Gravy

Chapter 2: Dragon Sighting

Now dragon lives are an enigma wrapped in a mystery due to their infrequent sightings and interactions with the humans. Everyone has a theory regarding their long absences, most more outlandish than an island, but the general consensus is that dragons hibernate in the winter to conserve energy in the cold mountain tops. This theory is supported by the lack of historical dragon sightings in the winter. Our little town was no different in their beliefs and winter was generally a time of hunkering down for all creatures, focusing wholly on surviving the cold weather and paying little heed to fantastical beings such as dragons.

Spring time, on the other hand, is a time of bustling life and laughter and stories. Many would celebrate the lengthening days by gathering around to hear the dragon spotter weave tales of mystery. On this fine spring evening, the dragon spotter was telling tales of the last dragon sighting, which occurred in his great grandfather’s time. His tale went something like this.

One lively spring evening, much like today, our people were celebrating the budding flowers and gathering for our annual spring festival. They would all show gratitude that we have survived another winter and that our little haven in the mountain is beginning to thaw. As the people were all gathered in the town square, they did not notice a few strange happenings on the outer fields until it was too late. They danced and ate and laughed all afternoon, but when the sun began to set, they saw smoke rising from not so very far away. The dragon spotter was the first to raise the alarm, for they are always weary of smoke, and the townspeople rushed to find the source.

What they found in that distant field was a sight so astonishing, they nearly fainted away. They saw a standoff in the middle of that field between a dragon and a sheep. Now this in and of itself was highly surprising as the sheep was only a normal sized sheep and the dragon was the size of two or three very large horses. All the other sheep were huddled as far away from the dragon as they could manage, but this brave ewe decided that someone must protect the herd and that someone was she. Now the dragon must have just woken up from his hibernation for he looked quite drowsy and dazed. He was so confused why this sheep was apparently volunteering to break his winter fast.

When the townspeople recovered from their shock, they gathered torches and spears to attempt to drive the dragon off. The dragon, seeing their efforts, was finally roused from his sheep induced confusion and shook himself as if to say, “Well now, why am I here again?” He then looked directly at that little sheep and growled and roared something fierce. But that sheep did not back down, no that sheep stood a little taller and did her best, fiercest, bleat in return. The dragon was not impressed. But, since the villagers were closing in, he had no choice but to make a decision. He, being a mean-spirited creature after all, decided to teach that sheep a thing or two about fighting and promptly toasted her right to a crisp. The townspeople once again froze in shock and horror, decidedly concerned that they would lose their whole herd of sheep, as dragons have a voracious appetite.

The dragon, however, was apparently put off by the whole affair and flew off, back to his lair, ignoring the rest of the sheep and the townspeople entirely. The people were equal parts astonished and worried that he was only biding his time before he came back and toasted them all for their impertinence. (Dragons are also petty creatures to be sure.) They looked at the poor toasted sheep and decided right then and there that she was a hero, and heroes deserve to be celebrated in life and death. They cut off the burnt woolly exterior of that poor dead sheep and brought the rest back to the town square to complete their celebrations. Unfortunately, the dragon breath was exceedingly hot and dried out the sheep meat to the point that it was nearly inedible by itself. Not to be wasteful, one enterprising young woman volunteered to make a lovely gravy for the sheep so that her sacrifice would not be in vain. This is the gravy that she made.