MARCH 2021 75-Word Story -- VICTORY TO VICTORIA SILVERWOLF!

[Wayne Mack]

The Tale of Icarus​

History is lore
And only partially true --
Truth often hidden.

Icarus broke free
From the labyrinth on Crete;
Opened wide its wings.

Up towards the sun,
The dragon flew to escape;
A secret revealed.

King’s archers took aim.
The beast still within their reach.
Flaming bolts struck home.

A dragon afire
Plummeted into the sea.
Life, death seen by all.

King Minos’ decreed,
Bards, say Icarus was man.
Deceit became truth.

New history born.

 

[chopper]

Rosalind Franklin's Fantastic Voyagers

The world shrank. Overcrowded. Legends pushed to the margins. And the margins too were surveyed, mythologies pinned to them like butterflies and dissected. No honour in this deterioration, this thinning of the beast. The last wyrms envied the humble flea its freedom…

A slow cascade of ideas, a melding of magic and modern science. And now they soar, unfettered, hot as blood. Still spliced to the human soul, a double helix of polynucleotides and dragons.

 

[paranoid marvin]

George and Dragon


"The dragon's smashed up pub my Lord
And's playing merry hell
It's supped all ale, it's snapped all cues
It's droppings smell as well"

Sir George was having none of that
He ran right round t'pub
And said t'wyrm "Now listen mate
You've got my back right up"

With slashing sword and flashing fangs
They fought from noon 'til nine
But in the end they called a truce
And now their name's on t'sign

 

[Peter V]

Nary an Iceberg in Sight...

“No dear, they used to put that on maps for areas that hadn’t been explored.” Rose tousled her grandson’s hair and returned to her book.

Jack sighed and closed the old atlas. Cruises were so boring!

❧
​

Later that morning, clinging to an overturned dinghy and bobbing gently amongst bits and pieces of smoking flotsam, Jack considered the huge rainbow-scaled monstrosity as it nosed amongst the remnants of the ship.

Maybe boring wasn’t so bad.

 

[Bren G]

A NEW WORLD ORDER

Hawking was right about aliens. Aggressive like us, but better weapons. Like Cortez’s Spaniards, the small lizard horde massed below, their armor glinting in the waning sunlight, preparing for the final charge. We, the last North Americans, steeled ourselves, and prepared to die.

A thunderclap broke through the heavens, followed by shouts from our ranks:

“Chengdu J-20s!”

“Oh, the mighty dragons!”

“The Chinese!”

Eyes raised, we watched triumphally as rockets rained hell upon our foe.

 

[Tywin]

Just Give me Three Steps...

“Boys, we don’t know what’s beyond that gate.
Our kind have never gotten past that bouncer.
Act cool.
Like you belong.”

Through the door, and now what?

Music, dancing… pretty girls from the right side of town.

I bought one a drink. She knew what I was. She wanted trouble. Had a dragon tattoo on her belly.

A presence loomed behind me. I turned and looked up (and up) as he growled, “That’s my girlfriend.”

 

[Artoriarius]

Here There Be Humans

The Cartographer gazed upon his new discoveries one last time. The local animals were surprisingly clever—the dominant creatures even used tools. The animals of Homeland weren’t nearly so fascinating.

He would be famous when he returned; they needed new colonies, and food was plentiful here. Perhaps they would name one of the new colonies after him.

The final notation on his map had dried, so he spread his wings and began the long flight home.

 

[BT Jones]

Grace Under Fire

Oh, for yore, when dragons ruled, and fire scorched the lands;
Those hazy, spectral, scarlet skies, the glass shards in the sand;

The ravaged kingdoms, blackened fields, and charred remains abound;
A purer, darker beauty in this world I have not found.

It trumps the devastation that mankind survived to cast;
Fiery waste aplenty, just devoid of grace and class.
And so, I yearn a second age of dragons comes to pass.

 

[luriantimetraveler]

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a sixteen year-old girl in possession of her wits must be in want of a dragon.

I know that isn't how it goes, but after Uncle took me to Wales (let everyone forget the teacup incident) I couldn't help myself. She was cute — iridescent, with a cat's chirp.

Now she's gotten out, somehow.

And the house on the corner is on fire.

I'm in so much trouble.

 

[Michael Bickford]

Here Be Dragons

Here be dragons.
We be they:
brilliant metaphors, on us

The world depends;
articulate avatars
or fuming fatalists;

Hording gold
or razing ruin; slaying
maidens or slain by saints;

You cannot live without
our might in mind
to keep you strong.

So, writers wright the wheels
of time; fill the rills with runes;
choose your similes of doom, but know

Grendel, draco, glistening Tiamat,
cyclops, centaur, menacing minotaur;
All are we. Here dragons be.

​

​

 

[Hugh]

Evensong​

Each night he dreamed of dragons riding the evening winds, wings iridescent in the sunset, spiralling higher, ever higher.

Each day they washed him and propped him up in bed.

Then one night, the dragon of all dragons called to him, a call menacing as thunder, yet soft and refreshing as the morning dew.

He felt his wings unfurl and his spirit start to soar.

By morning only his body remained to witness their tears.

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

A Salty Dog Story

Captain Blackeye's cabin door burst open.

"Dragons are here!" exclaimed a distraught crewman.

Blackeye sighed. "Tarquin, I've told thee before. If pirate be thy desire, then pirate must thou speak. Now, conjugate the verb 'to be'."

Tarquin frowned. "I be. Thou be. He, she, it be. We be. Ye be. They be."

"Good. Now, remembering the subject comes last, what's this about?"

"Here be dragons!"

"What? Why didn't you say?" Blackeye shouted, drawing his cutlass.

 

[Laura R Hepworth]

Does No One Read Signs?

The first sign had read: WARNING – Drag'n lives here
The second sign had read: Turn back now!
There were other signs too on that twisty road through the forest, all with similar warnings.
Still, knight after knight took the same path that lead to a disappointing end.
As the irascible, old mage arranged the newest statue in her growing collection, she sighed.
Why on earth did her parent's have to name her Katt Drag'n?

 

[Lawrence Twiddy]

Dragneer Honey

Thorne’s next footstep in the misty valley of Dragneer sunk submerging her boots.

“Wait!”

Rusty observes Thorne put her hand into the soft new composition she has found herself in. “Its just a quagmire” he says.

“Oh no!” Thorne gulps, her hand covered in a silky amber resin.

“What?”

“Shhhh! Listen!”

“For what?

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

“Hear?”

“No.”

A soft increasing buzz - a LOUD vibrating buzz engulfs them echoing through the craggy rock valley.

“Hear!?? …BEE DRAGONS!”

 

[Daysman]

hic sunt dracones

Passing almost without sound, nighttime ambulances animate the front hall and stairwell with bright blue shards.

My brother pullls me from my bed to glimpse their neon wake, always too late.

Except one time…

They gathered in the street, emergency vehicles of all kinds, while officers dragged away our neighbour's son in cuffs.

My brother hardly noticed the arrest.

He wandered the house, tracing the fall and reach of flickering patterns, repeating something in Latin.

 

[BigJ]

Sure it's cute now, but it gets bigger!

Lounging in the warmth as infants are wont to do, soft light flickering on emerald scales, one eye remained fixed on the enormous intruder in the distance.

As the impossibly tall monster drew nearer, the child reared onto his hind legs, spread his wings, and with all the ancient pride that was his birthright he roared blue flame.

Wide eyes peered back through the glass.

“Mommy, mommy, over here! This is the one I want!”

 

[Parson]

The Last Dragon​

Nogard surveyed the damage. The castle was a smoldering ruin. It’s occupants, dead. Revenge was his. But it was worthless! Nina, his life-mate was dead. The irreplaceable egg destroyed.

Nogard soared toward the heavens, heart breaking. He would be the last dragon.

His heartfelt prayer bubbled. “Forgive me Father. Revenge is never the answer.”

Dragon hate transformed into love, even for his enemy.

God smiled: “Come home my son.” The last dragon flew to Glory.

 

[reiver33]

Emergence


We stood in a semi-circle around the cave exit; twelve figures in powered armour, pulse rifles at the ready. I scanned the area, then opened a comms channel.

“The perimeter is secure. Tell our client he’s good to go.”

I heard claws on loose shale, a long drawn-out hiss. “Long have I slept, while the world changed.”

The dragon stretched his wings. Combat drones fell into formation around him.

“Now, time to have some fun.”

 

[Starbeast]

A Better Life​

Feeling unsatisfied with my dreary life, I desired to journey into the future.

I activated my time machine.

#

As I raced through centuries, I witnessed mankind in a seemingly endless cycle of world wars.

Sadness engulfed me.

#

After millions of years, I found a natural paradise. Disembarking, I beheld an astonishing sight, dragons. Dragons of all colors, shapes and sizes filled the land and sky. Tears dripped down my scaled face. I was home.

 

[johnnyjet]

A Long Day's Journey Into Night, With Dragon's Egg

The Knight Goodman noticed dust on the horizon.

"My Lady, I fear we have company."

The red-haired beauty climbed next to the wagon driver. "Prepare your men. We must protect the dragon's egg."

"Yes, my Lady."

Under his breath he cursed. "Endangered species!"

The scoundrels were two dozen strong, easily overpowering them. They took all the bounty they could carry. That night they celebrated with a tasty omelet, enough to fill all their stomachs.