Dragon's Eye

(Wrote for fun, enjoy)

*

I'm softly treading water looking at the eye of the Dragon as it rises above the edge of the horizon. The soft orange glow of the moon at quarter phase as it appears over the tree line.

My father always told me it was a Dragon watching us from the dark.

I believed him at the time. It looks just like that.

I swim in the warm water over to the floating platform in the middle of the small lake. By the time I reach it my arms have grown tired. The effort to pull myself up onto the smooth wood is noticeable. I roll over onto my back beside my girlfriend and look up at the growing scattering of stars over head.

"Enjoy your swim?" she asks after few seconds. I can tell she is still pissed.

I try to hide the sigh I want to give. I wish I could make her understand just what I wanted to come here for. She wanted to go to the beach this weekend. Warm sand, bright lights, parties all night long, the Miami condo party weekend.

I wanted to come here.

It's been decades but this is where my family use to come every fall, just as summers heat began to fade but before the cool nights begin.

The Dragon is watching us.

"I'm getting chilled." She says after the silence goes on for a minute without her speaking.

Sitting up I open the big Ziplock bag and pull out the waterproof blanket. She's shaking her head as I cover her up with it.

"This is stupid. I could be drinking mojitos and listening to Latin music right now."

I lay back down beside her and pull a little of the blanket over me. I smile as I hear the soft sounds of the frogs and crickets start to fill the night. Then the twinkling lights of fireflies begin to pop up here and there.

"Wish I had my cell phone but no... I had to leave it in the car! Probably going to have a huge back log of calls to look through in the morning."

Finally after a hundred 'huffs' I hear her breathing slowly begin to settle into an even rhythm. I look at the dial of my watch and make sure the alarm is pressed. The sounds of crickets soon sings me to sleep.

The Dragon is high in the sky and looking down upon us when the alarm on my watch goes off. I punch the button and turn to look down at my girl friend. Under the light of the Dragon's eye I can see her for what she is. A shallow person with no since of wonder about the world around her. She just sees the things man has made to hide himself from the dark with. But she is also so very beautiful.

It's time to show her the wonders of the world around her.

I look up in the night sky for a few minutes then see the first one.

It's like a spark that moves at the corner of my eye. My gaze flashes towards it but it's gone just as quick as I saw it.

Then there is another.

I watch in silent awe for a few minutes, just me and the Dragon to share in the wonder.

Turning I place a hand on her shoulder and wake her.

"What...what?"

"It's starting." I say softly.

She gives a nasally snort.

"So? You woke me for it? I would have just as soon as slept. I'm going to get my hair done...hair and nails done tomorrow. I could use the sleep."

I lay back down and look up at the Dragon.

I almost swear he winks at me.

It starts suddenly like it always does.

First one, then two at a time, then three appear in sudden flashes of light. They streak across the heavens from east to northwest like they are drawn there.

Then I hear a gasp from her as a really big one crossed the sky. Even the Dragons' eye isn't as bright.

'wow.'

I hear her say softly.

Over the next three hours I see hundreds of the bright shooting stars light up the sky. One at a time or dozens at a time it varies moment by moment.

I feel her hand close around mine after the second large one lights up the night.

"How big was that thing?" She asks me when it dies out.

"Probably as big as a house. Most of what we're seeing is small size rocks. Hell some are not much bigger than pebbles. Maybe a few are the size of a car...but that one. Yea, about the size of a house."

"Will it hit the ground?" I can hear a spark of fear in her words then.

"Probably, but it will be about the size of softball when it does."

"Really?" she asks her words filled with a growing wonder.

"Yep."

The moon is getting low to the horizon again when I see the one I was waiting for.

"Oh My GOD!"

It's massive when it crosses the sky. Even the moon seems to pale under it's fiery brilliance. From horizon to horizon it travels.

The echoing boom sends the sleeping birds in the tree to squawking.

"What was that?" She asks. I can hear the terror in her voice.

"Just a really big chunk."

"Will it hit?"

"No. It skipped off the atmosphere. Don't worry my darling were safe." I taste the lie even as I say it.

She snuggles into me.

I watch the last few little sparks.

"Yea"' I think to myself. "We're safe. For five more years Then it will be back."

The fireball then will be much brighter.

Probably the size of a city.

The Dragon's eye gives me a wink as it slips out of sight.