One Ugly Dragon

One Ugly Dragon (155 Words)

A dragon was coming to town. Everyone knew the date, although the time wasn’t certain. A certain trader offered Joey two wooden figures guaranteed, like scarecrows, to frighten dragons away.

Joey believed him. But when his father, Maxie, saw them, he wasn’t pleased.

“Son,” he said. “This won’t do. Those things are not only made of wood—regular dragon attractant if you ask me—but they’re carrying barrels and hoeing the field like us. Now why in the blue blazes would a dragon be scared of wooden farmers?”

“What can we do?” said Joey.

“Not much to do. But we can fix it a little.”

The dragon arrived early noon the next day. Because they had expected him, no one in the village or fields was harmed. But everyone was astonished to discover that of all the farmers’ fields, Maxie’s went untouched. Curtains and barbed wire can go a long way toward making two wooden people look like one ugly dragon.

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Written in response to Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers‘ photo prompt. Also written in response to the Daily Post’s daily prompt, “Astonish.” Check it out!

Photo (c) Ellespeth.