By: Me
"Today, class, guess what we're going to learn?" the teacher chirped happily. The class of small children glanced blankly up at the teacher. Emmy was amongst them, doodling something, but obediently looking up when the teacher clapped her hands.
"About dragons!" the teacher exclaimed, as if she was happy that she had received a response. Emmy stretched her mouth to the same smile as always, and hurriedly came around from her short desk to the furry carpet she loved so much. It was one of her favorite things about her classroom- that and the mobiles that hung by the windows and when the light was exactly right, Emmy could practically see through them.
"Now, this story is about Jeremy and the dragon," the teacher explained carefully, looking out at the wide-eyed children who were smiling up at her intently.
Emmy was also looking and smiling, her eyes dancing with contained excitement as the teacher brought out the blue book with large letters written on the top. The illustrator didn't draw the dragons right; Emmy reflected momentarily, they didn't have scaly wings. And for another thing, dragons didn't usually go on all fours unless- like humans- they dropped a pencil or something. But that was all right. Things that Emmy drew didn't turn out the way she wanted to draw them all the time either.
"Once upon a time," the teacher began, hearing her students squirm happily at the familiar words, "There lived a little town called Whingdig. Whingdig was a small town. It was very peaceful." She flicked the page, staring down at the new scene. It was a picture of a dark forest, with glowing eyes peeping out.
"But then one day dragons came," the teacher said, making her voice low. Emmy frowned, disturbed. Wasn't that a good thing?
"And overnight, stole the chickens and burned down some houses!" the teacher said, making her voice surprised.
"They wouldn't do that!" Emmy burst, looking very disturbed.
The teacher glanced at her, annoyed, but continued the story. "So one day, Sir Jeremy came out to the town." She continued on about him being too small and moral stuff, but Emmy wasn't listening, staring intently down at the furry carpet and its dark magenta color that began to hurt her eyes. Her small fingers were buried deep inside of it and she didn't look up, but simply listened to the words.
"And Sir Jeremy wasn't scared! No, not at all! He slew the dragon at once!" Small fingers suddenly gripped the carpet's shagging, intently twisting them.
It was as if time had stopped and everything was in slow motion. Her fingers were turning pale from gripping the carpet, but her reluctant eyes looked up, hesitant of the sight she was about to see.
A dragon…lying bloodily on the forest floor…Sir Jeremy, a grotesque figure of silver and riding atop a brown blob gripping the handle of the sword…that was plunged into the dragon's heart…red blood ran and mingled with its coppery scales…and the eyes were rolled back…back…back…
Emmy felt her eyes sting with tears. Who would want to draw such morbid pictures?
It was like Sir Jeremy had plunged a sword into her heart and twisted it, a sudden jerk somewhere inside of her chest. Empty eyes continued to stare at the picture. This was a picture of one of her friends…dead…
That's a different dragon… a voice in her head comforted.
"Sir Jeremy was a hero!" the teacher proclaimed, flipping the page. This picture showed a silver blob riding in front of a crowd that was carrying a red and copper blob. Her eyes could not see well any longer, things had begun to turn blurry and tears dropped down form her face. She carefully used her bangs to hide her eyes.
"Is there really such a thing as dragons?" a voice yelled out from the back.
"Voices, people, voices," the teacher warned, "And no, there are no such things as dragons." Emmy yanked a chunk of carpet out.
"Would dragons come and burn our houses down?" a smaller voice came from the back.
"Hands, please," the teacher said patiently, "And no, as I said, there are no such things as dragons. Now please take a seat and I need my paper passers to pass out a piece of paper…"
Emmy didn't blow her bangs away until the lunch bell rang, and even then her eyes were red rimmed. She waited until even the teacher stepped out of the room and then sprang forward, grabbing the picture book somberly yet hurriedly.
Small hands flipped through the pages frantically, and then paused abruptly- hovering over a dark colored page. She was up close to the picture where Sir Jeremy looked triumphant, holding the sword to the dragon's chest. The dragon was unmercifully lying on the cold, hard, forest floor…
Sir Jeremy looked evil, horrible, and ugly. His pride for killing such a beautiful dragon was repulsive to Emmy and she couldn't take it anymore. She ripped the page out and threw it in the trash can, quickly replacing the book and scampering back onto the playground.
…………………………………………………………………………
"Em-my! Do you want to play with the blocks?" Max pleaded. Emmy smiled gently and shook her head, taking a slow sip of her juice box.
"Look, Emmy! The dragons are calling us!" he cried, jumping up and accidentally knocking his blocks over. "Whoops!"
"Be more careful, Max," Emmy said, her voice losing the teasing, bouncy tone it had carried for so long.
"Oh-kay…" Max looked at her worriedly, and then shrugged. Rushing towards the drawer, he quickly opened the golden box to reveal the multi-colored dragon scale. Smiling, he held it out for Emmy to take a hold of one end.
"What are you doing?" Emmy asked.
Max stared at his sister as if she had grown two heads. "We're going to Dragon Land!"
"There's no such things as dragons," she said angrily, turning away.
"What do you call this, then?" Max yelled, holding the glowing scale to her face.
"I don't know, something you picked off the street?"
"What about Zak? Wheezie? Ord? Cassie?" Max argued.
"There're your imaginary friends," Emmy said stiffly and turned away.
"Fine! I'll go without you!" Max turned around, but then looked back at Emmy, who was intently drawing something on her paper.
"Emmy…?"
"Call me Emily," Emmy said softly.
"I wish, I wish…" Max swallowed, too young to fully realize what was happening but old enough to sense it, "With all my heart…"
"With all my heart," Emmy scoffed softly, but mournfully under her breath.
"To fly with dragons…." Emmy's shoulders tightened. "In a land apart…" The dragons flew off the wallpaper and Max realized something was wrong, seriously wrong. But before he could realize what it was, the dragons already surrounded him and transported him to Dragon Land.
Emmy didn't turn around.