The Perfect Flaw: How Two Eccentrics Met a Lonely Dragon

February 2nd, 2024. by Danijela Stanojević

The next day, they woke up to the sound of a loud roar. They jumped out of their sleeping bags and saw a huge dragon flying over the forest, breathing fire and smoke. They felt a surge of panic and ran to their cars, hoping to escape. But the dragon spotted them and swooped down, blocking their way.

They screamed and hugged each other, thinking it was the end. They looked at the dragon in horror. He was massive, with scales of red and gold, horns of black and silver, and eyes of green and yellow. He had wings that spanned the sky, claws that tore the ground, and teeth that glinted in the sun. He was majestic, terrifying, and awe-inspiring.

But then, something unexpected happened. The dragon spoke to them, in a deep and booming voice.

“Who are you, and what are you doing in my forest?” the dragon asked.

They were too scared to answer, but the dragon seemed to read their minds. He looked at their letters, their masks, their costumes, and their expressions. He smiled and said, “I see. You are lovers, who have found each other in a strange and wonderful way. You are freaks, eccentrics, who have created your own world, which only you understand. You are happy, and you don’t care what others think of you. You are like me.”

They were stunned and confused. They didn’t know what to say. The dragon continued, “I am the guardian of this forest, and I don’t like intruders. But I also don’t like loneliness. I have been looking for a mate for a long time, but I have never found one. No one can match my power, my beauty, my intelligence. No one can understand me, or love me. I am the perfect dragon, and that is my flaw.”

They felt a pang of sympathy for the dragon. They realized that he was not evil, just lonely. They also realized that he was not so different from them. They had also been looking for someone who could understand them, love them, and share their world. They had also felt like they were perfect, and that was their flaw.

They decided to speak to the dragon, and try to make him feel better. They told him their story, how they had met online, how they had written letters to each other, how they had fallen in love, how they had met in person, how they had discovered each other’s true identities.

The dragon listened with interest and curiosity. He was amazed and impressed by their story. He said, “You are very brave and very lucky. You have done something that I have never been able to do. You have found someone who is perfect for you, not perfect in general. You have found someone who is a freak like you, an eccentric like you. You have found someone who is your love, your fantasy, your reality.”

He smiled and said, “You have given me hope. Maybe there is someone out there for me, too. Maybe I just need to look harder, and be more open-minded. Maybe I need to write some letters, too.”

He laughed and said, “Thank you for sharing your story with me. You have touched my heart, and I will not harm you. You can go now, and live your lives. But promise me one thing. Come back to this forest, once a year, and write me a letter before. Tell me how you are doing, how you are feeling, how you are growing. I will write you back, and tell you the same. Maybe, one day, we will find our mates, too. And maybe, one day, we will meet them here, in this forest, where we first met each other.”

They agreed to his request, and thanked him for his kindness. They got into their cars, and drove away,  ready to start a new chapter of their lives. They had a lot to talk about, a lot to learn, a lot to share. They had a lot to live, a lot to love, a lot to write.

Before they left, dragon ask him what is about her, he told her that he loved their reality, and asked her what he found interesting in her. He looked into her eyes and said, “You have your own view of the world and society, your intentions are good but people often cannot understand them because they have a different view of the world. Maybe I’m talking nonsense,” he muttered and slowly drifted off to sleep.

The dragon asked her the same question, what she liked about him. She said, “He is mostly telling me the truth and he likes my jokes and he often looks for my approval. In a way, he knows how to tell me nice things because he knows he should not say bad things because it comes out from his mouth.”

They fell asleep next to each other on the soft moss of the great forest that smelled of spring.

They had a dream that night, a shared dream. They dreamed of the dragon, who was flying over the forest, looking for his mate. He saw a flash of light, a glimmer of hope. He followed it, and found another dragon, who was waiting for him. She was beautiful, with scales of blue and silver, horns of white and gold, and eyes of purple and pink. She had wings that sparkled in the moonlight, claws that caressed the air, and teeth that smiled in the dark. She was graceful, gentle, and enchanting.

She saw him, and flew towards him. They met in the sky, and embraced. They felt a connection that transcended the physical and the rational. They felt like they had found their way to speak to each other.

They woke up from their dream, and smiled. They knew that the dragon had found his mate, too. They were happy for him, and for themselves. They had found their love, their fantasy, their reality.