Finding Home

The boy had nothing. No purpose. No knowledge. So, he dedicated his time to finding the source of the voice he had heard. It was all he had. It was all he could do. So, he gave it his full, undivided attention. He wasn't sure what he would do when he found the voice. It depended on what it was. Or who it was, rather. He had trouble imagining another human being in this lonely, desolate place.

As much as he tried to push them to the back of his mind, he couldn't seem to stop contemplating the answers to his ever-growing number of questions. Who was he? How did he get there? Was there someone out there looking for him? Did he have people who cared about him? Would he ever make it back home? Where was home?

He hoped that the voice would help to clear up some of his questions. The boy slipped and fell on the cold, hard rocks which jarred him from his thoughts. Once again paying attention, he fully took in his surroundings for the first time. It was a dreary place. Not one that anyone would ever travel to on purpose. He wondered if the voice was in the same predicament as he. And he was about to find out.

The moaning was growing louder by the second. The boy found himself in front of the large opening to a cave. He didn't know how he had missed it before, but there it was. Feeling a sudden sense of excitement at what seemed to the boy as the beginning of an adventure, he carefully made his first steps inside. He realized that because he remembered nothing of his life, he could be whoever he wanted. He decided he wanted to be brave.

The farther he went into the cave, the more the darkness seemed to be trying to consume him. But he was close. He was sure of it. Then, suddenly, there was a burst of light coming from the far end of the cave. The boy jumped out of its way, pressing his sore back against the wall of the cave. Fire. His curiosity growing, the boy ventured farther still into the cave. He wouldn't allow himself to turn back now.

He heard footsteps moving quickly toward him and pressed his back against the wall again. He wasn't sure he wanted to be seen. The figure came into sight. He was a small man covered from head to toe with shiny metal. For some reason, the boy knew just what he was. A knight.

"Dragon! Dragon!" the knight cried, even though he was unaware there was anyone to hear his cries.

And once he passed, the boy went on. He had never seen a dragon up close as far as he could remember, and the possibility gave him the courage to go on. At last, the boy reached the end of the tunnel. He felt like he had been walking for hours although he had no way of knowing.

The room was filled with treasure. The boy thought of how lucky he was to have one of his first memories consist of something so beautiful. But there was one thing wrong with the picture before him. There was no dragon. Ever since the boy had seen the knight, he had been extra careful about being as quiet as was possible. The effort all seemed to be for nothing now.

He took in all the treasure that he had decided were now his. The boy began pacing around the room, examining pieces that interested him as he went. Then, something in the middle of the room caught his eye. Something that he had overlooked before although he wasn't sure how. There was a body. An old man's body. The boy walked cautiously toward the old man who was face down on the ground. When the boy went to move the man onto his back, he realized the man was still alive.

The man made a loud, horrible moaning noise. The boy had finally found the source of the noise. He had forgotten all about it when he saw the treasure. The man was obviously dying, and the boy couldn't do anything.

After much coughing and many ragged breaths, the old man spoke his last words, and they were directed at the boy. "Finally, someone has come. My time with you will be short, but I know you will be okay. You have been chosen to become the next dragon to protect this place. Good luck," the man said.

And just like that, he was gone.

The boy, confused cried out for the man to not go. He was even more confused now than he had been before. He came into the cave looking for answers, not more questions. He didn't have time to think about this, however, because just moments after the old man died, the boy felt a strange tingling sensation in his hands. He glanced down at them and realized that they were both forming scales and growing at incredible speed. Before long, the boy was a dragon, and everything made sense. He realized that it didn't matter where he had come from. All that mattered was where he was now. He was sure that he was home.