When We Were Dragons Page 11

  Holly reached out and touched him. It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. I watched her fingers curl around his invisible arms. I watched her mouth kiss an invisible cheek. It was Charlie. How could it not be? He was here. He was solid. He just wasn’t…visible.

  “It’s really you,” Holly said. “How did you do it? How come you’re here? How come we can’t see you?”

  “Part of the process, I think,” Charlie said. “Cerras told me it might come back in time. But even he wasn’t sure. Unlike you,” he said, his hat turning to face me.

  Feeling ridiculous, I found myself talking to the hat and not to the face I knew was underneath. “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “You can fly,” Charlie said, dramatically. “You just haven’t tried hard enough.”

  “Don’t, Charlie,” I said. “It’s not polite to play with a dragon’s feelings.”

  “Who’s playing?” he said. “If you can’t fly, I can make you fly. I’m magic, you know? Cerras says so. He says I’ll be a great magician someday.”

  I had no idea how to respond. Holly, too, was speechless. Granger approached slowly, not sure what to do with himself. He leaned against one of the wooden beams of the porch and nodded at me.

  “Mom?” Charlie said.

  I still couldn’t get over how his voice emerged from thin air, how easily you could tell it was coming from directly under the top hat.

  “Yeah?” she asked.

  “Can I sit next to Justin for a second? I need to talk to him. The old boy has a lot to learn, but I think I might be able to help him.”

  Holly actually laughed and stood up, wiping tears from her eyes. I couldn’t blame her. “Of course, honey. Do you want me to leave you two alone for a while?”

  “No,” Charlie said. “That won’t be necessary.”

  I looked down the block. Not surprising me at all, Carl stood in the middle of the road, looking in our direction. Our eyes met. He wore the black jacket and white shirt. He held his palms up and shrugged. ‘It was the best I could do,’ he seemed to say. I nodded at Carl, and the tears came again. I was starting to feel like Holly lately…how she cried all the time.

  Carl smiled, chuckled to himself, and raised his hand to me. He nodded, turned, then put his hands into his pockets. He looked up into the sky and actually squinted at the brightness of the sun. I watched his lips purse, as though whistling a silent tune to himself.

  Holly walked over and put her arms around Jody and Mellicent’s shoulders. Charlie sat next to me on the porch swing. His weight made it creak. I felt his feet kicking out rhythmically, even though I couldn’t see them.

  “Justin,” he told me. All of the humor and good nature had gone out of his voice. He was very serious suddenly. “Karen wanted me to bring you something.”

  I wasn’t sure how much more I could take. Karen was gone. I knew that. I felt it. Despite having Charlie here now, he wasn’t really here, I told myself. This was all some cruel trick.

  Like the magician he was, an antique-colored envelope appeared out of thin air. Where I knew his hand should be, he placed the letter on my lap. In elegant script—script I recognized as Karen’s—was my name printed across the front.

  Tears spilled from my eyes.

  “She wanted me to give you this, Justin,” Charlie said. “She wanted me to tell you that she loves you, and that she’s always with you. That there’s more magic in the world now than there ever was before. That a lot of things are possible as long as you just believe.”

  Silently, yet forcefully, I wept. Holly grabbed Jody and Mellicent and steered them inside. Granger followed them, turning once to smile at me before the screen door shut behind him. No matter what Charlie had said, Holly had decided it best to leave him alone with me.

  “Thank you, Charlie,” I said, my voice thick. I stared down at the letter. It was heavy, a bundle of pages, more than one letter, I realized, and I couldn’t wait to read them. I wondered when she’d written them all. I wondered many things. For now, however, I would wait. It was something very personal, something I wanted to savor on my own, in my own time. I held the envelope against my chest and took a deep breath, letting it out very slowly.

  For a second, the hue of a strange light emanated from under the top hat. I felt Charlie’s hand slip into mine. It was solid. It was small, the hand of a nine-year-old boy. I felt each individual finger curl around my own, and he squeezed. “That’s from Karen,” Charlie said. “She wanted me to let you know. ‘Squeeze his hand for me, Charlie,’ she said. ‘And tell him it’s from me.’”

  I cried. I couldn’t stop. I was blubbering like a seven-foot, two-inch tall, fiery skinned idiot. It was silent, but it was a good cry, and I could feel Karen. I could smell her hair.

  “I love you, Charlie,” I said. “I love you so much. I don’t know how to thank you for this. It’s the best gift anyone has ever given me.”

  I saw his shoulders shrug, and he squeezed my hand again.

  “It’s nothing,” he said.

  We sat on the porch swing for a while in silence. A cool breeze made the summer day virtually perfect. Charlie did not let go of my hand as we sat there. It was a private moment between an ageless dragon and an undying child.

  According to Charlie, nothing had changed. I was a dragon still and always would be.

  I heard Granger laugh from inside. The sun was beginning to set, sending colors and stars of light across the sky.

  I have heard from up north that the icy regions of Canastelle still exist. They have come to life here on New Earth. I hear the Forests of Glammis breed fairy-folk, but some say those are just rumors, tales to excite children across Mandabelle and America. I wonder if some of the old cities exist still, and if that ancient architecture still tugs at my heart-strings like it used to do. I haven’t flown for a while, so I’m assuming there’s a lot left to see. I guess, I’m anxious to fly again, and it’s good to know that no matter how much I miss Paramis, that magical land still exists. It comes to life more each day, in fact, and I think it adds to the beauty of Earth without taking away any magic from both sides, that is. That’s just one of the many things to be thankful for now.

  After a while, Charlie said:

  “So, when are you gonna take me flying, Justin Silas of Amberlye?”

  I managed to laugh through my tears. “Does this mean you plan on hanging around for a while?” I asked.

  “What do you think?” he said.

  I turned and looked at him.

  For the briefest instant, the quickest second, I actually saw his face, his gleaming, exuberant youth emanating visibly from under the top hat. He turned to look at me and winked, and it was not my imagination. It was all very real. Charlie’s lips curled upward, revealing the hint—the ghost of a smile.

  I laughed again.

  Of all the tricks he performed, this one, to me—the most simple—transcended them all.

  I was, I realized then, in the presence of greatness.

  I have a feeling I’ll be here for a while still…

  Thank you, Dear Reader, for taking the time to read When We Were Dragons. If you enjoyed the tale, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.

  Thank you,

  Brandon Berntson

  If you liked When We Were Dragons, you might try Castle Juliet and Snapdragon Book I and II.

  About the Author:

  Brandon Berntson was born in Boise Idaho, but grew up in various towns throughout Colorado, where most of his stories take place. A fan of dark fantasy, horror, magical realism, and young adult fantasy, he is the author of Castle Juliet and When We Were Dragons, enchanting, magical reads for all ages, along with Body of Immorality, a cryptic collection of horror stories, and the raw, adult-themed, All The Gods Against Me.

  A fan of ice hockey, Beethoven, Black Sabbath, classic horror films, and Star Trek, he makes his home in Boulder, Colorado. Visit him at www.brandonbe
rntson.com or his Amazon Author Page.

  Go to the next page to see the complete works of Brandon Berntson.

  Also by Brandon Berntson:

  Urban/Dark Fantasy:

  All The Gods Against Me: The Story of Clarence Manning

  Calliope

  Worlds Away

  Snapdragon Book I: My Enemy

  Snapdragon Book II: In the Land of the Dragon

  Horror:

  Corona of Blue

  Body of Immorality: Tales of Madness and the Macabre

  Donny’s Day

  Silly Girl

  To Disturb the Dead

  The Battle of the Elect

  Literary/Magical realism:

  The Smoky Dragon (a love story)

  Blue Sky Winter (A Christmas Tale)

  One World

  All It Will Always Be

  King of Forgotten Land

  Comic Horror:

  Buick Cannon (A Joke From the Moon)

  Fantasy/Young Adult:

  When We Were Dragons

  Castle Juliet