Part I

Wind underneath its wings, fire burning in its chest, the dragon commandeered the sky. Its wingspan cast the world in shadow, its eyes burned ember, and its scales rippled blue and green. As it cut through the sky, it scanned the ground with expectant arrogance. Talons and teeth as tall as a man, it knew that it owned all that lay upon the ground. Limber wings pushed against the sky. As the town of Bisterne emerged along the horizon, the dragon roared a piercing shriek.

***

Jack and his younger brother Ralph darted in between the haystacks of their farm. They had finished their morning chores and were playing chase. Jack crouched below a haystack, breathing heavy. He heard Ralph giggle and jumped from behind the stack just in time to tackle his sandy-haired brother to the ground. They both began to laugh as they wrestled. "You're it!" Jack yelled at his brother. The sky answered back.

A fearsome roar filled the skies above the farm and the neighboring village. The boys froze in panic and stared at the sky. Among the clouds, the shadow of the dragon was quickly approaching.

"Jack! Ralph! Inside now," their mother yelled from the porch. She lifted up her skirts and ran towards them, wrapping them up into her arms and rushing them inside. As they ran inside, she turned to look behind her. The dragon's silhouette was rapidly growing as it approached. The sight made her grow cold; a shiver crept down her spine. In the town the bell rang. Its ringing reflected the fear of the crier: fast and chaotic. The mother shut the door and moved the table in front of the door. She prayed her husband was hiding in the barn. Her boys cowered beneath the bed. She meant to join them as the ground shuddered underneath the great weight of the landing beast. Her heart pounded out of her chest. She pressed herself tightly against the stone wall near the kitchen window. Only allowing one eye to brave a glance into the outside world, her fragmented breathing caused fog along the pane. In the field canvassed the dragon, swaying its head and flicking its tongue at the herd of cattle before it. She watched as the dragon devoured her family's livelihood. Her cows had only moments to look up from their grazing before the beast was upon them. The dragon lunched rapidly, lifting up from the ground only minutes after it had arrived.

The mother fell down to the floor as soon as the skies were clear. Shocked and shaking, she beckoned her boys into her lap. She shushed their frightened cries and forbade them to go outside.

***

"What is going to happen next? What are the villagers going to do?" Violet leaned on Will with curiosity. He laughed. "I'm going to tell you eventually," he smirked at her impatience. Brushing a stray hair out of her face, he poked her nose.

"Fine," Violet sighed, "keep going." she sassed. Will chuckled.

***

It was now the night of the feeding and the villagers gathered in the town square. "They were the last of my cows! I have nothing left," the farmer's voice yelled above the angry rumble of the crowd.

"Mine too" echoed another farmer and another and another. Soon the square was a frantic stew of bubbling complaints.

The head councilman, Thomas Smith, stood on the central fountain. "People of Bisterne. Settle down. Please, we will reach a solution..."

"Smith, you've never seen the dragon but from your window," an angry farmer yelled out. Cries of agreement rang out. The crowd was rioting and quickly growing out of control. Smith searched his mind for a solution. It was true, he was a merchant by trade and had never seen the dragon except through the panes of his windows and clouds in the sky. He began to tap his foot wearily as he spotted his fiancee in the crowd.

Ella was serene amidst the chaos. She moved elegantly through the crowd and towards Smith's station. It was evident she was not raised as the peasants were. The daughter of a lord, she was refined and poised. She approached Smith and motioned towards him. He stepped down and went towards his fiancee.

"Darling, what is it?"

She leaned in and whispered, "I think my father can help."

Author's Note: In the original tale, there is a dragon that is terrorizing a small English village. I've kept this part of the story the same. The tale is rather short and unspecific, so all of the characters mentioned so far are nontraditional characters. I wanted to give personalities to both the dragon and the townspeople: the dragon as an arrogant beast and the townspeople as helpless and unorganized. Additionally, I have added the narrative viewpoints of Violet and Will to add depth to the story. The setting of the story is actually a real place that celebrates its unique tie to the tale of the dragon. The yew tree where Violet and Will are picnicking is a famous spot in the town.

Looking forward: I am going to try to use both dialogue and imagery to describe the story so that it is easy for the reader to picture the plight of the dragon and the townspeople. The story will switch between multiple perspectives within the story. It will also alternate between the present day and the past setting of the story. I hope you enjoy, and please click the "Comment Wall" button to tell me what you think.

Story Source: The tale of the Bisterne dragon