The One – #11: Dragons True – Segment 1

Originally published April 20, 2020...

Whether in dreams or waking, if you have an aversion to reptiles, especially snakes, you may want to skip this segment. If not, you will meet another Dragon – this time who can communicate with the main character. Argose continues as the faithful canine companion, participating every step of the way. Our travelers have reached a place on the river that has sandy shores and a surprise. At this point, the river is wide and deep enough to float large ships, and the explorers encounter one along their way.

The segment begins with a dream full of metaphors and symbolism. Perhaps, this dream is one of the most gripping so far. You be the judge if you have read the other dreams.

I’ve fallen hard on the rocky bottom

a long, hollow shaft of stone dripping cold

with stained rivulets trickling down damp sides

a nearly round well echoing profound

every drop plopping onto the floor’s circle

Faintest light filters down the maw above

I hear something alive slide along rock

occasional "hsssh" exhaled in the gloom

I run my hands across the sides and floor

touching cold skin around a long creature

undulating from my fingers

leaving trails of slime like a large worm passed

Shocked, I realize I am in a pit

with hissing, slithering snakes close to me

I squat, running my hands on the bottom

What feels like tiny bones and scraps of fur

litter the ground beneath me – from rodents?

Whatever they are, they snap easily

under my feet – a sharp, sickening crunch

I pace around the hole passing my palms

over the stone, touching snakes everywhere

They seem to cling to the sides of the pit

Brief glitters of light reveal pale bodies

writhing over one another like threads

tangled with no direction, yet instinct . . .

. . . I wake lying in the bottom of Hart

Argose scrambles to a sit beside me

The red boat rocks port to starboard gently

The sun sears my eyes after the darkness

I come to crouching, head on folded arms

Hearing waves, I lift my head up squinting 

farther out, white-capped waves break against

a rocky outcrop that stops the waves’ speed

I stand looking. Can it be? I didn’t see 

it the night before when we pulled up to shore 

a ship tipped almost on its starboard side

rotting timbers line the perimeter

broken masts fore and aft – tattered canvas

like torn linen dresses flapping from lines

gaping holes breach the ship’s sides everywhere

dimmest light leaches into weathered hull

anchor lies flat on the beach, rode buried 

Argose stands next to me nosing the wind

Sand swirls, stinging the water from our eyes

We trudge toward the ship through the muddy sand

As we draw near, the wooden wheel at stern

appears lodged firm against a fallen boom

closer still, the cabin’s structure is crushed

the cracked and crumbling rudder slants steeply

Why this wreck draws me to her, I can’t say

Suddenly, Argose barks alarm and fear

and races toward the ship, his tail streaming

I run behind to see what’s the matter

Now I see it! Stretched along the bowsprit

an impossible creature balancing

Its weight should have broken the front timber

Heavy breath pumps out its gray-skinned sides

gaping nostrils gulp air like an engine

Four clawed feet wrap around the wooden sprit

its nails longer, thicker than three fingers

Along its back, tall, gray spikes tremble

rising like a half-moon sail

that looks like an enormous shield bearer

                        

We are downwind, so the beast can’t smell us  

It is alert, already battle scarred

The great, fleshy sail crowning its long spine

armed with tall curving rib extensions

thick as sharply pointed, combat long swords

slanted needle topping each skyward spire

Its heavy hide armored with scales on scales

Tracks in the sand from shore to ship show that

the lizard has crawled from sea to bowsprit

Background

There be Dragons! They are famous for fighting princely fellows, and for flying across Asian skies. Dragons have figured widely in myth and alleged history for most the homo sapiens’ tenure on the planet. But real Dragons still exist today. All of them are rare.

The Komodo Dragon is the one of half a dozen creatures that bear the name, Dragon. One of the upcoming Dragons featured after Shield Bearer in this Song is fashioned after the Komodo. Other representatives include the Red Sea Dragon that is a fish, not a reptile. At an average of 2.3 inches long, the Blue Dragon Sea Slug makes up in stinging what it lacks in size. The shocking Pink Dragon Millipede from Thailand doesn’t breathe fire but does release cyanide when it is threatened. Of all these Dragons, the Komodo is the one that can actually eat you and has been known to do so.

Stand by. More Dragons to come.

Exploration 1: What is different about Shield Bearer in contrast to previous Dragons?

Exploration 2: What is the significance of the trio being able to communicate?

Exploration 3: Are Dragons somehow identified with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, in that they are seen as evil and dangerous?