Dragon in the Valley

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. Our village was very small and boring to me. Nothing ever really happened here. Everyone had a routine and followed it as though they were being watched or even graded by someone. One night the village shook vigorously for several minutes. Pots, pans, dishes flew everywhere. Then as suddenly as it started it stopped. Of course, everyone slowly ventured outside to see what had happened. Our parents talked to each other for a while. The children just looked at each other surprised and frightened. Soon everyone returned to their homes to clean up the mess.

The next day was different no one did the same routine as they had before. Our parents did not send us to school. The children were told to stay close by and not wonder away. Our constable had his deputy ring the bell in the center of the town square and beckoned everyone to come and listen to a stranger he introduced as Dr. Rhymes. This man talked about what we had lived through the night before. It was an earthquake. No one had ever heard of an earthquake before. As he spoke my mind began to wonder off only focusing on every tenth word or so. He said something about Techtronic plates bumping against each other under the ground. We had never heard our parents talking about this sort of thing. Our parents were looking like we do in class when the teacher is talking about the moon, galaxy, etc.

In so many words the ground under our feet is not solid as we thought it moves. When it moves a lot the earth above shakes. He told us this was rare for our village, and it probably will not happen again during our lifetimes. Well, that took care of it for most people. The following day after Dr. Rhymes spoke, we went back to school. Our teacher allowed us to talk about it as soon as we arrived. She had no choice we were talking about it anyway. I asked, “What happens after the ground shakes so hard?” Mrs. Bell (our teacher) answered in some places it opens up and what is underneath comes out. My friend Greta asked, “Did anything come up?” No said Mrs. Bell, I have not heard of anything coming up. Okay everyone turn to page two in your geography book.

Constable Hurt speaks with his deputies about the earthquake during their morning assignment call. “Now be on the lookout for anything strange in the next week. These things (earthquakes) tend to push up things from beneath the earth like large rocks. I have even been told that strange animals may appear. When you check the valley really look close for any new plants, trees and animals. That is all go to work men!"

His team dispersed all mumbling about what had happened the night before. As they went about their routine duties most of them did not see anything different. However, one deputy saw a huge rock in a place that the day before had small wildflowers. He looked around the rock and saw an egg. A very huge egg. As he looked at it the egg cracked open, then he heard a small voice and finally he saw something that looked like a flying lizard popped out. Oh wow! He mounted his horse and road hard back to the village to alert the others. While he was gone some women who were out picking herbs came upon the large lizard and noticed it had tiny wings and very huge eyes.

It made a noise that sounded like a huge bird although it was large it did not appear to be harmful. Its huge eyes focused on the women and suddenly it took a step toward them. They were so surprised they dropped their baskets filled with herbs and all ran back to the village to tell everyone what they had seen. The huge lizard like creature eats all the herbs in their baskets and then lets out a huge belch. A lad who had been hiding behind a large tree witnessed the whole thing. Now he was trying to figure out how to get around the huge lizard without being noticed by it.

The boy heard the creature cry out like a baby and shed a huge tear. As he tried to tip toe around it the creature noticed him and caught him with its beak. It held him up several feet from the ground and just stared at him. The boy was terrified and screamed. He was heard by some workers in a nearby field and they rushed to rescue him. The noise they made scared the young creature and it dropped him and awkwardly ran away. Once the workers saw the boy on the ground they rushed to attend to him. The boy was not seriously hurt so they took him to the farm house on the property where they were working to get some medical attention.

By now the word was spreading throughout the land about the large lizard like creature and everyone was excited. Will it eat us all? Did it come out of the ground after the earthquake? Is it of Satan? Does this mean we are doomed? So many people are now putting up good luck charms on their doors. Some are going to the church and have the priest pray over them while being dowsed with holy water. Others are curious and want to see it. Constable Hurt has assembled about 100 men from the village to go to the valley to find the strange lizard looking creature. They hope to capture it and have Dr. Rhymes take a look at it.

They search long and hard and do not find it. Feeling defeated they mumble and complain as they make the long hike back to the village. Many wished they had not wasted a whole day trying to find this mysterious thing. Is it real or did they fall for rumors and half-truths? Just before they reach home they hear a very loud and frightening cry. Next, they hear heavy footsteps and the ground shakes. Then from around the side of a hill it stood several feet tall, large teeth, broad wings and a very long nose. The men are truly frightened. Now what says the Constable? They just stand there for several minutes shaking in their boots. Then the monster takes one long hard look at them and flies away over the mountain top.