Dragons of Oak Grove

“There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. In fact, until a few weeks ago there weren’t dragons anywhere. Dragons were mythical creatures that you read about in story books. It wasn’t until a mysterious sinkhole opened up that the beasts flew out. My name is Cassandra Krett. I live in a small farming community called Oak Grove, affectionately referred to as the Valley by locals. Before the earthquake, it wasn’t uncommon to see deer lazily grazing among herds of cattle. Now, deer are scarce. The dragons have begun hunting the farmer’s animals. The cows, horses, sheep, and goats that once populated the Valley are now seldom seen. When you do see a herd of livestock allowed out in the pasture you see a farmer holding a gun and watching over his animals. The farmers have become trigger-happy. They have shot owls, eagles, bears, and even a large dog who they believed were dragons. They have shot many of the dragons as well, however, the bullets don’t seem to penetrate their scales. In town activists for the dragon can be seen rioting outside of local farm stores and places that sell ammunition. They say that the dragons have as much of a right to be here as the natural predators. Other people say that the dragons were made by the government to eradicate livestock. They say the sinkhole that opened up was a hoax. Then, the farmers, hunters, and worried townsfolk can be seen rushing around trying to stock up on anything that could protect their livestock. They are seen loading everything from barbed wire to fireworks into their car. There are even photographers, big game hunters, and news reporters coming from as far as across the globe to view these beasts. My once quiet town is now plagued with the feeling of fear and hatred. Large shadows are cast across the sky igniting panic. Some people are worried that the dragons may start hunting humans next. Some people are worried that they may reproduce and invade the entire globe. Some people are concerned that these creatures are going to push humanity towards extinction. So far, I have not seen any aggressive behavior from the dragons. They seem to be afraid of humans and especially cars, trains, and airplanes. Just yesterday I witnessed a small dragon investigating road kill on Highway 47. As I approached the creature in my truck it looked at me and made a sound similar to the yelp of a dog. It couldn’t get off of the ground and away from me fast enough. I am writing to you today to see if your facility would be willing to either assist in relocating these creatures out of the Valley or even consider housing them in captivity. I am worried that these dragons are going to be the end of my town. I am worried that the town will be the end of the dragons. From my observations, I do not believe these dragons are as bloodthirsty as the media claims. I believe that they are just large, apex, wild animals. Please get back to me as quickly as you can. For the dragons, and my town’s sake, I hope you can help me.”

I paste my plea for help into another email, type in a subject, and hit send. A small sigh escapes my lips as I cross the zoo off of my list of potential facilities to help. “That makes 27 emails sent, Oscar,” I say to the small dog lying at my feet. The dachshund lifts his head to look at me as I speak his name. I can’t help but smile as I look into his eyes. “Only, what, hundreds left to go?” I stand up, stretch, and go to the window. A dragon lazily soars over the grove of fruit trees planted on my property. I watch him until I hear the notification chime sound from my laptop. Oscar woofs, as if telling me to hurry and check it. It only takes one look at the screen for my heart to jump into my throat. The email is from Willow Lake Zoo. The subject, Dragons.