The Villager's Tale

Tamsin screamed again, a cry of agony, fear....and heartbreak. Her back arched like a cat's as she doubled over in agony, screaming all the while as she fell to her hands and knees. At this point, the tales vary. The others who were with me last night claim that they saw nothing, that anything that they saw was nothing more than a vision, brought on by too much wine and dancing, and too little sleep. But I touched not a drop of liquor, and I know what I saw. The square filled with a silver light, blinding my eyes. But the light could not affect my ears, and so I heard the animal scream, as it echoed in the square. I squinted my eyes, and inside the silver light, saw an impossible creature. A Dragon. It was covered with silver scales the colour of starlight. It had a slim build no more than two barrels thick; silvery gossamer wings sprouting from its shoulder blades; a pair of small, graceful forelegs; and a long slender neck topped by a long silver head, with twin spiralling horns, dark liquid eyes and a slender snout. It was beautiful. Jerym stared at it for a moment, then shook his head, and spoke to it. "Do not hate me, Tamsin." said he. The dragon looked down at him, saying nothing. Jerym seemed to bite his lip, then he lifted his sword and charged at the Tamsin-dragon. I'd've given my soul at that moment, just to be able to scream at the dragon. I did not wish it to die; wanted it to fly high away from this evil mage and his wicked sword. But I was still frozen, and I watched in horror as the lovely dragon, thinking I know not what, slowly lumbered toward the mage. At the last possible moment, its neck whipped downward, with more speed than I had thought possible for a lizard. But alas, 'twas too late, for even as the twin horns plunged into Jerym's breast, his enchanted sword had found its mark in the dragon's belly. Silently, the dragon fell to the ground, its liquid eyes closing. The silver light faded, leaving behind it a deadly darkness. And I, along with all the others, was freed from the terrible freezing spell. I alone dashed towards the fallen mage and dragon, for though the creature was dead, the mage still breathed. "Why?" cried I. "Why have ye lied? Why have ye killed it? It meant us no harm..." The mage looked up, the light fading also in his grey eyes. "I had to," he whispered. "It... was... destiny..." "But why? Did ye not care for it at all?" Jerym's eyes clouded over. "I... had to... kill her... before she... suffered... the wars... Destiny... ... My... poor... Tamsin... " And then his lips moved no more. I stood there, for a while more, still bewildered by the events of the night. Then there was a bright flash of light, blinding me once more, and when I opened my eyes again, there was no trace of neither mage nor dragon. Laugh all you want, my friend. But I tell ye, every word of it is true. And if ye wish, ye can go to the Forever Wood ye'rself; thought it be not the lush forest it once was. For magical herbs grow in it no more, and not a creature, magical or otherwise, has been seen in it for three-score, since that dreadful night. Author's Notes Back to the Blueberry Fields index page

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