Dragon Father disappeared, waking up and leaving his dream in an instant. Dragon Little had been waiting for it since they left the weapons shop hours earlier.
The picnic had no doubt been fun. They had spent hours together, as Dragon Father no doubt tried to make up and give his daughter some ‘normal time’ with her father rather than a life of adventure in which he realized she knew the names of most weapons in the weapons shop by heart at age 4.
Dragon Little paced the deck of Bonny’s Revenge to and fro for a few minutes, probably waiting to see if Dragon Father would reappear. Sometimes he would reappear after a few minutes and continue as if nothing had happened.
Once she saw that she was probably ‘safe’, she helmed the ship and flew back to the asteroid belt.
The familiar weapons shop waited on its asteroid. It had not disappeared as it had in the first two visits.
Dragon Little took the ship in close, but did not land.
The ship hovered above the shop. The clients were gone, the parking lot was empty. But almost everyone always disappeared when Dragon Father woke up. She no doubt considered the fact that there were probably no clerks and sellers in the store.
She climbed the plank and looked down, feet keeping her balance with confidence.
She stood there for another few minutes, considering what she should do.
Then, having decided, she ran the length of the plank, jumped onto the deck, and ran to the wheel. She parked just above the parking lot and climbed down.
She stopped just before the entrance, under the wooden sign that said ‘Ye Olde Weapons Shoppe’.
Her lips pursed, as she sighed a few times, thinking, fighting herself, no doubt remembering her father’s warnings.
Finally she nodded. “Okay. Okay. I have to do it.”
And she walked in.
I could not see her because of the roof and the blinds in the windows. But the little I did see through small slithers in the blinds was quickly confirmed by Dragon Little.
My sharp dragon ears heard her run from one aisle to the other, all the way one way, and then all the way back.
Then, finally, she shouted, “Oh maaaaaan!”
The shop had remained while Dragon Father had disappeared, but the shelves were all empty of weapons. There were no weapons to sell. Not even one.
Dragon Little came out of the shop frustrated. She kicked the door open. She kicked the wall.
And then, after a few minutes, she climbed aboard Bonny’s Revenge and flew far, far away.
—Told by The Red Dragon