Part 1:
My long night began on a couch in a strange, foreign forest.
My long night started hours before nighttime truly descended.
The dragon and his amputated tail had stayed away for the rest of the afternoon.
Would he be return in the dark hours?
My long night left me without my brother and lion.
In their stead, I’d maintained a faithful, vigilant watch.
And so Dale and Rick slept undisturbed.
All was well in the light of day.
Dusk crept in and eventually, regrettably, gave way to evening.
The forest slipped on darkness as if pajamas, insulated and tight and buttoned till morning.
I waited in vain for my eyes to adjust to the gloom.
The forest became inscrutable, offering only a fuzzy view of midnight dreary.
I took one last look at the trees as the sky bent to black.
My long night started hours before nighttime truly descended.
The dragon and his amputated tail had stayed away for the rest of the afternoon.
Would he be return in the dark hours?
My long night left me without my brother and lion.
In their stead, I’d maintained a faithful, vigilant watch.
And so Dale and Rick slept undisturbed.
All was well in the light of day.
Dusk crept in and eventually, regrettably, gave way to evening.
The forest slipped on darkness as if pajamas, insulated and tight and buttoned till morning.
I waited in vain for my eyes to adjust to the gloom.
The forest became inscrutable, offering only a fuzzy view of midnight dreary.
I took one last look at the trees as the sky bent to black.
My long night left me in a mysterious, danger-filled place.
My long night found all of my eggs in one basket.
I sat exposed to the night’s murk, wondering one question.
Could dragons see in the dark?
I twitched and worried and hoped they could not.
My long night made me a jangly watchdog with very bad eyesight.
I stayed hyper-vigilant, attuned to the threat of impending doom.
Every faculty sensing the world around me.
My long night made clear the sound of every bug, cricket and chirping insect in the forest.
Would they provide a warning system?
The mere notion made me laugh.
Upon a couch in a forest, I counted on bugs to warn of an invisible assassin?
My long night found all of my eggs in one basket.
I sat exposed to the night’s murk, wondering one question.
Could dragons see in the dark?
I twitched and worried and hoped they could not.
My long night made me a jangly watchdog with very bad eyesight.
I stayed hyper-vigilant, attuned to the threat of impending doom.
Every faculty sensing the world around me.
My long night made clear the sound of every bug, cricket and chirping insect in the forest.
Would they provide a warning system?
The mere notion made me laugh.
Upon a couch in a forest, I counted on bugs to warn of an invisible assassin?
The dense, leafy forest.
The deadly dragon.
The dire nature of our predicament.
I was the last one standing strong.
Our last hope, in a do-or-die battle with death.
My brother lay wounded, his leg damaged.
Unconsciousness his only escape.
And Dale?
Our lion companion sat spent from the fight.
Resting and hopefully healing.
How could I keep them safe?
The darkness was overwhelming.
The forest laughed and cursed and berated us all.
The deadly dragon.
The dire nature of our predicament.
I was the last one standing strong.
Our last hope, in a do-or-die battle with death.
My brother lay wounded, his leg damaged.
Unconsciousness his only escape.
And Dale?
Our lion companion sat spent from the fight.
Resting and hopefully healing.
How could I keep them safe?
The darkness was overwhelming.
The forest laughed and cursed and berated us all.
I reached over and touched Dale's back for reassurance.
Petting his fur, feeling his essence, making sure he was at least still there.
He mind far away, resting his bumps and bruises.
My long night found me needing companionship.
My long night found no one to call.
Not friends, nor heroes, nor orange plants most merry.
All I had was the forest.
And it offered zero help at all.
Leaves continued to drop, like they had in the daylight; I cursed their rabble-rousing patter.
How could I listen for trouble?
How could I hear something stalk through the din?
I cursed them until realizing … they were allies.
Secret allies.
Of course!
No creature could move without kicking up a storm.
Every footstep would be amplified.
Any ambush would fail, dragons be damned!
My long night found me loving nature.
Loving the leaves who acted as sentries.
The trees were my brothers-in-arms.
Petting his fur, feeling his essence, making sure he was at least still there.
He mind far away, resting his bumps and bruises.
My long night found me needing companionship.
My long night found no one to call.
Not friends, nor heroes, nor orange plants most merry.
All I had was the forest.
And it offered zero help at all.
Leaves continued to drop, like they had in the daylight; I cursed their rabble-rousing patter.
How could I listen for trouble?
How could I hear something stalk through the din?
I cursed them until realizing … they were allies.
Secret allies.
Of course!
No creature could move without kicking up a storm.
Every footstep would be amplified.
Any ambush would fail, dragons be damned!
My long night found me loving nature.
Loving the leaves who acted as sentries.
The trees were my brothers-in-arms.
If the trees were my brothers, the eggs were my dependents.
I imagined them in their nest, safe and quiet.
We were a team: the eggs, the leaves and me.
The three of us would hold out the night.
And yet?
There was one other.
One other to whom I felt a bond.
It rested in my lap, my hands still poised on its handle.
Somehow it did not feel as heavy as it’d first seemed.
I so loved that sword.
All felt winnable at that moment.
Although morning was a distant wish, I began to calm.
Each second without attack made me feel safer.
Feel more secure.
And as my nerves eased.
And the night dragged?
I grew tired!
My long night became less about fear, and more about staying awake.
Was that the dragon’s strategy?
To wait until my guard had dropped?
Until my eyes closed?
I realized I faced a new threat.
Sleep became the real enemy.
My long night called for a caramel macchiato, extra-large, extra-strong cup of coffee.
I imagined them in their nest, safe and quiet.
We were a team: the eggs, the leaves and me.
The three of us would hold out the night.
And yet?
There was one other.
One other to whom I felt a bond.
It rested in my lap, my hands still poised on its handle.
Somehow it did not feel as heavy as it’d first seemed.
I so loved that sword.
All felt winnable at that moment.
Although morning was a distant wish, I began to calm.
Each second without attack made me feel safer.
Feel more secure.
And as my nerves eased.
And the night dragged?
I grew tired!
My long night became less about fear, and more about staying awake.
Was that the dragon’s strategy?
To wait until my guard had dropped?
Until my eyes closed?
I realized I faced a new threat.
Sleep became the real enemy.
My long night called for a caramel macchiato, extra-large, extra-strong cup of coffee.