“Where was she?” Chace’s voice startled me.
I pointed. He nodded and wiped his hair out of his eyes. “She’s been going higher in the hayloft, but I didn’t think she’d come down here.”
“She flew.” I marveled.
“She’s a dragon,” Cherise said, coming up beside me.
“That’s what they do.” Will wiped his hands on his shorts.
Mr. Behr just stared.
Steria sat basking in the attention. Without any warning, she bounded off; with a leap she was in the air and there was a fly trapped in her jaws. Her path swerved and another flying insect met its demise.
“Well,” Mr. Behr broke the stunned silence. “Our baby is now a toddler. We’re going to have our hands full.”
Chapter 7: A Secret Discovered
School was winding down, with our eighth grade recognition and field trip the day after only a week away. As we passed Seashore B&B on our way to school, I saw Professor Raleigh. The professor was packing a machine into the trunk of a white Ford Taurus, a vehicle that stood out like a bear in San Francisco. It was too clean for one, and it wasn’t a pickup or a minivan. I didn’t see the license plate, but the vehicle itself would be easy to spot.
I rode the bus with Chace to his ranch after school. As we entered the barn our eyes had to adjust to the dim light. I looked around, but couldn’t see Steria. I had yet to glimpse her. I decided to head up to the loft to see if she was there, but all her usual perches among the rafters were empty. I spun around, dazed.
“Chace, where is she?” I heard the fear in my own voice.
“Call her,” Chace answered. “I suggest you go back down first, though.”
We had worked with Steria to come when we called. We usually called out loud, but lately she wanted us just to be quiet and think her name. Chace’s laughter seemed to be bubbling up inside of him. Suddenly, I realized it wasn’t him laughing, but Steria.
Where are you? Frustration tinged my thought.
Harley. Steria’s voice echoed through my mind. I’m coming.
“Coming?”
We’d reached the main floor when a rushing of wind filled our ears. I looked to the door just in time to see a purple streak flying toward me.
“She just started that this morning.” Chace grinned at my shocked look.
We spent the rest of the afternoon working with Steria as she flew in and out of the barn, around the pasture and to the forest beyond. Karis showed up to pick me up while Steria was in the trees.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, at school.” I waved to Chace and headed toward the car.
However, right at that moment, Steria decided to return to the barn. Her flight pattern led her directly in front of my sister. Karis screamed, threw up her hands to protect her face, and dove to the ground. Steria landed at my feet and beside Karis on the floor.
Why is she down here? Steria’s voice no longer was one of a little girl, but the dulcet tone of a cultured lady.
“Steria!” I scolded out loud, surprised that she’d even show herself to someone besides our small group.
Karis straightened up and brushed the dirt from her jeans. When she paused, her green eyes grew large.
“A dragon lizard?”
Steria sat on her haunches, her wings folded against her back, her head now level with my waist. She stretched her neck toward me, her scales glittering in the light streaming in through the doorway.
“Not a lizard,” Karis continued. “A real, live dragon...!” Awe filled her voice.
Your sister? Steria looked up at me.
I nodded. “Karis, meet Steria. Steria, meet Karis.”
Hello, Steria replied. Why did you scream?
“You scared me!” Karis said. “It’s not everyday a creature as big as the barn door flies at me.”
Steria just blinked at her. I would not have hurt you.
She turned and leaped. The motion no longer bore any resemblance to her first awkward jump from her shell; it was a graceful push and glide away from the ground. As soon as she cleared the floor, her wings spread out to their full span. With one mighty push she lifted higher into the air. Clearing the door, she beat her wings again and emitted a screech unlike anything I had ever heard before. With steady flapping, she soared into the air, after which she must have caught an air current, and we watched her glide, graceful as a hawk. I could feel her contentment, and a little sparkling mote of pride that she hoped I wouldn’t notice. I laughed and thought, Look at you!
Her satisfaction redoubled as she circled the weather vane atop the roof.
Karis stood with her mouth hanging open. She didn’t close it until Steria had landed back at our feet.
“Tell me the whole story,” Karis demanded.
So we did. Together, Chace and I told her everything.
***
Three miles down the road at Cabbage Creek Campground a white Ford Taurus sat alongside the road. It was deserted. My stomach turned as I remembered seeing Professor Raleigh packing his car. Could this be his? If so, was he searching for Steria? Unfortunately, at the time there was nothing I could do about it other than mention to Karis what I knew. When we arrived home, I called Chace to warn him that the professor could be prowling around near the ranch. Unfortunately, he didn’t answer. I went to bed with an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Chapter 8: A Hair-Raising Experience
The next day, I was finally able to make contact with Chace and relay my concerns.
“Harley, I’ll keep my eyes out, but I don’t know what else I can do at the moment.”
Unfortunately, I realized he was right. I wished I could chat with Mr. Behr, but what kid called a teacher on the weekend?
Sunday after church I hung out with Will at the crab shack, and nothing major happened. I counted down the hours until we’d go to school. How lame is that? Lacking anything constructive to do with my worry, I tried to write it off as paranoia, and partly succeeded. Sort of. It still stuck like a burr in the back of my mind, but I managed to at least tell myself that everything would be fine and pretend to believe it.
Monday dawned bright and beautiful. We had only three days of school left. Nothing could dampen my enthusiasm. That is, until the bus passed Seashore B&B and I saw Professor Raleigh packing his machine into that Ford Taurus.
At school, I didn’t wait for Chace or any of the others. I went directly to Mr. Behr’s room and spilled my worries like pebbles on the beach.
Mr. Behr listened. “Harley, until the professor crosses onto private property, there’s nothing we can do.”
“That’s just it!” I exclaimed. “There’s no one home at Chace’s. His dad’s off logging, and he’s here. Anyone could go there right now, and no one would know.”
“There is that, but from what we’ve seen, Steria’s big enough to take care of herself.”
I shook my head. I didn’t like it, but if the only adult in the know wasn’t going to do anything, there wasn’t anything left for me to try. With a sigh, I left to grab my books for class.
The day dragged on. Nothing cheered me up. At last, the final bell rang, and I grabbed my backpack to leave. Will and Cherise were going straight home. They couldn’t convince their folks to let them hang out at Chace’s now that our eighth grade projects were finished, but Karis had spoken up for me to Mom and Dad. So it was just Mr. Behr and me as we went up Myrtle River Road that afternoon. We enjoyed a companionable silence until we rounded Cabbage Creek. Along the side of the road was the white Taurus.
“Mr. Behr!” I shouted, “That’s the professor’s car.”
We slowed, but didn’t stop. From there on out, I kept my eyes peeled for Professor Raleigh, scouting the edges of the road and the bank of the river, but I had no luck in the three miles to Chace’s driveway. We pulled in and drove down to the barn. The place seemed deserted.
We walked in, but no one was around. I remembered how Steria had communicated with me the week before. I stood still listenin
g for our not-so-little-anymore dragon. I heard nothing. I thought her name and remembered her flying through the barn door. Still nothing.
I looked to Mr. Behr for an answer. He shook his head. We headed out toward Chace’s house and down toward the river. All the while I called her name in my mind. Once at the river, I caught a flicker of recognition, and I stopped in my tracks. Mr. Behr continued on, but I ducked behind a tree. I couldn’t explain why any more than I could have explained why I wanted to protect Steria before I knew her.
Peering around the tree trunk, I saw Mr. Behr stroll down the rock-strewn river bank and up to a man bent over. No one should have been here other than Chace and his dad. When the man straightened up at Mr. Behr’s greeting, I sucked in my breath. It was Professor Raleigh! At his feet, his machine was emitting a rhythmic clicking sound. Mr. Behr chatted for a while and pointed to the box on the river rock. The professor gestured and spoke in response, but I was too far away to make out what he had said. I wanted to know what they were saying, but knew I needed to stay hidden. Before too long, Mr. Behr shook Professor Raleigh’s hand, waved, and came back toward me. He walked on past me, then turned into the trees and backtracked to where I was.
“How did you know to hide, Harley?” he asked peering around the tree out toward the river.
“I don’t know. It was almost like Steria told me to.”
“That’s interesting.” Mr. Behr turned back to me. “She told me to go down by the river. She’ll meet us back at the barn.”
“Is it safe? Won’t Professor Raleigh follow us?”
“I don’t think so. I warned him about private property in this area, and explained that even the river bank could get him in trouble if a farmer wanted to press the issue.”
“Did he ask why you were here?”
Mr. Behr shook his head. “No, but I told him I was here on scientific business and had the owner’s permission.”
Mr. Behr led the way back toward the barn, but kept us hidden in the trees until they gave way to the field. I felt Steria before I saw her and pointed her out to Mr. Behr.
Coming in low to the ground, her crystalline scales sparkling in the late afternoon sun, she resembled a gorgeous, graceful bird. She beat us to the barn and swooped inside, a contagious urgency to her mood. We ran the last couple of yards and ducked inside the door. Mr. Behr was huffing and puffing, and I could tell his larger frame wasn’t used to running. Steria was perched in the rafters.
Watch! her voice commanded.
Mr. Behr, and I poked our heads carefully around a window to peer out. The sight made me want to scream, but Steria whispered, Shh!
Professor Raleigh was following the driveway toward the barn. His machine was making the same steady beeping noise. Just as I was racking my brain for a desperate plan of escape, Chace’s voice came hollering from back toward the house.
“Hey, mister!” A hunting rifle rested across his arms. “Watcha doin’ on my property?”
The professor seemed taken aback. It was the first time I’d seen him at a loss for words.
“I asked ya what yer doin’ on my property,” Chace insisted gruffly.
Professor Raleigh seemed to gather his senses. “I was out bird watching.”
“Well, I’m gonna have ta ask ya to leave. This is private property. If my dad finds ya, he won’t be so kind.”
The professor headed toward the river. “Thank you for the warning. I will head back to my vehicle.”
“I’d advise ya to stay downriver. The further up ya go, the less friendly with strangers we are.”
Chace walked behind the professor, and he soon left our sight. When Chace returned, he had a huge grin spread across his face.
“Do you think we scared him, Steria?” he asked out loud.
I do not know, Steria replied. He will be back. He recognized you from Harley’s house, but your weapon had him concerned.
“I don’t know how wise it was, Chace,” Mr. Behr said, “But it was typical of the area, I suppose. Besides, I warned him.”
“I know. Steria told me. That’s why I did what Dad has always told me to if strangers come traipsing through.”
“Steria told you?” I glanced between our dragon and my friend.
“Yep. She seems to know what we’re all doing and can communicate with us when she’s close enough.”
Mr. Behr shook his head in amazement. “Well, why don’t we stay here until the professor has a chance to make it a little ways down the road?”
“Steria,” I said. “Can you do me a favor and head upriver during the day? I’d feel better knowing you’re safe.”
She nodded her head. I can take care of myself, Harley, but I can do that if it makes you feel better.
“I think it’s a good idea,” Mr. Behr surprised me by saying. “The farther away from people, the better you’ll be. Adults won’t understand or accept you like the kids have. They’ll either want to dissect you and figure you out, or they’ll fear you. I’m not sure which category Professor Raleigh falls into. I think the first. I do know his equipment doesn’t have anything to do with geology.”
Chapter 9: A Field Trip
Thursday came bright and warm, perfect for a trip up the Rogue River. The traditional end of the year fieldtrip allowed the eighth grade class one last celebration by taking a jet boat ride. We enjoyed the hour long bus ride to the famous tourist attraction where we boarded the special boats designed to operate in shallow water. Once on the river, we jockeyed for the sides where a flat panel allowed us to lean over and trail our fingers in the wake without falling out.
“Alright students, are you ready for a unique trip thirty-two miles up the river?” our driver asked using the PA system from his position in the wheelhouse that spanned the width of the boat.
I sat next to Chace in the fourth row, about midway back, and joined the chorus of excited “yeses!” Cherise and Will looked over at me from the other side of the bench seat.
“My name’s Boice, and that,” he paused to point to the border collie that’d suddenly bounded onto the sideboard of the boat and licked Cherise, “is Aldyn. He’s our mascot, and although he’d love to go up the river with us, will have to stay behind.”
Groans met this statement. Boice chuckled.
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep you entertained. We’ll be dropping the mail off as we go upriver, then we’ll stop for a lunch break at the town of Brenton. On our way back, be prepared to get wet. I’ll show you how maneuverable these jet boats are.”
The trip was fun, and we saw some bald eagles and osprey. After about an hour of meandering through the river valley, Boice pointed out the hillside where bears could get blackberries later in the year. I thought I saw a purple bird and my heart sped up a beat. But there was no way that Steria could be down here. She was safely up Myrtle River back home. I pushed the thought from my mind.
By the time we reached the noon break, half the group was drenched from the three hundred sixty degree turns and hanging out the sides. We pulled into dock and enjoyed a delicious meal, purchased for us at the restaurant by the booster club. While the last stragglers finished their lunch, we had a little time to play, and most of us gravitated back to the river. Chace, Will, Cherise, and I wandered back toward the dock further upstream. As we moved away from the others, I felt Steria. I looked around, expecting to see her sparkling scales. I remembered the bird that I thought was our dragon.
“What are you looking for, Harley?” Will asked.
I shook my head. “I thought I felt Steria.”
“You, too?” Cherise asked. “I thought it was just me.”
I turned and stared at her. Her big brown eyes were as sincere as I had ever seen them.
“I thought I saw her earlier back on the river.” Will’s voice was tentative, as if he didn’t want to admit it.
“Back where our driver pointed out the berries for the bears?” I gazed back down river.
Will nodded.
I called out in thought t
o Steria, but no reply came. I wasn’t sure if I was glad or not. When I looked up, I saw Chace watching me through his bangs, his fingers wrapped around the logging suspenders his mother had given him.
“What’s up, Chace?” I asked. “What do you know about this?”
A smile cracked his lips, and his eyes twinkled. “It was Steria’s idea, but Mr. Behr agreed to it. She wanted to come with us. Mr. Behr suggested she only come in on the wild section of the river where she was less apt to be seen.”
“Except by us,” Cherise said. “And thus, maybe by our whole class.”
Chace shrugged. I shook my head and skipped a rock across the river. I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of Steria being out here, yet at the same time, I didn’t like the idea of her being alone on the ranch where Professor Raleigh would be able to get to her either. I shrugged.
“There’s not much we can do about it now. Chace, do you know if she’s still in the area?”
He nodded. “She had to head upriver because there’s too many people around here. She’ll follow us back down for a while and then head north over farm lands and the mountains back home.”
“She’s learned to fly,” Cherise stated. I rolled my eyes, thinking she was stating the obvious. “No really,” she insisted. “Steria could barely get out of the hayloft two weeks ago. Now she’s flying this far from home. She’s growing up.”
I wondered what we were going to do with Steria. Obviously, a ranch wasn’t going to provide the range she would need. We weren’t going to be able to hide her for long.
Chapter 10: A Hard Day’s Work
It was a hot summer. Normally the rains last until June, then the north wind blows. This year, we’d had no rain to speak of since April. The fire season signs had gone up before school was out. Most years, haying wouldn’t start until after the fourth of July. That year, Chace’s farm started to hay the week after school was out. Chace, Will and I were hired for the bucking crew. Karis drove Will and me out to the farm each day, and then my parents picked us up.
An Unexpected Adventure Page 4