|
Serial (Morgaine's Familiar) |
|||
|
|
Short Story
Shadow in the Sky
by
Joe Vadalma
Desiree was at her wits
end. She knew that she was either going crazy, or something that everyone said
was impossible had happened to her. She had gone to a shrink, but was
dissatisfied with the diagnosis. Her hallucinations -- if that was what they
were -- seemed absolutely real, and consistent. They were always the same, that
she was being stalked by a dragon, a real fire-breathing flying dragon, as big
as a house. And what if they weren’t her imagination? What if what she
witnessed was real, not a hallucination or something other than what she knew
it to be.
In
desperation, she browsed the Internet to find out everything she could about
dragons. A search on the word dragon came up with thousands and
thousands of entries. Most of the web sites she linked to had to do with
computer games, video games, Dungeon and Dragon clubs, and books. Others
contained stories about or pictures of dragons. A few sold dragon knickknacks.
Some had information concerning the mythology of dragons; these she found
interesting.
At
one in the morning, she linked to a web site labeled www.dragonslayer.com.
She chuckled, thought, Sure, and wondered whether it was a joke site. On
the other hand, if dragons really existed, why not a dragon slayer. She clicked
on it.
The web site's home page was delightful.
A castle on a hill appeared with a blue sky, clouds in the background and a
flower strewn meadow in the foreground, all in brilliant hues. The artist had
made the picture so real that it seemed like a photograph. But of course, no
such place could possibly exist in the real world. The ivy border contained
medieval weapons and icons. Lettering was in an archaic script with the first
letter decorated in the manner of an illuminated manuscript of the middle ages.
The links to the site’s other pages purported to give the history,
habits, wisdom and physiology of dragons. Desiree printed these to read later.
The
final page showed the bust of a young man wearing jeans and a medieval helmet.
It advertised that he was in the dragon slaying business. This took Desiree
aback. Was he trying to be funny? Or just trying to make his web site more
convincing? She read it over several times and detected no note of sarcasm or
parody. Although she felt like a fool, she sent an E-mail message describing
her plight.
She
received a reply from a Percival White. In the courtly manner of medieval
knights, it said that what she experienced was not uncommon and was the reason
he was in the dragon slaying business. His fee was five hundred dollars per
dragon, payable after he disposed of the creature. The E-mail included his
business telephone number and address, which was in the same city as the
university she attended. Feeling like a foolish idiot about to be scammed, she
called the number. His answering machine listed his office hours. She did not
leave a message. She decided to see this dragon slayer in person.
She
took a bus to the address in the E-mail. It was in a disreputable neighborhood
of warehouses and ancient Victorian mansions converted into office buildings.
The house that reputed to be White’s place of business was a shoddy
building with a broken railing and rotten front steps. She hesitated before
entering it, wondering whether she was a complete fool to come to this place.
The man who created the web site could be a criminal, a con man or an insane serial
rapist. Nonetheless, this was her last resort. Who else could she go to with
her problem? The best she could hope for from a therapist was to be sent to an
asylum or be doped up on mind altering drugs.
A
directory on an interior wall of the decrepit building listed Dragon Slayer,
Inc. Room 204. She trudged up a narrow twisting staircase to the second floor
and knocked gently on a frosted-glass door. A deep baritone voice said,
“Please entereth.”
The
tiny office was jammed with furniture and filing cabinets. A thin young man
with shoulder-length hair and a Douglas Fairbanks mustache rose from behind a
battered paper-filled desk. He bowed elaborately with a flourish, “Good
morrow, fair maiden. I be Percival White. How may I help thee?”
Before
Desiree replied, she gazed around. The office contained a suit of armor in one
corner and medieval weapons on the wall. Percival, however, was unimpressive.
Although she recognized him from his picture on his web site, he seemed less
handsome, thinner and younger. He certainly did not look like the warrior
knights on the covers of fantasy novels.
“Well,
uh ... my name is Desiree Morgan. I E-mailed you a couple of days ago.”
He
grinned broadly. “Of course. Thou sayeth in that missive that thou be
stalked by a dragon. Please be
seated, and tell me thy tale.”
Desiree
had mixed emotions about this man. For one thing, she was embarrassed by her
problem. She figured that he probably thought her a silly idiot or nuts.
Secondly, she wondered whether to trust him, especially with his silly phony
old-Engish speech. And lastly, although she would have denied it, she was a bit
intrigued by the young man’s homely face. He was about her own age and
not ugly.
“As
I said in my E-mail, I believe I’m being stalked by a dragon. Do you
think I’m hallucinating?”
“Of
course not. Regardless of what thee hath been told, dragons art among us.
Mostly they stay hidden, but once in a while one wilt take a notion to appear
near a populated area. Please tell me thy whole story from the first time thee
encountered the wyrm.” He brought out a breast pocket notebook and a
quill pen.
“Well
... the first time was after I had a date with my boy friend Jake. Former boy
friend, I should say. We broke up that night.”
“Oh?
Because of the dragon?”
“No.
It had to do with what happened during our date. All evening I had to fight off
Jake’s advances. Instead of taking me to a dance as he promised, he
parked on a lonely country road and tried to ... you know, touch me where he
shouldn’t.”
“The
cad. A man of such knavery doth not deserveth a fine maiden such as
thyself.”
She
smiled at Percival. “Thank you. He simply wouldn't accept the fact that I
wanted to stay pure until marriage. He called me old-fashioned and a
tease.”
“The
man be a fool as well as a beast. He deserves to be horsewhipped. Thou art well
rid of him.”
Apparently
this Percival felt as she did about dating and marriage. It gave her a warm feeling that there were men
who had ideas like hers -- unless, of course, he was lying. “My girl
friends warned me that Jake was a womanizer, had ... done the thing ... with
several other girls and left them afterwards. When he was gone, I sat on my
stoop to brood about what had happened. I cried a lot.” Recalling her
anger and hurt on that awful evening, tears rolled unbidden down her cheeks.
“Oh
thou poor dear. That man not be worthy of thy tears.” He handed her a
handkerchief which she used to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.
“Thank
you,” Desiree said as she handed back the handkerchief. “Well,
after a while my mind wandered, and I began to daydream about a book I had read
recently, about King Arthur and his knights. Lancelot and Sir Galahad were real
men, courageous, charming and chivalrous. The last thing on their minds
would be ... to do the thing ... to a girl before marriage.” She recalled
how she had pictured a knight in highly polished armor bowing courteously after
she granted him a kiss on the cheek. She sighed. Perhaps she was born out of
her time. She should have lived during the Middle Ages.
“That
night there was a full moon. As I rose to go indoors, I gazed at it with the
thought of making a wish to its goddess (whose name I can’t recall)
..."
“It
be Diana, I believeth. Beg thy pardon for interrupting thee.”
Desiree thought, How polite he is.
I’ve never met a boy like him before. If he is being truthful, he's like
Sir Galahad.
“Oh,
that’s all right. Well, as I gazed at the moon I wished that I would meet
the perfect lover -- a gentle, courageous knight like Sir Galahad. But to my
horror, a shadow of a monstrous creature flapping great bat-like wings crossed
the moon and disappeared into the night. I was so frightened my heart pounded
like a kettle drum. When I glanced back up at the sky, the monster was gone. I
told myself that it was probably a bat. But I didn’t believe it. No bat
could be that big. Once I was safely in bed with the covers pulled over my head
I figured that it was my overworked imagination. But that was only the first
incident.
“Two
weeks later I was up late working on an essay in English Literature when a
great feeling of loneliness and self pity came over me. I thought about Jake. I
almost regretted not giving in to him. I wondered whether to call him and try
to patch things up, but decided that it was all over between us. Besides,
I had learned that he had been seeing a busty blonde cheerleader.
“This
train of thought reminded me of the thing I saw in the sky. I wondered
whether it really was a dragon. It was exactly like the pictures of dragons I
had seen. The thought occurred to m that Jake might’ve put something in
my Coke.”
“Oh
my. Wouldst he go to such lengths that he wouldst use a potion on
thee?”
Desiree
shrugged and went on with her story. “Suddenly, I heard a noise at the
window. It gave me a fright because it was so unexpected. My dorm is on the
second floor with no balcony. I thought that it might be a bird or a bat. But
when I opened the blinds, I screamed. Staring at me with eyes as big as
platters and enormous jaws like great gates with stilettos for teeth was the
head of a dragon.”
She
shuddered as she recalled that day. Percival came around his desk and put a
soothing arm around her shoulders. “Thou poor dear. It must have been
terrible indeed for thee.”
She
smiled up at him and continued. “By the time my roommate rushed in from
the other room, the monster was gone. I didn’t dare tell her what
I’d seen. I told her that I had accidentally deleted my work and would
have to do it over. After she left, I pulled the blinds up, opened the window
and stuck my head out. There was nothing unusual to see, just the empty campus
with one or two late night individuals straggling across it. I thought I was
going mad. Seeing a dragon in the sky was one thing, but at my window
...” The horror Desiree felt
was too awful to describe. “Since I was no longer able to concentrate, I
shut down my PC and wondered whether I should go to see a therapist. I decided
to wait to see whether I had any more hallucinations.
“My
third encounter with the dragon was awful. One evening a little after sunset,
the sky had turned purple, and all the shadows had darkened and blended into
one another. I was strolling across the campus. Suddenly, out of the darkness
between two buildings, an enormous shape, huge and mysterious, slithered toward
me. You can imagine my fright. My terror was so all-encompassing it paralyzed
me. The enormous shadow approached relentlessly. As it passed under a street
lamp, I realized that I had again witnessed that impossible creature -- a
dragon, its cavernous mouth filled with hundreds of huge shark teeth. When it
came within twenty feet of me, it roared, trumpeting like a dozen angry
elephants, so loud that windows in the building behind me rattled. It spit
fire, unfolded its enormous leathery wings which blocked out the sky, flew
almost vertically like a military jet taking off and was gone. I was so scared,
I fainted.”
“How
awful.” Percival rubbed her shoulder. She laid her head against his
chest. The solid beat of his heart was soothing.
“I
woke up in the campus infirmary. When the nurse asked me what happened, I told
her I’d had a hallucination and asked to speak to the campus
psychologist. He asked my a lot of questions about whether I took drugs, had
been hospitalized for mental problems and whether there was any history of
mental illness in my family. When I answered in the negative to all these, he
asked me about my first encounter with the dragon.
"He
said, ‘These hallucinations are stress related due to repressed sexual desire.
Perhaps you should rethink your moral convictions.’
"He
gave me prescription for tranquilizers and dismissed me. I was shocked by his
attitude and didn't make another appointment. I threw the prescription in a
waste can. I wondered whether the
hallucinations would go away if I talked with someone more sympathetic than
that evil psychologist with his Freudian notions that everything was about ... it.
“It
occurred to me that the dragon I had seen three times might be real, not an
illusion. People believe in UFOs, poltergeists and the occult. Is a belief in
dragons any more strange? People claim to have been abducted by flying saucers.
I wondered whether anyone in the twenty-first century had been kidnapped by a
dragon.”
“Ah,
thou hath seen the light. Let me assure thee. Dragons do exist, and they do
kidnap people. Thou art not mad at all.”
Desiree
gazed up at him in gratitude. Even if he was a con man, he was a charming one.
“That night there was scratching at my window again. I didn't look to see
what it was but cowed in the corner of my chair, too frightened to move. I
wished that I had filled the prescription for tranquilizers. At least they
would’ve taken the edge off of my terror. I slept fitfully that night,
shivering with the blankets pulled over my head and had nightmares about
dragons and other horrible creatures.
“From
then on, whenever I went out at night alone, I saw the dragon. Sometimes it
flew overhead and seemed to trail me. Other times I’d glimpse it perched
on a rooftop or glaring at me from an alley, sending me screaming to the
nearest shelter. Every night it was at my window, scratching with its talons or
brushing its scales against the building. Mostly, I cowered in my chair, too
frightened to move. Once I hid in the closet, spending the night crouched with
my knees drawn up, quivering. A few times, after the sounds went away, I got up
the courageous to peer through the blinds. The dragon was still on the campus
grounds, staring up at my window as though planning how to get to me. After a
while it flew away. That’s why I came to you. Out of desperation.”
“Doth
not worry. I can help thee. Methinks I hath encountered this particular dragon
previously. Generally, he be docile for a dragon, but once every ten years or
so, he gets a notion to stalk someone. (Desiree wondered how Percival
could’ve encountered this particular dragon if it only appears every ten
years. Her guess was that the last time the monster was about, Percival
would’ve been in his early teens.) Um, I doth not mean to pry into thy
personal life, but there be something I must know. It be an important issue in
dealing with dragons.” Percival’s face reddened. “Art thou a
virgin?”
Desiree
flushed and stared into her lap while replying. “Yes. But what ...”
“Ah
hah, that be it. It be definitely old Mutsgulcum. Thou see, Mutsgulcum hath a
yen for virgins.”
“Oh,
I see.” Desiree recalled seeing a movie about a dragon who ate virgins.
She shuddered. Perhaps she should’ve allowed Jake to have his way with
her. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about becoming a dragon’s
lunch.
“Methinks
I know where Mutsgulcum’s lair be. Come, we shalt go there immediately
and resolve thy problem.” He began to don the armor.
“You
want me to go with?” Desiree did not think too much of going on a dragon
hunt. She would just as soon stay as far as possible from the creatures.
“I
be afraid so. I need thee to witness the deed. Otherwise, wouldst thou really
believe that I disposed of thy problem?” He had a point. She was not
about to give him the contents of her savings account on his say-so that
he’d killed the dragon. “Do not worry, Maiden Morgan, I wilt ensure
that thou wilt not be in danger.”
Percival
donned full armor. He had a sheathed broadsword belted around his waist and
carried a long pike. He led her to the parking lot at the back of the building
where a swayback nag was tied to a fence post. Percival, who was apparently
stronger than he looked, mounted the steed and picked Desiree up by her
armpits, setting her sidesaddle behind him. He gave the horse a little kick
with his iron boots. With a jolt that made Desiree grab Percival around the
waist, it trotted through a back gate into a wooded area behind the lot.
As
they traveled, the woods became thick and dark. Desiree wondered how such a
deep forest came to be in the middle of the city. A strange white mist rose
from the ground and out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed squirrels with
human faces, tiny people with butterfly wings and other strange creatures. When
she turned to stare, they vanished or turned into ordinary small animals. It
was so eerie she shivered and clung tightly to Percival. “How far do we
have to go?” she asked finally.
“But
a little way,” Percival replied in a deeper and more resonant voice.
A
few minutes later they exited the woods and Desiree gasped. Ahead was the exact
scene that had been on Percival’s web site; a deep green meadow alive
with colorful wildflowers, a high hill with a turreted castle at its peak.
“Where are we?” she cried. “This is impossible. There is no
such spot in
“That
be correct, Maiden Morgan. This be where the dragon, Mutsgulcum, abideth. I
took a magical shortcut.”
“A
magical shortcut? Are you telling me that you’re a wizard besides being a
dragon slayer? And by the way, we don’t have to be so formal. You may
call me Desiree.” After hugging Percival so tightly as they passed
through those mysterious woods, Desiree felt as though they were old friends.
Besides, when he turned to speak to her, it seemed to her that in his armor he
grown quite handsome.
“On
no, Maiden Desiree, I be far from a wizard, but I did pick up a few
incantations. A long time ago I be a bodyguard to a sorcerer.”
This
talk of wizards, sorcerers and magic made Desiree uneasy. Since the age of ten,
she had put away belief in such things along with Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny
and the Tooth Fairy. On the other hand, if dragons existed, why not magic?
They
moved on. It was pleasant riding through the sunny meadow with its beautiful
wildflowers and Percival’s armored body in her arms. He's such a
polite, gentle man, Desiree thought. And he must be courageous to fight
dragons.
After
a long while they completed a half circle around the hill and halted before a
cave. Percival pointed. “That be Mutsgulcum’s den.” He leaped
off and gently helped Desiree down. “Wait here. I shalt roust him
out.”
“Be
careful, Percival.” Desiree recalled something from the books she had
read. During the middle ages young ladies gave their favorites a scarf to carry
into battle with them. “Here, take my handkerchief for luck.”
He
stuck the lacy thing in his helmet and bowed low to her. “Thou doest me a
great honor, Maiden Desiree.” He withdrew his sword and marched to the
cave entrance. “Muts,” he called out loudly through cupped hands.
After
a few moments, an enormous dragon appeared. It was definitely the same one that
had been stalking Desiree; she recognized markings on its chest. It roared and
spouted a huge tongue of flame into the air. “Percival,” it growled,
“what art thou doing here? Why dost thou disturb my nap?”
“I
hath come to avenge the honor of this young woman. Thou hast been stalking and
terrorizing her.”
The
dragon squinted at Desiree as though it was myopic. “Oh yes, she art
quite a beauty, and ...” It dropped its voice to a stage whisper.
“... she be a virgin. I can sense such things.” It pointed at its
nostrils with its talons.
“But I meant no harm. I be sorry if I frightened her.” It
raised its huge head and stared directly at Desiree. “Please accept my
deepest apologies, my dear. I never meant to scare thee.”
Desiree
didn’t know how she should react to this. It seemed weird being
apologized to by a dragon, so she said, “Oh, that’s all
right.”
Percival
raised his sword in a threatening manner at the dragon. “No, it be not
all right. An apology art not enough, Mutsgulcum. Thou knew very well that thou
hast terrorized this poor maiden. Thou must promise to never again stalk her.
Swear by the great dragon in the sky.”
The
dragon lowered its head sulkily and huffed out a cloud of steam. “I
promise by everything that be dragon.”
“And
thou must make restitution for the trauma thou hast caused.”
As
the dragon slunk back into its den, Percival winked at Desiree. Soon the
monster appeared again with a jewel encrusted chest crammed with gold coins and
rings, diamond brooches, ruby bracelets and pearl necklaces. “Wilt this
make up for my mischief?”
“Just
barely,” Percival replied. He carried the chest to his horse and tied it
to the saddle. Desiree wondered how the old nag would carry the heavy box as
well as themselves. Nonetheless, somehow it managed. As they rode away, the
dragon waved and cried, “Nice meeting thee, Maiden Desiree. Fare thee
well, and good luck.”
Percival
said, “Thou wilt certainly have good fortune from now on. When a dragon
wishet thee good luck, it be a magical blessing.”
Instead
of returning to the woods, they meandered up the narrow path to the castle.
“Where
are we going?” Desiree asked.
“It
be almost lunch time. I thought mayhap thou wouldst like to partake of
refreshments at my castle.”
Desiree
was thrilled. She always wanted to see the inside of a medieval castle.
“That would be nice, Percival. But tell me, why do you speak like people
did a long time ago.”
“This
manner of speaking beed taught me as a youth.”
#
Percival’s
home was impressive. Like castles of old, its stone walls were richly decorated
with beautiful tapestries and medieval weaponry. Other rooms were paneled in
dark walnut and hung with artistic paintings of outdoors scenes, portraits,
nude gods and goddesses, and wildlife, including many of dragons. After
Percival removed his armor, the couple were served tea and cookies by an
ancient servant in tenth century dress.
“You
seem very rich,” Desiree said in way of conversation. “Dragon
scolding must pay well.”
“Actually
it pays next to nothing. I do it as a hobby, and because I enjoy helping
people.” Percival spread his hands. “I inherited all this. And of
course, the dragons art generous. Look at all the treasure Mut gave
thee.”
“You
mean I get to keep all that gold and jewels?”
“Of
course, except five hundred dollars worth, my fee, which I needeth for office
expenses.”
After
tea, Percival gave Desiree a tour of the castle. When they came to the master
bedroom, Desiree was especially impressed. It was beautifully furnished and
decorated and contained an enormous four-poster bed.
“This
be where I sleep, Desiree. Sometimes I thinketh I should change rooms though.
This one be so big, it maketh me lonely.”
“Lonely?
Don’t you have anyone to share your life with?”
“Sorry
to sayeth, there be no one.”
“Not
even a girl friend?”
“Alas,
no. Since meeting thee, I wouldst wish to have one as lovely.”
“How
nice of you to say that.” Impulsively Desiree kissed him on the cheek.
He
made an elaborate bow and thanked her profusely. She sighed and thought,
Percival is like the knights of old. He's courageous, charming and chivalrous
and would never want to ... y’know, do the thing ... to a lady without
being married to her first.
That evening she
discovered she was wrong about the last part of her thoughts. Or perhaps she
was not quite the lady she always she had always pictured herself.
The End
If you liked this story,
you might like to read one of my anthologies. Click on the word anthology for more information. This story is from Hearts Among the Stars.