Blue Dragon
…a folk tale
by Pat Geltner
Benny was six. and going to have a birthday soon. It was his year for the family to have a special celebration. Last year it was Brian's turn and, at 13, he didn't want any more sleepovers or parties in the backyard with relay games. He wanted to go to a movie with just his two pals--NO parents. "It IS PG-13," he said with great meaning. And then he wanted them to go, also unescorted, to the ice cream and sandwich shop and just "hang out" His parents agreed, and that's what they did.
Benny's idea of a birthday celebration was entirely different. He was practically an authority on dinosaurs and other "monstery creatures," or any reptiles, prehistoric or living, for that matter.
He and his dad discussed the possibilities. They could all go to the zoo, which they had enjoyed before. Or they could try the new Natural History Museum or they could go back to the college and see their dinosaur dioramas. He was to think about what he'd like to do.
One morning Benny came bounding into the kitchen. Mom was humming to herself and cleaning up the sink and Brian was sitting at the table eating and staring at his cereal box. Benny was very excited.
"It happened again! I had that same dream! You know, the one where the dragon slides down the hill and finds the baby in the water. It was just the same!"
"Well, isn't that something," Mom exclaimed. "Was it a scary dream?"
"Oh, not at all. It was all happy, the dragon was smiling, and the baby was smiling, and the dragon was beautiful. All blue and he had shiny scales that sparkled as he moved."
Without changing his position Brian shifted his eyes to stare at his brother with the same disinterest. He shook his head and went back to his study of the cereal box.
"And sometimes I could watch the dragons and sometimes I was looking out through the big dragon's eyes. WOW! That means I WAS the big dragon."
Brian slid out of his chair and raised his eyebrows to give himself what he thought was a superior look. "Nah," he said. "No doubt you're the puny one."
"NO," protested Benny, "That's not the way it was. I was BIG."
Mom sat down in the chair to better listen to her youngest son. Her long soft hair fell forward from her center part. She absently pushed some hair behind each ear.
"That is a different kind of dream," she said in her soft voice. "I wonder it it's all the talk we've been having about where to celebrate your birthday. It's all been about prehistoric animal displays or the zoo or some such..."
Mom was a person who smiled a lot. Her mother had been a hippie in those years of great attitude changes. Her mother had been part of the generation of flower power, brotherly and sisterly love, long straight hair, peasant clothing and their catch phrase, "Make love not war."
The boys’ mom’s legacy was that she was a sweet, sweet person with a gentle disposition and a whale of an imagination. She often played her old folk music 33 1/3’s that were recorded during those years. Their home was often filled with poignant songs of long winding roads, wild horses running free, and of the shipwreck at sea that released the ghostly lovers to drift together forevermore. She would see nothing surprising about Benny having a beautiful dream with a blue dragon. Of course Brian would think it all ridiculous. Maybe he would grow up to be a systems analyst, like his father.
It was getting close to Benny's birthday and he would have to decide soon, but he couldn't seem to make up his mind. He had just come home from school and taken some cookies outside. He sat on the edge of the deck which was just above the fish pond, where he idly watched the gold fish swim around and around. Mom was playing one of her records and he listened to someone playing a guitar and singing a sad song about a beautiful lady who was pining for her soldier boy.
As Benny sat his eyes caught the movement of a little lizard on one of the rocks at the edge of the pond. The lizard tried to scurry from one rock to the next, but something was wrong with one leg. Benny was able to pick it up easily, and he carefully cradled it in his hands and hurried in to Mom.
"Mom, look at what I found! He was on the rocks by the pond. I think he's hurt.”
Mom looked carefully at the little fellow.
Benny hardly paused for breath. "'Couldn't we keep him? Maybe just for a while. Maybe he can't get food."
"Well, maybe... We'd have to find out what he’d need. It's not like a goldfish..."
"No, it's NOT like a goldfish, Mom. Reptiles are kept in vivariums. Dad told me."
So they talked to Dad and also to the pet store owner, The complete vivarium and instruction book were rather expensive, so Dad asked Benny if he'd like this to be his birthday present. After all, he told Mom. it'll be a good learning experience.
Benny was overjoyed with the idea, and set to work getting things ready. He looked diligently until he found the perfect rocks to put in the vivarium. Then he scrubbed them thoroughly, as the book said to do. He followed all the rules and carefully watched his little friend.
Of course Benny thought about his dream, and how he was the blue dragon sliding down the hill to find the little baby. In the dream the baby was hatching from a shell and in real life he was sitting on a rock. But you know how dreams are, Benny thought to himself. You have to use your head to figure out some things.
But of course Brian wasn't going to stand still for this dream business It wasn't LOGICAL, and to a 13 year old trying to sort out the world, things had to be logical. So, as he walked out the door, he threw back what he thought was the last word, "But you're NOT BLUE."
Benny was upset, and he said to his mom, "But I can PRETEND to be blue. It feels good to pretend that I'm the big dragon who helps the little one. Brian's way isn't any fun." He was close to tears. "Why can't he ever play my way any more?"
Mom looked thoughtful. "He can't," she said, "because he grew up some and lost the ability to do what you can do. Maybe he'll grow up some more and be able to get it back....MAYBE."
"But you're grown up," Benny cried in frustration.
"Oh, yes," Mom responded dreamily, "There are some of us around."
Sad now, Benny said, "Will I lose the power?"
Mom answered carefully, "I promise you this: your ability to be blue will last exactly as long as you want it to." She paused a little, then added, "And isn't that great? Now let's go fix some lunch. What do blue dragons eat, I wonder."
Benny smiled and shook his head.
"Well, maybe princesses that can't run fast enough," Mom said.
Benny giggled, then his eyes lit up and he added, "Or maybe knights in shining armor."
"Nah. Too crunchy," Mom said. "I know. How about a Blue Plate Special?"'
Benny laughed all the way down to his toes. "What's a Blue Plate Special?" he sputtered.
"What blue dragons eat. If they can squeeze into the diner, that is."
Copyright 2006, Pat Geltner. All rights reserved.