A Forgotten Love

Impossible

      

Esperanza floated in the dark, her thoughts swirling like a stormy sea. A rich voice rang in her ears, sweet and soothing. It slowly pulled her back to the brink of conciseness. She opened her eyes slowly and stared confusedly at Obitus, who had smoke rolling from his nostrils. Then she sat up and looked at him with wide eyes, afraid he was going to kill her now. They stared at each other; Esperanza’s wide and scared, while Obitus’ met hers with frustration and anger.

“What are you?” Obitus hissed, breaking the silence and tension that hardened with each passing minute. Esperanza shook her head.

“I don’t know. I thought I was just a normal person with an ordinary life” she replied.

“Which clearly you are not. The voice alone should have told you that” Obitus said. Obitus looked to the entrance to the cave, then at the bag of something he must have dropped when he entered. He opened his mouth, and for one terrified moment Esperanza thought he was going to kill her after all. But all he did was blow fire onto the bag. It was terrifying to see Obitus blow fire. When the fire was gone 3 dead, now charred, fish lay on the ground, smoking slightly.

“Your lunch” Obitus said without looking at her. Then, suddenly, Esperanza felt guilty. Here she was, intruding this proud dragon’s home and then trying to open something that must have been special to him, and yet he still brought her food. She glanced guiltily over at Obitus, but he had curled up around the golden chest, facing away from her.

After Esperanza had eaten the fish and drank from the spring, she looked over at Obitus who was still curled up. Only now he was asleep. Hard to believe that a whole day had passed, thought Esperanza. She moved over to Obitus, and then after checking to see that he was still asleep, she curled up against his smooth, glass-like skin. The dragon emitted a certain warmth that made Esperanza fall asleep quickly.

Obitus opened his eyes the next morning to find that the girl, Esperanza was curled up next to him. He snorted irritably and stood, shaking out his stiff body. His stomach grumbled loudly, and Obitus glanced over at Esperanza. He simply couldn’t trust her alone anymore. Annoyed, he grabbed her with his clawed hands and swept out of the cave.

Outside, the sun shone brightly and the white fluffy clouds lined the clear blue sky. Obitus soared up into the sky then dove down over the ocean, enjoying the stretch over his wings as he opened them and glided down onto the sandy beach. There he dropped Esperanza and swooped back up into the sky. Then he closed his wings and fell into the ocean, where he gathered his meal.

Esperanza woke to the feel of sand grains underneath her and a quiet breeze blowing against her face. She sat up and saw the ocean. Had Obitus kicked her out, having her sleep next to him been the last straw? Unexpectedly her eyes began to water. Even though she’d been with Obitus only one day, she’d gotten attached to the proud sand dragon. She heard a splash and looked up to see Obitus looming over her, water dripping off his scales. She sat back and looked up at him. Then she jumped up and hugged him. “I thought you kicked me out!” she cried. Obitus make a noise deep within his chest.

“As much as I would like to, I cannot” Obitus replied. Esperanza stepped back and looked down at the sand.

“Obitus…...” she asked.

“Yes?”

“Can you forget what I did yesterday?”

“I can forgive but not forget” Obitus said in reply.

Esperanza smiled, relived. “Thank you!” she said and hugged Obitus again.

Obitus studied Esperanza while she ate the fish he’d caught her. There was something, almost noble about the way she acted. He shook himself out of his reverie and noticed that Esperanza was watching him; not letting him out of her sight even thought she was eating. That sudden act made Obitus proud. She was learning like a fledgling.