simple dragon story

All people from her village. Neighbors, relatives, friends, her parents. Even Ked, the boy she secretly loved and hoped for marriage next year. They chained her to a pole and played the drums. To call the beast for the sacrifice.
She had done nothing wrong and it was nothing personal. Simple bad luck, she have pulled a broken stick. One of the girls had to go and it was her fate. Now she's being sacrificed for the good of all, she will die so that the whole village can survive, Ked, her parents, everyone.
Those noble thoughts didn't help a little bit when giant claws grabbed her and teared off the chain. She just closed her eyes, screaming in panic and kept screaming all the way up to the skies, and even after it put her gently one some cold stone floor... put her ... what?
"Would you be so kind and shut up?"
She did, mainly because of shock and surprise. She expected to be already dead and she didn't even realize that dragons can talk.
"Good. I enjoy the peaceful harmony of my cavern and your noise disturbed it."
Shivering from cold and fear, she tried to cry quietly.
"Calm down my little, there's nothing to be afraid of."
"Nothing ...I...I...you will... let me...live?"
"Sure. For at least an hour."
That veiled the newly born tiny ray of hope. She started screaming again.
"Shush. There's really no reason for fear."
"But...but... I will die the next hour?! Is that reason not good enough?"
"You will. But you know whats the worst in dying? Not pain, not cease of existence. Its fear. You panic, you can't think clearly, you kill your own soul before the body dies. Dispose of that and it won't be that bad."
"Eeeee?"
"What really bothers you? Pain?"
"I...eeee, yhm, pain."
"Then, no worries. It won't hurt much. Most people end up in worse ways, by sword, hunger, sickness or age. Only the lucky few can enjoy as quick and merciful death as you will find in my jaws."
"But...but... I'm fourteen. And... and ...eeee, whole life ahead of me."
"Obviously not. You were destined to live fourteen years. You have one last hour or so. Accept that."
"But..."
"God gave us feelings and emotions for a purpose. Us - living creatures that is. For example, we feel hunger in order to have motivation to go find some food. Without hunger, most creatures would just die from starvation without care. Or lust. I'll omit details not to demoralize you, but the final objective is having kids. Now fear. It exist because God wanted every creature to run or fight in face of danger, take a chance to save own life. Obviously, you have no slightest chance to run or fight. Your death is inevitable. So fear is useless, it does not apply in your situation. You should try despair. When there is absolutely no hope, despair is very appropriate. You can accept your doom and take it easy. Why spend that last hour with pain in your stomach, shaking hands and eyes full of tears, when you can have a pleasant friendly conversation with someone smart and interesting, like my humble self. "
"But I really..."
"Good, I see you're getting better. You may be even able to talk normally quite soon. Now, take off your clothes."
"What? You wanna, like, lay down with me? Rape me?"
"What a sick imagination. No, that would be awful even if we had any geometric compatibility allowing that. I'm not a zoophile, and if I were, I'd choose a goat, goats are more attractive."
"But people used to say I'm cute and I'm growing into a beautiful woman."
"Unfortunately you're not. Even if you were going to grow into anything. Your aesthetics are disputable at best. Its obvious you lack almost all traits of a beautiful female - shiny scales, pointy claws, wide arches of wings. But even if we compare your kind with other mammals. A swift horse, a powerful stag, a noble lion - they look well. They move with grace, they have harmonic proportions. But the whole monkey kind, like gorillas, gibbons or humans is not known for their good looks... Now please go to that pond and take a bath, you smell."
"Sorry ... " she was ashamed, her bladder didn't resist the stress of this day - oh, but the water is soooo coooold.
"Don't worry, while you're alive, blood circulation keeps the meat in right temperature, that's what hot blooded animals are for..."
That didn't really comfort her, but icy waters eventually calmed her feelings. She concentrated on simple physical sensations, mainly cold and hunger, so she could think less about dying. She looked at the beast for the first time, wondering if it looks as bad in her eyes as she looks in his. Nothing like that. The creature was essence of power and majesty, alien, intimidating, monstrous, but perfect in every aspect. Shiny black scales, giant wings, snake-like neck. Red eyes burned deep inside a head looking like a piece of art rather then part of a living creature. Dragon watched her in bath shamelessly and continued;
"Back to your visual aspects, even among other monkeys, you don't shine. They at least have mostly regular fur. And look at you, that all bald skin is disgusting and its made worse by all the clumps of hair in random places. No wonder you people hide this under clothes, procreate in dark private places and never talk about that. And your proportions are grotesque. Walking on two legs and the other two attached on sides. That's sure one of the most freaky design decisions of God. Round head put on the top, flat face, small pointy nose, small jaws, mane falling depressingly down and having almost the same color as skin. You humans don't even taste all that well."
She left the pond, clean but shivering. She gathered herself and tried to speak clearly.
"If, I, I ... if flavor of human meat does not fully satisfy your fine taste, I really don't have to impose myself. My family would surely be happy to deliver a delicious lamb or pig or ..."
"Don't worry, I've found some recipes especially for you, in a human cookbook surprisingly. Cannibalism is rare but happens among humans. Well prepared you can be quite interesting."
"But... but..."
"Those sacrifices once a decade are a custom rooted back in my fathers times. Your folk have been doing this for centuries. By refusing you, I'd break your cultural taboo, insult your elders, threaten your people and leave everyone in uncertainty and confusion. Societies need traditions. That way they define their place in the world, their identity. I cannot just destroy this all of a sudden. It would be unkind and cruel."
"No, no, no! We don't do this for fun or to, to ... de-fine any inty-denty-thing. We know our place in the world, elders even have a map! We do this sacrifice because otherwise you could destroy the whole village, kill everyone."
"Silly theory. I can kill everyone anyway."
With every passing moment she was more and more conscious of her immense love of life. In fact she loved life so much it did hurt.
"Do so! Spare me!"
"No."
"Such a mighty beast surely doesn't need a miserable piece of stingy meat like me. You can hunt, you can kill anything, nothing can stand against you! And I can serve you! I can clean your cavern, and, and, polish your scales and your treasures. Because ... I look at you, we talked a bit, and I really admire you. It would be great honor to serve such a magnificent creature! ... Spare me, please please please, I beg you, show mercy..."
"You now what happened to species that had been showing mercy to their food?"
"Uh?"
"They are all extinct! No living creatures do it now. Cattle has no mercy for grass, wolves for roe, and you humans are no better. Did you ever resign from broth to save chickens life? Do your cows die willingly without crying in panic before you slaughter them? Did any human ever listened to those cries?"
"But...but...they are just animals."
"Right. Like you."
"But...I'm a human. That's different... a bit, isn't it?"
"Your assertion cannot be falsified by your human definitions. You just consider yourself different without even seeking reason or proof other then some mythological humbug. But that makes me a lower animal too, so I cannot accept that such simple distinction. So, what would make both of us so different and superior to lower animals?"
"Eeee ... We can talk?"
"Your dog talks as well."
"Barks."
"He communicates with you. You learn to know what bark means 'give me some food' and what is 'I smell a cat, let me kill it'. You also teach him some simple commands, like 'sit' or 'fetch'."
"But we talk now, and I understand most of what you say."
"You know that your communication with a dog is very limited, only simplest statements. But the dog doesn't even imagine anything beyond that. He believes you talk like equals and just doesn't realize your intellectual predominance at all. So are you. I just touch simple topics and formulate them in simple words. If we can talk on same level, lets try with some basic things, so basic they even have names in human language even if your scholars understand nothing. Please tell me what you know about non-euclidean metric spaces and their use in forecasting results of trans-dimensional relocation spells in modern thaumaturgy?"
"Spells? I know no magic, I'm not a witch, sorry..."
"Well, maybe something more general then. Art? Whats your opinion on Yhtlonian dream poetry?"
"Never heard of it."
"I realize you had no chance to experience it, but maybe you'd like to try now? Yhtlonians were a fish-like aquarian race, masters of telepathy and builders of great undersea cities. They were extinguished half million years ago. Many think their poetry is a prime example of artistic communication beyond biological and environmental differences. Can I?"
"Sure..."
"Suddenly, she started drowning in cold darkness of endless unearthly abyss. Completely lost, instinctively seeking any trace of air or surface. And then here senses were flooded by sensations that had no relation with normal human perception. Her panicked mind was searching for any meaning for them and created visions of flowing colors, undertone music and whispering, swirling voices, explosions of heat and cold. Some part of her that remained somewhat conscious, just realized she's about to cross the edge of sanity. And right before the point of no return, it just stopped."
"So whats your opinion?"
She puked abruptly.
"Very expressive way to show lack of enthusiasm."
"Ugh - she tried to say something but failed."
She thought about going to the pond to wash her face and realized she's afraid to do so. Those dark deep waters... she crawled away from that place, just in case. Perspective of death in jaws of a dragon, a creature of air and flame, suddenly felt almost comfortable.
"Nothing to say? That's about as much as a dog could say about your folk ballads. I consider my point proven. Between our cognitive capabilities there is a gap no lesser then between you and the smartest of what you perceive as animals. We agreed to consider intellectual inferiority, so called 'inability to talk', as qualification for being an animal and being an animal as qualification for being consumed within boundaries of ethical acceptability."
She gave up trying to understand that and just nodded hopelessly.
"Do you know anything about the world at all, or maybe you can do anything really?"
"Eeee - she started gathering thoughts again. Maybe her offer of service was about to be reconsidered?"
"What you say Mrs different a bit?"
"I can cook! I cook really well." That was true, she have put much effort in learning to please her future husband.
"That's what I hoped to hear!"
"Really?"
"Yes. I couldn't imagine knowledge more appropriate for this moment."
"Why ...No! No! I won't help you cook myself! Forget it! No, that's disgusting!"
"Just a moment ago you tried to prove me you're an creature somewhat superior to other animals. Now is your chance. Elevate yourself over primitive instincts, ignore the bodily impulses and control yourself. Mind over body, spirit over mind."
"R..rrr...right?"
"Great. Now read this little recipe and say, what would you add? A I mentioned earlier, its human cuisine."
"I ... I cannot read."
"Naturally. I'll read you;
Tomatoes with mozzarella... "
"Tomatoes with mozzarella and human meat???"
"You knew a different version?" - he seemed as surprised as she was shocked.
"Very different. Its impossible. If such recipe really existed, it would be called 'young innocent girl with tomatoes and mozzarella'! Human meat is ... not ... I mean definitely not a typical thing in a meal."
"But human meat is just a recommended, but optional extra ingredient here."
"Really?"
" ingredients;
mellow tomatoes
mozzarella
garlic
fresh leaves of basil
oil of olives
preferably extra virgin. "