“Tell me again why dragons can’t tell time,” my daughter asks.
“It’s a breathing problem. Dragon time has no minutes or hours, just centuries and millennia.”
“Melanyah?”
“A very long time.”
“Longer than you?”
“Yes, older. People told time by sun and moon rise and fall; changing of seasons. Fine by dragons.”
She nods her agreement.
“Then, someone decided it was important to know that precisely twelve o’clock noon meant lunch and 7 o’clock in the evening meant bedtime. So, people invented precise time.”
“Sounds silly,” she laughs.
“Not to some – government officials and clockwork makers especially. Dragons were traditionalists – they liked dragon time just fine. Knights began insisting dragon slaying matches had to begin at precisely 4 in the afternoon. Dragons were forever showing up rather late.
Large clocks were made and placed outside dragon lairs to speed up the slaying session process. Trouble was, the dragons liked to take deep breathes when reading big and little hands. Fire breath. No one could invent a fire-proof clock.
Now, what time is it?”
My daughter breathes deeply on her Disney princess watch. No melting, so she begins, “The big hand is on the . . .”
Writing in the raw for Al’s Sunday Photo Fiction April 16, 2017. Photo © Jade M Wong
April 25, 2017 at 7:20 am
Good story Lorraine. Made me smile :-)
LikeLike
April 25, 2017 at 8:46 am
Always glad to bring a smile! Thanks.
LikeLike
April 22, 2017 at 1:10 pm
Great story – really enchanting and full of lightness, has the fairy tale quality – with an excellent moral – and the particular details – fire breath and a little girl breathing on her Disney watch? most excellent Lorraine! :)
LikeLike
April 22, 2017 at 1:34 pm
Thanks — it all just kinda flowed — writing in the raw, editing down to 200 words.
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 21, 2017 at 11:24 am
Awww this was sooo cute to read. I especially loved the line about dragons forever being late to the slaying contests LOL.
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 22, 2017 at 1:10 am
Thanks — I thought about dragons and having trouble telling time and well it went from there.
I love the image you shared for Sunday Photo Fiction. It’s so whimsical and magic.
LikeLiked by 2 people
April 21, 2017 at 9:24 am
I love this, so sweet.
LikeLiked by 1 person
April 21, 2017 at 9:29 am
I can just imagine that sort of story telling/teaching scenario going on. Thanks for thinking it’s sweet.
LikeLiked by 2 people