It was late and dark, but to Basil, nothing mattered but the screen on his laptop. He sat in his bedroom, hitting the refresh button with one hand, his other closed in a tight fist.
He was living his life like he was stranded on an iceberg. Oblivious, to the world around him not knowing anything about magic. Unknown to him magic users who lived in the same world as him. Oblivious to the world around him, knowing nothing about magic. He didn't realize he lived in a world where there were magic users. He didn't even know what that meant.
"Damn it!" His laptop jumped as he slammed his fists on the desk. Rejected by Fanshawe College, his first choice. He rose from his chair and slammed his door shut.
He stomped down the stairs and his mother entered the hallway. He grabbed his navy blue coat off the coat rack.
His mother asked, "Basil, are you alright?" Her blue eyes were full of worry and her lips pursed. Her dress was a pale yellow sundress with printed daffodils. Over the dress was a back brace she wore to reduce the pain in her lower back, caused by her spinal osteoarthritis. She took a step towards him, her arm outstretched.
Basil pushed past her and snapped, "I'm fine! I'm going for a bike ride."
He left and entered the garage and grabbed his bicycle. He pressed the button on the wall and the garage door opened. Hop onto his bike and rode his bike on the road, heading north. He was pedalling quickly, passing all of the houses that were in his neighbourhood. Left the cul de sac and entered the Blackwood Forest Conservation. He needed to clear his mind and this was his go-to spot. It was a starry night, and the cold wind was blowing through his cinnamon brown coloured hair. It felt good to burn off his energy and feel the cool breeze. Rode through the forest's rough terrain. He started to descend slightly, smelling the pine in the air.
He could hear running water, Coming from the creek up ahead on his left. He smiled, thinking of the times he would go to the creek to go fishing with his father.
The sound of a sharp crackle startled him. He stopped his bike in its tracks. Looked around, and squinted his eyes trying to see what was inside of the dark forest. He couldn't see anything. It was probably a deer that had stepped on a branch. Shaking his head, he started biking again. Then he heard a screeched and he squeezed on his brakes. He looked up at the leafless American beech tree. A grotesque face stared at him with red, hate-filled eyes.
I can't believe my eyes, how can that monster be real? He thought. Suck in a breath, it felt like his rib cage might cave in. The gargoyle was twice his size, its bat-like wings curled in. Its body was shadow grey and the skin was tough like a rhinoceros. Perched up high in a nearby tree, gripping on the thick branch with its razor-sharp claws. Its long devil's tail was swinging swiftly. It growled, baring long yellow fangs that appeared sharp enough to cut through diamonds. Fear, he felt his body trembling and his heart beating fast.
He yanked the bike around and pedalled as fast as he could because his life depended on it. He hear the gargoyle hissing and its wings flapping as it lunged out of the tree chasing after him. His hands were clammy as he was gripping onto the handlebars.
Sweat ran down Basil's forehead as he swerved in between the trees, trying to confuse the creature. It didn't work, the gargoyle caught up to him, and its claw slashed the rear tire. Basil lost control of the steering, veering off the trail down a steep hill. The ride was bumpy and the front tire hit a rock, catapulting Basil over the handlebars.
He face-planted on the ground, taking in a mouthful of dirt. Spit out the dirt from his mouth. His right knee hit a big sharp rock. His hand clasped over his knee and he could feel wetness. Grimacing he looked at his hand, and his pants were covered in blood, a large gash on his knee. Tears streamed down his dirt-covered face, his eyes winced in pain as he tried to move his leg. There was a loud whoosh noise behind. He spun around and stared into the gargoyle's red eyes. Basil stood up; his muscles ached from exhaustion. The gargoyle was ten feet away from him. Basil stood his ground, trying to stop his leg from shaking.
He screamed, "Stay away from me!"
Basil picked up a small rock and hurled it at the gargoyle's forehead. The gargoyle hardly flinched and it screeched so loudly Basil's eardrums hurt. It crept closer and growled viciously. His breath was shallow, and he walked backwards and tripped. He knew was lying on a deathbed, he didn't have any way to protect himself. Each breath he took could be his last. The gargoyle's purple tongue licked its thin lips.
Thud. A dragon landed on the ground carrying a rider on its back. The rider was wearing a white porcelain mask resembling a woman's face. Basil couldn't tell if the hooded figure was a man or a woman under the shapeless black cloak it wore. His only hope was that the dragon would save his life.
The gargoyle shifted its focus from Basil to the dragon. It backs away from the dragon cowering and trembling at the sight of it. The dragon had a scaly pattern and its scales looked rough to the touch, its wings were ruby red. It had sharp claws and fangs. Its black eyes stared at the gargoyle. The dragon gave an earth-shattering roar, so loud it scattered the flock of birds in the trees. Its nostrils flared up and it blew faint grey smoke.
It was like he was in a fairy-tale and he was playing the role of a damsel in distress. The dragon took in a deep breath sucking in its golden-coloured underbelly. Its mouth gaped and blew fire at the gargoyle, setting it ablaze. The gargoyle let out a long scream as its body was engulfed in flames. The stench of the flesh being burned caught in Basil's throat. Its eyes were scorched and the blood sputtered onto the grass. The horns on its head melted faster than ice being blown torched by a flamethrower. Its limbs plummeted to the ground. Basil could no longer hear its screams because it was dead. After ten minutes, the gargoyle's corpse became a pile of black ash with smoke steaming out of it.
Emerging out of shock, Basil gulped a lungful of acrid ash. He coughed and spit out the ash.
He turned around and looked at the rider. He smiled and yelled, "Wh-Who are you? Thank you for saving my life-"
Basil never got the chance to finish his sentence.
The dragon's powerful hind legs thrust its body upwards. And its huge wings flapped quickly and the dragon leaped into the sky. Soared swiftly into the sky amongst the thick black clouds. It disappeared from Basil's sight. Basil's mind raced chaotically, why have that thing try to kill him? Why did the dragon save him? It wasn't like he was important.
Basil gingerly leaned toward the heap of ash and poked it with a stick. The gargoyle was so burnt, that
there weren't even bones. He glanced up at the hill, at the shredded tire, and sighed. It was going to be a long walk home.
When he got home, he left his bicycle in the garage. He limped into the living room. His mother was on the couch, knitting a blanket. She was knitting a blanket for a non-profit charity that donated blankets to the homeless.
She looked at him and dropped her knitting needles. She leaped up from the couch and gasped, "Basil! What happened to you?" Her lips were trembling
Basil sighed. There was no point in trying to explain to her that a monster had just tried to murder him. She would think he was high on mushrooms. He should've taken a video of it with his cellphone. Then she maybe would believe him.
Basil explained, "I fell off my bike. "
She pointed to the couch. "Go sit on the couch, and I'll bandage your knee."
His mom walked to the washroom, stepping gingerly, from her back pain. Basil slumped into the sofa's chair and pressed down on the lever for it to recline. He let out a deep breath. Never had he been so relieved to be at home. Normally, all he could think about was moving somewhere that was far away from his parents. His fingers ran through his hair and twigs fell out of his ruffled hair. He rolled up his high-rise grey pants to his knee. Inspected his lacerated knee, it looked awful. He rubbed his face, never had he been so scared in his life. His mom came back with the first aid kit and a wet cloth. She cleaned the wound with a wet cloth. She bandaged up his knee.
Basil rolled down his pant leg. "Thanks, mom."
She scowled at him. "You need to be more careful riding your bike."
He nodded, and he went upstairs to the washroom. He washed his oval-shaped face and scrubbed off all the dirt. Afterwards, he shaved the rough stubble of his face. His beard was patchy and he thought he looked better with a clean-shaven look. He left the washroom and went to his bedroom. His clothes were dirty, he took them off and threw them in the hamper. He changed into his pyjamas and went to bed. Laying in the dark, he replayed tonight's events inside his head. All he could think about was the dragon and the gargoyle. Who was the masked dragon-rider? He never got a chance to thank that person for saving his life. He let out a deep sigh and draped his blankets over himself. Who knows, maybe he accidentally had some mushrooms and it was a hallucination.