The invisible dragon lay asleep on the grass, dreaming of other worlds. He slowly came out of his blissful reverie, and lazily opened his eyes. He thought he saw a spec on his enormous nose, and he reached around with his very long tail to flick it away. Then he froze. The spec moved.
He saw the beautiful wings of a tiny violet butterfly gently open in front of him, so slowly. The dragon dared not move a muscle, he was so enchanted by how beautiful she was. He didn't want to frighten her away. Without warning, the butterfly flitted away. “Wait!” The dragon called after her, barely able to follow where she darted.
The butterfly turned and zoomed back toward the dragon, hovering in front of his eyes. “Me?” Her voice glistened like tinsel. The dragon stumbled to talk to her. “Don't fly away!” He was embarrassed by how her beauty was affecting him. He bluffed a response. “Do you want to fly with me somewhere?”
She flitted to the right, then left. “A dragon and a butterfly? Fly together? Why?” He didn't know what to say, and didn't answer. She responded again. “OK! Could be fun. Where to?” The dragon thought of where he was heading. “I'm flying across the Mediterranean. Want to come?” She darted left again. “Sure. Never been there.” “Great!” As he spoke he moved his enormous head, just as she flitted down. He bumped her. “Ouch!” He realized he had better be careful with this tiny, beautiful butterfly. “Are you alright, beautiful butterfly?” The dragon was gazing at her with a very concerned look on his face.
The butterfly was a little confused by the behavior of this enormous invisible dragon. “What did you call me?” He was suddenly embarrassed again. He mumbled, so she could hardly hear. “Beautiful butterfly...” He quickly returned to the topic, to mask his chagrin. “Are you alright? I bumped you...”
She hesitated, trying to understand this very unusual creature. “I'm fine. You hardly touched me. But please be careful with me, dragon.” He was relieved. “Of course I will, beau...” He cut himself off, but she knew what he was going to say. “Do you really think I am beautiful?” She flitted, enjoying the attention he was giving her. The dragon spoke slowly, and told her the truth. “Yes. Your violet wings are filled with sunlight, and your voice glistens like tinsel.”
The butterfly liked what she heard. “Where did you say you wanted to fly to?” The dragon was gazing at her, then remembered he should answer the question. “Rhodes. It's an island on the east of the Mediterranean.” Then he balked, and tried to hide his reasons for asking her. “There are lots of nice butterflies there.”
The beautiful butterfly was not so sure about the idea. “That's a long way for someone like me. You're enormous. You fly fast. I wont be able to keep up...” The dragon was silent, then he had an idea. He plucked a large leaf from a palm tree, and folded it so it had a space big enough for the butterfly. He showed it to her. “I've made you a little cabin to fly in. I'll hold this, and you can come along for the ride.”
She flitted and darted around the leaf cabin to check it out, then gently settled inside. There was enough room to spread her wings, and she could see out through the opening. She felt nice, being in a cabin made especially for her. She darted out and flew up to the dragon's face. “I'd like to go for a test flight, please Mr dragon.”
The dragon was elated. “OK” She darted back into her cabin, and he beat his enormous wings and they lifted off. She had never experienced something like this. He flew so fast, and so high. It felt so dangerous, but she loved every moment. Flying with a dragon was amazing. Overwhelming, but amazing.
They landed again, and he looked curiously at her in her leaf cabin. She looked wonderful, her violet wings against the green leaf. “Well, did you like it? Were you OK?” She gently opened and closed her wings. “I think I would like to go to Rhodes with you, Mr dragon.”
So they flew, and she was so amazed how it felt to fly with a dragon. They flew so far, so high, much further than butterflies or birds or people fly.
He seemed so peaceful, gently beating his wings as they zoomed across the sky. Such an emotional contrast to the overwhelming rush that filled the beautiful violet butterfly. He began to bank downwards towards a small spec of an island below. They landed with a gentle bump and the dragon unfolded the leaf cabin. “How are you, beautiful butterfly?”
She darted and flitted, looking around the island. There didn't seem to be anyone in sight. “Is this Rhodes, my dragon?” He liked the way she called him my dragon, but he thought she might think him silly if he said so. So he just answered the question. “Not yet. Just a place to stop along the way. We're on an island no-one knows about. No-one lives here, it doesn't even have a name.”
It was a wonderful, mysterious looking island, full of rocky outcrops and strange plants. The butterfly flitted to a small stream nearby and drank a tiny drop of water. The dragon lay his head down to enjoy the sun on his back, and closed his eyes. She darted back and rested on a small branch near to him. His gentle breathing blew across her wings, which made her feel nice. She waited for him to open his eyes, which he did a few minutes later. “Why are you looking at me like that, beautiful butterfly?” He was a little dozy, and unselfconscious.
She flitted a little closer. “Thank you for bringing me here. This island really is beautiful.”
He folded the leaf into her cabin and she gently floated inside. Then once again he rose into the sky, and they continued across the heavens and over the sea. They flew for many miles, across blue water and over islands and countries. From time to time the dragon raised the little butterfly in her cabin up to his face to see her enjoy the breeze as they flew. Then, randomly, he stopped and hovered in mid-air. “What is happening to you? You were so full of life, beautiful butterfly, but something has changed. Are you alright?”
The tiny butterfly gently opened and closed her wings. “Didn't you know? Butterflies do not live so long. I hope I will still be with you by the end of our flight. But maybe, my time will end.” He had forgotten the evanescent mortality of a butterfly. The news hit the dragon like a rock, but he refused to let this beautiful butterfly see his heart ache. “We will see Rhodes together, you and I, beautiful butterfly.” He saw her open and close her violet wings, so slowly, as they hovered a moment longer. “Thank you, my dragon.”
The dragon made a short dive to pick up speed, then turned toward the east and zoomed onward across the sky above the Mediterranean sea. They passed by delicate clouds that cast fine shadows on the clear blue water. The sea was dotted with rocky islands, some with glistening white beaches, other with craggy ridges and peaks.
As they came into sight of the Turkish coastline the dragon began to coast down toward the largest island. There were small towns dotted here and there, and a large city at the northern tip. The dragon flew over the city to its harbour. He held up the butterfly in her leaf cabin. “Do you see it? This is Rhodes.”
She was enchanted by what she saw. “It's so pretty. Please, my dragon, take me down.”
He banked gently and glided down to a crystal white beach. She felt the same bump as before when they landed, and was glad to have reached their destination. The dragon unfurled the leaf cabin. “We're here, beautiful butterfly.” To his dismay he saw she could barely lift her wings.
But she turned her eyes toward him, and whispered. “I saw you in my heart and my dreams, my dragon. Thank you for bringing me here.” The tinsel in her voice lingered, then faded. The sunlight left her violet wings, they drooped lightly, and she was gone.
The dragon lay the leaf on the sand, and gazed at her lifeless delicate body, wondering what to do. The gentlest wisp of a breeze crossed the beach. As it touched her wings, her body lifted off the leaf. Before the dragon could react, she was blown away forever. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” He couldn't stand it. He soared high into the skies, with his emotions boiling in him until they flamed forth from his mouth and nostrils. The people below thought they saw a small meteor, or other astral phenomenon. The invisible dragon breathed fire, visible fire, poured it out from his heart.
He called to the Goddess. “Why? Why Goddess? Why do you create her so beautiful, then take her so soon? Why?” The Goddess manifested, and hovered next to the dragon, keeping pace with him. The wind rushed through her long streaming hair. She waited for him to slow. He looked at her with confusion and aching in his eyes. “Why my Goddess? I don't understand...”
She swept around in front of him. “Dragon, you are the greatest that I have created. You are better than this. I gave you a heart, and dreams, as well as eyes. I gave you three dimensional vision. Appreciate my gift. Look closer.”
The dragon shook his head. “But she was so...” The Goddess vanished as he spoke. Exhaustion and confusion were taking over the dragon. He tumbled from the sky, and crashed into a rocky crag near the Turkish coastline. Still out of control he slid sideways down its north face, leaving a wide wake through the growth. The roar of destruction filled the air. Finally, at the foot of the crag next to an old road, he came to rest. He lay there dazed, with his head spinning. The forest around him slowly returned to silence.
Look closer. The light around him flitted, and darted. It was her. “Beautiful Butterfly, is that you?” He waited, listening to all the sounds in the forest around him. “Me?” Her voice glistened like tinsel. The dragon raised his head and followed her light. He knew it so well, the sunlight of her violet wings that had enchanted him a few hours before.
He cocked his head sideways. “Did you come back?” The invisible, beautiful butterfly flitted and darted. “I never left, my dragon.” They gazed at each other for moments. “I was waiting for you to find me again.” She flew closer to him. “Touch me.” He reached up, and placed an invisible talon where he saw her. The forest filled with a wonderful scent, like flowers in the wind. “I have to leave you now, my dragon.” Her words caught him unexpectedly. “What? Wait, why...?”
He trailed off, knowing there was nothing to say. “I have a gift for you.” The tinsel in her voice shimmered, and the sunlight from her wings grew brighter... ...and a beautiful creature appeared in the air. Small and delicate, like a butterfly, with a long body like a dragon, and wings, wings with 3 beautiful stripes running their length. The dragon butterfly hovered, not seeing the invisible dragon, or his mother as she faded.
Marmaris, April 2010
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