1 January 2023
I wanted to do something for New Year’s, and I didn’t feel like working on any of my usual stories, so I came up with this little feel-good one shot. It gave me a chance to practice my descriptive writing, which I want to improve, and let me just chill for a bit.
Some of my inspirations are probably pretty obvious. New Year’s led to Chinese New Year’s, despite being a couple months before that, and that led my to Eastern dragons. And once I connected the kid and the dragon, I couldn’t help but think of that scene in the Never-ending Story. It’s been ages since I watched it, but that scene is a bit iconic.
When Xiang had decided to watch the New Year’s fireworks from the top of the mountain, he hadn’t expected to find it already occupied. And certainly not by one of the legendary dragons.
The dragon was a great, long thing, that curled around the hilltop like a [noodle strand]. He had sky blue scales and a bushy white mustache, and a pair of antlers sprouted from his head. Below them, the dragon watched Xiang with a pair of golden eyes that seemed full of wisdom.
For a moment, the two just stared at each other. Then Xiang asked, “Are you here to watch the fireworks, too?”
The dragon slowly blinked, then turned to look down at the town. “Is it that time of year again already?”
Xiang nodded. “Do you want to watch them with me?”
The dragon regarded Xiang for a moment, then his eye twinkled. “Would you kike an even better view?”
Xiang’s eyes went wide, and the dragon chuckled. He stretched himself out, and invited Xiang to climb on.
No sooner had Xiang gotten himself situated when the dragon took off, swimming through the air, almost like a kite in the wind.
Xiang looked down in wonder as his village shrank beneath them. Then the fireworks started, lighting up the air all around them with every color imaginable.
The dragon grinned and sped up, dancing among the fireworks, adding an extra layer of beauty to the show for those below. Xiang laughed and whooped in joy, reveling in all the light and color.
Soon enough, though, it ended, and the dragon brought Xiang back to the mountain so he could go home. Xiang bowed and thanked the dragon. “I’ll come back and see you again!”
The dragon dipped his head, and Xiang hurried off, eager to tell all of his friends and family about his grand adventure.