Jesse James and the Dragon's Egg

The Birds and The Tall Man

Kate was walking through Jesse's living room, following the egg as it rolled along behind the couch.

"Hey!"

Jesse was more than a little surprised to see her.

"Look what I found." She said.

Jesse was also surprised to see that the back half of his house was gone. He could see clear sky through the gaping hole in the back of the house. No ground, just sky.

"Hey cool!" John, Brad, and Lamar were elbowing past him. "Let me see!"

No one was looking at the back of the house or the gaping maw that lay beyond, just the egg.

"Jesse?" His mother was following the egg, too. She glanced back at him and beckoned. " Come on, son, it'll be fun! We can spend some time together! Just like I promised!" She said with a smile as she turned and followed his friends.

"No." It was all Jesse could say, and it was barely a whisper. He tried to move, but his legs were concrete, his arms were led. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wanted to stop it, but he couldn't.

They each fell away. One by one, all of his family and friends fell into the abyss. All except Kate. Should stood at the edge, toes just hanging over.

"Jesse?" She looked at him over her shoulder. "Hey." She turned and walked back. "It's okay, you know." She put her hand on his shoulder. "You can come with us."

Jesse wanted desperately to speak to her, but he could get his brain to form the thoughts.

"Jesse?" she said with a smile. "Come on, Jesse." She shook his arm a bit. He still couldn't speak. "Come on, Jesse," she shook a little harder. "Stop playing around. Jesse, come on."

"Jesse?"

"Jesse! Wake up!" Brad was shaking him hard. "Jesse, wake up, man! Someone's coming!" Adrenaline had the boy. Like he was late for school, Jesse was awake, to his feet and in full flight behind Brad, before he fully realized that he was no longer dreaming. The two boys ran to the rocky outcropping and went belly down to its edge.

The day had become overcast. There was an uncomfortably warm, wet breeze that brought with it just a hint of thunder.

At this range, it was hard to tell, but something was definitely there. Though still miles away, from their high vantage, the unknown presence made an unmistakable smear on the landscape.

"Could be help." Brad said, without much enthusiasm.

Could be. Jesse desperately wanted help. But he just couldn't take that chance.

"Let's go."

~

Their ride again fueled by fear, the three boys made quick time across the highlands. They rode for hours across the flat landscape and came eventually to the remains of a dying forest.

"I'm guessing this is Sloughset." Brad said, as he studied the map. "Homey."

Twilight approached as the boys threaded their way through the forest. It was a curiosity, this place. The trees had leaves, brown and ugly and misshapen, but leaves nonetheless, but only on one side. The side facing away from their presumed destination was pretty densely foliated, but the side that faced that same destination, on every single tree they passed, was completely barren. And then there was the swaying.

Although there was no real wind to speak of, the trees swayed ever so slightly back and forth. And when the wind did blow, the leaves made a horrible rasping noise. It was like the sound of a thousand rusty knives all being sharpened at once.