The dragons scales were rough and the spikes were like stone. The biggest spike was just above the dragons shoulder-blades. I sat there in front of it, grasping hold of the shorter spike that was in front of it. I clasped the staff not wanting to lose it. Behind me was Annette, Louise, followed by Tom who held Gracie under one arm, the chest precariously in the other. The arm supporting Gracie wrapped around her and gripped the spike closest to him, holding them on the dragon. The dragons’ movements were powerful, he rose and I felt my stomach drop, then twist and twirl in a gripping fear. The dragon lurched forward a rumble in his throat as her rushed forward. The path which they had originally taken was blocked and he took a path beside it. But it didn’t take long for the dragons stride to bring them all to a dead end.
“What are you doing?!” I panicked, “there’s no path ahea-”
“Tell your companions to hang on!”
Hastily I relayed the instruction.
Everyone did as was bid, anticipating what was going to happen then the dragon all of a sudden rose with a mighty roar and smashed through the thin rocks and everyone screamed in terror and surprise. The dragon was practically swimming now and the wide entrance was closing up fast. To avoid the stalactites which looked like deadly bars of a prison in the dying afternoon sunlight the dragon warned his riders that he was about to dive. I counted down from three, taking in a deep breath and shutting my eyes as I held on, trembling to the spike in front of me. Water rushed about me as we all was submerged. The dragons streamline body slipped naturally through the water as he swum out into the open ocean. My lungs burned and my heart hammered as we rose in the waves. The sun was a beacon sinking into the ocean to my left and the dragon turned right facing the shore, where the sandy beach was, and the shrubs lined its border, hiding the houses that were beyond. I pushed wet hair back from my face. I could taste the ocean and blinked the water that hung heavy on my eyelashes. I wipe my eyes and we’re nearly at the shore. The dragon is able to stand now and he ambles over to the shore and eases down to the ground. He stretches out a leg and promptly I climb down, slipping on the slippery scales and landing ungracefully to the ground. “Ow.”
“Are you alright?” said Annette as she climbed from the dragon and landed on both feet just beside me. She offers me her hand and I take it.
“Yeah, thanks.” I say as I’m hauled to my feet. Then Annette moves away to help Louise down.
“Tom, what is it?” Louise and Annette both look up to where Tom is when they realise he hasn’t moved. He stares blankly at the spike ahead of him. He is still and silent gripping the spike with a large hand. I saw his knuckles were white, as if holding onto that spike were the only think keeping him upright. Then we all recognise the same thing at once.
“Tom,” Annette’s voice comes out forceful and strained, “where is Gracie?”
Tom looks at us. No, not at us. To do that he’d have to actually see us. His eyes are glazed over in shock and there is the thump of the heavy chest hitting the sand dully.
“Tom, where,” Louise’s shoulders shake and she looks at her boyfriend with a horrified expression, “is my Sister?”
The dragon’s eyes closed and he bowed his head as Tom got down, jumping straight from the Dragons back. “I–just before we went under the water. I told her to hold on tight. I had a hold of her by the…by the Jacket. And—”
“You let her go…You had a proper hold of that god damned chest but,” I see my cousin filled with rage and she rushes forward and pushes Tom as violently as she could in the chest, “you didn’t have hold of my sister!”
Tom stumbled back and Louise began to cry unable to restrain the tears. Her face was twisted in anger and anguish and she ran her hands through her hair and walked toward the ocean her eyes frantically searching the wild afternoon waves. While I had been watching Tom and Louise in shock none of us had noticed that Annette was already rushing out into the waves. She waded through the shallow water calling out. The winds were picking up as they always do when a storm was coming. The dragon looked out to Annette as well and for once I realised how quiet that he was. I walk over toward him and grip the staff in both hands holding it tightly. “Please, can-”
“I know what you are going to ask. The answer is that I cannot. I knew the moment when the little one left my back that I could not. Not with the rest of you still with me. Anything else, any manoeuvre to try to save her would have drowned all of you.”
My eyes sting with hot tears and the dragon moves toward me and his snout touches my cheek with a gentleness that I would not have expected from such a large creature. “What about now?”
His heavy head shakes slowly from one side to another.
“Tan! Tan, your dragon, he can sa-save her right?!”
I shake my head and Annette joins us at last. We’re all dripping wet and I shiver at the cold wind.
“She is alive at least.”
I look at the dragon in shock. “Alive?”
Louise’s face fills with hope at the word and she rushes over and puts her hand on the staff. Annette joins her and we all look at the dragon waiting.
“I am not of this earth originally,” the dragon explains. “Dragons travel between worlds. I came here for rest from my old home. We can only open one portal every hundred years. I opened a portal and sent the child to my home. There are humans there; she has a chance of them finding her.”
“You mean you trapped her on some planet!”
The dragons gaze fell on Louise. “At least she is alive. And because it was such a tiny portal, I think I may be able to open a second one. One that we can go through and perhaps find your sister.”
Louise’s face breaks into a smile as her hopes are lifted once again.
“You will have to be quick, I will only be able to keep it open for so long."
“Go for it then.” Annette says letting go of the staff and stepping back.
The dragon is amused, I <i>feel</i> it’s amusement. I’m overloaded with amazement at <i>everything</i> that has happened to be too astonished at this. I watch as the dragon’s neck stretches out his snout appears to hit something solid and the air shimmers like a flat pond which has had a rock thrown in its centre. The shimmering rings stretch and reach outward and slowly but surely we see an image. It looks like staring through a dirty window. But ahead I can see grass of a field. As the image becomes clearer and clearer Louise is already stepping forward. Tom finally moves from where he had been sitting and walks toward the portal as well. I stay by the dragon and when he moves his snout from the portal, it is as if the window had been flung open! I can smell the grass. The fresh air. It feels as if it doesn’t belong, with the sound of the ocean behind us. I brush my hair from my face holding it where it was so that the wind didn’t blow it everywhere as it had been before. Louise goes through the portal just as Tom yells out, “Louise!” He rushes after her and the dragon follows he glances back a moment before the bulk of his form goes through, his tail swishing behind him.
I look nervously at Annette, “should we follow?”
Annette pulled herself out of her stupor and walked over to stand by me. “W-well, they are only going in and out right?”
I tighten my grip on the staff again. “I don’t want to wait. I’m going in.”
“Okay, then I’ll come too.”
We look at one another and I can feel my heart tremor within me. We both walk through together and the dragon I can see is standing over to my left. And then there is Tom, bent over and giving CPR to the lifeless little body of Gracie. My heart freezes but I manage to make my way down the grassy slope to put my arms around Louise. She stands back and lets Tom work at emptying Gracies lungs of water. I remember Louise telling me how Tom had a summer job of being a volunteer lifeguard in the summer. It was probably the only reason that she was even letting him near her right now.
“Hurrry.” The dragons rumble warns us.
“Guys,” I release my cousin as I look back at the portal. The dragon had the tip of his tail sustaining it. But it was beginning to shrink, “hurry, the portal won’t stay open much longer!”
Gracie coughs and water splutters from her mouth, Tom lets out a shout of relief turning her to her side. Louise flings herself from me to Toms side sweeping the coughing child into her arms. She runs her hands through Gracies curls and Tom sits back looking at them both.
The dragons roar shatters the moment. He moves restlessly and his eyes roll as he looks at the disappearing portal. Annette and I urge Tom and Louise to make a move. I am already making my way back up, racing to Annette. Urging my legs to move up the slippery slope, back to the portal, back to home. Annette stood by the portal still, calling to us to hurry. I reach the portal and leap through. The wind was wild back on the beach, and suddenly cold. No sound passes through the portal and I stand on the edge. The portal grows smaller and I place a foot and then pass my shoulder through it. The wind beats my back and I make wild arm movements.
But it is too late. Too late.
It all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. I edged more into the grassy field, my foot alone left on the sandy beach. No matter what they weren’t going to fit. Then all at once the dragon growls a warning at me, the portal closes, my foot is saved by the speed of the dragons tail lashing out and whipping the back of my leg. Forcing my leg from the portal when it shut closed.
Tom arrived first, then Louise, they both stop short and all of us have eyes on the empty space where the portal once shimmered.
“We’re trapped.” The obvious is stated by Tom. His voice hollow and his mouth agape.
We were trapped.