Dragon Island

Chapter 4

Panic fills my mind. I can't think. I can't breathe. I stare into the cold, unblinking eye of the dragon and think about all the things that I wish I could change about my life. All the moments I wish I could go back and do over. The faces of my family flash before my eyes. My mother, scolding and teaching and loving me. My father, always protective and always looking out for his family's best interests. My brothers who always drove me crazy. In that moment, I've never missed them so much. I wonder how long it will take for them to give up hope of ever finding me.

A peaceful calmness fills me as I accept my fate. I am to be killed by a beast straight out of fantasy. The dragon brings one huge foot forward with a force that shakes the ground beneath me. I brace myself and squeeze my eyes shut as it prepares to lunge. But the sharpness of death never comes. Another roar from far off in the forest to my right shatters the hunter's concentration on its prey. I open my eyes to see the monster's head whip around, answering the challenge with a roar of its own that I can feel all the way through my being. Then it turns and charges back the way it came, the huge tail missing me by mere inches.

For a minute I just stand there, unable to realize what I just avoided. Finally it sinks in and slide to the ground, my legs no longer able to support me. My breath comes in gasps as I lean against the cold stone and I tremble like I have never trembled before. How can this be real? I must be in some sort of crazy dream. I shut my eyes tight and then quickly open them again. No dream. The same thick, green forest surrounds me, the same black earth and the same sounds of rushing water. Rushing water? I stand back up on shaky feet and turn towards the sound. I stumble along the edge of the sheer cliff until I reach a large clearing and there in front of me is a waterfall. A beautiful waterfall, huge and sparkling; tumbling down over black rock.

It must be the source of the stream, I think to myself. All this time I've been going the wrong way. Silly girl! Obviously streams don't run toward their source. I laugh at my foolishness and run to the edge of the clear pool of water that narrows off into the creek that I had been following. It is large enough that the water on the edge isn't affected by the waterfall and the water is clear and inviting so I strip off my cotton dress, leaving just my undergarments and jump in. Cool water meets me, a lovely contrast to the hot sticky air of the island. I've never felt anything so refreshing. The pool is deep so I can't touch the bottom no matter how hard I try. Thankfully, when there aren't any waves and high winds twisting and fighting me, I can swim just fine. I dive and paddle around for a while before floating on my back with my eyes closed, just enjoying the feeling of the water caressing my face and laughing through my hair.

When I've finished washing away the salt and worry and I finally feel clean again, I lie on the grass and allow the sun to dry me. A few hours later, I awake with a jolt to the sound of my stomach rumbling. The shadows are long and the sun can no longer be seen above the top of the waterfall. I can't believe I let myself sleep! There are so many things I need to accomplish before dark and I certainly can't sleep on the ground, not with so many wild beasts around. Not to mention dragons! The nap did make me feel a whole lot better though so I suppose the loss of time hasn't been for nothing. I get to my feet and put my dress back on and get back to work. I need to find something to eat so I walk back into the forest and look for anything to satisfy my hunger.

After walking for several minutes I discover a tree laden with bananas. Unfortunately, they are all fairly high up and definitely beyond my reach. I examine the trunk but it is too smooth for me to climb. My only other option is to knock the fruit down. I look around for a rock. I find one of appropriate size easily and I pick it up and throw it as hard as I can. My first try goes wide and misses the tree completely. I've never been good at throwing. The next one is closer and after several tries I manage to hit a clump of bananas. A few fall and I gather them up and return to my waterfall.

The bananas satisfy my hunger for now so, after I take a drink of water, I set off in search of a tree that I can sleep in. Most of the trees are impossible for me to climb but, after much looking, I find a tree that I can actually get into. About a quarter of the way up three thick branches grow out of the trunk, close enough together that I can lay across them. It's not ideal but it will have to do. It's certainly better than sleeping on the ground. The sun has all but disappeared so I make myself as comfortable as I can and settle down for the night. I close my eyes and drift off to the sound of two very large animals fighting in the distance.