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Voting ends: 11:59 PM NST, Friday 11th of July
Entry #1:
The Johnsons were expecting the dragon to be green, since most reptiles are some shade of green. They were astonished when they saw Cain’s blood red scales. She was spikey, and hard, except for her underbelly, but Mr. Johnson found out the hard way that she doesn’t like being touched on her underbelly. Given time, his physical injuries eventually healed and even though Mrs. Johnson always assured him she truly liked the eye patch because it gave him character, his wounded pride never mended. Cain’s scales were sharp, her face was sharp, her tail was sharp, her claws were sharp. The Johnson’s used to have a thick, grassy lawn and three pecan trees in their backyard. Now they had a dirt pit with a dragon chained up in it. At first, Kailey was excited about the dragon. All the kids in the neighborhood were, but she wasn’t really a kid like the rest of them. She was thirteen, and wasn’t childish at all despite her appearance in her oversized One Direction t-shirt. She didn’t really know much of their music, but she’d seen pictures of them, and in his eyes, Zayn Malik had an inescapable sweetness that was both oddly sinister and forbidden. In any case, on that day Cain arrived, the first thing the dragon did was eat up Esau, the Johnson’s miniature poodle. In one bite. That damn poodle would yipe-yipe-yipe at literally nothing in the night, and would dig under the fence, get into Kailey’s yard, and cop a squat in the vegetable garden. Kailey was glad to be rid of Esau. For some time, everyone made a big hullabaloo about the dragon. Everyone wanted to see Cain. People would bring meat from the butcher to feed her. It was a wonder to see her eat. Her teeth were deadly and large. They would swear up and down the dragon’s teeth were as big as Mr. Miller’s prized giant eggplant from 1974. The chomping of bones dazzled the crowd. When the butcher ran out of meat, they brought Cain the butcher himself. His agonized screams awakened their repressed bloodlust as they watched, mesmerized by the sheer terror. When it was done, and the spell was broken, everyone felt regret and expressed remorse for their actions, although, even the butcher’s wife had to admit that it was quite a show. After that, the excitement waned. Every other day or so, someone would toss Cain a stray cat over the fence, and watch her devour the helpless creature, but it just wasn’t the same. Personally, some things about Cain really annoyed Kailey. She had ordered a manga book online, and it was never delivered because the post men were constantly disappearing. She had to move all her things into the den, because the back part of the house, where her old room used to be, was scorched. She couldn’t even use her trampoline in the back yard anymore, because once she got going and was doing all sorts of tricks like back flips, forward flips, and splits in the air, Cain would look up eagerly and flap her wings. The wings would destroy telephone lines and the gust of wind created by the flapping blew the leaves off all the trees on the block. Mr. Smith across the alley was always complaining about having to rake up so many leaves. Mr. Johnson suggested a leaf blower, but Mrs. Smith would never allow it because she heard those things are bad for the environment. As Kailey peered through the window, she watched Mr. Johnson emerge from his house, dragging in his slippers and wiping the sleep from his eyes. In his hand was a bucket of water, which he used on the bush that had caught fire between the houses. On his way back inside, Kailey saw him toss something Cain’s way. It was very small, and round. An apple? Something. Cain sniffed at what was presented to her, but did not eat. Ever so slowly, Cain turned her gaze to Kailey and stared back at her. Cain’s eyes were shiny orbs, blacker than the nighttime that surrounded her. Both their expressions were blank, but Kailey suddenly had a bad, ominous feeling like the feeling of déjà vu, except instead of thinking you’re seeing something exactly the same for the second time, you’re seeing something that hasn’t happened yet for the first time. For a moment she felt danger in the pit of her stomach, but the next instant she realized she was being silly goose. She smiled at Cain, and waved gently, trying to be friendly and say ‘goodnight’. Cain kept staring. Sunday morning, everyone gathered and greeted each other at church. How are you today? Oh fine, thank you, how are you? I’m doing well. Oh, that’s a blessing. Such blessings. The church pews had a permanent stench like a flavorless casserole, but once the parishioners gathered in their pretty clothing, their strong aftershave and perfumes wafted through the air like the Holy Spirit Itself. The gentle hum of the air conditioner was not unlike the ambient background noise of a star ship in a science fiction television series. The sermon was of Job, why the righteous do suffer, and Kailey had heard this one before. She stared out the window, wondering if she’d be a big enough person to be able to thank God for letting the devil give her boils all over her body. Outside, an airplane covered the sun, casting a moving shadow. Everyone stood, ready for song. “Holy, holy, holy lord. God of power and might.” Upon a second glance out the window, Kailey could see it was no plane. Now it was déjà vu. She didn’t think about it for a second, she just ran. “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord.” Everyone was so busy singing they noticed neither Kailey’s mad dash for the exit, nor the tremendous Cain approaching, a dark red abomination bent on destruction with malice gleaming in her giant eyes. Soaring, she reared over the church and unleashed a rain of fire that engulfed the entire building. Kailey cowered behind a tree in the parking lot, the heat from the flames made her hair singe and curl. Several car alarms went off. Looking back at the burning structure, Kailey expected to hear screaming, like how the butcher had screamed, except this time all joined in unison and harmony just like how they had sung. But all she could hear was the loud drumming of her own heart in her chest, the ear piercing screech of the mighty dragon, and the holy holy holy song echoing in her mind. The shadow was now upon her, but she just stared at the church. She expected people to come running out the front door all caught on fire, but the door never opened. The flapping of the dragon’s wings so near made her fall over. The odor of casserole was gone, and was replaced by the backyard barbeque smell of the fourth of July. Kailey was thinking of hot dogs and burgers and fireworks when a stifling heat overtook her, and she fainted. She was not awake to feel those teeth, the size of Mr. Miller’s prized giant eggplant, as they feasted upon her. Such blessings.
Kailey quickly dimmed the lights when she heard a loud screeching and saw a sudden burst of flame outside. She sat quietly for a moment until she heard movement. She then turned off her lights completely and went to her window, because that’s what people do when they spy on their neighbors on a Saturday night. She peered through the curtain.
Next door, the Johnsons had a pet dragon. No one was really sure if it was a stray dragon, or if it had been purchased in a store. The dragon’s name was Cain, because they thought they should give it an old, biblical name. The Johnsons believed in the bible, just like most people in the neighborhood, although most of them had never actually read it. The television had misled them to think of dragons as magical, fun creatures like Pete’s Dragon, instead of thinking of dragons as the hell spawn serpent catalysts for the apocalypse as they are in reality. Later they found out that Cain was actually a female dragon, but they were already attached to the name by then, so she remained Cain.
Entry #2:
The ghostly smoke from the candle is engulfed by the enshrouding veil. The darkness of the cave shook a nerve inside of the girl. Even with her eyes open, the view appeared just as mysterious and unnerving. She closed her eyes and allowed every minute nuance of the cave’s essence flow into her senses. The droplet crashing onto a stalagmite became sporadic beating of warring drums and the grit of the pebbles beneath her cowhide boots, shards of broken glass.
She squatted down until she was within licking distance of her beloved Drake, a dragon with a lengthy trunk, a companion, and the means to her future.
Her fingers ran across a ridged, slender skull with bumps that descended from the crown and wrapped into a crest above the nares. She continued to feel the smooth scaled head until the modestly slender Leviathan grumbled from the systematic tapping of it sensitive third eye.
“Sorry Drake.”
The dragon shook off her hand and whisked its kelp-tipped tail into the girl’s shoulder guards.
Kailey motioned inward to locate the jaw but this time, away from Drake’s private spot. The six foot serpent growled apprehensively but eased into a gentle whelp when the fingers passed the webby flat fins protruding from its cheeks. The fingertips scratch the jawline, creating a faint continuous swish echoing like a broomstick sweeping countryside dirt roads. Within moments, the rustling stopped.
“I found them.”
A few footsteps trudged closer to Kailey and the apprentice felt a glass jar nudging her shoulder. She reached for it without turning her head and opened it. A citrusy waft flew out of the crack and stirred the girl’s nostrils. She rubbed her nose. Drake began to lick the jar and thump the floor impatiently with its talon-like claws.
“Isn’t this?”
“It’s the Dracobane you and your Leviathan fetched in your earlier trial. I only added mandrake roots and viper oil.”
Kailey set the lid between her sturdy thighs and swirled her finger into the mix. She sniffed it one more time before her finger drew closer to her tongue.
“I wouldn’t taste the stuff. It’s deadly to humans.”
She smirked and scraped the mixture back into the jar.
“You know what to do.”
Without opening her eyes, she placed the jar behind her while pressing her left hand against the dragon’s head, preventing him from advancing. She unbuckled her shoulder guards and started the tedious process of disarming. In the dark each lock and buckle clicked, mimicking a bat’s squeak. With a knot untied and a coil undone, her whole armor crashed to the granite floor, thundering a boom traveling several torchlights deeper into the earth. Kailey kicked the gear to the side and began to unravel her tunic’s left sleeve. When the final fold was firm and static, refocused her attention to her dragon.
She massaged the dragon’s rubbery cheeks. Drake’s scurry-like patter grew with each tender touch. Kailey shifted her hands from the cheeks to the bridge of the nose, making extra effort to avoid the third eye. The Leviathan’s eyelids tickled her palms with each blink. She softly stroked them close. She felt the restless pupils bolt intently towards the jar under the flap of the eyelids. Her fingers traveled below the jaw and rubbed Drake’s favorite spot. The dragon plopped to his side and nestled his nostril at Kailey’s ankles.
“You may start.”
Kailey retrieved the jar from behind. With her right hand, she dug into the jar until she felt her fingertips tapped the bottom. She curled her fingers and scooped up a blob of the Dracobane.
The sweet smelling nectar animated the dragon. He raised his head, but Kailey elbowed the dragon downward.
The girl took a deep breath and began slathering the concoction all over her left arm, making sure there is a thick, viscous layer enveloping her scar-decorated arm from all angles.
Drake shook off the elbows and playfully wrapped himself around the girl, unheeding of the knives that clanged after falling from her waist. Kailey held firm, picturing her dragon’s movements with each step she felt. She took a breath, readied herself into a firm squat and raised her free arm. The Leviathan frozen within inches of the nectar. Kailey felt around for familiar points on the skull with her right hand until she found the distinct crevices that would open into an alligator-like jaw.
She massaged the left side cheek one more time while tangling herself from the dragon’s coil. She smiled as she felt the soft whistle leave the dragon’s touch skin and into her palms. Her grin did not last long.
“Drake.”
Kailey held the entire side of the skull and motioned him towards her left arm. Drake whipped out his forked tongue and softly whisked it along her arm. Kailey chuckled.
“Apprentice, this is a serious matter,” the Dragonmaster said as he wove in from the darkness. He placed his hand on her right shoulder. “Be careful.”
“Yes. I know,” murmured Kailey with her last syllable falling on an incomplete breath.
Kailey nudged the Leviathan’s head closer to her arm until the sticky nectar briefly bonded the two. She picked at his jawline, until she felt the mandibles relax and humid steam flare the fine hairs on her painted arm. She felt the Drake’s front incisors already gnawing at her arm. A faint whimper escaped her throat.
“Go on.”
With her own teeth clenched down and arm tensed up she thrust forward. Her arm grazed against two layers of canines, each tooth sharpened to a needle’s point. Those pins drew blood.
“Human blood is the final ingredient for the drug.”
Kailey fell to her posterior but Drake crawled forward, resting his head on her lap as he slurped and swallowed. Each gulp, the dragon bit harder and harder, freeing more blood from its fleshy vessel.
“It’ll only get worse from here,” the Dragonmaster said as he handed her a dagger.
Kailey positioned herself to her knees.
“This is your final test as my apprentice.”
She fondled the knife until she was sure she had the right grip with her thumb bent at the end of the hilt.
“You raised this dragon from the day it hatched.”
Kailey pressed her forehead against his.
“Today, we will know whether or not you are capable of succeeding me.”
A tear rolled off her cheek and plopped onto the dilated iris of the limp dragon’s third eye. He did not blink.
“I’m sorry.”
An airy gouge.
An earthly crunch.
Kailey roared.
Drake lashed and cracked, his tube-like body flailing like a ribbon at the mercy of a strong gust.
Kailey howled, dreading to see her arm in broad daylight. She panted and huffed.
“Stay focused.”
Those words never entered Kiley’s ears. Her ears rang with piercing shrills and eyesight stained red, even in the all-concealing shade. Her arm numb except for the slight sensation of warm blood rolling up her wrist.
“Don’t give up.”
More words ignored.
Drake tugged and shoved the weakened girl. She fell to her stomach with her arm still in-jaw. Drake twisted and whipped Kailey’s body side to side.
The violent jerking slowed down and the two rest facing each other.
Both wheezed with eyes a few centimeters from the other.
Kailey’s right arm trembled as it extended to reach Drake’s cheek. She rested her palms on his distinct cheekbones.
The Dragonmaster steps forward and touches the base of her neck. He sighed.
He cranked open the dragon’s mouth and unhooked the arm from the individual incisors, allowing more blood to spill out and down the throat. He swung her onto his back and walked a few steps back into the corner where all their packs lay stacked. He set to her side and walked back to the dragon.
The dragon’s eyes, wide and slow-moving, sensed the Dragonmaster’s thundering footsteps coming closer.
“She’s still too weak. Poor kid.”
The Dragonmaster clutched the hilt and the Leviathan shrieked. Drake whipped his tail and sliced through the Dragonmaster’s bearded neck.
“You damn snake.”
The Dragonmaster held his throat until a loud thud echoed in the caves.
The Leviathan squired away. Clawing each inch to propel himself forward. Leaving behind his original master with a dagger for a horn to show for it.
Entry #3:
Gen was pissed. She had no way of telling Kailey, but kittens with green eyes like that were bad news. They were the kittens people loved and adored, not the grey-eyed ones like Gen. Gen hadn't been around long, but she thought her and Kailey had an understanding, a relationship. "How dare Kailey rescue that THING from the fireplace. Where did it even come from?" She decided right then that this wasn't going to work and made a mental note to go out to the forest tomorrow to talk to the dogs. The dogs were wise and could tell Gen how to get rid of the THING.
"Gen, Gen, look! I found you a friend! What should we call her? It? I didn't look." Kailey peeked under the tail. "She's a she," Kailey announced proudly. "Let's call her Lynn. Lynn and Gen. BFFs."
Gen haughtily walked past Kailey and that THING without giving them another glance. She lept up onto a chair and pretended to fall asleep. She could hear Kailey talking to the THING about her food, Gen warming up to her eventually, and how she'd sleep in bed with them... What. No way. The bed was Gen's spot. Not Gen and the THING's spot. She was going to the forest right now. This couldn't wait for tomorrow. She went to the door and started mewing.
"Now, Gen?" said Kailey. "It's already dark."
Gen went louder.
"Fine." Kailey opened the door and gave Gen a little nudge with her foot.
Gen started running. She didn't want to be gone too long and make Kailey more upset with her. She was almost to the edge of the trees when she realized she was having a hard time seeing. Where did the moon go? She looked up and it was totally blocked out. Then she heard the unmistakable hiss of a dragon. She started running faster, but she was no match for the dragon's speed. Then dragon dipped down and took Gen's whole body in her mouth, and then in one swift move, swallowed her whole.
Inside, Lynn started meowing and tossing herself toward the door. "What is WITH you cats today?" She opened the door and let Lynn out. Lynn playfully bounced beyond the back fence, where the dragon lay digesting Gen. She rubbed over the dragon's neck and started purring. "Thank you for getting rid of that other cat for me. Now me and Kailey can be together." The dragon nuzzled her softly, then gestured toward the house with his head. Lynn ran back toward the house, looking back right before she got to the door to see the moon being blocked out again by the dragon's body flying away.
Entry #4:
“Hello sweetheart. We just wanted to say goodnight” “Goodnight mama, goodnight papa” “Sleep well” her dad said as he closed the door. She waited until they were safely in the living room, and took the rock out of its hiding place. It was a large rock, she thought to herself, roughly the length of a loaf of bread, but flat. It must have been at the bottom of the river for a long time, considering how smooth it was. That in itself was odd, but the really peculiar thing about it was that the rock seemed to have..depth. She looked at it, and under the black surface there seemed to be swirling blues and greens, like there was a galaxy hidden in this rock. Eventually she fell asleep, but not before putting it back under her pillow. The next few weeks continued in a similar manner. She would wake up, eat breakfast, put the rock in her backpack, and head down to her favorite spot of the river, where she had found the rock. One afternoon in July, she had her feet in the water with the rock in her hands when she heard footsteps approaching from behind. “Hey Kailey, what ya got there?” asked Bill. “Nothing. Go away.” “Give it here.” commanded Steve. “No! I found it! It’s mine!” The two boys reached down and grabbed the stone. Kailey held on tight, and they wrestled for control. “Stop pulling it!” Kailey implored. “It’s going to-” The stone flew out of their hands. Kailey watched it fly through the air and land on a boulder, splitting down the middle. “Look! You’ve ruined it!” she cried. The boys were about to respond when an ear-shattering noise erupted from the stone. Scared, they ran away.. Kailey was prepared to abandon her prize and flee when the noise stopped. There was a faint light emitting from inside of the stone. Curious, she began walking towards it when something made her stop dead. A head had emerged from inside the rock. Kailey stared. The head stared back. Kailey wasn’t sure what to do. She didn’t understand what she was looking at. It seemed to be some sort of lizard. But it was too big to be a lizard. She felt frightened, and thought about running, but the gaze from the creature held her in place. “What are you?” She asked, rhetorically, since she knew she would not get an answer. “I’m a dragon.” said the dragon. Kailey was in shock. “A dragon?” she thought. “That’s impossible, dragons don’t-” “Yes, Kailey, we do exist. Thousands of years ago we ruled the world, flying where we pleased, eating whenever we wanted. Then Man evolved, and we were partners for centuries. Eventually Man’s greed overtook them, and they destroyed us because they were threatened by the power we possessed. They betrayed us, killing us in our sleep, destroying our eggs. My egg was lost, and I have been waiting hundreds of years for the human that would set me free and help restore the dragon race. I have been waiting for you, Kailey.” “How can I help you? I’m only 12. I can’t even go to school without bullies picking on me.” “Little human, together we will be unstoppable. Tell me about these bullies.” “Their names are Bill and Steve. They pick on me at school and they’re still bothering me even though it’s summer vacation. What can we do about them?” “Patience, Kailey. They will pay for what they’ve done.” Kailey and her dragon, who she named Peter, would go out to the forest and play everyday. Peter would practice catching food, which he subsequently devoured, and also work on his fire breathing, which was becoming dangerous to the vegetation in his vicinity. In a month, he had grown to almost six feet in length and was three feet high. He would sleep in the trees behind her house since he could no longer fit under her bed. Kailey and Peter were out in the woods, enjoying some fish from the river when Billy and Steve showed up. Peter was submerged, but could sense their presence. For now, he remained hidden. Billy spoke first. “What’s up loser? Where’s that stupid noisy rock you had last time?” “You jerks broke it.” replied Kailey. “Too bad for you. Look at you sitting here by yourself. What a baby.” sneered Steve. Peter felt the abuse towards Kailey and decided it was time for these two youths to learn a lesson. Billy was just about to use all of his available wit to construct a hilarious remark when Peter sprang out of the water. “What the hell!?” the boys cried in unison. Eagerly, Peter swooped down and bit off Billy’s arm. Billy collapsed, crying, while Steve finally convinced his legs to start running. Kailey was completely surprised, but felt an odd feeling growing inside of her, as if seeing Billy’s arm get ripped off by her dragon brought her some immense pleasure. Knowing that Billy would not be going anywhere, Peter gave chase to Steve. He caught up with him quickly, lowered his head, secured him in his jaws, flew to the tops of the trees, and then released the body. The boy screamed as he fell through the canopy, right up until the moment that Peter loosed a stream of fire from his mouth, cooking the boy. Not wanting any more harm to come to his dinner, Peter caught him again before he hit the ground, and bringing him back to the campsite, lowered the tasty morsel gently down beside his friend, who was quiet now, having lost a good deal of blood. Kailey surveyed what remained of her tormentors. “Please, Peter, hurry up. I’m hungry.” The bloodlust had consumed them both. Peter cooked the two bodies and cut one up into manageable pieces for Kailey, while he happily tore away at the other body. “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” remarked Kailey.
We have 4 great entries! Man, how I loved reading them and your dark humours xD Good luck everyone, let the votes come in!
The third one just really kind of captured me a bit more than the others. Well done, everyone, and apologies for being late in getting to the vote. In total agreement with @
