Scott felt the bed behind him, his head barely moving as he glanced at Tober, sleeping soundly. The dragonâs eyes, twin sapphires in the darkness, tracked his movement, then fixated on his hand resting on the mattress. Tober shifted slightly. Scott withdrew his hand, his heart pounding. The dragonâs gaze returned to his face. *Donât draw attention to Tober.*
He looked toward the door, a risky escape route even though it remained ajar. His gaze shifted to the windows, hidden behind spaceship drapes â drapes heâd meticulously pulled closed each morning to ensure Tober slept in. The near drape billowed gently. *The breeze!* The window hadn't been open last night, this morning, or before he left for the restaurant. He'd checked the doors, but not the windows.
The dragon's gaze burned into him. How had it opened the window? Why Tober's? Scott froze, willing the dragon to leave. A cold dread seeped into his bones. The air, suddenly thick with anticipation, felt charged with the dragon's silent presence. He dared not make a sound, not a breath, for fear of breaking the fragile stillness and inciting the creature's wrath. The weight of the unseen danger pressed down on him, suffocating, as he waited, praying for a solution that seemed impossibly distant.
"Dad." Scott felt the bed shift slightly against the back of his lower legs. The dragon moved his head and eyes to Tober. Scott turned slowly around to his left to face Tober hoping the dragon stayed put.
"Dad, what's going on?"
"Shush, Tobe,r got back to sleep. It is late."
"I was dreaming about my dragon." Tober mumbled sleepily
"What dragon?"
"The one in my egg."
Scott was waiting, watching Tober's face in the shadowed room. Tober's eye opened wide and he sat up straight.
"My dragon from the egg."
Scott heard a bang from the dresser hitting the wall. he whipped around to his right to see the dresser wobbling and saw the blurred shaped of the dragon moving past the windows. Scott continued to the spin around to the right as he heard the creak and cushened thump of something heavy landing on the bed. As he came back around there it was, the black dragon wrapped around the body of Tober with it's back against the wall the it's long neck over Tober's back and it's head looking done into Tober's face.
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"Crappity, crap, crap," Scott muttered, his heart hammering against his ribs. The dragon had Tober.
Tober's voice, thin and reedy with excitement, cut through the air.
"Dad, look! My dragon! He's come for me!"
His small hand rested lightly on the dragon's massive head, his fingers tracing the intricate, obsidian-like scales. The dragon, perched on his shoulders, regarded him with unnervingly calm, intelligent eyes; eyes that seemed to hold the weight of centuries.
Scott noticed Tober's rapid, shallow breathing. His own pulse pounded a frantic rhythm in his ears, a counterpoint to the low, guttural rumble emanating from the dragon. He could feel the heat radiating from the creature, a tangible wave of power washing over him. Panic threatened to overwhelm him, but he forced himself to breathe slowly, deliberately, counting... four Mississippi's in, four Mississippi's out.
"Tober," he said, his voice low and steady, "keep calm, speak softly. Don't make any sudden movements. You don't want to frighten your⦠friend."
Tober, oblivious to the danger, continued in his high-pitched voice. "Sure, Dad. I don't want to scare her. You're a good dragon, yes you are. Want to sleep on my bed?"
The absurdity of the situation struck Scott with a jolt. Waiting had been a disastrous mistake. Now the dragon had Tober, and waiting was no longer an option. He had to get Tober away, but how? A distraction wouldn't work; this creature was clearly intelligent, far too intelligent for simple tricks. He needed a plan, and he needed it now. His gaze swept the room, searching for a solution, his mind racing, desperate to find a way to snatch Tober from the dragon's grasp without triggering a catastrophic reaction. The air crackled with unspoken threat, the silence punctuated only by Tober's innocent chatter and the dragon's ominous rumbling.
Tober was happily petting the dragon, which responded with a low, hissing purr. Its forked tongue flicked playfully across Tober's face. Scott crouched, tensing his muscles, focusing on Tober's legs. His plan: grab Tober's legs, pull him away from the dragon, turn, and run. He inhaled deeply, held his breath, and lunged.
His hands grasped Tober's legs, or so he thought. He had a fistful of blanket. The dragon, however, had shifted, its body straightening. Tober was now dangling from the dragon's front legs, held securely under his arms.
"Ahh!" Tober screamed, his eyes wide, looking back at the dragon's head, which had now moved above him. It stared intently at Scott.
Scott scrambled onto the bed, reaching for Tober again. With a whoosh of wings, Tober was lifted toward the ceiling, dangling from the dragon, which now hovered. Scott stood on the bed, arms outstretched, trying to stop the dragonâs escape.
"Dad, Dad! What are you doing? You're scaring my dragon!" Tober cried.
"Just hold still, Tober. You'll be okay," Scott reassured him.
Scott lunged again, grabbing at Tober's dangling legs. The dragon spun, its scaly wings brushing Scott's fingers. As the wings retracted, Tober and the dragon plummeted toward the bed. Scott braced himself, but the dragon, with Tober still clutched in its front legs, slid off the bed, its wings extending outward. Scott landed hard on the floor, scrambling to his feet, only to see them disappear through the window, parting the curtains as they went.