Here There Be Dragons

By  Storm

 

The young blond haired man dropped his backpack and surfboard beside the wave polished gray driftwood log and stretched. Rotating his shoulders to relieve the stiffness caused by several hours of carrying his gear, he surveyed his surroundings with an expression that could only be described as satisfied. The curve of the shoreline before him formed a small cove that combined with the wind and currents to funnel in respectable waves even when everything else for miles up and down the coast was dismal from a surfer’s viewpoint. Today, with a big offshore storm that was working it’s way slowly east pushing the waves out ahead of it, some of the combers were already big enough to be impressive. By the time the storm actually got within a day or so of landfall, they would have grown large enough to be dangerous; he’d have to keep a close eye on the weather and clear out if the storm speeded up.

 

He frowned slightly as he watched a particularly heavy wave crash onto the beach, creating a brief foaming soup of water and sand. Conditions were just on the edge of being extreme enough that he really should have a buddy for safety. Unfortunately, none of the other guys on the sub were into surfing the way he was. He’d offered to let a couple of his shipmates come with him to this secret spot, but the idea of lugging a backpack and surfboard over the rough terrain between here and the nearest road had persuaded all of them to pass on the invitation He hadn’t even deigned to make the offer to any of the surf regulars at most of the beaches he frequented. They couldn’t understand why a surfer dude like himself would associate with the military types at the Nelson Institute and never bothered to listen to his explanation that Seaview wasn’t just another Navy submarine.

 

Shrugging, he turned back to his gear and set about making a small camp. He hadn’t brought a tent. Seaview’s captain had shown him and a couple of the other guys how to build a debris shelter one time when they’d been stuck ashore on some godforsaken island on what was supposed to be a simple rescue mission. Given the proper materials, which happened to be abundant here, he could in a very short time build himself a dry place to sleep that was far warmer than any tent and just as waterproof. It would have the added advantage in that it blended in with the surroundings, so no one would be able to tell there was anyone camping there. Except perhaps the Captain or his friend Patterson, he grinned to himself. He hadn’t been totally foolish in coming down here alone; he’d told two of his shipmates, Patterson and Kowalski, exactly where he was going. If they had to come looking for him, he’d get found.

 

The sun was starting to rapidly sink by the time he was done. He took the time to perch on a boulder and watch the display. High wispy clouds caught the changing light, shifting from gold to orange to purple. The colors of the sky reflected in the ocean, dying the curling wave tops with the same brilliant palette of colors that the sky held. He breathed in deeply, taking in the magnificent view. As much as he loved being on Seaview, days like this were what he truly lived for.

 

He started to turn back to his camp when he caught a flash out of the corner of his eye of something in the crest of one of the waves. He blinked and turned back to stare; he could have sworn he’d seen some sort of animal riding the wave. Not a dolphin; the impression that stuck in his mind was the both the wrong color - many shades of blue and green rather than grey - and too sinuous. The fading light revealed nothing out of the ordinary however and after a moment he shrugged and put it out of his mind. Supper was calling and it wouldn’t cook itself.

 

His small campfire crackled merrily as he fixed himself a small pot of stew from a packet of freeze-dried ingredients. It had been the Skipper who’d introduced him to the weight saving method of food preservation; that was pretty much all he used now when camping. Not only did it save weight, the trash was a lot lighter to pack out as well. In addition, it gave him room to pack other things - like his guitar.

 

By the time he’d cooked and eaten his meal, which he ate out of the pot - after all, there was no one there but himself, so why waste a plate - and cleaned up what little had been dirtied, night had fully fallen. A waxing crescent moon rode the western horizon. It would shortly set, leaving only the splendor of the night sky, because this far from LA the stars shone brilliantly. Perhaps not with the dazzling intensity they would have at a higher altitude or in the clear of a desert night, but bright enough that he could easily pick out the constellations. Leo was setting on the horizon along with the moon, while Corona Borealis and Hercules rode high overhead. To the north he could make out the Big and Little Dipper thorough the treetops. Rather, Ursa Major and Minor, he reminded himself with a grin. Then there was Draco…

 

He paused thoughtfully. Draco. Dragon. That was the impression he’d gotten earlier. Something long and sinuous, not exactly like a snake, but a Chinese dragon. A few years ago the idea would have made him laugh, but those intervening years had been spent serving on the Seaview. He’d seen more weirdness in those few years than most people ever saw in a lifetime. It was almost like there was a clause in the User’s Handbook of the Universe that stated somewhere in the small print “in order to take over the planet earth, you must first go through the submarine Seaview and her crew…”

 

He wryly shook his head. It was more like likely to have only been some sort of odd fish caught momentarily at the surface than a dragon. He’d seen plenty of those as well during his tenure on Seaview. The oceans - particularly the abyssal depths - were inhabited by some really bizarre looking life-forms. Besides, didn’t dragons fly?

 

A yawn caught him. It had been a very long day. Turning in early seemed like a good idea - that way he could get an early start in the morning. Carefully banking his fire so it wouldn’t spread, he crawled into his shelter and was soon snoring peacefully away.

 

In the darkness beyond the circle of firelight, something stirred. Two blazing sea-green orbs peered out of the boulders, surveying the camp with a keen intelligence; the faint scratch of something that sounded like toenails - or claws - scrabbled on the rocks. As the fire burned down and the shadows deepened, a long lean shape coiled out and came to a stop in front of the surfboard resting beside the shelter. The brilliant jewel toned eyes examined the brightly colored surfboard with fascination for several minutes before the long shape finally turned with an almost reluctant slowness and vanished back into the darkness of the night.

 

                                                        ***************

 

Morning found the young man polishing off a hasty breakfast, then carefully setting out his gear and examining it. Out here by himself, he’d be in big trouble if something failed because he’d been careless. First he went over his board, checking to see that the surface was unblemished. After a final coat of wax, he set the board aside to begin a thorough inspection of his green and orange wetsuit. As cold as the water was, any rips or tears would hasten hypothermia. Finally satisfied that all was in order, he began suiting up, keeping a watchful eye on the breaking surf as he did so. While somewhat bigger than the evening before, the waves had not yet reached heights that he considered particularly dangerous - though any wave could be a killer if you were unskilled or just plain unlucky enough.

 

Now it was time to hit the surf.

 

The young blond waded out into the water and easing on to his board, began the task of paddling out to meet the waves beyond where they broke. It took him some time to get positioned to his satisfaction; watching over his shoulder for just the right wave, when he spotted one that met his requirements he began paddling furiously to catch the crest as it passed under him.

 

Success!

 

He rose to his feet, feeling the thrill of riding one of the most powerful forces on the planet. A broad grin spread across his face as the wave began to crest; he angled his board to slide down and across the rising wall of blue-green water. A curl of white foam built at the top and began to arc over, a nascent tube in the making.

 

A dark shadow in the wave beside him caught his eye, startling him. It was the long sinuous shape he’d seen the day before, body surfing in the mountainous moving wall of water - and it was looking out with large luminous eyes that shone  with curiosity and intelligence. He forgot to breathe, forgot to shift his balance with the board…

 

Wipeout.

 

Tons of blue water crashed around him as he went down. Caught totally off guard, he found himself without a lungful of air - and the surface too far away. He looked up in despair as the turbulent water rolled him in an inexorable grip. He was in deep trouble and there was no one there to come to his aid.

 

Teeth closed on his arm. He whirled in alarm; his first thought was that the dragon - or whatever it was - was attacking, but he rapidly realized that the teeth hadn’t sunk into his flesh. Not only that, the creature was dragging him towards the surface. Rational thought overcame the primal impulse to struggle and he relaxed. As his head broke surface he gulped in a lungful of air and wiped the water from his eyes. The teeth let go and he turned to find himself gazing into the luminous eyes that had so startled him; eyes that were filled with what could only be chagrin.

 

He tentatively grinned a crooked smile. The green eyes brightened and he smiled more broadly. The creature responded with a toothy grin of it’s own. The mouth full of teeth would have ordinarily given him pause, but he’d already come to the conclusion that if the creature had intended him harm, it wouldn’t have rescued him.

 

Besides, it apparently liked to surf. And in Stu Riley’s book, any being that liked surfing couldn’t possibly be all bad.

 

“Let’s try that again,” he said to the dragon. The creature cocked it’s head in question. He pointed to his board and then back out to sea. He could tell from it’s enthusiastic quiver that his newfound friend instantly understood what he wanted to do.

 

And so they did.

 

It didn’t take them long to figure out that with Dragon towing him out to meet the waves, they could go further out and catch the big rollers that started breaking beyond the cusp of the small bay. Now those were waves!

 

He’d have never dared to try surfing them with a merely human companion.

 

Though he didn’t speak dragon and Dragon didn’t speak English, they had the common body language of the surfer. It seemed to be enough for the moment.

 

By the time the sun was at it’s apex in the sky, was becoming obvious that the offshore storm was on the move. Wispy tendrils of mare’s tails were beginning to give the light a faintly milky cast and the wind was definitely picking up. The waves were beginning to reach heights that made Stu nervous; even Dragon seemed to be casting a wary eye out to sea. He pointed towards shore and his companion gave a reluctant nod. They rode the last wave all the way in, grounding on the sandy beach by his camp.

 

Stu hoisted his board and headed up towards his shelter. His scaly companion romped ahead, giving him the opportunity for a really good look. The creature couldn’t really be described as anything other than a dragon, even though it had no wings. From the tip of its snout to the end of the pointed tail was probably about eight feet; the color could only be described as every shade of blue and green he’d ever seen in all the seas of the world. He couldn’t help the shake of his head; the OOM would paint himself blue and sing on the White House lawn for the opportunity to study such an unusual life form. Especially one that was so clearly a rational being. It had to be at least as smart as a dolphin, if not more so. On the other hand, since Dragon was clearly intelligent, he felt he ought not to betray the confidence the creature had shown in him. Perhaps he should discuss this with Patterson - he knew how to keep secrets.

 

While his mind mulled the question over whether or not to reveal Dragon’s existence, his hands busied themselves with fixing a quick lunch and then packing up his gear. As he sat to eat, Dragon watched with rapt fascination; he offered a bit of the dried fruit. Dragon carefully sniffed the offering before flicking out the long tongue to taste. The eyes blinked and Dragon winkled his/her nose in obvious distaste.

 

“Guess you’re not a vegetarian, huh?” Well, that made sense. Dragon just looked like a predator; those teeth couldn’t possibly belong to a herbivore, not unless the plants were hostile and capable of fighting back. That thought brought a wry grin. They’d seen some of those aboard Seaview a time or two.

 

Dragon looked at him questioningly and he felt compelled to explain his thoughts even though he was pretty sure the creature couldn’t understand him. Except… when he said the name Seaview, Dragon’s ears had perked up. Maybe his companion did understand part of what he was saying.

 

Finally the camp was cleared. He’d disassembled his shelter and cleaned up all traces of his presence. Dragon gave him what seemed to be an approving look; he answered with a grin. Unsure of how to say goodbye, he held out his hand. Dragon hesitated a moment before offering one of it’s own front paws. As his fingers closed gently, he realized with a start that the paws were in fact shaped more like hands, with opposable thumbs. More proof, he thought to himself, that Dragon was intelligent.

 

He shouldered his pack and picked up his surfboard. Nodding to Dragon he headed up the trail, halfway afraid the creature would follow him out of curiosity.

 

It didn’t. As he crested the first switchback in the trail, he looked back down to see Dragon had returned to the water and was making for the open sea. He nodded to himself. That was where Dragon belonged.

 

Maybe he wouldn’t mention this encounter to anybody after all. It would be their secret.