Dragon Eggplant

By Allie Jo Andersen

The colossal purple dragon’s scraping snores pierced Eileen’s ears. She froze at the entrance of the cave, her every muscle screaming for her to run.

She took a deep breath, increasing her grip on her deerskin satchel. I can’t stop now; Lottie is depending on me.

Slowly, Eileen entered the dark, humid cave, holding up her flickering torch, and tiptoed around the dragon’s massive claws.

She wished her sister Lottie was by her side now; Lottie was so much braver than her.

As she crept around the dragon’s scaly and coiled tail, it unwound and swished in her direction. It was too thick to jump over, and there was no room to step aside. All Eileen could do was stop, hoping it wouldn’t break her in half. Just before it reached her, the tail halted.

She let out a sigh then continued creeping toward the back of the cave. As she stepped past the dragon’s right foot, she spied a couple of marred scales exposing a bright red gash.

Eileen glanced toward the dragon’s face and realized that he wasn’t snoring. He was weeping, amethyst tears slipping down his face. A pang of empathy surged through her heart. So these creatures weren’t as emotionless as the ancient legends claimed.

She opened her deerskin satchel and pulled out a handkerchief. After wetting the cloth with water from her canteen, she braced herself as she pressed it against the wound.

The dragon only flinched, so Eileen quickly cleaned and wrapped the gash with a spare piece of fabric from her satchel.

Once done, the dragon sniffed and shook his head. He turned his long neck toward Eileen, gave her a quick look over, then slowly rose to tower over her.

“Who are you?” he said in a deep, melodic voice.

Eileen locked eyes with the dragon. Uncertainty bubbled up inside her. So many others would be better at this. Especially Lottie. Yet the elders sent Eileen on this task instead. She took a deep breath and recited in her bravest voice, “I am Eileen of the village Willow Tree. My people are suffering from a terrible illness. I am on a quest for medicine.”

The dragon’s ears brushed the ceiling of the tall cave, and he squinted at her. “How are you to acquire this medicine?”

Eileen patted her satchel. “I am gathering the ingredients to create it.” She faltered, forgetting what she was supposed to say next. Looking down at her satchel, she bit her lip. Of course. “I have all the ingredients I need except the dragon eggplant.”

The dragon continued to stare. Did she say something incorrectly? After several achingly long moments, he spoke. “How do you expect to receive this dragon eggplant?”

“Our legend says that the dragon will give one eggplant from his garden in exchange for an answer to his riddle.” Eileen tried her hardest not to show any displeasure at that statement. Lottie would have already retrieved the eggplant from the dragon and be on her way home.  Instead, she was lying sick in bed.

“A riddle you shall have.” Slowly, the dragon bent his head until he was eye-to-eye with her. “Water falls upward then collects above your head. Down it comes to restart the cycle ahead.”

Eileen dropped her gaze to her feet. The legends never said what his riddle would be. Recited answers could only take her so far. Her cheeks burned as she begged her mind to conjure up the answer. “They shouldn’t have sent me,” she mumbled.

The dragon frowned. “That is not the answer.”

Eileen looked up at the dragon, her eyes stinging with tears. “I don’t know the answer.”

His shiny violet eyes softened, and his ears relaxed, as if he knew how she felt. “Did they not teach you riddle-solving in school? That is a tradition in your village, is it not?”

“I’ve never done well in school.” Eileen let her shoulders droop.

The dragon huffed. “We’ll have to come up with something else, then.” He turned away. “Tradition tells me that I must roast anyone who won’t solve the riddle.”

Eileen’s eyes widened as fear struck her like a knife in the belly. “Y—you must?” Her breath quickened with the haste of a small hare.

The dragon nodded. “According to tradition. But I weep for days if I harm even the smallest creature. My heart would break if I followed tradition since you were so kind to me already.” The dragon’s lips curled up in a smile.

“Quite a pair we are.” She laughed.

“Indeed.” The dragon snorted.

“What now?”

The dragon squinted at Eileen for a moment before hoisting his body onto his feet. “Come with me.” The ground shook under his weight as he limped to a much larger tunnel on the other side of the cave.

Eileen had to sprint to catch up with him, clutching her bag so nothing would fall out.

After several minutes, they stepped outside of the cave and into a bright, beautiful garden.

Flowers of every color glittered among bright green grass. The scent of lavender and other greenery floated in the air, giving Eileen a sense of home and comfort. A creek gurgled on the other side of the garden.

The dragon hobbled to the center of the foliage. He nodded his head toward Eileen, as if giving her permission to enter.

Stepping as gingerly as she could, Eileen approached him.

“This is a dragon’s eggplant. As a reward for your kindness, you may take this and cure your village.” The dragon gently picked up a bright purple vegetable with his jaws and set it down at her feet.

With a smile, she bowed her head and curtsied. “Thank you.”

The dragon returned the bow. “May your quest end well, my lady.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Allie Jo Andersen is a follower of Christ who loves weaving tales by answering the question “what if…?” Her goal is to write stories that entertain and instill truth in her readers’ minds. If she’s not coming up with new worlds to explore, she’s probably cuddling a baby bunny, exploring someone else’s fictional world, or planning victory in the latest family game.

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