Imagining Dragons by Robert Gaspari

Imagining Dragons by Robert Gaspari

Tom dreamed of the spirit of a dragon who encouraged him to help bring the beast back to life on our world. He found the dragon’s seed hidden away in his uncle’s collection of archeological artifacts after the young man inherited the professor’s estate.
This began a strange journey for Tom, as the dragon spoke to him each night, bestowed psychic powers upon him, and groomed the man to become a Dragon Master. Tom relished this opportunity and willingly engaged in every task assigned to him by this mythological creature. That is until certain things went against his moral fiber…
Would you do what the beast in your dreams demanded if it gave you unlimited power? That was Tom’s dilemma and it could have one of two possible outcomes.

THIS BOOK IS TWO BOOKS IN ONE!

After the original ending, I step back six chapters and provide a totally different alternate ending. I hope you enjoy them both.

Targeted Age Group:: 18
Heat/Violence Level: Heat Level 3 – PG-13

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
Dragons fascinated humankind as far back a recorded history goes.
Types of dragons differ by culture the world over, but all have one thing in common. They are fearsome beasts.
I wanted to bring the possibility of a real dragon returning to our day and age. This created a two sided dilemma to me so I satisfied it by writing two different ending. The book concludes with a believable ending and then I retell the final six chapters bringing the alternate ending to a close that could also lead to a sequel.

How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
I start with the main character and flesh out his strengths and weaknesses throughout the story. His character growth will surprise you, as will his personal failings.
My support cast grows as needed in the same manner. I like strong female characters who aren't afraid to take charge or show their emotional sides when needed.
All exhibit humor as an integral part of their makeup – even the dragon!

Book Sample
The dreamer remained rooted in position and thought, why run, his speed paled in comparison to the range this throwback to a long passed geologic epoch possessed.The unmistakable sound of flapping wings came from the opaque vaporous gloom in front of him. He could feel the force of the powerful gusts those beating wings generated as the mists swirled all around him and cleared out. The rising eddies in the fog revealed an enormous shape standing directly ahead and the golden circles of the creature’s eyes focused down upon Tom standing to face it. A final flurry of swishing, leathery wings unveiled a colossal green and yellow lizard-like creature perched upright on its hind legs. The dinosaur, for want of a better word, reared up in a majestic pose worthy of any flag emblem, silhouette or artist’s rendering in ink, paint, or sculptured material.
Tremendous, squat, muscular hind quarters supported the massive beast as its smaller, but no less powerful, front legs remained clasped across its chest. This gave the definite impression the gargantuan reptile moved about on all fours with more speed and agility than its upright gait. The sharp talons interlocked in more of a human, hand-like grasping action rather than a more primitive clawed grip. A uniform colored yellow oval chest and underbelly arranged in thick horizontal layers provided a sharp contrast to the thick, overlapping green scales everywhere else. Its open mouth held razor sharp pointed teeth as the proverbial forked tongue flicked in and out of the thick, mucus dripping jaws.
Tom watched frozen in awe as the thing folded its impressive wings against its back with a delicate motion not at all expected from a behemoth of this magnitude. Did he see wisps of gray smoke issue from its nostrils as it sucked in and blew out huge breaths? The lizard’s spiked tail hammered the ground a few times, yet it made no noise and did not shake the earth. It curled around its haunches, and that reminded Tom of how an irked cat’s tail behaved. A single word ‘imagine’ blasted into his mind as beast dropped to all fours, but the ground didn’t quake from the massive body as it came to rest. The saurian landed with the agile grace of a jungle cat leaping from a tree to the earth and it moved forward to Tom’s position. The ground gave no sign that a gigantic dinosaur tread across its surface because the ground remained still and the creature moved with silent stealth.
The dreamer remained rooted in position and thought, why run, his speed paled in comparison to the range this throwback to a long passed geologic epoch possessed. His mental awareness rang as ‘good’ vibrated throughout his mind and body. The unbelievable animal reared up on its hind legs again and Tom could see minute details on the snakelike hide of the erect reptile. Its yellow horizontal belly segments were not a single unit but overlapping scales within the band itself. The green pentagonal scales everywhere else also had a covering of much smaller ones on their surface, and they accounted for the shimmering effect as light played across them. The word ‘imagine’ repeated as the creature reared back its head and sent a fiery blast of breath skyward from its maw.
The unexpected deafening roar and flare staggered Tom backwards as the intense heat scorched his face and arms when he raised them to ward off the effects. This upright creature looked down at Tom as it belched out a smoke ring that came down and surrounded him. The smoke had an aromatic aroma to it, much like the sage smudge stick, and its sweetness distracted him for an instant. He looked up at the phenomenal head hovering over him as what he expected the entire time finally rang out in his brain. The word ‘dragon’ boomed out from inside every pore of his being and the man responded with, of course you are. The legendary beast spread its wings and forearms and roared like a lion without its fiery breath as ‘imagine dragons’ reverberated through Tom’s consciousness with a painful volume. As the last vibrations faded away in his mind, the dragon reared its head back on its serpentine neck to reach its full, extended height.
The monster snapped its neck forward in a quick, fluid flick, like the crack of a whip, and drove its ravenous jaws down to the ground around Tom’s body. The creature raised its head as it chewed on the mouthful Tom became, as all his senses stayed with him, but his death was painless. Intense jaw pressure, serrated teeth and grinding motion snapped bones, ripped flesh apart and reduced his body to a bloody pulp. His last two memories were crystal clear as he felt the constriction of the throat muscles swallow him and his total awareness expand out into the dragon digesting him. Now we are truly one and you will set me free rang out as Tom sat bolt upright in bed.

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