Schellion Run: Summary Teaser
#1 of Schellion Run
Okay ... so this is the first of several stories I'm currently working for post on SF. This particular post is intended as a summary teaser: to introduce the main characters, drop a little plot device for our protagonist, Andy, and finish off with a nice little cliffhanger at the end. Portions of it are actually snippets that will appear in future chapters. It's not structured in the format typically used of mainstream writing, for one it's too detailed. But as this is not really intended for mainstream, and the fact that I LOVE detail in my stories, I thought I'd give it a try, see how it takes. I don't know, its actually the newset addition to the writing process I've shaped over the last several months. Hopfully it's enough to whet reader appetite, while leaving key details to furture chapters.
I began forming the idea for this story a few months back, its primary source of inspiration a piece of artwork created by Narse, Dragon Sex Parlor (which, I might add, is the sexiest piece I've seen so far. I'd used it as my IPad's screen saver for weeks after!) My vision of the dragon's appearance in this story; however, will be different than what is depicted in that piece.
A second source of inspiration, for a portion of the story that comes later, is from a short story I read in a recently purchased anthology, Like a Breath of Flame: Erotic Tales of Dragons. The name of the story is Domesticated, by Dean Scarborough. It's my favorite of the nine comprising the anthology ;)
And finally a third source, The Donkey Show, which I understand are quite prevalent in Mexico, and other places I'm sure. Personally, I've never been to one, but I've heard quite a bit about them. Hmmm, perhaps I'll add that to my list of sights to see ;-)
Any who, this story will be set in the present day, with plans for a well-defined plot. But don't worry, I promise plenty of yiffy, human/dragon action in the chapters to come.
This will be my first original work, and even though I've been studying the art of writing off and on for over a year now, I still have quite a ways to go in mastery of it. That said, I do welcome constructive criticism or suggestions from other seasoned writers, or reader reviews. Really, I mean that. You won't hurt my feelings or find that I've suddenly stopped posts because of being miffed by someone's candid response.
I'll take to heart all comments/suggestions, but can't promise I'll agree with every one of them, especially if I have a particular purpose in mind for something that might appear to stand out of place. In other cases an error might be pointed out that I hadn't seen before. I can't fix something if I don't know about it ;-)
In the mean time I hope you enjoy what I hope will be the first of many contributions to come!
~ Darris
Anderson (Andy) Bryant is an average, mid-thirties bachelor who, aside from his exotic preferences, lives a relatively uneventful life. Self-employed, he lives comfortably in a rented, one bedroom condo, situated on the outskirts of San Diego's Pacific Beach district, overlooking Mission Bay. A life he couldn't wait to get back to, he remembers thinking that first night in the club.
***
He and Paul, his closet friend and confidant, had just sat at their table, its dark surface appearing unwashed, littered with small, circular burns. A glass of stale beer, the remnants of an Alas brand cigarette floating in it, sat in one corner. He already hated being here. He'd been depressed the week before, yes, but now wondered how he ever let Paul convince him to come on vacation, or to this club to watch its feature attraction, El Show del dragón, loosely translated ... The Dragon Show.
Admittedly he'd been curious when Paul suggested they visit the club, situated in the heart of Los Nuevos Dragóns, a new, but small, yet apparently well-known, tourist town nestled on the east-side tip of the Baja Peninsula. But now he was having second thoughts. The room was noisy, dimly lit, and the air stale, filled with the faint stench of urine and cheap, soured beer. And thick with a fog of cigarette smoke that burned his eyes.
A spot light shone center-stage, revealing a staunch, unattractive woman hunched over a well-used dummy mount. A moment later the sound of a door opening side-stage was heard, then a brief scuffle, accompanied by a muffled snort, before the center attraction began to emerge. Andy was, at first, skeptical, thinking the show to be some kind of hyped-up farce, aimed at attracting the business of naive patrons. But as his eyes adjusted to the creature, he realized he couldn't have been more wrong.
This was no farce. It was very real, a creature he'd only heard about in the news, but never imagined seeing firsthand. Andy stood just over six feet tall, but standing on all fours, the beast was huge, its withers easily level to his mid-torso; much larger than he would have expected, despite what the news reports had said. He blinked. Yes, given its size, it could be only one thing: a Schellion Dragon, named after Dr. Joseph C. Schellion, a renowned reptilian biologist and explorer who discovered the species of dragon in the mid-20th century.
The brute was fierce looking, but skittish and docile under its handler's watchful eye and taunt lead rope, glancing warily at what looked to be a cattle-prod held firmly in the handler's opposite hand. The audience gawked, mouths agape, but deathly silent as the dragon came into full view, stepping atop the large dais situated in the front of the room and coming to a stand just behind its waiting bitch.
Afterwards the room erupted in a bustle of mixed responses: some jeering in disgust from their seats, others covering their eyes while hurrying towards the nearest exit, and still others whooping and cheering the dragon on; at the edge of their seats, eagerly awaiting the event they had all come to see.
But Andy did none of those things. Instead he froze, so taken by the sight of the dragon that a wash of tingles trailed down his torso, through his balls, continuing down his legs to his feet, while the hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end. To the average onlooker the beast was hideous, but not to Andy. There was something about it, something that stirred a twinge of hope in him. He watched it, taking in its features with hungry eyes. It had been quite some time since he'd felt this way, and though he had never before been in the midst of one, he wanted to meet it, to be alone with it. Yes, he wanted the dragon ... badly.
Following the show, Andy was thwarted in his attempt to meet the dragon, but later learned that it was a much sought after escort, residing, with others of its kind, at a nearby sex resort catering to those with a taste for exotic pleasures. At the time he'd not known that it was the same resort he and Paul had checked into before going to the club. During their two week stay, Andy was serviced by the dragon each night, and in that brief time a deeper bond formed between them, at least that was the way it appeared to him. Last night he realized he had fallen in love with it, believing it to be the one he'd spent years longing for; however, he didn't know if the dragon was capable of feeling the same for him. Before he could find out tragedy struck. Apparently the dragon, and the rest of its species, were the unwitting targets of a growing movement led by Dr. Schellion himself; a closely guarded secret, known in closed-circles as "The Schellion Run."
***
Now, the morning after, Andy stood in the parking lot, staring in disbelief at the smoldering remains of the resort, feeling distraught and confused. The dragons ... his dragon, was gone! Paul gently takes his arm, urging him to forget about the whole thing and come home with him. But he can't just let it go, can he? Yes, a comfortable life waits for him back in the states, one that he'd been so eager to get back to that first night in the club. But everything had changed. Could he really trade his secure, yet mundane life, for the risk of going it alone, in a foreign country, with no lead to the dragon's whereabouts? What if the dragon truly was the one he'd been looking for? Could he really bring himself to let even the slightest possibility of that slip from his grasp?
Notes:
Schellion - pronounced Shell-ee-un