Facing Dragons
The girl stood against the gaping blackness of the rocky mountain cave mouth. Her brown hair lay in a long braid down her back. Her deep set eyes were fearful. Her fingers trembled as she gripped the dagger in her belt. She stood still and silent, scrutinizing the opening before her.
A cloud passed over the sun. The dip into shade changed the girl’s eyes from blue to green as her pupils dilated, momentarily, before the sunlight returned their original color. A bead of sweat trickled down from the girl’s hairline.
In the distance, a sparrow sung, oblivious to the presence of the girl and the greater presence beyond.
The girl took a deep breath. She let it out slowly, steeling her weary soul against the overwhelming afternoon. She took a step forward.
A yellow slit appeared in the blackness. The slit, the only light in the darkness, elongated like the iris of a cat. In an instant, a second eye appeared. Cleary startled, the girl stepped back.
The yellow eyes grew in size at a measured pace. The girl looked about her, for escape or assistance. After her initial alarm, she held her ground.
The darkness of the cave faltered. The blackness gave way to grey, the color of storm clouds on the horizon.
When the eyes reached the size of an apt beet, a long snout emerged from the shadows. The girl pulled out her dagger.
The beast slipped into the light. Its scales glittered silver in the sun’s rays. The great lizard sat on its massive back legs just inside the cave’s entrance. It regarded the girl cautiously, trying to make sense of her or awaiting her first move.
They faced one another thusly, the girl on her feet, the dragon on his rear. The dragon blinked his eyes sideways. The fear began to fade from the girl’s countenance. She released the grip of her dagger. It clattered to the rocks.
Tentatively, the girl stepped forward. The dragon lowered its eyes. Its head slumped. Its shoulders stooped. Its movements were weak, weary.
The girl noticed the scarred, cracked skin on its front legs. She reached her right hand outward. Though it maintained his position, the dragon’s profound nostrils flared.
The girl lowered her hand and stepped back.
After regarding the dragon a moment longer, she turned and picked up her dagger as she went.
She had faced her dragon. She had done that much. She knew then and there what sort of person she was. She knew who she wanted to be. She contained in her small frame the courage to walk away.