Dragon Strength
Dragon: Envision a dragon. Do you battle him? Or is the dragon friendly? Use descriptive language.
As Darren walked a long dirt path through the forrest of pine trees, he began to feel uneasy. Something was watching him, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up in fear. The same feeling as if an unseen shark was swimming around you in open water. You know something’s there, you just can’t see it. The fog, only subtly lifted as the morning went on, revealing only the trunks of the trees, the tops lost in the low clouds. He quickened his pace, checking left and right, keeping an eye out for whatever was filling him with anxiety and strangely enough a feeling of familiarity.
A large silhouette appeared in the distance. A black blur, massive. Darren stopped for a moment, but curiosity drew him closer like gravity. Closer and closer the silhouette revealed more of its secrets. Darren kept his gaze low at the massive talons leading up to what looked stealth-black plated armor going up 2 massive legs, bigger than surrounding tree trunks. Next was a broad chest, the scales protruded out to a point near the collar bone, from that extended a long plated neck that lowered itself. Darren’s gaze met halfway with the scaled face of the dragon before him. Black of eye with vibrate white centers, emitting steam in the cold morning air.
Frozen in fear, Darren could only stand and tremble before this image of disbelief that was sitting before him. A few more seconds of silence and the dragon exhaled steam from his nostrils that pressed up warmly against Darren’s face. “Darren. It’s been a long time.” Muttered the dragon in a low but godly voice. Darren was 2 years graduated from college, too old to be imagining things, but here he was, “Turek?” He managed to finally say. “In the scales, small one.” Replied the dragon rearing his head back and sitting on his hind legs like a meerkat, wings folded in. “I know we’re not supposed to visit you later in life, but I have a problem and you’re the only one that can help me.”
Darren accepted that his old friend from childhood, Turek, was standing before him, as real as air he was breathing. “W-w-what’s wrong?” Stuttered Darren, still a little scared. After all, he hadn’t seen a dragon since he was 9. “Get on my back, and don’t be scared.” Turek said, as reassuring as he possibly could. “There’s no way to explain, only show you.” Darren hopped on the gap in the ridges of Turek’s back. They shot straight up through the fog, through the tree tops, and out into the open sky. Darren looked down, and was baffled to see the fog settled only on the path he was walking in the forrest.
Desperately holding onto the ridges on Turek’s back, the dragon flew higher and higher. It was getting hard to breath. The little black dots surrounded Darren’s eyes. Before Darren lost consciousness, Turek said, “I’ll take you, I’ll take you there.” That’s the last thing he remembered. As he came to, they were gliding in a dark oblivion, massive purple veins riddled throughout the sky. “Where are we? Where did you take me?” Asked Darren. “Where we both need to be, Darren.” Replied Turek, in a sinister tone.
Turek glided towards this bizarre ridged, pink landscape. Darren could see the land round off either end in the distance. Over the horizon was a gaping purple mass sticking out of the ridges, the size of a sports stadium. The mass seemed to have attached itself to the landscape. “What the hell is that, Turek?” Asked Darren, now attentive and able-minded. The massive dragon took one last upward thrust and hovered for a moment. Wings working effortlessly to keep them in the sky, yet emitting huge whooshing sounds with every flap. “It’s death.” He replied solemnly. “Death of a loved one. As is everything else down there.”
Darren looked down and saw the land crawling before them. Before he could make out what they were, Turek blasted downwards at breakneck speed. Turek’s breathing got heavier and heavier. Darren noticed 2 things. What was crawling was what appeared to be a disgusting grotesque looking army. Soldiers that look like they’ve spawned from hell itself. The second was the red aura that started glowing from between every scale on Turek’s body. “Grab my horns and guide my fire!” Screamed Turek. He did as he was instructed, he knew now that’s why he was taken there.
A massive gale of wind blew dozens of soldiers back as Turek pulled up at the last second. “MAAAAISY!!!” Roared Turek as hell fire erupted from his mouth. Not caring why Turek said the name, Darren re-gripped his horns like a motorcycle and panned the dragon’s head left to right, incinerating everything in sight. Arrows came from all sides like an angry swarm of bees. Turek swerved to and fro dodging everything. Whatever hit glanced off Turek’s scales. The speed never faltered, the flames only stopping so the dragon can gasp for air, and gather more rage. The purple mass now stand before Darren and his dragon.
Turek bound quickly to the right and yelled, “Aim at the base of it!” Darren turned the horns like he would a sharp left turn on a Harly Davidson, and released a deluge of flame. They circled the entire mass and left a crispy ring around it. The next direction was up, far up, and over the middle. Gasping and fatigued, Turek panted, “One, last, blast, right down the middle.” Darren was overcome with emotional nostalgia. Why now? Why, right when they’re task was at hand did he feel so strongly for his old imaginary friend? Was he losing his mind? Whatever the case, he wanted to enjoy this last adventure with Turek.
“Down the middle, Big T.” Said Darren. Before they’re decent, Turek turned his long neck backwards and smiled, “You remembered.” He said. “How could I forget?” Said Darren smiling back. Turning his head downwards again, Turek took a large, deep breath. The type of breath of someone who was told it would be their last. A blast of red, as bright as anything Darren’s ever seen broke through every scale on the dragon’s body. As they dropped from the sky, they both gave the mightiest war cry, together. The flames burst a hole through the top of the mass, Turek stayed true on his path down the middle, hotter and hotter it got the lower they went. Darren never faltered, he held on to the horns and yelled even louder. They entered the mass and it all went up in flames. Orange, red, white. Nothing but white.
Darren opened his eyes again. He lay on the path where he was hiking before. He sprang to his feet, “Turek!” He cried, looking for his friend. “Right behind you small one.” A calming voice said behind him. Darren spun around but was surprised at what he saw. “So, this is a new look, huh?” Said Darren teasing the dragon as he pulled off the black scales with his teeth revealing smaller, pink scales. Chuckling the dragon replied. “You think imaginary friends stay dormant in memory forever?” “What do you mean?” Turek picked off the last piece of black armor and tossed it in a heap like scrap metal. “Kids’ imaginary friends help them through tough times, as does family. And I’ve been Maisy’s friend since she was diagnosed.”
Scraping his mind, Darren asked, “So you’re Maisy’s imaginary friend now?” “More like her strength. Imaginary is such a vague word these days.” Turek replied calmly. “You went on your walk because you wanted to get away from the the fact that Maisy was going into surgery. She needed us both, Darren.” “I know, I, know. It’s just been really hard on everybody the past few months. There’s no way they could remove the tumor without killing her.” Darren said, tears streaming from his eyes. “That’s why I back to you. That’s why I came back to your father when he needed me.” Turek said, like a grandfather would. “What you call an imaginary friend, comes out as real strength.” Darren went and hugged his old friend, he was much softer than he would have expected. “Now go back to your family Darren. They need you.” Turek said. As he flew up into the trees, the fog lifted with him revealing a day as clear as could be.
Darren walked a few miles back to the hospital. Scared that if he walked through the door’s of Maisy’s room, he have to face the reality of her being dead. With one last exhale, Darren opened the door. His family was huddled around the little girl. Gripped with fear again, his mom and dad stepped back, smiling, crying, overjoyed. Darren stared down at his little sister, Maisy, and she responded with a weak smile and held out her arms, wanting the embrace of her brother. They hugged for what seemed an hour, he couldn’t let her go. “You’re okay Maisy, you’re okay.” He sobbed, speaking softly into her ear. “I knew I would be.” She replied. Darren leaned back looking confused. “Really, and how is that, because you’re so tough?” Laughed Darren. “No, silly, because I asked Turek to go get you.” Darren smiled and hugged his little sister, full of life, for what seemed like another hour.
