William Alford is a former designer with a BS in Industrial Design and a BA in Journalism. He has helped design numerous successful products and assisted in developing effective marketing campaigns. He currently holds over thirty patents.
Creativity has always been one of William’s natural talents. He was writing stories as early as the age of twelve but recently has refocused his inventiveness on telling a good tale. William enjoys allegories of science fiction and depicting future worlds. Stephen King and Kim Stanley Robinson are among his favorite authors.
In addition to numerous short stories, he is working on a science fiction novel. Although William has no works published as of yet he is constantly encouraged by his wife Diane and companion dog Maddy.
The Year of Mingzhu
2010 Winner, OctoberI cannot speak with any certainty to whether wisdom is acquired through age or experience. What I can say is that I have seen many great things in my life. At ninety-two I feel fortunate to have lived long enough to know my great grandchildren; their presence gives me pleasure and comfort beyond what I can express with words. The house was quiet when they entered the room. I looked up from my chair as they approached me in their night clothes and positioned themselves on the floor next to the ottoman.
I placed the book on my lap. “Well, everyone else most assuredly is in bed at this late hour. What do I owe the pleasure of your company?”
Natasha spoke first, “Great Daddy, you said when Kevin and I turned eight you would tell us the story of Mingzhu. It’s just after midnight which means it is my eighth birthday.”
Then Kevin added, “Yeah, I was eight last year. Please tell us the story. We’ve waited so long, you promised.”
I straightened in the chair, put my feet on the floor and leaned towards the children. “Happy birthday Natasha and yes Kevin I did promise. So, I guess this would be as good a time as any to tell the tale of Mingzhu. You know, I’ve told this same story to your grandparents then to your parents and now I tell it to you.” They smiled, rested their arms on the ottoman and gave me their full attention.
“Alright, stories start at the beginning; and the beginning of this story is not pleasant, so be warned. Ready?” Both heads silently nodded. “It was the year 2023, as a matter of fact I was your age, and the world was in a real mess. There were no less than three hundred wars and conflicts raging around the globe. It was so bad that the United States and Canada had even broken off diplomatic relations.”
Natasha asked, “Excuse me, but what does that mean, broke off diplomatic relations?”
Kevin blurted out, “Oh, you know, like when you and Monica didn’t speak to each other for days. Remember?”
I replied, “That’s right, when the governments of two countries just don’t communicate and they give the cold shoulder to each other. Well, there were wars, disease, famine, natural and manmade disasters. Crime; my gosh, the crime had reached such a point that people were afraid to leave their own homes.”
Kevin asked, “Even here Great Daddy?”
“Yes, even here. Terrible things were happening all over the Earth. Nearly every government of every country was corrupt. People were starving and homeless, but the leaders of nations feasted and lived in opulence. Well, 2023 came to a close; but there was no celebration of the new year for everyone was certain it would be worse than the year before. But what would transpire in the year 2024 was beyond anyone’s imagination. As January first greeted each country they started to appear. Where they came from is still a mystery, even to this day. Some said they saw them rise from the sea, others from distant mountain tops. The largest ones descended into every capital city on Earth and those of lesser size silently stood in places of prominence around the world. But what was most amazing was the appearance of over two billion of the smallest variety. They sought out the children of the world and I mean every single child from seven to seventeen in every country on the planet.”
Natasha asked, “What about Mingzhu?”
“Please be patient my child. Well, this was the biggest story of modern time; it was all over the news. They were thought to be only legend, but they were a reality and no one understood why they were here. They rested on the tops of the tallest buildings while the people below gazed up at them. And then the media showed the images of the children. Some children were holding them in their hands, while others sat on the children’s shoulders. From my room I gazed out the window and saw my friends with theirs.”
“What? What did the children have?” Kevin enquired.
“I’m getting to that. Well, I thought I had been forgotten; overlooked somehow. I started to cry. That’s when I heard a voice, ‘Austin, why are you sad?’ I turned quickly and saw it resting on the footboard of my bed. I was startled at first and frightened, but the fear disappeared almost immediately. I slowly approached and asked, ‘Are you my…’ I was gently interrupted, ‘Yes, my name is Mingzhu and I am- your Dragon.’ She bowed her head and went down on one knee.”
Kevin and Natasha let out a gasp. Kevin said, “A dragon? You had a dragon, Mingzhu was a dragon? No way!”
Natasha said, “I believe you. Was she pretty Great Daddy?”
“Oh, she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She asked me to come closer, so I sat on the toy box beside my bed. I extended my hand and she nudged her head against it. Her body was reddish brown in color, her stomach and underneath her wings revealed a shade of light tan. There were irregular stripes of crimson along her sides and her eyes were a bright green. She had a long tail that flared at the end.”
“How big was she?” Kevin asked.
“Well, her body was probably about the size of a tree squirrel with a wingspan of a little over two feet and a half feet. Not that large really, I mean for a Dragon. But everything about her was magnificent and she spoke perfect English. That was just one of the unusual qualities of the Dragons, they spoke the native language wherever they were. I wanted to show her off to my friends and she agreed. Her talons appeared to be very sharp and as she flew to my shoulder I expected some pain when she landed. However Mingzhu exerted just the right amount of pressure to stay in place without digging her claws into my skin.”
“What were the other kid’s dragons like Great Daddy? And why are there no pictures of the Dragons?” Natasha asked.
“Well, I’ll answer that last part in a little bit. But no two were the same, colors and faces differed, various length tails; each Dragon was unique. But I thought Mingzhu was still the most beautiful. And when two Dragons would meet, they would bow and then talk to one another in a strange chirping language. But it soon became very clear why the Dragons had come; to fix the things man had done to the Earth and himself.”
Kevin looked puzzled. “What did they do?”
“The largest Dragons were masters of diplomacy and had great political minds. They instilled their honesty and integrity upon the leaders of all nations. But there were those who were so corrupt that their minds could not be changed. They quickly disappeared, along with the world’s troublesome rat population and most of the feral cats.”
Natasha’s eyes widened. “Great Daddy, did the Dragons eat them?”
“Well, all I can say is that those individuals were never seen again. And no one ever saw a Dragon consume a meal. They were fair and did not tolerate cruelty towards others. The Dragons were wonderful educators, engineers and statesmen; well, the Dragon version of statesmen anyway.”
Kevin interjected, “And what about Mingzhu?”
“Mingzhu and I were inseparable, just like every other child and their Dragon. She went to school with me every day, helped with my homework, taught me right from wrong and just nudged me enough in the right direction. There was this big kid in the neighborhood who was always picking on me. Well his Dragon and Mingzhu got together and before you knew it, Tommy and I were the best of friends. And we remained friends until he passed away about ten years ago. The Dragons did that with countries too; soon there was peace around the world.”
“Did Mingzhu ever tell you where she came from?” Kevin said.
“Well, I asked her many times of her origins as was put forth to all the Dragons at one time or another. Mingzhu always told me it was of little importance, look to the future she said.
Kevin then asked with some skepticism, “And why are there no images of the Dragons? And why don’t we learn about them in school?”
That’s a little harder to explain. Millions of photographs were taken of the Dragons, videos and news footage as well. But when the Dragons left, all evidence of their existence disappeared with them; printed images went white and electronic files just vanished. All the pictures I took of Mingzhu were gone; but I keep her here, in my mind. And for whatever reason there are no documents of their accomplishments; no articles, books or other writings. As the years went by only those who had direct contact with the Dragons would speak of them. Those, like myself, are few in number today.”
“And why did they appear when they did Great Daddy?” Natasha asked.
“Mingzhu told me that the Dragons never wished to interfere with man unless it was absolutely necessary. By the year 2024 things reached such a point that the Dragons thought intervention was a prudent action to take.”
“But they did leave, didn’t they?” Kevin said.
“On the evening of December 31st of that year I slid under the covers; Mingzhu and I had a busy day; we played Dragon games, built a snow fort, read stories to each other and a lot of other things. It was like she was trying to jam a whole month into one day; by that evening I was very tired. Usually she would sleep at my feet, but that night Mingzhu curled upon my pillow. I still remember what she said ‘You will be in my dreams- tonight and forever’. She tucked her head beneath her wing and lay just inches from my head. I could hear her gentle breathing and feel the rhythm of her heart through the pillow. When I awoke the next morning she was gone, the depression where she rested was still visible.”
“Would you see her again Great Daddy?” Natasha asked.
“I thought nothing of her absence that morning, she was often already gone when I arose. But the news organizations stated that within a ten hour period all the Dragons had disappeared without a trace. Days, weeks and months passed; the Dragons would not return, I never saw Mingzhu again. I cried like anyone who had lost a friend; but then I knew Mingzhu was alright, wherever she was. There have been many times through the years that I have been awakened late in the night; I thought I saw her sitting at the foot of my bed. I still don’t know if it was real or a dream, but I would like to think she still watches over me. How else could I have lived so long? In the end the Dragons had done what they intended to do; they left the world a much better place than the one they found. So my children, it was the year of the Dragon, the year of Mingzhu.”