And Then There Was Us

There weren't always dragons in the Valley.

Well, they were always there, we just couldn't see them. We found out that there was a family of dragons in our community by accident, or so we thought.

My brother and I were at the waterfall that's about a mile from our neighborhood when the dragons saved our lives. In the summer, we'd go to the waterfall everyday playing with friends, catching frogs, fishing and sunbathing until the sun kissed the horizon. While packing up after a long day of fishing, my brother, Kai, slipped on a rock and fell into the water. Because he was a good swimmer I didn't think much of it. When he didn't surface I started to grow weary.

After about 15 seconds, I jumped in after him and was immediately pulled into the undertow that must have taken him under. Knowing that the only way to get out of the current I needed to swim under the current and find a pocket of water with a calm flow. While swimming deeper into the river, I was also frantically looking for Kai. I saw a white flickering movement in the water and assumed that it was a fish.

Looking for water free of currents, I spotted Kai. He was surrounded by three giant beings with an air bubble that resembled an astronauts helmet around his head. I knew my mind had to be playing tricks on me because I could have sworn I saw a white fluffy dragon swimming toward me. Panicking, I swam in the opposite direction and ran directly into the current. Tossing and turning, trying to find the right direction to swim, I see the dragon blow an air bubble in my direction. Just as the bubble snaps around my head, I pass out.

When I came to, I was floating in an underwater cavern. Kai was there and beside him sat three white dragons in various sizes. Seeing them sitting so calmly beside Kai, brought a sense of calm through me as well. I was in awe of the beings that I hadn't paid attention to how beautiful the cavern was. It was brightly lit by some form of plankton I'd never seen before and gems that varied in color and size. There were also old fishing rods, lures and a small canoe tucked securely at the back of the cavern. It was like a small treasure chest full of different knick knacks people had dropped in the river and over the waterfall.

After admiring the cavern for a spell, Kai asked me if I was okay and if I wanted to talk to the dragons. When he asked this I got nervous, thinking they only saved us so they could eat us. To my surprise, the dragons could actually speak and had a lot to say. The largest dragon, Ergos, was the eldest and most powerful. Then there was Eurecia and Eron, twins and children to Ergos. They told us of how they were formed and why they were liver in the cavern of this river.

Ergos was well over 1,000 years old and he had a mate, mother to Eurecia and Eron but she was captured and killed by a local fisherman who didn't understand what they were or how they could even exist. This is why they learned to adapt and only show themselves when they wanted to be seen. They'd only reveal their true selves to children and those who were really in need. In our case, we were both. They didn't always live in this river but made it their home once their matriarch was killed.

The Valley wasn't always the Valley as we know it. Ergos told us that it used to be a very hilly community that grew potatoes, radishes and turnips which they traded with other communities across the river. After Ethea (Ergos' mate) was murdered, he and his children brought on monsoons that lasted a year. Over time, the community went from thriving to being essentially cut off from everyone. The monsoons washed away homes and created deep valleys in the area. Once the rain stopped, the community formerly known as the Hilltop gained the name The Valley.

Ergos asked if we would tell anymore about them. Being children, no one would actually believe us which is also part of the reason why they revealed themselves to us. Who would believe a 7 and 14 year old were saved by talking dragons that allowed them to breathe under water for hours on end out of an air bubble they blew like bubble gum?

Before taking us to the surface, Ergos let us know that we'd be seeing them more often and at the time I didn't understand what he meant since they had remained hidden in plain sight for so long. I'd soon find out. Something was brewing that the Valley was not ready for but we'd soon learn to get prepared.

There weren't always dragons in the Valley; and then there was us.