the dragon hidden within

"the day was hot so when u got too the pool
i jumped right in. then i realized i still had to
change so i got out. Then my teacher told me
us to come over too her. my legs were so soar
from soccor, but i had to walk over to her..."

reading over her shoulder, i flinched, wanting to rip the keyboard out of her hands. or at least, ask her to print out a fresh copy so that i could edit it, making the marks with a red pen on the clean white paper with the fresh ink.

since i couldn't really do either of those plans of action without people considering me to be a serious mental case, i sighed and looked around. the white walls of the computer lab surrounded me, determined to be compleatly unhelpful. they couldn't provide me with just a single spark of inspiration? jeez, how inconsiderate. they couldn't even make it seem like they were shrinking in around me. you know in books how they say "the walls closed in around me"? well these walls wouldn't even do that, at least that would have been vaguly interesting.

i listened to the seemingly deafening sound of twenty people typing on keyboards at over 30 wpm. wait, make that 29. i stared down at my own hands, which were unmoving.

for the last 15 minutes, my class had been sitting there typing away. we were supposed to be working on either an old memory--which is what Sadie, the girl next to me was writing, "my legs were soar..." i shuddered again at the memory--or we could write a short story. i had opted for the short story, since the ideas usually came out of my head so fast i could barely type them fast enough. but of course, today, the words would not come. all i could think of was that stupid song that Tucker had been singing earlier "i love college." well, he might love college or he might not, i don't know, but i certainly don't love him! or that song. oh well.

i glanced at the clock where my time was ticking away quickly. i looked back at the screen, typed a few words, stared at them, erased them again, and looked at the screen again. what i really wanted to do was write a song. i could hear a new rhythm running through my head right now, the words just waiting to be writted down, wrapping around eachother to form a complex melody.

i heard footsteps behind me. oh crap. my teacher, mrs. fhlam,(pronounced, "flame"--we all called her dragonlady behind her back) had come up behind me, heard me humming my song, and had noticed that there were no words on my paper.

Dragonlady: Gari. (i hate my name. it means "spear maiden." also, it's the feminine form of "Gary!" seriously, how lame do you get?!?"

Me: Mrs. Fhlam.

Dragon: you haven't written anything

Me: I can't think of anything to write about

Dragon: Are you sure? You can't think of a single thing to write about? Are you telling me that your brain is actually compleatly empty? the only thing your brain is causing you to do right now is breath and digest and all that? is that what you're saying? (her dyed red hair is starting to look like flames) i don't think that's possible for your brain to be empty Gari. you're a very smart girl, you just need to apply yourself. (wow, that's original) now, why haven't you written anything?

Me: I can't think of anything to write about.

Dragon: breathing fire now well that's what i'm trying to help you with, all you need is inspiration, what do you usually have as inspiration?

Me: i dunno, things just, kinda, come to me, ya know?

Dragon: no i do not know. you're telling me nothing inspires you? i don't know if that's incredible or just plain sad...

and she's off, she goes on and on. everyone else is giving me fertive looks as if blaming me for getting her going. which is rediculous, i barely even said anything. the dragon doesn't care though, she once gave someone a detention for getting up to throw something away during one of her lectures.

she's finishing up now

dragon (continued): ....everything can affect your decisions, what you wear that day, what you like to eat, even your eye color.

how did we get from my inspiration to my eye color affecting my decisions? i must have missed something.

Me: so i should write a story about my eye color, what i'm wearing and what i like to eat?

dragon: were you listening to me at all?? (fire definetly being breathed now, i even see some smoke)

Me: umm, yeah, you were talking about.....*cough sdvniohsg cough* yeah, see? i was listening.

dragon: Gari Spinner! you know, sometimes i wonder why i even bother. maybe i should give you a detention just for being a smart ass!

everyone stares in wonder. i had actually gotten a teacher to swear at me. i felt honored.

dragon: eyes flaming red, fire coming fast and furious, smoke pouring out her ears, her large dragon wings flapping. people around me have to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by them

you will start writing--now!--or you will get a detention, and if i have to come over here one more time during this period, your parents will hear about it! you have been warned...

she walks away,

i stick my tongue out at her back

i turn around to the computer again, fuming

some guy sitting next to me pokes me in the side and tells me that that was awesome, way worse than he's ever gotten. he's never gotten the dragonlady to swear at him before!

i smile at him

i turn back to my computer

i suddenly find myself to be....inspired...

i start to type

the story is about a huge, evil--and above all--ugly, dragon. the dragon has captured a village of innocent townsfolk, and keeps them in terror throughout the year, screaming, flapping her wings, breathing fire down upon them.....