PART OF ME. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING I CAN.”
“How? I don’t have wings.”
“THINK ABOUT FLYING, AND IT WILL HAPPEN. WINGS ARE ENJOYABLE AND ENHANCE MANEUVERABILITY BUT ARE NOT NECESSARY. DO YOU WANT TO TRY IT NOW?”
George looked out over the dragon’s shoulder and down. They were several thousand feet above the ground. “Could I first try doing it lower?”
“OF COURSE,” agreed Freedom, with a laugh. “LET’S VISIT MY FAVORITE LIBRARY. WE CAN BEGIN GOING PUBLIC THERE.” They began to spiral downward.
“We're going public? But Ellen said that the Government wants us to wait!”
“I DON’T AGREE, AND NEITHER DO YOU.”
“She said the President doesn’t want it.”
“I SUPPORT HUMANS BUT DON’T BLINDLY OBEY ANY HUMAN GOVERNMENT AND NEITHER DO YOU. I SEE NO PROBLEM.”
“In that case, by all means let’s start at the library,” agreed George.
The dragon landed lightly on the sidewalk in front of the library. There were a few cars driving past but no pedestrians in the immediate vicinity. Even so, George was relieved when Freedom immediately disappeared and become a white ring on his finger, though it did involve an abrupt twelve-foot drop to the sidewalk. George remained an odd sight, in his gleaming gold elf-armor, but was much less attention getting than a dragon. He sensed that several people were startled momentarily, but their anxiety quickly abated. Crazy teenager in armor? Why not?
When he stepped into the library the large, plump middle aged woman behind the desk stared at him openly. “Shouldn’t you be in school, young man?” she asked sternly.
“I’m here to see Ruth, the chief librarian; the one that reported seeing the big lizard,” George announced, as Freedom had telepathically instructed him to say.
The woman’s face turned red. “Absolutely not. From the look of you, you’re either another one of those nutcases, or you’re here to make fun of the poor woman. Either way, I think you better quietly leave, or I’ll have the law down on you.”
“She’s in her office, behind you. I’m here to apologize to her for the trouble he caused.”
“Who caused?”
“My dragon friend.”
“Is that what dragon friends wear?” asked another voice with amusement, before the first librarian could respond. Ruth had exited her office behind the desk and now regarded George critically. She was a small, thin, gray-haired woman in her early sixties.
“I’m wearing my battle gear today, Miss Hendricks. My friend Freedom apologizes for startling you and making a mess in your library. At the time he wasn’t acquainted with human customs, including proper library etiquette. It was all an unfortunate misunderstanding. He also wishes to thank the library for all that he learned here.”
Both women laughed.
“That’s what a library is for,” said Miss Hendricks. “It isn’t for practical jokes. That’s what this is, isn’t it? George isn’t it? Mary’s friend? Harry's nephew? You got a library card here a few days ago. Is there a hidden camera somewhere to record this joke for the internet? Maybe in that realistic looking helmet and armor?”
“Not at all.”
“Why doesn’t this dragon friend of yours speak for himself?”
“He didn’t want to scare you again. He’s grown much larger now and would damage the inside of this library much more. You could come outside to see him, if you wish.”
“Is he outside now?”
“No.” George held up the ring for her to look at. “He takes the form of this ring, when he wishes to. This is him.”
Her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged wide, as she first drew back from the odd ring before curiosity got the best of her and she looked at it closely. “It’s perfectly white!”
“Yes, he’s a white dragon, except mostly for green eyes and tongue and around his scales. Why didn’t you tell the news people the white and green?”
“I didn't think they'd believe that my lizard intruder was white with hints of green. That ring is a dragon?”
“He’s an energy-based form of life that is most comfortable in the form of a dragon.”
Her wide eyes rose to meet George’s. “And you? That’s Mystery Man's armor and weapons you wear, isn’t it? What are you?”
“I’m his human partner. Listen, you don’t have to be afraid of us, we’re the good guys. I’m sort of the new Mystery Man, though I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d keep my human identity a secret for now. Can you understand the trouble that publicity could bring?”
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “I sure can. This place was a zoo for a couple of days. Plus, half the county thinks I’m loony. We’re not anxious to repeat that or wish it on anyone else, are we Janet?”
“Oh, I agree,” said the other librarian.
“Very well, young man,” said Ruth, “tell your dragon that his apology is accepted. What was he doing here in the first place?”
“Seeking knowledge of Earth and its humans. He’s not from around here, you see. We’re both in training, sort of.”
“The old Simple place and its mysterious forest,” said Ruth, nodding. “And your Uncle Harry. Yes, it all fits together. I’ll wager he was the original Mystery Man?”
It was George’s turn to look surprised.
“Oh, I know Harry, and I knew your mother Joan too, young George. I’ve had you all marked as something special from day one. I was sorry to hear of her death.”
“You are very perceptive,” noted George.
“I’m a librarian. Knowledge is my business. Can I meet your dragon friend in person? To see a real dragon I’d chance the renewed publicity.”
“Yes, but then we must move on, we’re on a mission.”
“It’s about time. The monsters, I suppose?”
“We’ll do what we can.”
“I saw your great-uncle in action once, almost fifty years ago,” she added excitedly, as they exited the library. “He was magnificent. But we all get old, if we manage to live long enough.”
George stepped away from the librarians. There was a swirl of light and in an instant the White Dragon stood next to him, which brought gasps from the librarians and the sound of screeching of brakes from several passing vehicles.
“Greetings, Ruth and Janet,” said the dragon. “My name is Freedom. It would be my pleasure to visit your library once again, but my partner and I must be away now.” With that, he extended his wings, leapt into the air and lifted away in one smooth motion.
“WHAT ABOUT ME?” George asked, from where he still stood on the sidewalk. The dragon began to circle slowly, a couple hundred feet above. Dozens of gawking people had gathered, and a few were already taking photos and videos.
“SAY YOUR GOODBYES AND FLY UP TO ME YOURSELF, CHOSEN ONE. WE CAME DOWN HERE SO THAT YOU COULD LEARN TO FLY: SO FLY!” The dragon circled still higher.
“RIGHT,” George replied uncertainly.
“OK, I’m going to try to fly up to him, Miss Hendricks; my first attempted flight. I hope it works.” He looked up at Freedom and hopped a few inches off the ground, but came right back down again.
“Oh my, you ARE in training!” said the old librarian. “How is it supposed to work?”
“I think about it and it’s just supposed to happen by magic,” George explained.
“Well young man, than I suggest you clear your thoughts first and try again. And I know you can jump much higher than that! Have more confidence in yourself!”
“Yes, thank you.” He closed his eyes and dried to think of flying. He had experienced flying in many of his dragon dreams, and he drew on that now.
“Well, it’s a start,” he heard Ruth Hendricks say.
He opened his eyes and saw to his surprise that he now floated three feet above the ground. Several onlookers had noticed and were pointing at him and shouting.
“Ignore the fuss, young man,” implored Miss Hendricks. "You are after all a super hero. Time to act like one. Time to BE one!"
“Thi
s is easy,” George exclaimed, quite as excited as any of the onlookers, “but like you said, I can jump a lot higher. Goodbye for now.” He dropped down to the ground and from a squatting stance leapt up with all his strength. He felt the sidewalk crack under his feet as he lifted away from it and flew over a hundred feet up from the strength of the leap. Instead of slowing and falling, his assent gathered yet more speed, and he actually overshoot freedom by at least fifty feet, where he willed himself to float in place.
“VERY GOOD,” said Freedom, as the dragon flew gracefully up and under George, and his human partner happily regained his sitting position on the dragon’s shoulders.
Far below, people were still pointing and taking pictures when the first news van arrived. Predictably, the emerging news crew turned its camera skyward until the dragon disappeared into a bank of clouds, and then turned and made a beeline for the library and Miss Hendricks. The dragon hovered near the librarians as George waved at them for the cameras.
“Well, Janet,” Ruth said to her companion, “here we go again. This time I’ll have a little more credibility, however.”
Dragon and Chosen slowly rose higher before shooting off rapidly to the east.
“WAS THAT ENOUGH OF GOING PUBLIC?” Freedom asked.
“No, that will make it to the news but we need a much bigger crowd and more news cameras to really fully go public,” said George.
“I SENSE A LARGE GROUP OF HUMANS AHEAD,” Freedom said.
George extended his own senses and quickly confirmed that only a few miles ahead, tens of thousands of people were gathered in a large stadium. There were so many thoughts thrown about it was difficult to make sense of it, but the geometry of the players on the field made it immediately clear what was happening far below. “Circle high above them and gradually drop to about a five hundred feet.”
It was in the third inning of their baseball game that even the players noticed that more and more people were looking skyward, pointing, and shouting. A few onlookers were soon rushing to the exits, but most were transfixed by the sight of a white dragon, circling slowly above the stadium. The game was halted and the announcer was urging people to remain calm.
“Do not be alarmed,” said a booming voice from above. “We seek only to talk to you.”
“My dragon partner and I are here to help,” said another voice. It sounded like a teenage boy’s voice, but it had over-ridden the game announcer’s voice and was being carried through the stadium speaker system. "I’ll come down first and speak to you.”
A small figure separated from that of the dragon and dropped down through the air. It quickly became apparent to most onlookers that a human was falling to his death, though some expected a parachute to open. No parachute opened, but the rate of fall decreased, until the figure at last stood motionless, suspended fifty feet above second base with no visible means of support. The figure was partially clad in arcane looking armor that glinted golden in the sun, worn over what appeared to be ordinary blue jeans, tee-shirt, and sneakers.
“I am the new Mystery Man,” resumed the juvenile voice from the speakers. “My partner is the White Dragon named Freedom.”
Above him, a fifty foot plume of red flame belched upward from the dragon, and a roar louder than thunder filled the air! The crowd oohed and ahhed!
“His name reflects his character,” continued the voice. “We announce to the world here and now that we are here to fight the monsters that are attacking humanity. In cooperation with this country’s Government, we leave soon to seek the monsters out.”
A few people began to applaud but most simply continued to stare in stunned open-mouth silence. The armor covered human figure began to slowly rise higher, but in moments all eyes were on the dragon, which was rapidly diving down. Some people screamed in alarm, but in seconds, the dragon had flown under the Mystery Man only a hundred feet above the ground, scooped him up, and swiftly rose upward again. Mystery Man sat on the creature’s back smiling and waving to the crowd, while the dragon named Freedom was again roaring and belching smokeless red fire.
“Goodbye for now,” said the juvenile voice, between dragon roars.
People began cheering in earnest before the sound of the dragon’s roar had faded away.
“Now that’s what I call going public,” George remarked.
“ARE YOU CRAZY?” asked Mary, less than a minute later. “ELLEN IS GETTING YELLED AT WHILE I’M SEEING YOUR COME-OUT STUNT ON INSTANT REPLAY TV! AND WHEN DID YOU LEARN TO FLY?”
“FREEDOM AND I THINK IT WENT QUITE WELL. I FLEW PRETTY WELL FOR ONLY MY SECOND FLIGHT, DON’T YOU THINK? YOU SHOULD TRY IT. YOUR DRAGON CAN FLY, SO YOU CAN TOO. GET IT?”
“BUT WHY DID YOU DO IT? ELLEN AND HER BOSSES ARE NOT HAPPY AT ALL.”
“IT WAS A DRAGON DECISION, AND I THINK IT WAS A GOOD ONE.”
“BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT WE HAD DECIDED. YOU SHOULDN’T BLIND-SIDE US THIS WAY.”
“OK, YOU’RE RIGHT ABOUT THE BLIND-SIDING