Jesse James and the Dragon's Egg

Afternoons and Yard Sales

It had been nearly two weeks since the egg hatched and the curious young creature they now called Al (so named at Lamar's instance that the little creature was, in fact, an alligator) had become a part of the family. Of course, no one told Jesse's mother or brother about this new "member of the family". Jake couldn't keep a secret to save his life and Jesse's mother, well, Jesse had a theory about his mother...

"There's no way my mom is going to let me keep a giant lizard that I found in a barn."

So, the children had made an art of keeping the little beast hidden. Last-minute moves and major deceptions had kept the secret, but sometimes you just needed to get out of the house. A toy carriage, courtesy of Kate, and a tightly bundled dragon, were soon making their way, very quietly, out Jesse's back door. It was early Saturday morning, and it was time for some yard sales.

They have been at it since just after sunrise and the boys had little to show for their effort, a baseball bat and glove, old comic books, and a hat that Lamar had "forgotten" to pay for. Kate, on the other hand, had taken full advantage of the experience. Draped with washed out t-shirts and jeans, one used pair of sneakers, an old toaster with a missing side panel, two DVDs, some kind of Bollywood dramas, and a giant purple spray painted, stuffed panda, the old carriage threatened to give under the weight of her yard sale treasures.

"Sweet!" Brad rounded the corner ahead of the rest. "Check this out!"

He stood in a driveway, holding an old-fashioned white dress in front of himself, a large Easter bonnet on his head. "I could totally be a princess."

"There is something seriously wrong with you." Lamar said, moving past and trying to ignore him.

"What? You don't think it's cool?" Brad replied, swinging the dress as he perused a table.

"Seriously wrong."

"Well, I think it looks lovely, Brad." Kate said.

"Why thank you, ma'am. Mr. Intolerant over there doesn't seem to share your broad and open-minded view of the world. You like it?" He said as he mock-modeled the dress.

"Why yes sir, I do." She said, smiling as an old VCR caught her attention.

"Well, I wouldn't get too attached to it, dear." Brad's face darkened and his tone turned abruptly cold. "I doubt it fits size whale."

Kate didn't flinch at the barb, nor did she turn away from the beaten piece of electronics she was studying. Her face, however, burned a deep red, ears turning nearly purple. Trying to maintain what was left of her composure, she responded.

"Wow, that's a shame since they obviously make it in dwarf."

Brad's bonneted head nearly exploded. He was loading a fresh salvo of insults into his mouth when Jesse walked up.

"Will you take that thing off." Jesse said, eyeing the bonnet.

Brad glared at the two of them. Harsh language seethed just behind his lips, fighting for escape. Then, without a word, he turned and stormed off. The elderly owners of the house running after him, yelling for their bonnet.

"Is he okay?" Jesse asked, nervously eyeing the stroller.

"No. He needs medication." Kate said, finally pulling her attention from the VCR.

"No, not him. Him." He motioned toward the carriage.

"Oh. Yeah, he's fine. I'm surprised he's not burning up."

"This was such a bad idea." He pulled up one of the t-shirts to cover the front of the carriage.

"Will you stop that!" She yanked the shirt back down. "If you keep doing that, he will get too hot and we will have a problem."