© Summer H
“What are you…? She said, almost whispering, in wonderment. The dragon did not take its yellow eyes off of Serenity as she approached nearer and nearer. It was hard for Serenity to believe that she was this close to a real, live dragon! As she inched nearer she could see the beast’s scales. The different colors. The sheer mass of this beautiful being. The dragon had a skinny neck and small ears perched on either side of its face. Its head was small with two great yellow eyes and a snout with giant nostrils and large, sharp looking teeth. The dragon’s head, neck, and abdomen was skinny except for the middle portion that appeared to be long and lean. It had four legs with long, sharp yellow talons on each foot and a long, tail with colorful iridescent, red-hued scales decorating the length of it.
Serenity could not believe that she was about five feet from the dragon now. Just a few more steps and she would be able to reach out her arm and touch it! Touching a dragon had never been on her life list of things to do. Until now. As she got closer, she could almost feel the pain and the fear emitting from this giant beast. She could almost imagine what is was that the dragon was enduring. Serenity also detected a hint of sadness. The dragon grunted again, keeping its eyes fixed on Serenity. This being could kill her in an instant. Serenity knew that. But the weight, the emotional burden this being was carrying, wasn’t right. Serenity didn’t know why or how the dragon had come to be tied up like this but even she knew that a creature such as this one, did not belong on a chain.
Serenity was now close enough to touch the dragon. Slowly, making sure not to surprise or to appear threatening, she lifted her arm and reached out, touching the dragon’s front leg. She was surprised at how smooth the dragon’s skin was. It was scaly and a little rough if rubbed the wrong way but rubbing the scales as they lay naturally, she felt the sleek smoothness.
It reminded her of when she was a kid, and she and Walter would go up to the lake. They’d take a small boat out on the water. She remembered how Walter had helped her thread the bait onto the hook and how he had helped her cast out the line. They had caught some small rainbow trout that they had tossed back. But Serenity remembered the feel of the wiggling, writhing fish as she unhooked its mouth from the fish hook. She never liked the way they wiggled and squirmed but she remembered the smoothness of the fish when the scales were rubbed down the way they sat. Rubbing them up, they were tough, rigid and sharp. The dragon’s skin reminded her of her early fishing days and the way that the fish felt in her hands, except not as wet.
The dragon was still eyeing her with a sharp, yellow gaze.
“That’s it,” Serenity coaxed in a calm voice, “I’m not going to hurt you.” She said softly as she stroked the dragon. The dragon turned its head towards Serenity.
Walter watched, eyes wide, not daring to move or even breathe. Serenity kept her focus on the beast before her. “That’s it, that’s it…” She coaxed as the dragon lowered its head. The dragon’s head was almost low enough for Serenity to grab hold of the metal collar around its neck.
“Who did this to you? Huh?” Serenity cooed as her hands met the collar on the great beast. She searched the collar with her hands. It was thick, made out of metal. Serenity guessed it was about two inches thick all the way around. Serenity didn’t know how they were going to get the collar off. She felt the cool metal of the collar in her hands, still softly cooing and coaxing the dragon. She wondered how someone had gotten the collar on this beast in the first place. It didn’t feel like there was a latch. Maybe a keyhole…
Just as Serenity was searching for a keyhole, the dragon jerked its head back up with a piercing screeching sound. Serenity tumbled as she was thrown a few feet away by the dragon’s sudden jerking upwards....
© Summer H
“What are you…? She said, almost whispering, in wonderment. The dragon did not take its yellow eyes off of Serenity as she approached nearer and nearer. It was hard for Serenity to believe that she was this close to a real, live dragon! As she inched nearer she could see the beast’s scales. The different colors. The sheer mass of this beautiful being. The dragon had a skinny neck and small ears perched on either side of its face. Its head was small with two great yellow eyes and a snout with giant nostrils and large, sharp looking teeth. The dragon’s head, neck, and abdomen was skinny except for the middle portion that appeared to be long and lean. It had four legs with long, sharp yellow talons on each foot and a long, tail with colorful iridescent, red-hued scales decorating the length of it.
Serenity could not believe that she was about five feet from the dragon now. Just a few more steps and she would be able to reach out her arm and touch it! Touching a dragon had never been on her life list of things to do. Until now. As she got closer, she could almost feel the pain and the fear emitting from this giant beast. She could almost imagine what is was that the dragon was enduring. Serenity also detected a hint of sadness. The dragon grunted again, keeping its eyes fixed on Serenity. This being could kill her in an instant. Serenity knew that. But the weight, the emotional burden this being was carrying, wasn’t right. Serenity didn’t know why or how the dragon had come to be tied up like this but even she knew that a creature such as this one, did not belong on a chain.
Serenity was now close enough to touch the dragon. Slowly, making sure not to surprise or to appear threatening, she lifted her arm and reached out, touching the dragon’s front leg. She was surprised at how smooth the dragon’s skin was. It was scaly and a little rough if rubbed the wrong way but rubbing the scales as they lay naturally, she felt the sleek smoothness.
It reminded her of when she was a kid, and she and Walter would go up to the lake. They’d take a small boat out on the water. She remembered how Walter had helped her thread the bait onto the hook and how he had helped her cast out the line. They had caught some small rainbow trout that they had tossed back. But Serenity remembered the feel of the wiggling, writhing fish as she unhooked its mouth from the fish hook. She never liked the way they wiggled and squirmed but she remembered the smoothness of the fish when the scales were rubbed down the way they sat. Rubbing them up, they were tough, rigid and sharp. The dragon’s skin reminded her of her early fishing days and the way that the fish felt in her hands, except not as wet.
The dragon was still eyeing her with a sharp, yellow gaze.
“That’s it,” Serenity coaxed in a calm voice, “I’m not going to hurt you.” She said softly as she stroked the dragon. The dragon turned its head towards Serenity.
Walter watched, eyes wide, not daring to move or even breathe. Serenity kept her focus on the beast before her. “That’s it, that’s it…” She coaxed as the dragon lowered its head. The dragon’s head was almost low enough for Serenity to grab hold of the metal collar around its neck.
“Who did this to you? Huh?” Serenity cooed as her hands met the collar on the great beast. She searched the collar with her hands. It was thick, made out of metal. Serenity guessed it was about two inches thick all the way around. Serenity didn’t know how they were going to get the collar off. She felt the cool metal of the collar in her hands, still softly cooing and coaxing the dragon. She wondered how someone had gotten the collar on this beast in the first place. It didn’t feel like there was a latch. Maybe a keyhole…
Just as Serenity was searching for a keyhole, the dragon jerked its head back up with a piercing screeching sound. Serenity tumbled as she was thrown a few feet away by the dragon’s sudden jerking upwards....
© Summer H
