The World's Canvas

A Desert and a Dragon

A figure with a sack over its shoulder stumbled through the orange desert.  Dunes of sand undulated across the land like waves. The yellow sun beat down mercilessly on the desert from the cloudless, blue sky. Trudging through the sand, figure stopped by a blackened, leafless tree at the peak of a dune, and it took off its goggles to reveal a pair of bright green, eager eyes. She examined the tree eagerly, and a wide grin grew across her face. The thin, sharp branches pointed outward like needles, and they broke off with ease.  The branches splintered and sent out a spray of black ash.  To her delight, red flowers had sprouted at the tips of the branches. She brought them close to her flat nose and breathed in the sickly sweet smell.  Placing a flower between her fingers, she rubbed them together.  Delighted with the red dye on her hand, she happily tossed them a handful into a pouch.

"Ah, they're in season." She said in a satisfied tone.

She then continued on her way through the desert with nothing to accompany her except the crunching sound of sand.  Almost reflexively, she stopped in a rather unremarkable spot, it looked like any other place in the desert, but she sat in the shade and waited.  Soon, a rumble could be felt through the ground, and the sound of earth cracking filled the air until an explosion of color erupted into the sky.  Burning rocks rained down from the sky onto the sand, and then she immediately rushed into the center.  She grabbed as many as she can and ran right back into the shade.  The hot sand began to settle into a unbearable mist which would then hide any trace of the event.  Her hands felt sensitive from carrying the hot rocks, but she ignored them in her excitement.  Looking over her bounty, she flipped them around and brushed them off with her hand to reveal a spectacular bronze.  Her eyes truly lit when she saw a vein of bright yellow streaking across one.  They all went into the sack, and she was off again.

For hours, she was walking as though she were guided by an invisible compass stopping by breathtaking sights and unseen wonders until she stopped at an adobe hut with a tall smoke trail.  Strangely, the smoke trail was not just white but also a swirl or colors that extended forever into the sky.  As she stepped in, the solid steps felt welcoming to her, and she took off her hood, revealing an enormous head of brown hair and sand.  She beamed with pride at her sign above the entrance "Helena's Desert Emporium".  It was her first successful attempt at coloring and hardening sand.  The sign looked rather messy and rough compared to her other pieces of art, but it held a certain charm and nostalgia for her.  Helena placed her sack near a roaring fireplace and breathed a sigh of relief.  It was a long hot day in the sun, but it felt worth it to gather colorful ingredients.  She poured sand out of her hair and tied it neatly with a hair band with a brush stuck into it.  It was a habit of hers to store her tools in her hair.

Wanting to eat, Helena moved to her workbench, careful not to step on any of her projects.  Just as she was about to sit in her chair, she froze. There on her table was a small red dragon sleeping peacefully on her latest painting. It had two small red wings covering its tiny paws and had strange hair on its back and moustache. The dragon breathed softly and twitched its face.  She had never seen such a creature before, but she was especially captivated by its hair.  It was so vivid and bright but in a different way than the yellow minerals or metallic rocks.  Nothing in the desert was quite like it, since its color was just so soft and lively.

Excited and curious, she brought her face level with the sleeping dragon and watched.  She could already see the new works or brand new era of art she could make with it, and it could all happen with a piece of that fur.  Instantly, Helena knew a pair of scissors would do.  Helena hastily scoured the shop for one, but as always it was never around when she truly needed it.  The dragon could wake up any moment and fly away, so Helena decided to use her hands.  Holding her breath, she silently reached over and pinched a long hair and sharply jerked upward.  There between her fingers was a taut line of hair and a very startled dragon.