Dragon Girl

Down the Rabbit Hole

Janey did as shewas told and straddled the little dragon with her feet on both sidesof the dragon's neck. The dragon grew to the size of a large horseand bunched her muscles for a leap into the air. Janey held onto acouple of ridges of bone which protruded from the dragon's neck andhalf expected to bump into the ceiling of her room but in the secondthat Zelistuck rose from the floor, the ceiling disappeared and theywere flying through a beautiful midnight blue sky full of stars.

"How'd you dothat, make the room disappear?" she shouted for the wind againsther face was fierce if warm.

"I switched usfrom the astral impression of your room to the sky. You willeventually learn how to do it yourself."

"Will I learnhow to shape shift and fly like you do?"

"That is notfor me to say. Your answers will come at the council hall."

Janey enjoyed theride. It was exhilarating to be in the clouds and swooping across thesky. Soon, up ahead, she saw a huge mountain cutting the sky like asharp inverted "v". Zelistuck was winging toward that mountain atbreakneck speed. As they grew closer and Zelistuck's speed did notdiminish, she felt Janey's legs get tighter around her neck.

"You are afraidI will crash into the mountain?"

"It is startingto feel that way."

"Do not fear Ihave been flying for hundreds of your years. I know precisely when tobreak. And I have had riders for many of those years so I will notlet harm come to you, Janey."

As the mountaingrew closer and larger, Janey began to see details. The mountain wasriddled with caves but they were heading for the largest opening nearthe crest of the mountain. Within feet of the cave Zelistuck suddenlyturned upright and gently settled to a ledge and walked into thecave. Inside this huge cave Janey was awed to see hundreds of dragonson many small ledges all over the cave walls. There were strangeshort squat men running here and there putting torches in wallsockets and lighting the room.

"Those smallones are gnomes. They serve the council of dragons." Zelistuckanswered Janey's unasked question.

"So everycreature that was ever given a myth exists in the astral?"

"Every entitygiven thought of by humanity exists here; not just old mythology butmodern literature as well."

"Then there iseven a place in the astral for abominations like the creatures ofLovecraft?"

"Oh, Cthulhu isvery real, Janey. Lovecraft did not invent those stories he justcopied them down."

"Yikes! Therereally are monsters?"

"Yes but you donot have to worry. There is too much light and love in your spiritfor the demons and monsters to trouble you."

"But what aboutme troubling them? Mom has hinted that maybe I should go to Catholicschool to learn Exorcism."

"You do notneed to go to Catholic school to learn that. You will learn here howto banish the negative beings back to their own realm."

"Does Cthulhulive in this realm?"

"No. It is nota dragon it is an Elder God. They have their own domain."

Janey slid offZelistuck's back and walked with her to the center of the floor ofthe cave. There was one long ledge to one side where no dragons satat the moment and an opening behind it. Janey just looked all aroundat the array of dragons. There were many shapes and sizes and everyimaginable color. There were dragons with four legs and wings, likeZelistuck, dragons with only forelegs and wings, dragons with noother appendages but wings. There were two creatures that lookedcompletely like snakes except for a frill of skin and bone around thebase of their skulls. There were Oriental dragons, Eastern Dragons,European Dragons, Wyverns, Wysts, Hydra, Amphiptere, Fairy Dragons,and some species she could not guess the name of.