always has when she wants to ask me a question.

I bend down and sit beside her. “Yes, it’s true. You know, I even saw one once.”

Her little mouth opens into a perfect ‘O’ and she lets out a quiet gasp. “Really?”

“Yes,” I laugh. “Would you like to hear about him?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” she squeals, practically bouncing up and down.

“Okay,” I say, pulling her close. “It happened when I was a young boy. I used to love going outside to play, just like you.”

I flick her nose and she giggles, kicking her feet.

“One day, I was rolling down the grassy hills behind Grandpa’s house, all by myself, when I heard a strange noise. It sounded like a tropical bird crying out for help. I was curious, so I followed the sound. I walked until Grandpa’s house was out of sight. And then, I saw it.”

Joanna leans closer. “What was it, Papa? What was it?”

The corner of my mouth turns up and I curl my fingers into claws.

“It was a DRAGON!” I exclaim, looming over her.

She lets out a squeal and jumps back. I laugh as she almost falls over, but I help her up.

“What did the dragon look like?” she whispers once she’s seated again.

“Well,” I say, “it was big. Very big.”

“Bigger than Grandpa’s house?”

“Yes, much bigger than Grandpa’s house. In fact, it could’ve fit Grandpa’s house in its mouth. It was a beautiful blue, with sparkling scales and sharp, silver claws. The ridges on its back were the size of mountains and its wings, Joanna, its wings were simply magnificent.”

“Wow,” Joanna whispers.

“That was my first thought when I saw it too,” I chuckle.

“What did you do with it?” she asks.

“Well, I helped it,” I reply. “You see, it had a cut in its wing, and I helped patch it up. After that, I visited it every day. It was my closest friend as a child. But, once it had healed, it left to go back home. I watched as it flew away, into the sky.”

“Did you ever see it again?”

I ruffle her hair with a smile. “Yes,” I murmur. “Yes. In fact, I see it every night.”

She sighs as she looks up. “I wish I could see one.”

“You can,” I say. “In fact, you can see one right now. All you have to do is look up.”

She does, her eyes searching wildly for a sign of a dragon. “I don’t anything, Papa.”

“Just keep looking,” I whisper, “and one will appear to you.”

We sit beneath the stars together. Eventually, Joanna falls asleep. As she leans against me, I look back up at the sky. The stars wink at me, and I know that my dragon is there, watching over me.

Final Comments: I had a general idea for where I wanted to take this story, but I’m really not satisfied with the execution… Ugh maybe I’ll rewrite this one at some point.

Overall Rating: 😖