A Miraculous Encounter

I stared into the black, starless night with an expression of loneliness and desire. "I guess there's nobody to blame but myself," I sighed. I'm not your average human, easily pleased by bread and circuses, along with the occasional—often superficial—relationship that stems from thoughts of intimacy. I want something different. I want to be overcome with passion—passion that isn't tainted by distrust, jealousy, or arguments: the steep price of romantic encounters. "I guess I have no choice but to marry a god!" I said while laughing at the thought. Once my laughter subsided, I relapsed into my typical, wistful self.

Another option would be to live a spiritual life, like that of a priest or nun, but I find this notion equally ridiculous. Again, where would the passion be? How could I vehemently live for someone I can't see, hear, or touch? Indeed, both the atheists and theists claim to have irrefutable proof to bolster their beliefs, but all it amounts to is a slew of "what if's" that result in an endless debate and uncertainty. Perhaps there's another factor, yet to be discovered, that flawlessly explains the origin of the universe…hopefully one day I'll know for sure, but I'm not counting on it.

Anyways, I find truth in what I experience—even if it isn't what I want it to be. Don't be fooled, I'm not depressed. I'm alive, and I'm…

I'm OK…

My thoughts evaporated as I saw a gigantic silhouette race across the moon, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. "What the Hell?" I said under my breath. Doubtfully, I squinted my eyes as they scanned the black sky for the mysterious shadow. A few seconds passed, and I couldn't see anything. A moment later, from the corner of my eye, I could sense the same shape flying in front of the moon: larger than the time before. Once again, my eyes darted from point to point along the sky.

After several minutes of aimless searching, I gave up. "There's no way my eyes deceived me twice," I insisted, "I know what I saw…and what I saw was a dragon."

Or, rather, I think I know what I saw. Just look at the thousands upon thousands of UFO sightings and alleged ghostly encounters. After a single occurrence, seemingly normal people live in constant fear of the unknown.

Not me, though. What I saw may be real to me, but I won't let it scare me like those fools. After all, illusions can do no harm… Still, my body was shaking, be it from fear or excitement.

I started to walk away, when I glanced at the sky once more. Everything seemed normal, save for two tiny yellow stars in the distance. The stars were getting bigger and bigger, somehow falling out of the sky in perfect synchronization! Suddenly, my perception of the stars shifted into a pair of eyes that were rapidly approaching. I ran as quickly as I could—a lake to my left, a rocky plateau to my right, no way to escape my lightning-fast predator—and tripped as the ground violently trembled beneath my feet. Laying on my stomach, I turned to witness the yellow-eyed beast that crashed into the earth behind me.

As little light as there was, I could clearly make out its features. The colossal dragon had black and scaly skin, dimly glowing in the moonlight. Its wings were magnificent: easily spanning 20 feet, while his tail was half that length. His eyes, resembling a cat's, were fixed on mine; their eminent yellow hue, further emphasized up-close, was paralyzing.

While his hasty actions startled me (I was still looking at him between a lattice of crossed fingers), his face showed no signs of hostility. The once frightening eyes became a bastion of curiosity as he took a closer look at me. Slowly, I picked myself up, and hesitantly extended my hand towards the dragon.

Though at first he was surprised, he seemed to recognize the gesture: he moved his head under my hand. When we touched, I felt a pleasant shiver; it's hard to explain, but I immediately felt a connection with the dragon. All feelings of distress and distrust dissipated, admiration and amazement taking their place.

"Sorry for running away…to be honest, I thought you wanted to kill me," I said to the dragon. Our eyes locked once more, and somehow, I knew he understood.

"Where did you come from?" I asked. Once more, through our miraculous, nonverbal communication—characterized by a sudden, internal feeling that I had known the answer all along—he told me. He said that dragons and humans had a longstanding rivalry. For a time, they were united, but as humans harnessed great power through technology, and their avarice for dominance festered, dragons were forced to escape to the cosmos (by means humans have yet to understand).

I was entranced by his explanation; I empathized with his kind, and wanted to know everything. It was this moment that I noticed his remarkable beauty. His breathtaking eyes; his wide, toothless smile and adorable ears…We just met, but I loved him entirely, inside and out.

With that, I frowned; none of my thoughts were hidden from the omniscient dragon. "Look…I'm sorry. You know how I feel about you, but more than anything, I just want to be your friend," I told him, my eyes glued to the ground. He initially stood in silence, but eventually I saw his shadow approaching. Less than a foot apart, I looked up, when he swiftly enveloped me in his wings and kissed me on the lips. The rapturous shiver returned, lasting longer this time, as we weaved our hands and claws together like black and white piano keys. Together, united as a harmonious duo, everything is perfect...even in this wildly flawed universe.

When our lips separated, he grinned and coaxed me onto his back. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and we flew high into the sky. Everything that happened today…even if nobody believes me…even if it's a result of a psychotic mind, randomly constructing these unbelievably convincing illusions, I'm glad it happened. Some may attribute it to imagination, but our concept of "truth" changes with time. Perhaps this "imagination" brought us conspiracy theories and the Loch Ness Monster, but it also brought us the placebo effect and the hope for an afterlife. While I'll always challenge what's considered to be "truth", I'm not going to be cynical. Otherwise, I'll miss the many joys and sorrows life has to offer!

"Alright Toothless, full speed ahead!" I shouted. When I spoke these words, he slowed down and glanced back at me, completely bewildered. "What, don't you like that name? I just thought it kind of fit, you know?" I could have sworn I saw a tear or two escape his eyes, but a smile contradicted them.

"I guess he likes it after all," I shrugged. Meanwhile, Toothless returned to his usual pace.