Dreamtime Dragon's contest entry March 2012 |
A long time ago, in a far-away place, There lived an old dragon, And his name was Chase. Now Chase was lonely, But he was mighty proud. He longed for a friend, But there were none to be found. But then, one day, Out of the blue, Came a grinning leprechaun Who wanted something, too. This leprechaun, you see, Was very wily. He looked at the sad dragon, And smiled slyly. “My dearest dragon,” he began with a bow, “It appears you are lonely, And I do know how To end this misery In the pit of your heart. Just listen closely, And I’ll share your part.” Chase was in awe Of this funny little man. But he was desperate, you see, And so listened to his plan. The mischievous elf Placed a hand on his chest. “There is something terrible, That I must first confess. It will break your heart. You see, my dear Chase, There are no other dragons, In this God-forsaken place.” Now the dragon grew angry, At the leprechaun’s tale. But the leprechaun stopped him With a loud, defensive wail. “Wait, Dear dragon! I will show you where Your kind still lives For they do, I swear. But there is a price, And, truth be told, You must first help me Find my pot of gold.” It seemed more than fair To help him with this deed. But the dragon considered The leprechaun’s greed. “How do I know,” Said the dragon with disdain, “That you won’t back out, Once your gold is claimed?” The leprechaun came closer To the dragon’s ear. He whispered to him softly, “Well, you see, my dear, That it is your friends That guard my treasure. They stole it from me, And just for good measure, Put it in the one place I can never attain. I have tried many times, But all in vain! I need your help, dragon, to get my precious gold back. For you have the wings That I, a mere shoemaker, lack. Once we find my gold, I do swear to you, You will find the dragons And know I have spoken true.” Chase then nodded, And stood up tall and straight. “Tell me where, leprechaun, And we shall not wait Another minute to go.” “Very well, dear dragon. To the end of the rainbow Is where you must take me. And there your fellow dragons Will also be, I assure thee.” Without another word, Chase rose into the sky. No questions asked, Not “how” or “Why.” They flew towards the rainbow, In the distance, it grew. The leprechaun smirked, For there was something he knew That Chase the dragon did not. This leprechaun had a black heart, And a sinister plot. Chase could never guess What plot he was hatching. For dragon hearts was the gold This elf was capturing. When they reached the end Of that beautiful sight, Chase saw the pot of gold, And went stiff with fright. For there in the pot, Chase could clearly see, The gold hearts of the dragons Who fell before he Into the clutches of that elf Who claimed good intentions And wove a story Of self-pity and lost fortunes. Any good dragon would fall for that story. For their hearts are golden, Always trustworthy. As the leprechaun trapped That last honest dragon, Chase poured himself into that black prison And gave it his essence, His very own name. He turned that leprechaun’s victory Into the worst sort of game. Chase the dragon provided That mad little leprechaun with a curse. He decided A game of hide-and-seek Until the end of time, would do. That leprechaun would chase him, and the rainbow, too. Much to that evil elf's chagrin, He would never catch those golden hearts, Never, ever again. |