Why did it have to be Dragons?

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley.

It was a mistake, actually. Simon Sullivan, the renowned wizard, promised the world something grand. We were dazzled when he regrew the forests that had burned down that really hot summer. We couldn’t believe when he saved the president from not one, but three assassination attempts. And we especially wouldn’t forget when brought back the extinct bumblebee species, saving us from losing almost all of our crops.

We had damaged our world, but Simon Sullivan stepped in to save it.

No one knew where he came from or what his true purpose was; but he brought magic into our small world. A year after he made his face public, the first baby was born with magical abilities. Soon after, many were. There was no rhyme or reason for who was chosen, you were gifted or you weren’t.

He opened a magical school for any and all that showed magical prowess.

The world only grew from there; technology pairing beautifully with magic and bringing forth a great and prosperous era.

Then the day came, another one of Simon Sullivan’s big announcements.

I was eight at the time, eagerly staring at the tv screen, waiting for the Great Simon Sullivan to appear. A news lady spoke about something I didn’t care about, and I told her to get on with it.

In one hand I held my favorite Simon Sullivan action figure. He came with multiple costumes and accessories that I had collected from various toy packs. I even wore my ‘Simon Sullivan loves the earth’ shirt.

Finally, he appeared on the screen. He wore a bright yellow suit, encrusted with purple gemstones that glittered as he moved. His black hair was slicked back, his blue eyes cool and piercing. He stood at a podium upon a stage that had been set up in the heart of DC. The largest crowd I had ever seen stretched all around him for miles. He held up his arms to quiet the crowd.

“Hello, wonderful mankind!” He shouted into the mike, receiving a roar of applause. I couldn’t help by beam from ear to ear; feeling as if he was speaking directly to me.

“I have quite the spectacle for you all today. I know I have been out of eye for a while now, but for good reason. I have discovered something that will solve many of our problems! Though I have helped with much, many continue to struggle on a daily basis. I have found an antient force that is told to elevate our strife and ailments. I have learned how to control it and will now reveal it to the world today.”

Again the crowd roared.

He stood back, taking position farther onto the stage. His arms went up, lightning crackling at his fingertips. Sparks flew in all directions as a small black orb formed in front of him. It began to grow at a steady pace. Simon Sullivan smiled.

He readjusted his footing and the lightning in his fingertips turned vibrant colors as they circled around the orb that was now half his size.

I watched in amazement.

But then something happened. His smile dropped and the crackling became louder, causing the speakers to screech. Two of his assistants ran towards him, taking his arms, but they became sucked into the crackling lights. The orb continued to grow.

“Mom, what’s going on?” I panicked, looking to my parents, who also had shocked expressions on their faces.

They ignored me, or just didn’t hear me. I turned back to the screen, afraid to watch.

The orb kept getting larger until it was larger than the stage. The crowd had begun to panic and people ran in all directions. Then it happened. One massive, clawed paw emerged from the black void, followed by another, then a fierce snake-like head, roaring louder than the lightning.

With one swift motion, the creature bent down and swallowed Simon Sullivan whole. My throat choked as my mom quickly turned off the tv. We sat there in shock, my head racing.

Had that really happened?

It had though. Simon Sullivan brought dragons into our world and was now gone.

That was almost six years ago now. Even though my mom had turned off the tv, we later learned that the orb remained open long enough to let in a whole civilization of dragons, before neatly disappearing.

We learned that while some dragons were fierce, many were not. Most had fled into the wilderness, but small ones liked to linger in the cities; like annoying, carnivorous pigeons. Supposedly the larger ones were more intelligent and chose to leave us alone.

If that were true, why would they have eaten Simon Sullivan?

I no longer worshiped the old wizard like I had. I was older now, after all. It wasn’t cool to worship anything. Besides, I wasn’t one of the gifted ones; it’s not like I would have met him, even if he was still alive.

Instead, I wake up everyday to the annoying chatter of a baby snake-dragon nest that had made a home in our back tree. Mom told me to leave them alone.

I threw a ball at the nest once and the mother scratched me. I left it alone after that.

Stupid dragons.

Why did it have to be dragons?