Esoterico: A Hidden Land

Chapter Five: The Haunted Hourglass

The big, rough rock was still in the swamp. Ryan and Laura, like before, leapt upon the rock and then to the other side. They would both agree that it was easy enough. Now they were ready to return.

Ryan tossed the hourglass once, as they were on the former side of the swamp, and said, "What should I do with this now? 

"I don't know," Laura briskly said, "I'm not an artifact specialist."

"This is not just an artifact, Laura," Ryan said importantly, "This made a whole tree glow in blue. This made all the obstacles vanish. This made us return from the crypt." 

"Those all could be pre-planned, " Laura suggested.  

"The obstacles could be pre-planned, but that doesn't decrease the power of this thing. This could be a powerful magical object!" Ryan excitedly told her. 

"Hmm, so you want to give it to a merchant and get bags of gold?" Laura grinned. 

"Stop kidding," Ryan briskly said, "I want to show this to a certified sorcerer and learn about it accurately." 

"Alright," Laura said as Ryan put the item in his pocket. He said, "Let's go now; it's getting late." He and Laura stepped forward but stopped immediately because they heard a "grunt" right behind them.

"What's that now?" Ryan said annoyedly and looked back to the swamp. He clearly remembers what he saw the last time he heard a grunt—a stabbed man. He had met the Blackies lately to know about that case but they still are unable to find out who killed the man and why.

However, this time when he looked back at the swamp along with Laura, he could see—

A swamp dragon.

Swamp dragons are crocodile-like creatures dwelling in swamps with great bodies, large legs with sharp claws, an ugly face with yellow eyes, and sharp fangs on their feet. It has spikes from head to tail. The swamp dragon they could see was the same, but it was smaller and less nasty. It looked rather like a cute kid. It had come out of the swamp, all covered in silver water. Ryan was astonished to notice that this swamp dragon's back was actually the rock they stepped upon and used to cross the swamp.

"Mmm-mmm, " grunted the swamp dragon. 

"How do I communicate with this thing?" Ryan asked Laura.

Laura thought a bit. She was a bit of an expert in these things. She said, "Maybe he wants company." 

Ryan said frustratedly, "Company? I can't stand here all night and talk to this monster!"

The swamp dragon growled greatly, as though to claim that he isn't a monster.

Suddenly, Ryan's pocket started to glow. Ryan put his hand in his pocket and took out the hourglass. which had started to glow again. All eyes turned to that mystic artifact—the eyes of Ryan, Laura, and the swamp dragon.  

"What's this trying to do now?" Laura anxiously asked as the hourglass quivered greatly in Ryan's hand. 

"Mmm-mmm," the swamp dragon grunted again. But this time the hourglass quivered again and said in the same grunting voice of the swamp dragon, "I'm alone." 

Ryan's eyes grew bigger. He turned to Laura. She was astonished too. She awkwardly said, "Maybe—it's translating his words." She pointed her finger at the swamp dragon.

Ryan said, "If it really is, then we can communicate with him." He took the hourglass close to his mouth and said, "Why are you alone?"

This time the hourglass talked in Ryan's voice and spoke some squeaky "Mmm-mmm" type language. The swamp dragon seemed to understand it, as he looked sad. Ryan noticed that tears dropped from the big cherry-like eyes of the small, young swamp dragon.