Dragon Day

Spending 24 hours as a dragon.

credit for inspiration ▼

Thanks to Friendly Neighborhood Derg for providing me with the prompt for this story!

I open my fiery, amber eyes; my pupils contracting as dawn glares into them. All around me splintered wood, vinyl and metal is strewn about.

I see my reflection in a puddle for the first time. An emerald scaled face stares back, its toothy mouth open in disbelief. I try to say "since when am I an ankylosaur with wings?!" All that comes out is a roar that sets off car alarms all through the neighborhood.

Knowing the police and fire department are probably not far behind, I take off. Down below my wings whip up gales as I fly over cedars, maples and oaks that dance at every downdraft. Neighbors down below look up. They point at my massive form. Some teens from across the street are holding up their phones. I assume they're going to post all over social media. That isn't how I want to go viral. Thankfully the ruins of my home are less than two blocks from water.

After my overly large wings knock into the second story of a few houses, I soar out over the Delaware Bay. I try to hide out in open waters for most of the day.

It was hard to avoid fishing vessels, kayaks and well literally anyone with a boat. l'm not a pilot; I crashed into the water trying to correct course a few times. Eventually I finally managed to find a spot far enough from either shore and vessels.

A giant grumble sounded from within me. Apparently, arial maneuvers took a lot of energy. In this state I couldn't just go into Wildwood and snag two dozen burgers. Even in a place like that a dragon would be a spectacle. Despite the fact that some people walked around with boa constrictors draped about their shoulders. If I tried to land anywhere touristy, the Cape May County sheriff might just call in the National Guard.

I looked down in the water. I saw fish swimming around. Apparently, dragons and eagles have very good eyesight. I dove towards the waves closing my eyes moments before impact. I hardly noticed the sting as I broke the surface.

Luckily I had transformed into a dragon with a third eyelid. They protected my sight yet were still easy to see. I scooped up several drum fish and a couple of sturgeon. Digging into them with my claws so I wouldn't drop them, I use my wings to swim upwards and into the air.

Inspecting my catch I roar happily. Still to my human mind, raw fish seems a little dicey. I clutch my catch to my under belly and fly landward.

As twilight approaches I glide down to the water just off the coast. I land in the water with a terrific splash and wade onto Higbee Beach Nature preserve. There I flame roast the fish I manage to catch. I gulp down their seared flesh.

As dawn breaks, I find myself returned to human form. A couple walking their dog stares at me in disbelief. "Sorry," I mumble. "I thought this was a nude beach."

Hiding in the bushes I wait for law enforcement to arrive. At least I'll get clothes that way, even if they are orange.

Word Count:549