The Strange Thing

The Strange Thing

Note: This is the story that I read at our church's Celebration of Arts and Talents night.

One of the strangest things I ever saw was not actually something that I saw, rather I imagined it. I imagined it on a hot day, and I was sitting in my room, thinking disconsolately of the intense summer heat. Ma was baking cookies which, though yummy smelling, did increase the heat in the house.  

Then, I saw it - or imagined it - a dragon-like being, all-black, spiky, with a jagged club-like appendage on the end of its tail that made me feel small and easily squashed. It had great wings spread out like curtains against the night sky. It was towering tall even sitting on the ground as it was. Beside it was a figure, about ten years older than me, but it was dark and hard to discern her features clearly. She was about this high and wearing a long, stiff, uniform-like coat. Under her arm, she carried a black leather handbag and she was studying a map. The name embossed on her bag read “Doctor Bird McBeadle”. She announced, “We’re lost! If we don’t get to the Board of Exotics Health Meeting by dawn, they’ll start without us! We must have gotten turned around but I can’t see the map in this light.”

The landscape was desolate, nighttime-black, and raining slightly, but the stars glittered between the clouds. I could see a light in the distance, a pleasantly warm square of yellow light.  

Bird saw the light and said, “That looks like the window of a house. They might let us in for a while and then I’ll be able to read this map.”

Suddenly, I heard a loud rumbling sound. It sounded like the rocket firings we sometimes hear from Redstone Arsenal. But, then I realized that it was the dragon growling.

“What?” asked Bird, looking at the dragon. The dragon raised a mighty foreleg and pointed ahead at a figure walking stiffly towards them. A voice called out, “Halloo! Are you two lost?”

The person was short, round, and looked harmless. She continued, “I saw you out my window. I’m Mrs. Apple. It’s cold out here. At least come in for a while and have some cookies.”

The dragon stopped growling immediately at the mention of cookies. Dragons must like cookies, like everyone else!

Bird said, “Sure! Thank you! Maybe I can get a better look at this map.”

They followed Mrs. Apple towards a wooden house. Bird and Mrs. Apple scrambled in without delay and the dragon, after some hesitation, followed. The flimsy house creaked ominously at the incursion of such a large being and I’m afraid the doorframe was badly scraped. But somehow the dragon entered the house and rested his head heavily on the table.

“What were you doing way out here?” asked Mrs. Apple, as Bird studied the map. “We were on our way to the city for a Board Meeting. And, we got lost,” said Bird, showing Mrs. Apple a small dot on the map. “We’re supposed to be there by dawn!”

Mrs. Apple looked sympathetic. “Dear me! That’s quite a ways off - 50 miles at least. Are you sure you can do that?”

Wind shook the house in warning of imminent bad weather, but Dr. Bird wore a quiet smile. Looking at her dragon, she said, “I think we can.”

The dragon’s large black eyes glowed in agreement.  

“Very well,” said Mrs. Apple, offering the travelers a large bag of cookies. “Cookies for the road, I always say, help one along.”

“Thank you,” said Bird. The dragon rumbled appreciatively, eyeing the cookies.

Soon, they headed off in the right direction. It was so cold that icicles formed on the dragon’s wingtips. I daresay the memories of Mrs. Apple’s glowing fire, not to mention yummy cookies, kept them on their way until the lights of the city showed up on the horizon.

After envisioning that the doctor and her dragon arrived safely at the Board of Exotics health meeting, I stopped imagining them. I had seen enough. My room no longer seemed oppressively hot, but warm and cozy. Instead of internal complaints, I felt grateful for warmth and the cookies that Ma was making. Though I proceeded on with my day, in the hot Alabama weather, I never forgot the strangest thing I ever saw.