by Noah Harris
Guy’s grandpa? Barry thought, They have the same smile!
The photos moved away from the tropical island to various places. Luscious vineyards, old chapels and farmhouses, several airports. All of them featured the same young man, occasionally posing and giving that familiar impish grin. There was no context for this man but from what Barry could gather he seemed to be a bit of a charmer. All the people in the pictures with him seemed thrilled to have him around.
The photos of him began to become more sparse. It looked like he bought a house somewhere in the newly developed suburbs. There were pictures taken from every angle of it until even Barry had an idea of the blueprints, and then the pictures just stopped. The rest were all blank pages.
Huh. Maybe it’s not his grandpa, Barry thought. You’d think this would be filled with getting married and all that.
He grabbed another and began to look through it. This was another one that didn’t seem to have Guy in it, or even the man from the previous book. It seemed even older than the last one and the photos were even more frail! There weren’t nearly as many photos in this one, but the ones that existed were very poised, elegant yet still bearing that familiar grin.
Guy continued to snore on the couch across from him while Barry carried a cluster of photo albums to the loveseat and browsed through them all. Each book seemed like a new story altogether with a new main character and a new adventure. Every scrapbook varied greatly from one another. There was a jazz musician in an old swing bar with nothing but a clarinet and an old steamer trunk, the pilot of an old biplane, a man with a hairy chest lying on the thick shag carpet, a woman with several children…It seemed to go on and on. There were no notes or any indication of who each of the people were; Barry could only vaguely guess.
None of these people were ever in any pictures with the other people, from the other books. If they were family, they must have been incredibly distant. It wasn’t like they were total loners. They were almost always surrounded by other people. It was just a collection of different peoples’ lives, all placed carefully into books.
Weird. There’s no pictures of them ever aging, Barry thought. They’re all mostly young. Did they all die young or something?
A chill pulsed through Barry’s mind as a sudden thought came to him, though he couldn’t really tell which part made him the most uneasy. The unsettling thought that he was flipping through the unfinished lives of several unknown people made him squirm uncomfortably against the leather seat. But his own mind, it seemed, was set against him as it punctuated his own dreary thoughts cryptically.
His stomach squirmed at the thought as he looked over his shoulder to the mountain made up of the rest of the scrapbooks. If they were all like this he seemed to have an entire village of short, unmentioned lives held tightly in paper.
Is he…A serial killer? he thought with a lump in his throat.
He looked over at Guy who snorted in his sleep. While everything he heard about serial killers was that they were people who were charismatic, he found it hard to believe the goof lying on the couch could actually kill anyone.
Barry turned away from Guy and continued to sort through the last of the scrapbooks. The next one one featured another young man. From the look of his thick mustache and the abundance of denim it was probably the nineteen-seventies. Apparently he lived somewhere near a lake surrounded by plenty of trees and mountains and he seemed to be quite the outdoorsy type. Aside from all the pictures of him and his buddies around the lake, fishing, drinking and randomly jumping into the water, it was when the pictures started featuring planes that it started to really pique Barry’s interest. The pictures were taken with genuine care and precision. The detail was such that Barry could almost decipher the knobs and dials on the old plane.
The scene then seemed to change. No longer was it, presumably, in the Pacific Northwest, now the landscape was suddenly filled with rolling green mountains and clear lakes. There were lots of pictures of old stone walls that overlooked vast bodies of clear water. A mysterious air seemed to emanate from pictures of old castle walls. It looked to be a building lost to the hands of time. It was no longer in one piece and it seemed to be forgotten by the rest of the world.
Barry’s fingers traced over a picture that caught his attention. In the spiraling maze of cold gray stone was a mural of sorts, blazing in the sunset. A Celtic-style dragon made of melted, forged gold was fused with the stone wall. The strands of gold were framed on each side with carefully carved wood. The dragon’s silver eyes seemed to stare down intimidatingly at the camera.
This is like the mural in—, Barry thought.
“Xanathen’s cave?” Guy finished.
Barry slammed the scrapbook shut as Guy slouched up to him lazily. Tufts of brown hair flopping past his face as he turned to face Barry. Barry’s blue eyes widened as his heart raced. It was the only part of him that did any moving while he stood silently and motionless under Guy’s intense gaze. The hair moved out of Guy’s eyes and revealed a stoic expression. There was no levity in his inflection.
“Dragon Mark. Those have different names in different cultures,” Guy said. “The one there is commonly called a Dragon Feast. Old Celtic place of dragon worship, home of the dragons. That is, of course, if you believe in dragons. Which you do.”
“What? That’s crazy.” Barry stammered.
“On that island, there was a mural carved into the walls. Made out of jewels.” Guy said. “That’s the Dragon Mark of his clan. A bit garish, but hey, nothing wrong with that.”
Barry couldn’t move. Though his body was capable he felt unwilling and unsure of just what to say or do. Guy’s expression softened to a sweet smile. Barry felt his world crashing down around him, leaving only he and Guy in a quiet staredown. What could be said? There seemed like there was nothing he could possibly say. Guy talked about this with such knowledge, like he had been there himself or known Xanathen personally.
He…Can’t be human, Barry thought.
“You’re getting warmer.” Guy teased as he ran his hand through his hair.
Barry froze in place. He clutched onto whatever was nearby as Guy reclined on the couch giving him a playful smile.
“I’m not a fan of this playing around bullshit.” Barry said. “Either say something or don’t.”
“You were so close! Come on, I know you’ve got it.”
“This is freaking me out, Guy.”
Guy’s lips pursed as he sank deep in thought. He still remained content on the couch until finally pulling himself up and stumbling out onto the patio. He leaned against the railing as he watched Barry.
“Oh come on, I’m having fun.”
“Fuck off with that shit. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove but…”
“No, no, you’re right. I shouldn’t tease. It’s just been a lot of fun. You’ve got a super active imagination, by the way,” Guy gave a coy wink. “Tell you what. Go ahead, go downstairs, meet me at the parking lot. I’ll catch up.”
“What? Why?”
“Just trust me.”
Barry’s eyes darkened as he continued to look over at Guy. His expression was sincere and sweet as the wind blew his hair playfully. Barry’s heart continued to pound frantically. He didn’t believe it and he didn’t want to believe it. It was all just some ruse. He was off the island now and aside from having a dragon for a boyfriend he wasn’t going to believe the strangeness extended to the rest of the world.
There was something compelling to Guy’s gentle request. He wasn’t sure what to expect, and there was an angry force building in Barry that felt like just going home. But his curiosity tugged at him and drove him to act on this one request. He said nothing as he quickly gathered his belongings and headed out the door. Guy still stood on the patio staring back expectantly.
The sky was a calming vermillion with delicate pink clouds that drifted by, as Barry walked into the parking lot. He looked up at the sky cradling the tops of the buildings and punctured by the
enormous apartment complex. The streets were still a gentle stream of constant footsteps and conversation.
Barry sighed as he waited, letting his mind wander as he thought. Perhaps he had jumped to a conclusion? There could have been several reasons behind all of this. He wanted to believe that so badly. If only he could be wrong and was just overreacting to some silly misunderstanding things could all remain as they were.
Look up, Guy’s voice echoed in his head.
Barry tilted his head up again. His eyes focused on the red sky. There was a blurry figure with waving arms looking down at the world. Barry gasped and let out a scream and pointed to the man letting the crowd around him see.
The crowd turned into a frenzy of dismay, many calling for the police and others trying to shout him down on their own. All eyes were on him. Barry ran closer to the building in a panic.
Guy’s arms extended from him in a straight line as he leaned forward and let gravity claim him. The screams grew louder in horror as Guy plummeted faster to the ground, silhouetted against the glaring red sky. Barry’s heart sank to the bottom of his body in a frenzied state of fear and regret. He wanted to close his eyes and even tried to turn his head away but he could only stare as Guy tumbled from the roof and fell towards the ground.
Guy remained poised as he descended from the roof with his arms out. He didn’t shout or scream as he gracefully dove towards the cement below. The wind wailed past him as he fell faster.
There was a tremendous shaking of the Earth as Guy made impact with the ground. People cried and screamed as they rushed up to investigate. Barry ran to where the body would be and stopped as he looked. An enormous crater was smashed into the pavement like a meteorite had struck it. It stopped traffic and sent people into a state of hysterics.
Down below in the center lay Guy; his body untouched by the impact. Guy twitched and slowly rose up against the sinking sun to a chorus of disbelief. He brushed off the rubble and dust from his clothes and climbed out of the hole. People around him began to grab at him and shriek while demanding to know why he did that, how he did that, what on earth had happened.
He paid no attention to any of them. Each step was smoothly delivered toward the nearby pavement where Barry stood. Guy smiled pleasantly as he passed by the crowd. The eyes of those he passed widened as he went by and their open, shouting maws would hang low for a brief moment. The disarray became quieter as he calmly made his way past everyone, person by person, as they all stood by vacantly.
Guy’s boots, now scuffed, stopped a few feet in front of Barry as he turned his head back to the seemingly endless crowd of people, all staring emptily at nothing until at last their focus went on the hole left in the ground.
“What the hell? How did this get here?”
“What happened?”
“These potholes are getting ridiculous and these damn politicians are doing nothing about it, I tell ya!”
Guy slowly turned back to Barry as the crowd had completely forgotten that Guy had even existed, let alone had just jumped from the roof and walked away unscathed. He was just another face in the crowd to them. A nobody. Barry, however, didn’t forget. He breathed heavily in shock as Guy stood expectantly.
“You’re a dragon.” Barry said softly, coming to terms with it.
Guy only shrugged and smiled as casually as ever.
Chapter Eight
Coffee splashed and rippled in the mug clenched in Barry’s hands as he stared with a vacant gaze at nothing in particular. His hands continued to shake while the rest of his body seemed motionless. He sat on the couch with wide blue eyes focusing in on nothing.
Guy strode around him and draped a warm blanket around Barry’s shoulders. He popped something into the DVD player and let the movie play, though neither paid much attention to it. The sound of the movie droned on in the background.
Barry’s eyes looked at the screen. It gave him a momentary distraction from the chaotic state of his mind. It was some old cult classic he remembered being well-known for how bad it was. It was the sort of movie that seemed like no one knew what they were doing and every decision was intentionally the wrong one. Its reputation was of a film that existed at the very threshold of pure incompetence. No one in the cast had any idea of what they were doing and from what Barry had heard, there was nothing but conflict on the set. The actors either seemed incredibly uninterested in the project or incredibly aware of just what they were in. Boom mics frequently dropped into shots and yet the sound quality was so bad the movie had to be watched with subtitles just to understand what the cast were saying.
He had seen it once in high school. A friend insisted it was so bad Barry had to see it. He never really understood that idea; if it was that bad, why would anyone want to see it? This time he didn’t find it funny, just grating.
He wasn’t going to complain with the movie on though. With his body trembling the way it was he was alright with anything to take his mind off it all.
Guy looked comfortingly at Barry. His silvery eyes glanced over at him to make sure he was alright.
“I made this, y’know.” Guy said.
Barry remained silent as he continued to watch.
“I know, it’s pretty bad.” Guy chuckled. “I don’t remember making this at all so I don’t know what the hell my motivation was. I don’t even remember what happened on the set. It’s all one big black-out. All I know is the nineties were a very weird time for me. I still get royalties for this clunker, though.” Guy’s remark raised even more questions that Barry hadn’t thought of before and they only seemed to multiply with time. Guy winced, holding out one hand and holding his head with the other.
“Okay, ow, one question at a time.”
Barry bit his bottom lip while he watched Guy. Though Barry said nothing, Guy recoiled in pain like a thousand needles were fired in his direction. Barry raised an eyebrow curiously as he asked, “Can you read my mind?”
“Yup.” Guy said. His eyes, though narrow and hooded, were sincere.
“Do you always read it? Or does it just come at you and you hear everything around you? Can all dragons read minds? Do—”
“Alright. Nevermind.” Guy shook his head. “I’ll just do my best to explain, alright? Questions after.”
Barry softly nodded as he grasped the blanket around his shoulders and clutched it tightly to him. Guy slid off the armrest and began to pace. He ran a hand through his wavy hair to pull it out of his face, but to no avail. It only fell back into place.
“So…I’ll start at the beginning.” Guy started. “I’m a dragon.”
Why is he so nonchalant about this? Barry thought.
“I’m a dragon, I’m three thousand years old, a Sagittarius, and I love long walks on the beach.” Guy said with a laugh.
Barry frowned at Guy who tilted his head with an almost apologetic smile as he continued.
“I know you already know a little about dragons. At least, that they exist.”
Barry began to cover his mouth in shock and before he could say more Guy quickly interrupted.
“My clan hails from what you all call Ireland. Not my favorite name for it, but hey. But…Let’s see…Ah, yes. I can read minds. That’s a talent my clan takes great pride in. We may not be the largest or strongest of dragons, but you’d be surprised at how far reading a thought will take you if you’re creative enough. Can’t always read minds, though. I personally can’t do it with a migraine. Nope. Won’t work. I can also only do it for a few hours a day. If I were an elder, whoa, those cats are always on. Like, seriously, they barely talk with their mouths. They’re always doing the whole telepathy thing. So to answer your question: no. Haven’t always read your mind. Peeked here and there, but I don’t know your social security number or anything.”
Guy stopped his pacing as he grew more focused on the topic at hand.
The world felt like it had grown twice as big to Barry. He knew he shouldn’t doubt there were more dragons than just Xanathen. Knowing just the one
should have been enough to clue Barry in on how expansive the hidden world of magic was. He accepted the truth, that the world was more wonderful and stranger than he ever thought. Barry’s life was shifting around him and the best he could do was embrace it.
“I do know about Xanathen being a dragon. But, don’t feel too freaked out. I had assumed as much from his videos.” Guy said. “To you humans, it looks like a trick. That’s pretty good. He can be out in the open and still be a secret. But, to another dragon? He may as well just take his full form. Everything about him is outrageously obvious. His human shape might fool us, hell, if he used his magic more quietly I don’t think I would’ve noticed. But he may as well be shouting it from the rooftops. I can’t say I’ve seen another dragon in quite some time, especially from another clan. I was curious and had to see him for myself and of course one thing lead to another and I met you.”
“Why?” Barry asked.
“Why what?” Guy tilted his head. “Why I peeked or why I didn’t give you a total mental shakedown? To answer that, I need to answer something else first.”