The Beast Beneath The Bluff

Chapter Seven

"Once upon a time, in these very lands, a quaint village existed. It was a small, unremarkable village caught in the middle of a ragged valley, surrounded on all sides by towering rocks and jolting trees that shed their leaves in orange, gold, and green shades," Grandma started, her voice so full of life and wonder that Tabitha's attention was hooked on the first syllable. The small girl, only three years of age, was seated upon her sickly grandmothers lap in her home. Back then, Tabitha didn't think much of the warm, soft skin riddled in wrinkles, or the gentle thumping of her heart. All she cared for was the stories her grandmother often told, and this one was her favorite.

"The people of this town were normal, too. However, if there were one unique aspect of this village, it would be the thing that defended it. The--"

"The dragon!" Tabitha interrupted excitedly, and her grandmother smiled down at her gleefully.

"Yes, my little pixie. A dragon. A giant beast the size of a tower with grand wings and scales the color of blood!"

"Ew, blood!"

"Yes, but that's not all. This dragon was nice and friendly. He loved the people of the village, and protected them from bandits and raiders. But one day, when the dragon had gone into hibernation during a chill winter, a new dragon arrived to the village. This dragon was white as snow with giant wings and a breath so frosty it could turn a tree to solid ice in one huff!" For emphasis, her grandmother blew a raspberry on her cheek, and Tabitha squealed in delight.

"Grandma! Stop!" Tabitha giggled, but the elderly woman did no such thing and kept teasing her granddaughter with a playful gleam in her eyes.

"No! I am a big mean dragon and I've come to take over your land!" Grandma cackled, and Tabitha stuffed her face in her grandmothers chest, hoping to hide away her cheeks from abuse.

Her grandmother readjusted her grip on the little girl and continued on joyfully, "The white dragon was nothing like the red dragon. It was mean and rude; it turned all their crops to ice and blanketed the valley in snow. The people grew sick from the chill and called out for the red dragon to awake and free them. Eventually, the dragon did, and he was not happy with what he saw."

"Oh, oh! Hold on!" Tabitha said and hopped off her grandmother's lap. She rushed over to the kitchen table and grabbed two cut-outs of dragons, one red and one white, and brought them back to her grandma. Her grandmother knew what she wanted and she took both puppets and held them up.

"'You fiend! How dare you come into my lands and hurt my people!' the red dragon had roared, to which the white dragon said, 'These are no longer your lands, red dragon! This land belongs to me!'" Grandmother narrated. "The red dragon was furious, so much so that he stepped out into the cold and lifted his claws. 'Fine then,' he told the white dragon. 'I challenge thee to a duel! If I win, you shall leave these lands and never return! If you win, then I shall do the same!' The red dragon was brawny and strong, but the white dragon was lithe and fiercer. And then the two dragons fought!"

Grandma brought both puppets to the sky and made them encircle and swoop around each other, flying in to bite and scratch. Tabitha watched the show in awe, and she cheered for the red dragon whenever it seemed the white one overwhelmed him. Finally, her Grandmother concluded, "the red dragon swooped down from above the white dragons head and sliced it clean off with his tail!" She tore off the white dragon's head and dropped it on her lap. "With the red dragon victorious, it flew back to its cave and collapsed inside, where it fell asleep and eventually died."

"Oh no!" Tabitha cried, and her Grandmother's arms engulfed her and cradled her close to her warm chest.

"That red dragon gave us our freedom, my little pixie," her Grandmother told her. "Thanks to that dragon, we can be a free people and live our lives to the fullest. And as a free people, we have the right to create and explore. Continue to do the things you love, even if the world wishes to abandon you for it. Be the dragon and fight for your freedom."