Here's how I got the little bugger, so far as I can remember:
I was in my freshman year of college when Braak found me. I had just finished typing my English paper (miserable paper, but it was better than a zero) in the computing commons and was on my way back to the dorms. It was a warm Arizona day, about 85 degrees, and I can remember thinking that the lizards must be loving the heat.
Suddenly, this screeching lump landed squarely on the back of my neck. I did what any rationally minded, composed human being would do: I started to scream and thrash around like I was having a seizure.
Hey, I had no idea what was on me and, whatever it was, it had little needle claws that were digging into my skin.
Finally, I got a hold of this thing (it bit me for good measure) and threw it on the grass. I was about to run full tilt down the sidewalk when I got a good look at this thing.
There was no mistaking what it was. Long neck, iridescent purple body, reptilian head, little wings. It looked exactly like how a dragon would look
. A dragon? "D, you've been in the booze too much lately. You did not get attacked by a cute little dragon."
But do hallucinations leave painful scratches in your neck? Apparently, this thing had been hallucinating as well, or I looked a lot smaller from the sky, because I think it had tried to carry me off. The thought struck me as so funny that I laughed.
Hysterically, in fact.
Remember, I was still fully convinced that I was as mad as a hatter. The critter recoiled slightly as I knelt down to look at it but it didn't fly off. It looked a little confused and more than a little scared, and I felt guilty about throwing it off so harshly. It looked so cute, I didn't want to hurt it.
I reached a finger down and gently rubbed its stomach. I figured that, if it worked for cats and dogs, maybe it'll work here too. I swear, the dragon smiled. It rolled over on its back and stretched out full. His tail flopped lazily back and forth on the grass.
Boy, I thought, for something that seemed to want to kill me a second before, it sure seems to like me. His eyes opened and he let out a long yawn. "Braak!" the purple dragon croaked. I picked up the contented body and dropped it into my purse.
A squawk of surprise echoed from inside and the top of my expensive, leather purse disintegrated as a purple blur streaked from the hole it had made. Braak hovered several feet above my head, screeching loudly. An unmistakably alien picture of him being dropped into the mouth of a foul being which had swallowed many lipstick containers and candy wrappers filled my mind.
"Oh God. He's telepathic too. Why me?"
Braak continued to screech.
"Look," I said, trying to imagine the purse as a completely harmless thing. "It won't hurt you."
Braak stopped screeching and regarded me with suspicious eyes. Sighing, I threw the purse a short distance away. Braak squawked again, but cautiously flew to the purse. He landed a few feet away and walked around it. Looked in it. Bit it a few times. When he was assured of its safety, he nudged open the hole and walked inside.
I heard him cooing softly and became curious. Projecting calm, I slowly picked up the purse, unzipped the top, and looked inside.
Braak had found a peppermint disk. He was holding it in between two clawed hands, munching the disk and spitting out the plastic wrapping, which he had neglected to take off.
Now I have a pet dragon, I thought. And more trouble than I could possibly know.
--- Sparkster