Young Writers Society

Helen's shoulders sagged as her parents finally drove off. Encouraging them to keep calm around Bill was not easy when Bill had a tendency to turn every word into a shout, every gesture into a sweeping wave of his arm as if he was making a speech, encompassing his great nation. But they bore their discomfort well, as they had every family get together since that brief furore at the wedding.

Today had been especially important. Eric, and the rest of the family, had barely stopped smiling the entire time after he'd got in. And even before then there'd been this bubbling in everyone's guts that was too distracting to be annoyed by everyone else's little ticks and habits. And when he had arrived his stories were listened to with attentiveness, supportive strokes of the back when needed, and were responded to with tales of the home front.

She had hoped the grandparents would have got to spend a little more time with Josie, but they did have to get back to take a roast chicken out of the oven. Still, with them gone, it gave the remaining members of the Alexander clan the chance to reunite Eric with the most important family member.

As soon as the grandparents had been seen off, Helen turned to Bill. “You get the door.”

He nodded and pulled the door shut behind them as they led Eric down the porch steps and across the stepping stones.

They were halfway down the garden path before Eric managed to splutter, “Um, where exactly are we going?”

“No time to explain,” Helen said.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Josie to get back from the bathroom?” Eric asked.

“No time to wait,” Bill replied.

Eric was silent for a few moments, then just said, “Alright, sure, whatever you say.”

They reached the back garden and marched down the garden path, stopping at the play shed.

“Oh,” Eric said.

Helen reached forward and took a chunky orange key – a suitably whimsical yet functional children’s toy – then carefully slid it into the lock. She turned the key, then carefully, quietly, pushed the door open.

Of course, this looked absurd, because the door was made of bright red wood and was about a foot shorter than Helen. She must look like a character from Alice in Wonderland. But it was important not to spook Dragon, even if he was significantly less energetic in his reactions these days.

Dragon was standing right at the door, his blanket cast off in a heap behind him. His bright purple eyes were open wide, already pleading with her for something. They contrasted so sharply with his deep green scales that they looked like little purple rays of fire. She hadn’t seen them this bright in months, years even.

“Hi, Dragon,” she said, “I’ve got someone special to see you.”

Dragon yelped and wagged his tail, which was still half under the blanket and ended up waving the thing about all over the place. Helen stepped out the way and let Eric take her place. She was stuck behind his much taller form, but the howl from Dragon said it all. Eric sprang forward into the shed, crouched down as far as he could go without falling over. Dragon descended upon him and began, very methodically, to lick every area of exposed skin and hair he could find on Eric’s body.

“Oh, boy, I missed you too!” Eric crowed, toppling over onto his haunches and leaning back against Dragon’s tail.

Eric had to leave the shed after a moment; it was barely big enough for Dragon to fit in by himself to hide during the day. At night he could sneak out by nudging the bolt of the lock from the inside – the cleverness of dragons really wasn’t fabled – but during the day he was confined indoors, just in case anyone happened to be looking out from their windows. Josie and Eric had taught him all of this, and he’d obeyed every word of their commands.

But there were some emotions too strong for orders to withstand. As Eric stepped back, Dragon instinctively padded forward to follow him.

“Back, boy,” Eric said, frowning firmly and pointing towards the interior of the shed.

Dragon glanced over his shoulder, but whined and didn’t move.

“I got it, I got it,” Josie said, brushing past between Helen and Bill.

Helen figured she was going to try the same thing Eric had, probably still used to being the only one Dragon would listen to. But instead she placed her hand softly on one of the ridges that ran from Dragon’s eye to his horn and closed her eyes. Dragon tilted his head to the side, his brow furrowing. But finally he nodded, and shuffled back into the shed. Josie followed him in and gave him a quick kiss on the temple, then rejoined the rest of the family on the grass outside.

There were a few lawn chairs – thin but solid wooden frames – assembled in a semi-circle that was completed by the shed. With the door open, they could continue to keep Dragon involved if he peeked his head out every so often from under the blanket.

But right now, the attention was all on Josie.

***

“What in the world was all that about?” Eric asked. His face looked a little pale to Bill, and he barely glanced at Josie as he addressed her.

“It’s a dragon communication theory I learned about in MacAlpine’s class,” she explained. She looked up and noticed Eric’s frown. “And don’t worry, I know how to teach you too! Basically, I can talk to Dragon. I think. I assume if it works once it will work every time. That was my first time. I’m actually very excited that worked.”

“You got him to go back in the shed by…?” Helen prompted.

“By reasoning with him,” Josie said, “I told him we weren’t going anywhere, that Eric isn’t going anywhere, are you Eric?”

Eric looked up from staring at his shoes and smiled at her, a little colour coming back to his cheeks. “Of course not. Dragon, I’m not going anywhere!”

“You want me to teach you, right?” Josie asked.

Eric raised both hands like he was surrendering. “Maybe tomorrow. Let’s just talk for a bit.”

Josie nodded, but didn’t present any conversational topics. Helen was busy staring from brother to sister to dragon to sister to brother. So Bill figured this was his time to shine. He normally clammed up around the subject of Dragon, whom they hadn’t thought to tell him about until he’d come home from Fife for a weekend a month after his discovery. Even then they’d told him in soft, soothing tones, as if they were worried about how he would react.

“How’s university, Josie?” he asked. “The non-dragon related parts that is.”

“Good, good,” Josie said, “Got some exams coming up in December but not too many this semester. There’s a guy in one of my classes that’s getting kind of annoying. Eric, do you remember Callum MacKenzie?”

Eric closed one eye and bit his lip. “Yes? My year at school, somewhat long hair, wee bit on the pudgy side?”

“That’s the one,” Josie said. “He keeps trying to get me to put in a good word with this lecturer. I think he wants to join his class or something.”

“Bad enough to stalk you?” Bill asked, “That must be some class.”

“Oh it is,” Josie said, her gaze darting in Dragon’s direction. Bill decided not to ask further questions.

They passed a little while longer sitting in the cold November sun, waiting for it to set. As twilight began to encroach properly, the two kids stepped briefly inside the shed to say goodbye to Dragon, then chatted with linked arms the whole way up the garden path and back around the house.

Bill sidled up next to them as Helen unlocked the door. “How are you feeling now, Eric?”

“Happy,” Eric said, “This new development is… interesting… but I’m still very happy.”