Fictoid: the infernal triangle

standing there
drawing his breath
after the fight

never had there been such a fight! never had there been such a dragon! what are we saying   of course there have never been any dragons!  they’re phantasms fantasies figments of the imagination!  nonetheless, for the purposes of our story, there was a dragon

blood
a lot of blood
the dragon’s stinger
had sunk deep
with that last
desperate
dying
thrust

you bleed

words soft
melodious

aye

let me tend
your wounds

[dontrustherdontrustherdontrusther
somethingwrongwomethingwrong]

…in the cave...
the dragon’s cave
bone and metal scattered about
skulls cracked open
bones broken in half
the marrow sucked out

take off your armor

hard to do
the stinger
punched through
the metal plate
the sharp edges
bend inward
clutch at the wound

[dontscreamdontscreamdontscream]

the armor comes off

there, not so bad

will I die of this wound

of that
melodious laugh
no, you will not die
of that wound
that I promise you

she prepares a poultice
applies it
soothes
the raging pain

the burning pain
the devouring pain

lie down

he does

her cot
a small shelf of rock
in the cave
skulls and bones
blackened and cracked
litter the floor

they died

they did

they could not
kill this dragon

this dragon, no,
they couldn’t

but I did

aye
you did

and rescued you

…

the pain eases
becomes numb
numbness becomes
pleasure

know what they told me
down in the village

what did they tell you

they told me
no knight
could ever defeat
the monster
of the mountain

did they now

aye
why would they
tell me that

to warn you, perhaps

perhaps
or perhaps
to entice me

ah, brave knight
you are
smarter
than you look

am I
there is something wrong here
the pieces do not fit l
ike mismatched armor
these knights whose bones
lay scattered
at our feet
how many
how often

once or twice
two or three times a year
this season or that

ahhh
and how could a dragon
especially a dragon
of this size
how could a dragon
survive between those battles
more importantly
how could you survive
dragons grow hungry
why were you not a feast

the dragon and I
we have an understanding

“had”

have
how do you feel
how is your wound

I feel no pain
what sort
of understanding

the stinger
it struck deep
did it not

aye
what sort
of understanding

dragons
are not of this realm
good knight
they do not mate
or bear young
in the manner
to which we
are accustomed

what sort
of understanding
I shall not ask again!

melodious laugh
oh good knight
all shall be answered
all shall be made known

reach for your dagger
arms move slowly
sluggishly
as if made
of cold dough

what
have you
done
to me

what
have you
done to yourself
good knight

you came
looking for glory
and adventure
fame and
reward

glory and fame
we can not offer you
adventure
you have already had
now comes your reward
your just deserts

dagger clatters to cold stone floor
useless
fingers useless

picks up the dagger
turns it curiously in her hands
touches the tip
with her finger

for me
did you
intend this
for me

witch!
what have you
done to me!
the poultice --

eases your pain
as promised
relaxes you
prepares you

prepares me
for what

like a maggot
on the skin of a horse
like a weed
growing on a grave
like a wasp
laying an egg
in a spider
so my dragon
has planted
a seed
in you

numbness now
paralyzed
does he feel
something
move
deep
within
his bowels

dragons can not
lay eggs
in the open
for all
their fierce demeanor
they are helpless
little pups
as a cockatrice
lays its egg
in manure
my dragon
has laid
its egg
in you
Sir Dung Hill

…it will kill me…

aye

…it will devour
its way out of me…

melodious laugh
nay, good knight
as I said
dragons
are not
of this realm
they eat
finer food
than you
can imagine
no, the young pup
inside you
just needs
a safe place
to grow
and prepare
and then emerge
to be
my new dragon

…these bones…

the gallant knights
who came before you
who slayed the dragons
who came before this one
and in turn were slain
by the pups
who emerged

…I…I will…survive!

melodious laugh
oh, good knight
I have heard
that one before

I…shall!
though the dragon emerges
it shall not kill me!
I shall recover!
I shall slay it again!
and this time forever!

so said
all these
gallant knights
scattered
about you

before
I ate them

© Buzz Dixon

(updated August 11, 2018)