#tiny shadow dragons

The window had been cracked for the night, letting a breeze in to cool the room during the summer night. Leaning through the window was the shadowy form of a tiny dragon. Its smokey form stopped and looked directly at the doll holding the silver letter opener. Then its claw reached down to the bench beneath the window. On the bench were several small stones piled together. The shadowy dragon reached into the pile and grabbed one of the stones.

“Its mine,” the shadowy dragon hissed, flexing its tiny wings.  

“You may not have that!” the rag doll called out as he ran towards the bench. Holding onto his sword, Mr Norg pulled himself up onto the bench. The shadowy dragon began backing out of the window as the rag doll got closer. When he finally made it to the window sill, the dragon was already outside on the porch.

The rag doll pulled himself over the window sill and rolled out, falling from the window and landing on the porch as his sword clattered down beside him. Mr. Norg pushed himself up and shook his tiny head from side to side. Finding the letter opener on the ground, he picked it up and searched the porch. Moving to the edge of the wooden planks, the little shadowy dragon held the stone close to its chest and hissed.

“You will return the stone now,” Mr. Norg said, leveling his sword at the tiny dragon.

“The stone is mine,” the dragon whispered. “Its magic is for me,” it continued, flaring its wings out. 

“If you will not return it, then I will have to take it from you.”

Mr. Norg ran forward with his weapon held low to his side. The little dragon reared up on its hind legs and held its wings out. Keeping the stone clutched close in one arm, it reached out with the other as the rag doll swung his sword around. The dragon pulled its arm back as the silver weapon whistled past without making contact. As Mr. Norg stopped next to the dragon, the shadowy beast battered its left wing around and smacked Mr. Norg in his shoulder, knocking the rag doll to the ground.

Mr. Norg rolled over just as the dragon pounced, whisps of darkness trailing it as it landed on the porch where the doll had been only a moment before. Rising to his knees, Mr. Norg swung his sword around and caught the dragon across the arm that held the stone. The shadowy dragon’s head reared back and it let out a tiny roar of pain as it dropped the stone to the ground.

The tiny dragon cradled its injured arm and inched away from Mr. Norg. Reaching the edge of the porch, it hopped backwards to the ground with its wings opened to slow its decent.

“I will be back,” the dragon said as it limped back into the shadows of the trees and faded into the darkness.

“I shall be waiting, dark one,” Mr. Norg answered, holding his sword up in a salute to where the dragon disappeared. The rag doll then walked over to the stone and picked it up. Looking it over, it appeared as nothing but a normal stone that one would find on the ground. Tucking it under his arm, he then turned back to the house. Looking up, he suddenly realized how high off the ground the open window was. With a quiet sigh, the rag doll’s shoulders slumped a little as it walked back to the front door. Sitting down with his back to the door, the rag doll set the stone on his lap and placed his silver letter opener on the ground beside him. Quietly he kept watch on the night.

The sun rose over the farmland in Eastvale. The farm animals began waking up, the birds started twittering in the trees. Then the peace of the morning was broken.