Presenting to you a late night Wednesday Words flash! I’m very excited to expand this one, as I had a lot of fun with techy descriptions and setting in the first draft, which sadly had to be paired down due to length. I think this story will make an excellent longer flash or short story. We’ll see!
With his tintype camera hidden beneath his robes, Michael set down his green lantern and touched the scorched bark of a tree.
Of course no one had found the dragon yet—they kept scaring it off. The green lantern had been the trick, to not scare off the forest animals as he searched during the night. Now he could be the first to snap evidence.
The first light of dawn illuminated a line of burned bark line along the trees, as if the dragon blew fire as it spun in a half circle low to the ground. Then the burnage ended just up ahead.
An owl hissed to the left. A fluttery of wings and air, then a thud. Michael pulled out his tintype and began setting it up, his heart pounding in his ears.
The sounds of chomping, of meat tearing sent shivers down his spine. Michael finished sliding the plate into the camera then crept forward.
There, a small dragon in the clearing, eating the owl. It was no bigger than a dog.
Michael lifted his camera, moving as if he were a snail, hoping the dragon stayed occupied with its food.
If it held still long enough…
Snap.
He ducked behind a tree as the dragon popped its head up, alert. He stifled his breathing, but the dragon never came, giving him the chance to sneak away.
Michael sprinted hard, cradling his camera, desperate to develop it and prove to the world that he was the first.
For more enchanting Wednesday Words by other authors, check out the official Wednesday Words page!