Arkin Aland has been told, by his grandfather, that dragons are creatures that exist in a secret world that lies at the end of the world, out of touch from humans and that it was there job to protect it. He used to believe it whenever he was little...
"This right here", Arkin said, pointing to an old drawing of a dragon, "is called a Timberjack. It has razor-sharp wings that it used to chop down full-grown trees!"
A kid near the back of the class snickered and mumbled, "Do you mean a lumberjack, you dork?"
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"And this one right here is called a Scauldron. It can spray scolding water at your face!"
The same kid chuckled and whispered, "Looks fake to me."
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"This one's a fright! This one's called Whispering Death! It burrows underground in a constant search for food and breaths rings of fire to scare off enemies."
The kid faked a snore and the kid's around him giggled.
"And, as always, I have saved the best for last", Arkin said.
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"The Night Fury. One of the most powerful but yet mysterious dragons to have ever walked the earth! These majestic beasts soared the night skies. Not found in the sky until they blasted them by using their plasma blasts! And they were SUPER fast! No other dragon even stood a single chance against them in a race."
Finally, the kid in the back failed to suppress his laughter any further and laughed loudly. The other kids in the classroom did too.
The kid stood up from his desk. "What a dork! Do you seriously believe that dragons are real? What a joke!", and he continued to laugh.
"Arkin", his teacher began, "the assignment was to find a real hobby to show the class. Not tall tales. You're a smart boy, I don't want you to fail the 5th grade....but.....these dragon tales are starting to get a little out of hand."
"But, Mrs. Hale", Arkin began, "they're not tall tales. They're real. My grandpa told me so."
Mrs. Hale took a deep breath and exhaled. "Arkin, sometimes people don't tell us the truth, even though it feels like that they are. That's called a lie, sweetie. And they'll do it to gain our trust and make us do whatever they want us to do for them."
"But he didn't lie to me, Mrs. Hale. My grandpa would never lie to me. He's honest, not a liar", he told her.
"That might just be what he wants you to think, Arkin. Think about it", she said.
Arkin pondered on that for a bit then got up from the table and left the room, ready to be taken home.
Arkin's grandfather sat in his chair and looked up whenever he saw his grandson come in.
He smiled at him. "How'd your show and tell presentation go, Arkin?"
Arkin didn't meet his grandfather's gaze. "It went...great, grandpa."
His grandfather raised a brow. "Is that so? Well, can you tell me more about what happened?"
"I can't, grandpa. I've got homework to do. Some other time", Arkin lied.
"In what subject?", his grandfather asked.
"History", he quickly responded.
"And you don't need any help with it?", his grandfather asked.
"No. Not this time, grandpa. Thanks for the offer, though", Arkin said.
"You don't have any real homework, do you, boy?", his grandfather cleverly asked.
Arkin stood there at the foot of the stairs and sighed, turning back around towards his grandpa. "No. No, I don't, grandpa."
"It didn't go well, did it?", his grandfather asked.
"No", he said, still avoiding his grandfather's gaze.
"They don't believe you, don't they?", his grandfather asked.
"No. No, they don't. And so do I!", Arkin said as he ran upstairs to his room.
"Mrs. Hale was right. My grandpa DID lie to me. Dragons aren't real", he said and shoved his suitcase underneath his bed.
