Symphony of Dawn

Child in the Light

Monster. Abomination. Demon. These are only some of the words little Kaida heard on a daily basis when the outside world spoke of her. She was used to those words. She did not expect kindness from anyone, for she had never known it before. If it were not for the lessons with the priest, she would not even know the meaning of the word. Nor the meaning of beauty. Or friendship. Or love. She had none of that. People scorned her for what she was. Turned her away. Hurt her even. Only one or two had ever pitied her, the priest being one of them. But not even he had dared to stay too close or long in her company. For they all believed Kaida to be cursed.

The girl's family had left her on the temple doorstep not five hours after her birth. They were horrified to see that the baby they had longed for all these years was born with blue-ish grey scales on her arms and legs. She was warm at the touch. Too warm. And her eyes were not those of a human but more those of a cat. Or a snake, perhaps. Thin vertical pupils amidst golden-coloured irises, barely any white at all.

And as she grew, even more peculiarities became her own. Her teeth were razor-sharp, like a predator's. She could smell scents from all over the valley and see things from miles away as if she were standing right in front of it. The scales at her arms and legs grew down to her hands and feet and up to her shoulders and neck. The only part still uncovered was her belly and face, though both were framed by the scales. Kaida's hair was the only human thing about her. Thick and soft, and easy to maintain.

The priests had not quite known what to do with Kaida at first. She was clearly under a curse, but what could they do against her? Killing her or abandoning her someplace could bring the curse down upon them. Her being still a baby and seemingly good-natured (for she barely cried) stilled their hand at harming her. But many refused to care for her. Only one amongst them said he would take up this burden. And for almost thirteen years now, Kaida had lived in one of the darkest cells of the temple, only allowed out on moonless nights when none could see her walk in the fields and woods and on cold days when she could be wrapped up entirely in clothes. But now that her teacher was gone, she could not even have that anymore.

Even though it was the only thing she knew, Kaida hated the dark. Whenever the priest came to her cell to take her to the temple's little classroom, Kaida felt happiest of all. That one hour each day was what she looked out for the most. It did not matter what the subject was that day, as long as she could sit with her face towards the mountains so she could see the sunset between those great giants. And when the priest taught her how to write and draw in ink, he gave her a candle to practice more in her cell after each lesson. One night, he forgot the match so she could light it. But Kaida had still found a way. The flame came alive when her breath touched the candle. When she told her teacher the next day, he just smiled at her. That was how she had learned that word - smile.

Loneliness. Sadness. Tears. Pain. Those were the words engraved in Kaida's heart, the ones she could write with the swiftest brush strokes and with her eyes closed even. And now, there was one more to add to that list; death. The cruellest of them all, it seemed. Death had taken away what little freedom she had. The priest who had been Kaida's only companion and a valued teacher was dead. None would take his place. None would come to take her out of her cell to go to the classroom anymore. She would not see the sun over the mountains again. She asked for a new candle so she could keep writing and drawing, but they had not provided one so far. The meals grew more scarce as well. Forgotten... Another word for the list, it seemed... Soon, the girl with the grey scales and yellow eyes would also meet that ruthless beast called Death.

Kaida lay on the ground in her cell, waiting for the moment that she would be free from the darkness around her. Even if her body remained here forever, or if the other priests buried her in the cold, dank earth in an unmarked grave somewhere, at least her spirit would no longer be bound to this existence. That was her hope.

Suddenly, a glistening caught her eye. Kaida raised herself on her elbows. A tiny crack in the ceiling proved the cause. She stood up and climbed on the bed to see if she could reach it. The moment her fingers touched it, the crack widened. Kaida stepped back and gasped. The sun. She could see it. One tiny ray touched Kaida's face. She had never felt more alive.

Her eyes closed, and she let the warmth fill her. Then, something miraculous occurred. Kaida felt her body drop. For a moment, she thought this was it. Death had allowed her to see the sun one more time before taking her. The warmth inside of her grew fiercer, almost burning through her like fire. A light blinded her, and when she opened her eyes again, she was no longer in her dark cell in the temple. She was outside, atop the lowest peak of the mountains she had so often gazed upon. And she was no longer a girl. She was a dragon.

Her body was long and strong, completely taken over by the grey scales that shimmered like diamonds in the sun. Her hair became a mane that ran over her back, all the way to a swooshing tail. Her claws dug into the rocks, and Kaida felt every little pebble tumble down. A pair of big yellow eyes looked down at the village beneath the mountains, lying amidst rice fields and cherry blossom trees. They found the temple that had been her home for thirteen years, and she saw her body through a tiny crack in the wall. It lay in darkness still. Asleep or dead, it did not matter to Kaida. Even if this was all a dream, she would catch this freedom and hold on tight. Kaida looked ahead and climbed the mountains, leaping from peak to peak, soaring higher and higher. The wind lifted her, a breeze becoming the crystal wings that Kaida needed to carry her further and further away. The dragon broke through the mists and...

When the priests came later that day to bring the monster girl with the scales some food, they did something they usually never did. She had not been eating the past days, so they wanted to see if perhaps she was dead. They opened the door cautiously, finding the girl on the floor. When one of them dared to draw near with his candle, and the girl stirred at his footsteps, he hastily called the others to his side. They all gasped. There were no scales, weird-shaped eyes, or razor teeth... nothing that had once been the monster they all feared. Instead, the girl before them had piercing blue eyes and skin as smooth as porcelain. The only blemish upon it was a birthmark in the shape of a dragon, right above her heart.

When she asked them why they stared at her, they demanded to know what had happened to the girl with the scales. The girl simply answered that her name was Emica now. When the priests asked her if Kaida would ever return, Emica said no. Kaida had no reason to return. She was on her way home.