The Dragon and The Turtle

A story with an absurd beginning and a mystical ending, all about an enchanted life

The invisible dragon, while flying somewhere over the Mediterranean, had gotten lost. He had left the Turkish coastline behind a few hours ago, happily flying in the sun. And, as sometimes happens, he now had no idea where he was. 

He spotted land, a coastline. He saw cities and a large river, so he followed the river a short way inland. He swooped down to try to find out where he was and perched near a small tributary.

Who to ask for directions? People were a bad choice, most of them made a ridiculous fuss the first time they met an invisible dragon. Any other friendly creatures about?

He saw a clump of earth shift a little near one of his talons, so he craned his neck to see what it was. A very small turtle scrabbled out from under the clump, and timidly peered out of her shell.

The invisible dragon knew turtles were very shy, and if he spoke to this tiny turtle he would probably frighten her. But he wanted to know where he was. So he whispered, as gently and softly as he could. "Tiny Turtle…"

The tiny turtle looked up. She was certain she had just heard a voice whisper to her, but there was no-one and nothing around. Was she hearing voices in her head again? Hmmm, what to do… 

She answered the voice. "Is someone there? If you are real, say so. If you are imaginary, welcome to my world..."

The dragon was not exactly sure what to answer, so he simply spoke the truth. "I'm very real, tiny turtle. I am an invisible dragon. I'm standing over you looking down at you, but you can't see me."

This was turning into an interesting day. "An invisible dragon? Looking at me? Oh! You were the bump that I felt, that was you! You made the ground shake a moment ago when you landed."

The dragon assumed the tiny turtle was right. "I suppose so. Can you tell me where I am? I got lost earlier today, flying over the Mediterranean…"

For the tiny 5-year-old turtle this was like a dream come true. For years she had experienced visions of mystical beings, and that she lived in a fantastic world filled with dragons and spirits and legends. And all the while she lived her day-to-day in the mud of the great river. And now… here she was… a turtle… talking with… an invisible dragon.

Wow.

The dragon was waiting for an answer to his question. The turtle was gazing up at him, with a far away look in her eyes. She seemed lost in some kind of reverie. 

He waited a little longer, then asked again. "Tiny turtle? If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me where I am?"

She shook her little head a moment, to bring her attention back to the dragon's question. "I'm so sorry, dragon. It's just… nevermind. …You're in Egypt. The big river over there, that's the Nile."

The invisible dragon was grateful, he could now fly onward to his destination. "Thank you." 

But he wasn't ready to leave yet. He was curious about this dreamy-eyed turtle gazing up at him. "What is your name, little friend? You're not shy like other turtles…"

A smile creased her little face. "My name is Rose. I'm very pleased to meet you." The faraway look returned. "Today I met an invisible dragon. Wow. Thank you…" She looked at his invisible face, or at least where she thought his face would be. "I don't know your name. What is your name?"

The dragon looked off into the distance. "It's dragon. Just, dragon."

She took in a little breath, to take in the moment more deeply. "Thank you, dragon." They smiled at each other, although she could not see him smile. 

She continued, a little overwhelmed by the moment. "I live in a world of my imagination. I bleed music, breath love. I'm 5 years old, and every day, as long as I remember, I dreamed of meeting a being like you… Do you know, my life is quite magical! I'm building my own realms in my imagination..." 

Then, the dragon felt her sadden, as she spoke further. "Which is all fine… but the real world bites. I'm a turtle, living in the mud by a river. That's the real world. You will fly away now, I will spend my days in the mud and wet." A wistful smile. "But I am so grateful I met you."

The dragon was unsure what to say. What would his father, the magician say? The dragon made a guess, and replied to his little friend. "The "real world" is just an illusion. Let it bite, and watch it fade like mist. Your precious 5 year old heart will beat on…"

The tiny turtle felt a wave of universal love pass through her little heart. The magician's words were like that. "True, through the mist it fades away; pain of an illusion passes to nowhere... All that we see is but a dream within a dream."

Now the dragon felt a wave of admiration pass through his enlightened mind. "You choose your words beautifully. Truly, you do."

Rose the turtle decided then and there, for the first time in her life, to share with another soul what passionate visions possessed her inner being. "Great dragon, before you fly onward, may I share a secret with you?"

The dragon was very curious. "You are the most unusual turtle I have ever encountered. I am very curious, what secrets you hold…"

She took a little breath, for courage. "Dragon, I feel my powers hidden in the heart of the earth; I am trapped; I must set my power free. You see... I dream of being human. I dream of  talking with people, everywhere.  You say my words are beautiful… may I admit to you a small vanity? I know my words are beautiful. I feel it in every sentence and phrase and verse in my mind. And if I were human, I could share these beautiful words with other souls… Maybe, I would be a writer, with readers to share my dreams!"

And then, in that moment, the dragon saw her reality bite deep into her soul. "But I am a turtle, an absurdly small creature that lives by a river. So my dreams of being human possess me every moment, while I spend my days and nights in the mud."

The invisible dragon felt a tightness in his chest, around his heart. But dragons don't cry, so he did not shed a tear. 

The little voice of Rose the turtle came to his ears once again. "You had better fly on, good friend. I'm certain you have a destination, and I know it is not my little corner of the river…"

The dragon hardly knew what to say. But the words came to him at the moment he opened his enormous invisible wings. "I'm glad I met you, my precious little friend. Keep dreaming, this is your light."

Rose felt the ground shake a moment as he lifted off. She called out to him. "I believe so…"

...Part 2
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