Here Be Dragons...

The three looked up and watched the sun blank out for only a minute. The dark figure that had passed over was gone and out of view. Mitchell was the first to rip his eyes away from the sky only to find his two friends dumbfounded with mouths wide open. He began to laugh when the two boys screamed and shot off in opposite directions. Mitchell turned to see what it was, but it was too late. The dragon had craned its neck underneath the boy and swept him onto its neck. Mitchell didn't open his eyes. He thought he died because the wind was rushing against his body so violently. When he summoned the courage to take a look, he was no longer terrified. The giant beast could have eaten him in one bite if he wanted to, but he didn't. Two massive wings swayed in the air and glimmered with multiple faded colors like a rainbow in a mist. The dragon flew him over his two friends for a final goodbye. Mitchell was soon to become a dragon master.

The three looked up and saw a whirlwind of sparkling dust and leaves. Their hair grew and flapped at their faces and their modern clothes grew into cloaks. Each were now wielding a sword and a shield.

James let out a hushed sentenced, "What is happened?" He stood in awe looking around, The landscape appeared the same, but the town and people had changed. Glancing at the map, he realized they had traveled backwards in time, 300 years.

"That means there are dragons..." Freddie's response trailed off in disbelief. He couldn't hide the fear behind the sarcasm anymore.

Off to the left, a plume of smoke arose from a cave. The entry was marked by a makeshift sign made f old board and charcoal writing. "Here be dragons." All three boys froze as their minds raced to comprehend the situation. But time was growing short as a dragon peered from the entryway.

"Who dares disturb us?" A deep plum colored dragon snorted. His eyes sized up the boys and fell to a stop on Mitchell. "Humph. What do you call yourselves? The three weak knights?" he scoffed. "And I suppose you are looking for a princess to save, too. You'll have to wait inline with the rest of them."

Confused, they headed towards the crowd. Questions were tossed around and they all seam to have one thing in common... the experience that led them here. They were all sold the same old map from some carnival character that believed he could work magic. The map was the ticket to get on the Dragon Slayer ride.

Okay, so it's not a good ending. But it was fun!

that's OK...it's all imagination......we can still continue the story....

The three looked up and noticed the time as the bartender announced last call. It had been a long day tearing the walls out of the old building downtown. They had found the map secreted away in the lower levels, where local tales told of shanghaied sailors and ghosts. It was old, yellowed and tattered. Could be a drawing of the old tunnels, with a picture of a large lizard, and the caption "here be dragons" through the maze.

Freddie piped up, "You know, tomorrow being Saturday and all, let's check it out! It's not that far from where we were working."

Mitchell shook his head, "I'm not so sure…we shouldn't be down there when we are not working. Besides, aren't most of those old tunnels shut off?"

"I'm with Freddie," said Jason, who had been sitting quietly most of the evening. "Not much else to do around here on the weekend, anyway."

"Me, too. I'm in," said Tom.

Mitch sighed. "Alright, let's do it. But why wait until tomorrow, let's go down tonight."

After gathering some flashlights, they made their way under the city into the maze of tunnels that made up the underground. Slowly, they followed the crude twists and turns, each silently hoping they weren't getting impossibly lost.

"Almost there, guys," Mitch announced as he deciphered the next passage.
They turned the corner, only to feel defeated as they saw the tunnel was collapsed.

"Now, what?" asked Freddie.

Jason went up to the rock fall. "Hey, look, I think there is just enough room to get through!"

"Are you crazy? What if we can't get back out?" said Tom.

"I'm going in." Jason wiggled through the narrow opening.

The other three exchanged glances, then shrugged their shoulders. One by one they followed Jason. As they entered into a widened chamber, they collectively let out a gasp. It was a rough hewn room. Along the floor and walls, large bones lay partially excavated.

"Dinosaurs!" Mitch exclaimed.

....saw that the sun had set, and it was growing dark.

"It's late and we have to be home for supper, " Freddie said. "You know how old-fashoned our mom is.

"Yeah," Mitchell said. "Go home and don't even think about having an adventure."

Freddie and James laughed. "Let us know how it goes with the dragons."

Mitchell trudged back to his apartment. Mom would not be home for hours, so he made some mac and cheese, and surfed out on the internet. At least he could find out about Rock City, even if no one ever said they'd see a dragon, or a dinosaur or....

When his mom came home, she spotted the map on the kitchen table immediately. With no hug, no "Hi Honey I'm Home" or "Is your homework done?" she said, "Where did you get that?"

Her face was white, as she pointed to the map as if it would bite her.

-----your turn

"Where did you get this?" she demanded again, her voice shrill.

"We just found it." Mitchell shurgged. He had never seen his mother in this state.

"Who? You, Fredie and James?" She turned away and braced her hands on the sink. She took a deep breath and turned around.

"I need to know where you found this map." Her voice more calm though her palor was stark.

"Some old guy at the carnival." Why was his mother upset?

"Get rid of it."

"Mom, it is only an old map. It isn't as if dragons exist," Mitchell dismissed. His mom could be really weird sometimes.

She stared at the map for a moment, as if trying to decide what to do. A frown on her lips, her brow wrinkled. As she bit her bottom lip, she reached into her purse and pulled out a lighter. She picked up the map with the tips of her fingers, as if the parchment would burn her. Holding it over the table, she held the flame to the corner. Mitchell was about to stop his mother from destorying the document, but it didn't burn.

She tried another corner, then another, then the side. The map would not catch fire. Frustrated, she balled it up and tossed it into the garbage.

Her hands shook as she turned back to Mitchell, her eyes a little wider than before, afraid. "You will have nothing to do with that map, or dragons. I will not lose you in the same way I lost your father." She choaked back tears and ran from the room.

Mitchell watched his mother's retreat. What was that all about? He thought his father had just run off when he was a kid. He glanced back at the garbage. As much as he would like to pursue the idea of dragons, he would let the quest go if it upset her so much.

He returned to his room and settled back at the computer. His Google search had turned up a number of articles on Rock City. For a moment he was tempted to read them, then shook his head. Exiting the internet, he shut off his computer and climbed into bed.

* * *
The alarm buzzed and Mitchell hit the snooze for the third time.

"Mitchell, you need to get moving. NOW," his mother called from the hall.

He pulled himself from the bed, walked to his desk and turned on the computer. He alwasy checked e-mail while eating his breakfast. As he turned away to grab his clothes Mitchell stopped short. The map lay on his desk, not a wrinkle to be seen, as if his mother had never crumpled it. Where had it come from?

- - - your turn