Dragon Dreams

Chapter 16: A Story to Tell (2/2)

I nodded in silence and went back to my bowl. As good as the food was, I did miss the morning trips to the river to feast on fresh-caught fish and the satisfaction of using my senses to earn my meal. To be honest, I felt a bit ungainly in my movements at the table. Having utensils to use instead of my claws seemed a bit odd even after only a few days in the forest. I turned my attention back to Jackie's tan face as she was about to speak again.

"I've lived here in Granite Bay my whole life," she began. "My mother is Native American, and she married a fisherman from around here. It was not what her family thought was right for her, but she made her own decisions, bless her. I had a quiet childhood. My father was not around that much because of his job, but my mother didn't mind. I was an only child, so she had me all to herself. My mother was a teacher, but she was also a gifted storyteller. She told me countless stories and myths that her people had passed down. They were the most beautiful and terrible tales. I was always entranced by them; if you could hear her tell one, you would understand.

"Even as a child, I would find inspiration in these stories. It came about through art. I would draw the scenes as my mother told them and show them to her. At that age, they were all chaos and color, but she encouraged me to keep going. I never stopped. All I wanted to do was art, and after I got out of school I lived off my paintings. It was a simple life, but I loved my job. I kept painting those old tales from my childhood, as well as the natural landscapes of this area."

She looked out the kitchen window, lost in thought. The trees beyond the glass swayed slightly, but the forest was indifferent to her piercing gaze. Jackie took a sip of tea before continuing her story. "Then, just like my mother, I fell for a fisherman. Of course, she didn't approve, despite her past. I guess it runs in the family, but I ignored her and married him anyway. His name was Warren—he was the one you met last night. Of course, he's my ex-husband now, but at the beginning, it was like living in a fantasy. Wes came along barely a year after we were married. I was so excited to have a family of my own.

"But then Warren lost his job. Things got much darker after that. He started drinking, keeping himself miserable all the time. Soon, he decided that he didn't really like living off the little money I made, and he liked even less the pleas I made for him to clean up his act. So we separated, and I tried to keep him out of the picture. It was going well until last night. Wes is all I have now. It's just a miracle that you were there to stop him." She squeezed the boy's hand again, holding it for a few moments.

"Well," she said, "now we know a bit more about each other. That's a start." Her eyes then fixed on her cup, wrapped delicately by her fingers, and a sudden thought seemingly entered her mind. "I was just wondering—you didn't mention this before—how did you break that bottle last night and keep it from hitting me? And, I think I also saw you breathe fire. How can you do all that?"

"Yeah, about that..." I had guessed that the questions would eventually turn to this. "I'm not sure I can really give a good explanation of it myself, but the short answer is magic. As a dragon, there are things that I can do that I don't fully understand. Sometimes, like shielding you from the bottle, it just kinda happens through instinct. I'm not really sure what to make of it since I'm pretty new at this.

"There's something else," I continued reluctantly. "I...I've been talking to this other dragon—the one from the dreams—and I should tell you what he told me. He needs me to join him for a few days out where the other dragons live. He says I need to be trained in various areas, including the use of my magic. So...I have to leave tomorrow night. I'm sorry to do it, but there are things outside my control that make it necessary."

"Oh, Josh," Jackie said, "you don't have to be sorry. You don't owe us anything. Just the opposite. If you have to go, that's how it is. And if you decide to come back, you'll always be welcome here."