Dragons

Dragons have not gone extinct, not entirely. We know this because one lives among us. Mostly she is not in her dragon form. She has often been seen laughing in the park or strolling contentedly to the markets, peacefully resting on the shore of the lake. These are the good days. But there are other days than just the good ones. Those are the ones to run for cover.

It doesn’t take much to trigger a reaction. Once the transformation has begun, it cannot be stopped. All the deep fire within her must be blown entirely out before she can resume her normal shape. In the aftermath, it is always discovered she is the one who is most covered in burn scars.

Why does the village not do something? Well, we have known her since she was little. We love her, so we protect her. Flame retardant armor is at everyone's fingertips, but having a wild dragon among us is challenging.

There is a story the old people tell about dragons. I do not know if it’s true, but they say in the beginning dragons were created with a noble purpose. Their elders taught them to control their fire and strength. Dragons were fearless, which was necessary because they faced and fought the most terrifying enemies. They protected the world with their incredible courage and flaming breath. It was an extremely rare occasion that an innocent would be scorched.

But times changed; the great evils the dragons fought mostly went into hiding. With that constant danger gone the general mentality shifted; the focus moved from feeling safe because of the protection from the dragons to the extraordinary capacity of destruction the dragons wielded. Instead of being respected and revered, they became misunderstood and then despised. They were thought to be unpredictable, uncontrollable, and too powerful. True, rarely did an innocent get scorched but rarely is not never. Dragons must be controlled, which is impossible. If not controlled, then removal was thought to be necessary. An awful shame campaign began.

The massive, strong, courageous dragons experienced widespread rejection from almost everyone. The distrust, loathing, and isolation wounded the dragons deeper than any evil beasts they had fought. Some shrank in upon themselves until they were nothing. Others transformed, hiding who they were, and sadly a few turned against those they were created to protect. Those few broken dragons proved the worst fears were valid. Horrible things happened before the end, but the end finally arrived.

Dragons are known to be extinct… well, all but one.