Josh dreams of dragons.
He thinks it's just a welcome escape from everyday life. Until one morning, he wakes up with scales, wings, and a tail.
Josh faces a harsh new reality: he has become something that shouldn't exist outside the pages of his fan...
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The morning dew cooled my hind paws as I strode across the backyard. I could see the inside of the house through the kitchen window. Jackie stood behind the glass, looking down as she prepared something at the stove. Wes sat at the table behind her, elbows planted on the wood surface as he sipped juice from a cup. Neither looked up at me as I approached.
The ruined door moaned dejectedly as I pushed it aside to enter the house. "Hey, uh, good morning," I said as I eased the stubborn door back to a nearly-closed position. Looking around the kitchen, I saw that Jackie had started to clean up a bit. There were piles of broken glass and ceramic shards swept close to the walls, leaving a clear passage to walk around. Pictures were still missing from the walls; I saw the frames stacked on one end of the counter. It still looked like a mess, but at least normal household tasks were now possible.
"Good morning," Jackie replied. I could tell she had been mentally preparing herself for my entrance, and she did a good job forcing herself to adopt a casual tone. "Please sit right there. I'll just be another few seconds before I get everything served." She pointed with her spatula to the table, where three places were set. I took a seat next to Wes, who slid a glass of orange juice in front of me. I nodded my thanks.
Barely a minute later, Jackie turned around and presented us with a bowl of steaming egg scramble. She had plates made up for herself and Wes, and when I looked expectantly for a third, she gestured to the large bowl in the middle of the table. "That's all for you. No guest goes hungry in my house. Not even a dragon."
"This looks amazing, thanks," I said, inhaling the intoxicating aromas of a real, homemade breakfast. The fluffy scramble had chunks of ham as well as peppers and onions that made my mouth water. There was also a generous amount of cheese melted throughout. I pulled the bowl in front of me and had to restrain myself from shoving my muzzle in and wolfing it down. Instead, I picked up my fork like a proper guest and politely started helping myself from the bowl. I shoveled it as fast as I felt I could without being rude.
Jackie sat down and took her son's hand briefly, a small smile on her lips. Squeezing it in her own, she said, "When I got up this morning, I couldn't bring myself to accept that everything had actually happened. I lay in bed and tried to tell myself it was a dream or a nightmare. Then I came out here and saw all this. And it hit me, then, that...that it really did happen." Her eyes settled on me. "But I'm not going to dwell on the past when it's better to just move on."
I nodded slowly and said, "Thanks for giving me some shelter out there. I was pretty comfortable, and I'm not going to complain about having a roof over my head."
"Oh, sure," she said. "It's the least I could do. So you've been living out in the forest for how long?"
"It's been a little less than a week now."
"I don't want to ask you too many questions, but, I mean, it's not every day that you have a mythical creature join you for breakfast!"
We all laughed a little at that. I was relieved that Jackie was taking my presence so well. It was the best I could hope for under the circumstances. "No, really, I'm fine with questions. I know everything that's happening right now is a little unbelievable. It definitely was for me at first. But, uh, I guess I can start from the beginning. Or, at least, the beginning of the story about how I became like this." I gestured to myself. "Because I haven't always been a dragon."
