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Just a Girl

painted ponies

By Antoinette L BreyPublished 2 years ago Updated about a year ago 7 min read
2
Just a Girl
Photo by USGS on Unsplash

There weren't always dragons in the valley. Anna stood in the door of her hut peering out into the naked square. Before the coming of the dragons, the village had been guarded by a herd of flying painted ponies. At night the elders would tell stories of them. Her Pa still had sculptures of them. She was not allowed to touch them. They were idols. It was rumored that one day they would return. They would be ridden in by a band of fairies. Anna had never seen a fairy neither had her Pa. Anna had asked all the elders, they all had hope, but none of them had seen a fairy or a painted pony.

The dragons were not protectors. Their magic did not shield the village from danger. But they were more than fire-breathing demons. They could talk her language, and each had their own personality. She had met one. He had been smaller than most. He had known her name and had not hurt her. He had let her touch his scales. By the end of their initial meeting, she was no longer scared. She had told nobody. It was their secret.

The dragons needed a substance in the town's air to survive. Anna could not feel anything magical like that in their air. It did not have a characteristic odor. A week away from the village and they started feeling faint. Anna wondered if she left the village, if she would faint? Had the ponies put some magic in the air?

The guitar was strumming. It was an automatic gadget. Pa said he controlled it with his mind. She was sure he had some trick up his sleeve. All you had to do was say play "Sema", or another song name. Tonight it was going to be dance music. The night soared, she danced with no notice of the others in the room. Then suddenly it ended and she collapsed into a feather cushion chair.

Anna liked her village, she enjoyed the daily grind, but in the back of her mind, she wondered. She wondered about leaving her Pa's home. She often snuck out and listened to the speeches of the learned men. The theories were always spouted by elder men. But yet the supreme ruler was a woman. She was the prettiest wisest woman in the land. She stayed in her haven. She rarely interacted with the common folk. She had been the ruler for as long as Anna had existed. She was magic, she was the guardian, she was the protector. Her special powers gave her that right. Anna wondered what were her rights. Did she have special powers? She was a child, a female child. There was no map of her future. When she had been born, they had taken her to the scholars, to see the map of her future. They had said that something was blocking their vision. It was hidden from them. There were a lot of possible roles for girls but they were usually determined by the map at birth.

Anna was allowed to explore everything. Why close a door of opportunity. In two months she would go see the scholars again to see if her map was now clear. Anna was having fun, she was not sure she wanted a clear map, but she still wondered what her role would be.

She could dance like the Golden maidens, she could fight like the Armed Arsenal. She could understand the arguments of the scholars.

Anna was happy that she had been trained for all the common positions. And yes she helped run the house, but secretly she hoped that would not be outlined on her future map. She was enjoying the variety of not having her future mapped out. She had male friends. She would have a male companion, but that could not be arranged until her role in society had been determined.

Anna jumped up from her sleep. It was too early for the village to be awakening. She heard a tap on her window. She looked out. There was her friend the dragon. Anna smiled and opened the window. The dragon told her to climb on to its back. Anna felt a surge of excitement. Looking down she could see her sleeping village. The cool air rushed by her. They flew over hills and valleys Anna didn't even know existed. All of a sudden the dragon stopped and pointed down. Anna saw a purple and green rock cliff. And then all of a sudden she understood. There stood two painted ponies. They had not totally deserted her valley. She felt a joy of freedom. She could not tell her pa about her adventure. How could she let her people know? "They will save us." the dragon said. " They and their magic " And then to Anna's surprise the dragon said, "I will help you save them." The next morning Anna awoke in her bed not sure if the whole journey had been a dream. Her contemplation was interrupted by her Pa " Anna, I thought I told you to never open this window."

A month passed, and the trip faded from her mind. In a few weeks. she would be going in front of the elders. She knew her daily routine would soon change, and her role in society would be different. She would no longer be a child. One night she excused herself her self from the group and went to bed early. She dreamed of the dragon and a young toddler. She wondered if this was the toddler discussed by the elders. This youngster lived in a region where most men could not venture. After hours of sleep, she awoke to a tapping on her window. There stood her friend the dragon. He told her to hurry. She climbed onto his back. She never got tired of the trip on his back. Even in night light. she could see the land below. Finally. they landed. She saw a campfire. There sat a young child and an old tired dragon. Once Anna reached them the young boy put out the flames, The old dragon sat on the pit, and drenched it with water. The boy then climbed onto the old dragon's back, and the four of them flew away.

There were no introductions, and the flight was silent. Both of the dragons seemed a little nervous, but they were determined to complete their task. Minutes later, she relaxed, they were approaching the purple rock cliff, that she had seen on the previous trip. She looked for the painted ponies. She saw one, and so did her dragon. Both dragons headed for the pony. The pony led them into a hidden cave. There was food waiting for them. The young boy devoured most of it. The dragons ate what was left over. Anna just sat and drank some of the beverage, a strange liquid that tasted like melons. The Dragon and the boy (Samua) told the others about their story.

Samua had been raised by his father dragon(Zapar) since he was a baby. Nobody knew his true father or origin. Someone had left the baby at the entrance to the dragon's cave. There were rumors that some of the wizard's scouts were looking for the child. Zapar had moved Samua to the Virgin Haven. Only virgins could enter this area of the realm. For years they had been safe, and then Zapar had heard about a smart virgin female scout. The scout had huge virgin vipers which flew over the skies of the Virgin Haven. Samua spent more and more time in the cave. Zapar did all the hunting and gathering. Anna listened. The wizard would still be looking for the boy. And now that he was out of the Virgin Haven, none virgins could join in the search.

All of a sudden she was asleep, his story seeped out of her conscienceness. When she woke up she was in her own bed, and this time she quickly closed the window.

Fantasy
2

About the Creator

Antoinette L Brey

I am an elder in a time of freedom. I am now retired. All i want to do is have fun. Without a daily routine, my imagination is one of my only salvations. I am not planning on writing a book, it is just for my own pleasure

Reader insights

Nice work

Very well written. Keep up the good work!

Top insights

  1. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  2. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

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Comments (2)

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  • Cathy holmesabout a year ago

    Good story and well written.

  • I love the fantasy world you've developed with this story.

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