Beast.

Hey folks! This is a snippet of a story I've had going for some time. Hope you enjoy!

SIZZLE. CRASH.

I wake up to the sound of debris falling from some where. Everything smells like smoke and the carpet in front of me is charred to dust. Looking up,  the roof is on the verge of collapsing inward from a large puncture right above where the coffee table had been.

“Caleb?” a sandy sounding croak…

“Jade, are you okay?” I sound fine. My face and neck stings; my shirt is scorched. Then I blink in the dusty air, where’s Malcolm? The middle of the room is obliterated and there’s only a eight foot wide, one foot deep depression left.

“No… I think it’s my ankle... Where’s Mal?” Jade’s voice comes from near the entrance of the room; where the enormous framed tapestry had hung.

“I don’t know. I’ll look” I get up, balancing shortly on one knee; despite the dust in my eyes, I still see stars of dizziness. My heart sinks fast, the furniture that had sat in the middle of the room, the books, the coffee table, the couch, were nowhere to be seen. My trunk wasn’t there anymore either.

“Is he there?”

“No”

The finality of the actual words sting in my throat, but that’s what they are now, fatally so.

I help Jade up, only to carry her to the unscathed kitchen, her left ankle is totally twisted and awkward, toes are already turning purple. Probably completely fractured; that tapestry had to be at least twenty pounds, never mind the frame. Well that would definitely hurt.

“AH…” Jade sighs when I put her gently but without ceremony on the cleared kitchen table.

“Do you think he could be,” Jade stops, puts a hand to her throat and then points out the kitchen window.

“What?” I ask, and then I inhale sharply at the sight I behold when I turn.

“It’s still here.”

The dragon is poised in a regal stance; claws viciously sharp. You can see them all the way back here, at the house. The bright yellow amber eyes glint in the dawn, surrounded by blacker than night scales. Suddenly all I can think of is Malcolm. I surprise myself.

“Jade. You don’t think he took Malcolm, do you?”

“What?” Jade gasps, forgetting, it seems, about her pain. “And, who says it’s a he. It’s beautiful.”

“I mean, the roof... it's not disintegrated.” I start, breaking the reverent phrase still hanging in the air.

"If it wanted to finish him it would've burned this place to the ground!"

Jade shakes her curly head and then says,

“Caleb Sanders you’re the craziest Dragonologist ever! If you're seriously implying that that beast is interested in preserving us, you're mad. Let's find Malcolm."

We’re both quiet after that. The dragon outside shifts from claw to claw… Then it lifts its mighty head, opens its powerful jaws and belts out a column of flame that falls, like an ignited snake to the parched ground. The next second, the beast is gone. 

Inkling

Playing around with eyeliner and photo booth- I apologize for the terrible quality!

-dh-

Thanks/New Years

        Sorry about this outlandishly delayed post! I just recently watched Baz Lurhman's The Great Gatsby and its complete special features. Finally, inspiration! No plagiarism or stealing of ideas was meant if there is any of that in this post. I simply decided to write and this is what came out...

         Any party that I've ever attended has not been of my own volunteering. Every time I go out I make myself a fool or worse, embarrass someone else. I was not altogether thrilled when my nosey mother in-law phoned me halfway through dinner to urge me to attend a complete stranger's New Year's party. The year up to this cold night had been less than exciting for this cubicle dweller. 

Still, I protested. 

         The car was in the shop, it was alright she was on her way already, she could pick me up; I had nothing to wear, that was fine, she promised to help me when she got there. Nothing I said made a difference. It is in these circumstances that I find myself disgusted at my own being and wish that it wasn't so impossible to simply go and be with people. Besides, she whined, it was the start of a New Year which by the sound of it, was like a renewing of her commitment to get me 'socialized'. I had to cave. Just this once. 

The ride was pitiful. I squirmed in the stiff outline of the suit she'd brought me from Eric's extensive collection. Eric, my brother in-law and much more outgoing friend was always attending dinners and fancy meetings. He had an enormous drawer filled with strictly individual style ties and stuffy old bow-ties that confounded me to no end.  I swallowed and tried not to think of it. The car was making me feel giddy and nervous, as if my in-law's chatter about my host wasn't enough to put me on the edge. 

"He's famously rich you know," I cut in. 

"Listen, Dana…"

"-Great eye for things like decor and wonderful taste in wine…" I gave up and automatically tuned her out- thinking of nothing but the lead-like mashed potatoes that sat at the very bottom of my stomach. I rolled down my window, feeling ill at ease and woeful. Parties would be the death of me. 

"Now, we're coming up to the house now- don't forget to say hello and thank you, etcetera…." 

"Of course." I reassured her huge bushy red hair, I couldn't see her profile clearly because of it. 

"You know Jared, you worry me sometimes. You forget to have a good time."

"Thank you for your concern… I suppose" I mumbled.

"Come on now, before the sun comes up…" 

We struggled out of the car, I, feeling somewhat like a swimmer who's come up for air. The night was chilly and invisible ice crunched under my fancy, also borrowed, and devilishly cold shoes. The house was magnificent. Covered in multicolored lights the flat surfaced house stood tall and lumbering like a wave that might crash onto your head at any moment. The trim along the twelve windows looked like candy frosting and the double doors were painted electric blue. 

"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs.?" A man at the door wearing a tall party hat with 1982 wilting off the foam. 

"Keebler, we're not a couple." My mother in-law scooted past the man and I looked him up and down before remembering to say, 

"Thanks."

P.S The Great Gatsby really is a phenomenal piece of artwork, it is out on DVD and Blueray now. I highly recommend it!