Distinctly Dragon

Notebook

The first time Victor Thorn ever saw a dragon he was a mere six years old and still filled with the indignant frustration of a child. His stature was small and his thoughts were virtually meaningless. Of course he was frustrated, wouldn't you be? 

On the day, Victor was toddling about as he tended to do, picking up sticks and hitting the random object here and there and squatting down to inspect the odd grey or brown rock littering the thin forest path. 

It was only when he heard a strange scraping that he focused on the thick forest around him. It began softly, a slight scratch and then snuffling, then it grew to clawing, snorts, and intermittent chewing.

Victor, not knowing that he should be afraid or even the slightest bit cautious, blew through the green underbrush in an excited attempt to alleviate his boredom. So there it was. A few day old dragon, barely reaching Victor's hips, scratching at a boulder and then eating the few small chunks that came falling away. It was a Mud Dragon, rather common and traditionally harmless. It meant no harm towards the young boy. The dragons brown scales matched the dirt and it seemed to be absolutely caked in the stuff. Its amber eyes looked into Victor's with a raw intelligence that was not thought to be found in dragons.

They stared at each other, neither afraid but neither knowing what to do, that is, until Victor innocently asked, "Why are you eating dirt?"

This seemed to break the spell over the dragon and it went back to chipping away at the boulder with its talons,  not understanding the small pink thing and not really wanting to.

To Victor, this was a mighty offense and he stomped toward the dragon,  "I said, why are you eating dirt!"

The dragon, now detecting the haughty tone, huffed in annoyance and slithered off to find its mother on its short, thick legs, prepared to inform her that he felt quite pestered.

Victor gasped at the dragons lack of manners and went crying home to his mother. He burst in through the back door, a ball of woe and torment, "Mommy, mommy, mommy!" he wailed.

"Why Victor!" she soothed, "Whatever is the matter?" Scooping the small child into her arms she settled down onto her rocking chair and listened patiently, as she was a fair mother.

"That dirty dragon wouldn't tell me why it was eating dirt!" he shouted, folding his arms across his chest.

His mother laughed, "Victor! Dragons don't eat dirt! They eat our sheep, our pigs, and sometimes, even us!"

Victor's hiccuping sobs quieted at this, and a deep discomfort grew in his chest. Eating humans? What sort of horrifying thing would do this?

"Now go run along and, above all else, avoid dragons." Victor's mother placed him gently on the faded red carpet and stood. "I have a lot to do my dear, I can't just go around feeding your crazy imagination," she frowned slightly but quickly it changed into a warm smile. "Now go on."

Victor remained on the tattered carpet confused. He was sure that he had seen the little dragon eat dirt. Well, technically some boulder crumbles but who's getting technical here?

This befuddlement soon passed, as is the way with young children, in one ear and out the other as they say. Victor once again left his home to go find some sticks and rocks.

However, later that night Victor's parents had a very serious discussion about Victor's ramblings. He couldn't go far, that was a unanimous vote between the two. Constant supervision was also required. To them, this time it was just to close to home. 

As Victor grew he heard plenty, "avoid dragons" and the occasional, "they should all be slaughtered is what I think." Victor, however, never felt any animosity towards the scaly creatures despite many teachers and peers trying to teach him otherwise. After all, they had never done anything to him.

It was in his eleventh year of schooling that he was completely ostracized for his beliefs. It began innocently, just a normal class, a normal lesson, and normal students.

"What do we do when we see a dragon?" the teacher queried.

"We run," the class intones.

"And why is that?" the teacher watched the class. When no one answered, save the uncomfortable giggling that fills a class when given a question with no clear answer, the teacher sighed. "What dragons are in Stratford?" More silence.

Victor finally answered, "Mud dragons also known as draco ageris, Wind dragons, draco animae,  and Water dragons, draco pinnae."

"Good Victor!" the teacher clapped. "Now can somebody tell me why we shouldn't attempt to have contact with these dragons?" A young girl raised her hand. "Yes Piper?"

"Mud dragons have sharp horns that can cut us or even stab us." the girl's voice quivered, as if afraid by the mere thought. 

Another boy butted in, "Wind dragons have crazy sharp teeth and talons. They could just, mess you up. "

The girl, Piper, raised her voice, "Water dragons drown us. They've taken down some of our ships!"

Victor remained silent in all of this, but in his mind the gears were whirring around at maximum speed. This is the moment that those gears should have thought, hey, let's not say these things we're thinking because it goes against generations of teachings and tradition, it could possibly be a touchy subject. Sadly, the gears made no such connection, and Victor said this, "Well all of these things couldn't possibly be to hurt humans, right?"

The class turned to Victor, all eyes settled on his face which was turning red at an alarming rate.

"Well then what purpose, Victor, do you suggest these traits have?" the teacher baited. Wanting him to learn that such interruptions wouldn't be tolerated in her class. 

"Mud dragons have to dig, and move around, well, mud a lot right? So the, uh, horns could be to help dig, and transport, uh, mud. Wind dragons have to eat birds and land on trees, so uh, their talons could be to hold on to branches tighter, and birds. And Water dragons eat large animals in the water right? Well what if they thought the ship was just that and was just as surprised as the sailors when it bit down on some wood? That makes sense right?" The class remained silent and staring. Some with their jaws agape.

The girl next to Piper spat out, "If that stupid dragon "accidentally" ate the boat and realized it was wood, why didn't it stop? Why did it have to eat my dad!" She burst into tears.

The teacher ran to the girl to comfort her, "Mister Thorn I think it's time you go home."

Victor didn't argue, for his gears had made the connection just a moment to late. "I'm sorry," was all the young man could muster before taking off down the street. 

Victor slammed the door as he entered his home, tears streaking his cheeks. His mother came to comfort him but Victor would have none of it. "Leave me be woman!" he shouted at her. 

His mother looked as though she had been slapped and silently left to go sit on her bed and think about where she went wrong. 

Victor in turn stomped his way up to his room and grabbed a single notebook, all the while mumbling to himself. 

"They'll see," he  grumbled.

"I'll show them," he groaned.

"Dragons," he hissed.

That was the last time Victor's mother would ever see him. She died of heart failure a few years later. She never saw her boy again, because you see, Victor decided to prove once and for all dragons are not dangerous.