The Translucent Dragon

The Remarkable Girl

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Jane. Jane was a regular girl who liked doing regular things. But there was something about Jane that wasn't regular. Jane had a... unique sort of friend - a dragon, one that was translucent. He wasn't a particularly scary looking dragon, but he could terrify Jane like nothing else.

Jane saw him all the time, but because he had no colors she thought sometimes it was almost as if she could look right through him. Sometimes she wondered if he was even really there because it was so easy to overlook him.

It was because of this that she asked him once why he had only clear scales.

"Why don't you have any colored scales?"

He was silent so long that she began to wonder if she'd said something wrong.

"I wish I could stay clear", he said, "but I'll start to fill in soon enough."

"Can you tell me why?"

Another pause and then, "You'll understand soon enough."

And as much as Jane pestered him, he refused to say any more. So Jane relented and went on with her life, and most of the time she was happy. There were moments, though, when she was not. These moments happened when she heard words, phrases thrown around as though they meant nothing.

"Every girl should know how to cook."

"Women should know how to clean."

"I'd love to have a housewife."

At first, they didn't bother Jane. Mostly because she'd grown up in a world where this environment was normal, but slowly they began to bother her. Why should only girls be the ones to know how to cook? The idea of a housewife who did all the cooking and cleaning and childcare was just so antiquated, and what was with all the ideas about what women should know? Why was there this idea of what women should know? Who came up with those ideas? Why couldn't they just be judged on their achievements and what they did know, not what they didn't?

One day, Jane noticed something different about her dragon.

"Your scales are starting to fill in."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You'll understand soon."

Again Jane was left with an unsatisfactory answer, and again, her dragon refused to answer her question, no matter how she pestered him.

As Jane grew older, her dragon grew with her. She thought perhaps she might stop seeing him as she grew, but he was still there.

"Are you going to be here for a very long time?"

"Yes." But he seemed sad as he said that, so Jane stopped asking questions.

Unfortunately, the comments had also followed Jane as she grew. Also unfortunately, they just got worse and worse. She couldn't walk down the streets without hearing them.

"Hey, baby, you get all dressed up just for me?"

"Damn, girl, why you gotta leave me hanging like that?"

"The things I'd do to you, baby girl."

Some weren't so bad, though the often joking tone adopted by those random men when speaking of what they would do to her body bothered her more than she cared to admit.

"Smile, sweetheart. You'll look so much better."

Those ones seemed the worst. She wasn't aware that the status of her emotions had anything to do with anyone she didn't choose to share them with. Her dragon didn't seem to like the comments, either. But they made him more sad than mad.

"Your scales are starting to fill in again. But more this time."

"Yes."

"It's weird." Jane thought aloud. "It's like they fill in every time you hear a comment they say to me. Oh, God. Oh, God." She looked up at him and when she spoke, her voice was shaking.

"Do your scales fill in because of what they say?"

"Yes."

"Will they be able to see you the more your scales fill?"

Her dragon hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "The women will, simply because they have always had their own dragons. The men won't, at least most of them. Some will because they are starting to understand how their words and actions have lasting effects, but it will be hard for them. Sometimes, they won't be able to see even the outline of me. It's a journey. Isn't it enough that they will be able to eventually?"

"No." Jane said emphatically. "No, because of the times when they will not be able to see the line. No, because of the times their words and actions will leave me in pain and tears and fear. No, because as much as they say they want to help, they will still throw words at me that will hurt. Yes, because at least they're trying and will keep trying."

"You are a truly remarkable girl", her dragon said fondly.

But Jane didn't want to be a remarkable girl if it meant that she would always have to hear what men said about her.