The Girl and the Leaf Dragon
By Mara A.
Author’s Note
I got the inspiration for this story from something that happened a long
time ago, when I was a kid at my first Renaissance Faire. There was a
storyteller there, and she wove a tale about orphan dragon eggs and how they
needed to be adopted (for a low price of $25). Being the dragon-crazy,
imaginative child that I was, I desperately wanted to "adopt" one of
the dragon eggs she was selling (the fact that they came in fancy, awesome boxes
did not factor into this desire whatsoever). But of course, I knew I wouldn't
be allowed to have one, so I dreamed of all that could have been if things had
been different.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The girl has never known such splendor. It has been a
long day of endless color and light and sound. Jesters have tried to make her
laugh; skeleton men have startled her; the queen and her handmaidens invited
her to the knighting ceremony. But best of all was the royal joust and the
gypsy horse acrobats that came after. The girl had been swept away by the
thunder of hooves, the thunderous shout of the crowd. She had been moved by the
lulling, exotic music, the bright costumes, the astonishing skill of the
acrobats.
It had
been a day filled with wonder indeed.
But now
the girl was tired. The sun beat down mercilessly and she could not consume one
more ice cream cone from the kind friars even if she had wanted to. Her ears
were deadened to the shouts of the pickle lady, her eyes could not take in one
single more bizarre site. She was simply overwhelmed - and yet, not at all
ready to leave this place and return to the mundane world.
With
tired feet, she made her way to a single shady tree, but it was of course
occupied. A sizable crowd of other children were gathered around a woman in a
dress made of earth-tone patches. Her thick black hair was braided simply down
her shoulder with gold and green glass and fine bone beads. Compared to many of
the strange inhabitants of the faire, she was nothing remarkable in her worn
leather boots and dark blue cloak. And yet her careful, quiet posture; her
dark, fathomless eyes; her gentle, mysterious beckoned the girl to draw closer.
And she did, settling herself on the ground with the other children until they
formed a small circle around the woman.
There
was an expectant hush. The girl didn't know what would happen next. But soon
the woman began to speak; her voice low and soft and melodious. Gentle and
captivating. She asked them to listen; to hear her words as she wove a tale of
magic and sorrow. From her the girl learned that there was a place - a distant,
magical place - where creatures she only dreamed of lived. Unicorns and faeries
and little fire imps - and yes, dragons. Dragons of every sort and every size.
Great, majestic ice dragons whom the northern lords claimed as their steeds for
battle; gentle, shy coral dragons who dwelt deep in the sea and played among
the merfolk; dragons the color of midnight, dragons as bright as jewels;
dragons that spat acid and lived deep in swamps or high in the mountains;
dragons the size of cathedrals and dragons the size of the girl's thumb.
But this
was long ago, the woman said. Now, the world had changed; kings had turned
against dragonkind. Knights hunted them for sport; merchants sold their scales
as adornment, leather-workers as armor. Healers imbued their potions with
choice pieces and emperors devoured their hearts to gain the strength of a
hundred men and the wisdom of a thousand. What led to such a travesty was
unknown, but it had caused great destruction and the dragons were now a dying
breed. No more did the northern lords command the respect and power they once
had with their mighty mounts; no more did sea captains pray for favorable
voyages as the coral dragons hid instead of protecting them from misfortune.
The luck dragons had disappeared long ago into the clouds, the Nightwings into
their caves and mountaintops.
She, the
woman said, was one of very few who still hoped for the return of dragonkind.
It was her sworn duty to protect them and take them away to other lands, in the
hopes that they might thrive and humans could once again live with them as they
once did. But fledgling dragons needed careful tending and only a very few were
courageous enough to undertake such a task. She felt that maybe some among them
were up to it.
With
care, the woman took from behind her a large ebony box engraved with intricate
filigree and inlayed with goldleaf. The girl would have given anything to study
the box closer, but the other children blocked her view as they crowded forward
to peer inside. Nestled among the blackest velvet were small, delicate eggs,
ranging from the deepest bronze to the lightest of rose. Leaf dragons, the
woman said; orphaned and in need of care. But she could not give them over for
nothing, though she wished she could.
The girl
sad back sadly when the woman declared the price. She knew that they were not
real, of course, but still she would have liked to have had one. She watched
sadly as eagerly the children sought their parents and wheedled and pled until
they were given what they asked. The woman carefully placed the claimed eggs in
smaller, less intricate boxes, also lined with black velvet. These she locked
with a small key and gave that and a small scroll over to eager hands. It was
not long before all of the eggs were claimed and the girl was the only child
remaining, watching the scene with a yearning heart.
With
sadness, she turned away, trying at least to feel glad that the draclings had
been claimed at all. But the woman called to her and beckoned her over with a
hand clad in a curious leather armband. Hesitantly, the girl drew forward. With
a secret smile, the woman drew from behind her one last box. It was
honey-blonde and simple, with a single intricate star burned on the lid. The
woman removed a key on a gold chain from a pocket and handed it to the girl.
Carefully, the girl unlocked the box and stared in wonder. Amid a bed of
sapphire-blue velvet was a slightly green-tinged egg veined with gold. It was
no bigger than the girl's hand and it thrummed with heat in a way none of the
other eggs had.
A
dragon, the woman said with a serious stare, needs much tending. And it takes a
very courageous sort of person to do it. And she gave the box to the girl.
She did
not know what to say, and so she said nothing. But the woman understood. She
smiled a secret smile and turned away. Happily, deliriously, the girl tucked
the box close to her chest and walked away to find her parents. They were not
far off, watching a smithy craft a buckle. They asked if she was ready to
leave; if she had had fun. The girl nodded mutely, tucking the box closer. They
asked about it; she said a woman had given them to children who listened to her
story. She did not say what was inside. It didn't matter. Her parents would nod
knowingly and exchange a look she did not like. She knew it was not real, but
she wanted to believe that it was.
When
they returned home to the mundane world, the girl placed the box carefully on
her nightstand. She opened it, rearranging the velvet around the egg so it was
snugger, warmer. Then she burrowed under the covers and stared at it until her
eyes became heavy, never turning the bedside light off. It wasn't real, she
told herself. She would entertain the fantasy for a little longer, and a dragon
egg should have warmth, shouldn't it? Her eyes grew heavier. And then they were
shut.
At the
witching hour, the egg chirped. It rustled. It rocked as much as it could in
its bed of velvet. Then a tiny hole appeared at the top. And then it widened.
Finally, a small horn was soon followed by a persistent arrow-shaped head. With
a determined trill, the egg was shattered open and the girl woke. Sitting admit
the ruins was a small creature mottled green and gold like a leaf turning to
autumn. Its delicate wings were tattered and veined like an oak leaf, its body
narrow and flat as if to blend in with foliage. The creature trilled at the
girl, expectant.
Was she
still asleep, she wondered? Had her imagination finally gone too far? She
rubbed her eyes, pinched herself, but the little leaf dracling did not
disappear. Instead, it had turned from her and started sniffing at her
strawberry-shaped clock. It took an experimental bite, then huffed angrily when
it turned out to be inedible.
The girl
slid from her bed and removed the scroll the woman had given her from the
nightstand drawer. She had been too tired to look at it earlier. In beautiful,
looping script the care of her dracling was described. Bundling the dracling in
the velvet, the girl crept on silent feet outside and to her father's
greenhouse. The dracling chirped excitedly when it saw the rows and rows of
tomato plants, heavy with round, ripe fruit. It wriggled out of the velvet and
glided to the nearest plant, snatching a tomato and devouring it.
The girl
watched in wonder. She turned the scroll around in her hands, marveling, until
small, neat script on the other side caught her attention: "Legend exists
for the ones willing to believe. And it will bring you luck."
The girl
looked over at the leaf dracling again, its snout dripping tomato juice and
seeds. She smiled.
Copyright©
2015 Mara A.
Read more of Mara's stories on the Writer's Page
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIt's not very often a person can go to a fair, and come back with a dragon! I can imagine that the father isn't going to be too pleased when he next checks on his greenhouse.
ReplyDeleteAt least the woman was giving away small dragons. ;)
DeleteTomatoes are not the most filling food. Hopefully, it doesn't have much of an appetite.
DeleteI really liked this story! It made me really want to have a baby dragon of my own :) I also really liked how you never called the girl by name, I'm a big fan of that in short fiction.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest dream as a child was owning not a pony, but a dragon. I spent years - long, serious years - trying to find one. And then realized our world was too small for dragons. :\ The end of my childhood right there. But, yeah, I remember dreaming up this story when coming home from my first Renaissance Faire. What if I had gotten an egg from the storyteller? And what if it had been a real dragon? I'm a big fan of that sort of short story fiction, too. Makes it almost easier to imagine yourself as the girl.
DeleteI always wanted either a dragon small enough to fit on my shoulder, or one big enough to ride ;) It is very much a shame that dragons are not so easily procured.
DeleteThe dracling trying to eat the clock is really cute :) And tiny dragons that look like leaves are a lovely idea.
ReplyDeleteUnlike my little brother, I think that not worrying about things like if tomatoes are filling is right for this story, since it is a daydream come true.
Abigail Leskey
That's one of the big differences between reality and fiction. In Fiction (daydreams), things don't have to eat (at least when you are thinking about them). But, if they turn into reality, then, as all living things must have a source of energy, the once-daydream needs one. Unless if the dragon has another source that isn't mentioned in this book, it must get it's energy from "regular" food. In conclusion, whether it is a daydream come true, or something like long grass, it must "eat."
DeleteReally, Joseph...
DeleteAbigail
Just my point of view...
DeleteWell, the story does leave the Reader with some questions, which I think is what short stories are supposed to do. They are a snapshot of a bigger story. As Joseph pointed out, the girl's father probably isn't going to happy to see all of his tomatoes eaten. What's her parents' reaction when they find out about the dragon? How long can the girl keep it a secret from them? She's lucky that the storyteller gave her a leaf dragon, which grow to about the size of a small iguana. Just imagine what would have happened if she had one of the huge mountain dragons!
Delete