Something Wild --- A "Pete's Dragon" Fanfiction

Chapter 3

Six years later...

******

"All my life, I've heard the stories of the dragons that live in the woods."

The words came from old Mr. Conrad Meacham, to a group of anxious kids that sat gathered around him on the garage floor of his workshop. He was an older man, with thinning hair and thick smile lines firmly set at the corners of his mouth.

Not a person in town did not know about the woodcarver. Having lived in the sleepy logging town of Millhaven all his life, he could typically be found with the garage door wide open, entertaining the children with his stories - specifically, about the Millhaven dragons.

As Me. Meacham spoke, he pushed a hand-carved piece of wood into a chair. His workshop was filled with sculptures and furniture made by him single handedly, most of which were carved or fashioned with some sort of dragon motif in mind.

"There are many stories about them," Mr. Meacham continued. "People say they came from the north. Some say they're thousands of years old. Others say they're used to be many, but now there are few."

The kids listened eagerly, completely engrossed in his story. Granted, they had all heard the tales before -some more than others - but that didn't stop them from coming back for more. They watched in fascination as the woodcarver brushed the sawdust off a freshly made carving. It billowed through the air, the sunlight making it shine like little specks of gold dust.

"People say lots of things, but the fact is, not one person has ever actually seen a dragon..." Mr. Meacham sat himself down on a lower stool, and leaned in toward his audience. "Except me."

"You saw a dragon?" A little boy stared up at him in shock. He was younger and newer to the stories than the rest of the children.

"Oh, not just a dragon," Mr. Meacham corrected, grinning widely. "I saw two."

The children gasped in delight, sharing glances of excitement among themselves, and they pressed closer to listen.

"Yes, sir," Mr. Meacham continued. "When I was a little boy - not much older than you - I was out hunting with my father, deep in those woods. I wandered off on my own...and that's when I saw them."

"What'd they look like?" The little boy pressed.

The woodcarver chuckled. "Well, I can tell you this much. They were big. Big as a barn. And when they walked, the earth itself shook." He focused his gaze on the little boy, his eyes narrowing. "They were green - green all over. Except for their eyes. Their eyes were as red as hellfire. And one of them had giant horns, like great pine tree branches. When they looked at me, they were peering right into my very soul."

"And then?" The kids pressed closer, anxious to hear the rest.

"And then? Well, then the first dragon reared back its head, and out of its jaws came..." The kids jumped when Mr. Meacham lit his torch with a flick of the switch. The fire burned blue, and the children oohed with pleasure.

"I thought I was done for," Mr. Meacham continued, extinguishing the torch. "And sure enough, before I could blink, the horned one was swinging its tail and..."

The old man swiped his hand through the air for emphasis, causing the startled children to jump backwards.

"I never had a chance. I tried to raise my gun to shoot, but the horned one was quick. He grabbed it in his jaws, and yanked the gun out of my hands."

A glint came to Mr. Meacham's eyes. "But I wasn't going to be done. Not yet. I just took out this pocket knife..."

The woodcarver then seized a pocket knife from the workbench before him. It was old and dull, and rather tainted with red rust, but it still looked sharp enough for the children.

"And when the dragon set upon me..."

With a flash, Mr. Meacham slammed the tip of the blade into the workbench, where it stuck with a loud, dull thunk. The children jumped in surprise.

"I drove it home," the old man finished, grinning widely. The kids, having recovered from their initial shock, were obviously impressed.

"Scaring the kids again, Dad?"

Everyone turned toward who had spoken, and standing outside the workshop doors was Grace Meacham, Mr. Meacham's daughter. She was a pretty woman, with long red hair tied back in a braid, and dressed in a green ranger uniform. The amused smile she bore, and her gentle eye roll gave a good indication of just how many times she had heard her father tell this story before.

"No, no, I'm just giving them a leg up," her father replied. "Letting them know what's out there in those woods..."

Grace shook her head tiredly. She and her father had debated this argument too many times to remember.

"Well, I'm out in those woods every day," she said. "And though I have seen bears, bobcats, badgers, bunnies, and just about every bird you can imagine...I have never seen a dragon."

Everyone looked back toward Mr. Meacham, awaiting his answer.

"Well, just because you can't see something," Mr. Meacham replied. "Doesn't mean it's not there."

"And just because you say it's true," Grace retorted with a smile. "Doesn't mean it is."

A couple of the kids giggled.

"But, I'm heading out there right now," Grace continued, holding up her binoculars as she walked towards her jeep. "And I'll let you know if I see anything big and green and breathing fire..."

With that, she climbed into the car and started the engine. Meanwhile, the littlest girl in the crowd turned back to Mr. Meacham, her eyes wide with wonder.

"I believe you, Mr. Meacham."

"Well, thank you kindly, little lady," Mr. Meacham replied, turning his attention back to his audience. "Don't you go listening to Grace. She knows a thing or two, but only if it's staring at her right in the face. And if you go your whole life only looking at what's in front of you, you miss out on a whole lot."

The hum of Grace's jeep faded away as it drove off. Mr. Meacham plucked his knife out of the workbench, and picked up a small, wooden dragon - one of the first things he ever carved. He handed it over to the little girl, and all the kids crowded around to see it.

"And that's where you have the upper hand," Mr. Meacham continued with a whisper. "Because mark my words, those dragons are still out there. And if you were to go out into those woods, where no one ever goes, maybe...maybe one of you might find them."

Then he winked, and snatched the wooden dragon back from the enthralled children.

"Unless they find you first."