Short Story Fiction
The Dragon and the Fly
Scott A. Gese
On a small island many years ago a
dragon was born. It was not born in the usual manner as any ordinary
creature would have been. The dragon came into existence through
secrecy and skulduggery by several powerful and crafty individuals.
They themselves became the dragon.
They called their creation Camo as it was intended to be hidden in plain site. To those who gave it life it was beautiful to behold. The scales on its slender body were the color of gold and shimmered brilliantly with the slightest breeze. The dragon was said to be created for the people but was not for just anyone to gaze upon. That privilege was reserved for a select few. It was said that anything more than a quick glance from the corner of the eye could result in a premature death. Most people didn't attempt it. They just believed in what they were told.
As was intended from the beginning, the
dragon quickly learned to understand the ways of the people. A
singular focus of its fiery red eyes could see deep into the soul of
any and all people and it took advantage of them from the very
beginning. It had the ability to breathed fire from its nostrils and
wherever it breathed it scorched the earth and laid it bare. All that
remained was death and misery.
Its appetite for the bread of the
people caused many of them to live a meager lifestyle. Many disliked
the dragon for what it had taken from them. But it had grown too
powerful to refuse it. All they could do was curse it and shake their
fists at it.
Others who were less affected were entranced by its power and captivated by the beauty they had never seen but only heard of. They didn't see its veracious appetite as a problem. To them, a few loaves of bread was a reasonable price to pay for the existence of such a magnificent creature.
The bread of the people allowed the dragon to gain its strength and stature quickly. The bigger it grew the hungrier and more powerful it became.
The dragon took too much and the people
became reluctant to feed it. It soon became apparent to the dragon
that it could no longer gather its food alone. It needed help and it
cunningly convinced some of the people to help it gather the bread it
required. The dragon's minions gathered the people's bread from far
and wide wherever they could find it. Soon the whole world was
feeding the dragon. Many were becoming discontent with its growing
appetite. Some wanted to approach it and reason with it but the
dragon was unapproachable. It lurked within the shadows behind its
mighty wings. It did not want to be approached by anyone but a few
trusted souls.
Some threatened the dragon. They paid a hefty price for attempting such a feat.
As time passed, the peoples discontent
continued to grow... and so did the dragon's hunger.
One day a small dragonfly began to pester the dragon. It flew around its head and bit at it as it looked for a way to get past its mighty wings. The dragon wasn't used to being pestered so relentlessly and did all it could to make the pesky dragonfly go away. Nothing seemed to work. Soon, a few more dragonflies showed up. They all began to pester the dragon. They buzzed around its head like a swarm of hungry mosquitoes. The dragon grew more furious by the day. It blamed the people for its misery and began to take its anger out on them.
The people soon heard about the
dragonflies. At first they weren't sure what to make of them. They
were causing trouble for the people and many of them weren't happy
about it. Some of the people paid close attention to the dragonflies.
Eventually it became apparent that the dragonflies were probing for
the dragon's weakness. But why? Some of the people thought the
dragonflies were only hungry. Others thought they had come to destroy
the dragon. Others weren't so sure. Some of the people took it upon
themselves to start reporting the progress of the dragonflies to
others. Every day more people began to follow the progress of the
dragonflies and every day more dragonflies joined the swarm. As time
passed more people became convinced of the dragonflies intentions.
Many openly cheered them on. Others, out of fear of the dragon, did
so in silence.
The dragon did all it could to convince
the people to turn against and even kill the dragonflies. It took
away more of their bread. It scorched the earth with its hot breath.
It even tried to kill some of the people for siding with the
dragonflies.
The dragon's tactics failed and only made the dragonflies grow in number.
The more the dragon fought back the
more the dragonflies found weaknesses in the dragons armor. The
attack was relentless. Soon the dragon couldn't stand the bites of
the giant swarm of attacking dragonflies any longer. It unfurled its
mighty wings it had been hiding behind and flew out into the open and
high into the sky. That was the dragons big mistake. It couldn't take
the brightness of the noonday sun. The sun's rays reflected off the
dragons golden scales causing them to burst into flames. It crashed
to the ground and was destroyed.
The people rejoiced. Everyone thanked
the dragonflies especially the dragonfly that started it all. To this
day the story can be found in history books. Dragonflies are revered
and dragons are no longer tolerated. The people vowed they would
never let another dragon dwell among them.
But then, history always finds a way of repeating itself.
©
Copyright 2024 by Scott A. Gese All Rights Reserved.
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