Our story thus far: At precisely that moment, a sound like thunder rumbled the ground, and a pillar of fire shot into the sky from the other side of the backyard fence. “Oh, great,” said the elf. “The dragon’s here.”
“Hi guys,” a booming voice boomed. “What’s shaking?”
“Besides the house, you mean?” Dejah asked.
The dragon was enormous. It — well, you know what a dragon looks like. It’s almost a cliche now. Long head and snout like a giraffe’s only all scaly, four legs and enormous wings that fold against its back, long pointy tail, claws — you know the drill. And of course, a deep voice that sounds menacing even when it says, “Hi guys, what’s shaking?”
Dejah didn’t seem to be particularly rattled, but Summer scampered up on the deck and seemed miffed that I’d closed the patio door.
“Yo, Seth,” said the little elfin being. “Haven’t seen you around for awhile.”
“Been busy, here and there,” said Seth the Dragon, and then turned to me. “Did you see an inter-dimensional portal around here somewhere? I thought I sensed a disturbance in the calm a few minutes ago.”
“You’re talking to me?”
“Well, you’re the only one there.”
“Right, I got a dragon in my yard quoting Travis Bickle,” I murmured, “as if this all wasn’t weird enough.”
“Great movie. A little dark for my tastes,” said the dragon. “So did you see an inter-dimensional portal or not?”
“We did!” piped up Dejah.
“No offense, lady, but I’m talking to the human,” Seth said. “Humans usually can’t see portals like we can.”
“Apologies,” Dejah said.
“No worries,” said the dragon, then looked at me with those big dark eyes, and his nostrils flared a little. “So?”
“Yes!” I said a bit too quickly, then took a breath and repeated, “Yes. I saw the portal.”
“How about that, Grenn? The plot thickens,” Seth said, turning to the elf.
“He can see me, too. It’s a little too spot-on to the prophecy for my comfort,” replied the elf. So his (?) name was Grenn.
“What plot? What prophecy?” Summer asked from the deck. The poor thing sounded as scared as when the neighbors down by the shore set off fireworks over the bay.
The elfin being and the dragon exchanged a “how much should we tell them” kind of look.
“We don’t want to alarm you,” said the dragon in as kindly a tone as he could muster with his inevitably menacing voice.
“Too late! We’re alarmed!!” Summer yelped.
“Speak for yourself,” said Dejah. “This is pretty interesting.”
“Let me have it,” I said. “Just be gentle.”
Grenn and Seth sighed. At least it looked like the elf sighed; when a dragon sighs, you can’t really hear anything else.
“October is the month of magic,” Grenn said. “You humans are more likely to see elves and dragons and other creatures of the other worlds when the leaves begin to turn and the air begins to cool. It’s just how it is.”
“But apparently this morning is a little unusual even for October,” I said.
“I don’t want to be Captain Obvious, but you and I have been having a conversation,” said Dejah, her English cream golden retriever eyes rolling.
“Like I said, this is unusual,” I said.
“Yes, it is,” said Seth the Dragon. “And there’s this prophecy —”
At that Grenn’s eyes began to glow and his voice grew larger than his little elf self again.
“In the time of magic there will come a day when the dimensions merge and tongues are unlocked to a human,” Grenn intoned. “Be on watch against the Evil One on that day, lest it consume all in its path.”
“The Evil One? You mean like Satan?” I asked.
The elf shrugged. “That’s as good a name as any.”
“OK, the portal and the talking dogs and the little elf-guy and the talking eagle are all signs that we need to watch out for the Evil One?”
“Pretty much,” the dragon said. “But we’re OK so far. It always announces its arrival with the Chime of Doom.”
As if on cue came the thunderous clang of a bell overhead, as if from a mutant Liberty Bell a hundred times larger than the original.
And on the other side of the fence, next to the dragon, an inter-dimensional portal reappeared.
