Native to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Sara Dziubek is a senior that is majoring in computer science as well as minoring in psychology. The main reason for her joining John Pennington’s class on fairy tales is so that she can have an excuse for reading some interesting books. Besides reading, Sara also likes to play video games during her free time. In terms of her own fairy tale, Sara’s source of inspiration was a manga series titled “Fairy Tail.” Using the idea of dragons for her story, Miss Dziubek decided to create a story in which a human’s life is changed when she meets a dragon in a forest. After the dragon asked for a favor, the human must choose whether she should help the scary beast or not. - Alex Schadrie
One mid-summer day, a middle-aged woman stepped outside of the gates of her hometown, into the surrounding forest beyond. The town, though relatively poor, had a beautiful library and cheerful citizens. The forest surrounding the city was lush, and full of life, but still peaceful and provided adequate shade for the woman. With a new book in hand, and a pleasant smile on her face, the woman walked into the woods to find a nice tree to sit under.
After a few hours of uninterrupted reading, the woman decided to take a break for lunch. Pulling an apple out of her pocket, she looked up to the blue sky. Several minutes passed before suddenly a huge beast swept by overhead. Startled, the woman watched as the large creature fell to the forest floor in the distance before her. Worried, and curious about what the animal could be, she got up and started to walk in the direction the beast had fallen. After a while had passed, she came across broken trees and a large scaly lump on the ground.
The creature had a long tail, with scales all up and down its body. Cautiously approaching, the woman noticed the long talons and sharp teeth of what could only be a dragon. Bright red in color, the dragon lay still and watched the woman watch him. After determining that the woman before him posed no threat, he cleared his throat.
“Dear woman, my name is Lithstone. I am a Great Dragon, but before you I find that I must bow my head. You see, I have injured my wing, and I cannot fly until it is healed. I would not like to stay out in the open, but I am unfamiliar with these woods. Do you by chance know of a place where I may reside until I recover?”
Now, the woman stood still as she pondered the dragons request. She was very familiar with the forest surrounding her city, but she knew that many others also knew the forest. For a poor city, the hide of a Great Dragon would be worth enough gold to feed everyone for at least a year. However, this Dragon showed no intention of harming her, and so she would not bring any harm to the dragon.
“Dragon, I happen to know these woods fairly well, for I have lived my entire life in the nearby village. I know of a cave that is rarely ventured where you could stay while you heal. Are you able to walk?”
The Dragon nodded his massive head and got to his feet. After making sure that he was indeed able to walk, the woman began to walk deeper into the forest. They trekked for hours, until the sun resided low in the sky before they came to the base of a mountain. Here the woman turned and started walking along the side of the mountain until she reached a curtain of ivy.
“Past this curtain, you will find the cave where you can stay. It’s not much, but it will keep you dry and out of the wind.”
The Dragon thanked the woman, and crept inside the cave to settle down. Once he was comfortable, the Dragon spoke to the woman again. “Come find me here in three days, and I will have a surprise for you.”
The woman agreed and went back to the village. For three days, she spent her time working, reading, and wondering. The Dragon was a mysterious creature. What could it possibly have for her? While her curiosity ran rampant, she also worried greatly. Would the Dragon really be okay? No one would stumble upon him, hopefully. Finally, the time came to go back to the Dragon.
As she walked through the woods, the woman hummed quietly to herself. Upon reaching the cave, she called out so that the Dragon would know she was there. Upon hearing her call, the Dragon stuck his head out of the cave to greet her.
“Hello, young woman. I see you have returned as we agreed. Did you bring anyone with you?”
“No”, the woman replied for she had indeed come alone.
The dragon slowly emerged from the cave, and held out a scale to the woman. Upon closer inspection, the woman realized that the scale was actually one of the Dragon’s scales.
“I am giving you one of my scales in repayment for the kindness you have shown me. If ever you are in need, call upon me with that scale and I will come to you.”
The woman thanked the Dragon, and returned to the village. She lived out the rest of her days in peace and happiness, for she found not only a protector in the Dragon, but also a friend.