Hey Friend,
Welcome to the fantasy blog chock full of magic and wonder, The Diary of a Wizard. As you know by now, this involves documented wizardly weirdness and general shenanigans. This week you’ll be delighted to hear is no different. I’ve gotta help out a dog dragon who has a little problem. Wish me luck.
I awoke to an enormous thud outside my window this morning. It gave me quite the start. I always assume giant in this situation. As there is a small population of wizard-eating giants in The Enchanted Woods, it’s always best to be on the safe side. Soon, I heard a loud, uncontrollable giggling. I could rule out wizard-eating giants now cos they never laugh. In fact, they’re a wee bit on the grumpy side.
I was filled with worry however, for I knew, these kind of giggles can lead to split sides! I took off my night cap and donned my robes, staff and pointy hat. There was no time to lose.
Quickly, I rushed outside only to be confronted with a rare creature indeed, the elusive dog dragon. Now you may not know what a dog dragon is, but it’s kinda like that thing in Never Ending Story, but more poodley. I liked that movie, but I never could finish it. Okay, now bad jokes aside, the dog dragon was giggling like a maniac, with tears flowing down her cheeks.
There was only one thing for it, I needed to rush to my medicine cupboard and give her a dose of temporary lack of humour juice. I had to be careful as I didn’t want to give her the permanent lack of humour juice by mistake. That’s reserved for Tiktok pranksters if I don’t explode them in a puff of smoke first, that is. If you take away their humour, they’re actually funnier than they were before and not nearly as annoying. Anyway, that’s by the by, I made certain that I grabbed the correct bottle and hurried back outside.
I said a series of very unfunny things so the dog dragon could not laugh just long enough to take the pungent and potent potion. Finally, she stopped laughing long enough to down half the bottle, then she stopped laughing all together.
“Oh, thank you kindly, Mr Wizard. I was sure my sides were going to split,” she said.
“They were on the verge of splitting, for sure.” I affirmed. “Who are you then?”
“My name’s Fleur and I’m a dog dragon. Woof!”
“Wait, dog dragons woof?”
“Well, yeah, I can’t do a ferocious roar like scaley dragons. My roar is more of a gravelly growl and sounds kinda poodley. My bark is a little more scary.”
“It’s really not, I hate to say. You’re not scary at all.”
“I am, too! Most creatures run in fear from me. I swear it.”
“Yeah, probably just because they don’t want you thudding down to the ground on top of them and making them all pancakey. I have no idea why you find it so funny to be honest.”
“It’s the height, see. When I fly, I get all giddy, then I start to giggle and then I crash thudding to the ground.”
“Are you afraid of heights or something?”
“No, not one bit. You see, flying is such fun, it gives me exhilaration elation. I can’t help myself.”
“That does sound like tremendous fun, but you could bruise yourself, or squash someone to a pancake thudding out the sky like that. It’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.”
“What do you suggest I do then?”
“Have you thought about walking when around populated areas?”
“Dude, if you could fly, would you consider walking?”
“I guess not.” I said thoughtfully stroking my beard which Is known to make you 17% wiser.
That was when I needed a little think and much ponderance about the best way to deal with the issue. I made Fleur some dinner and let her stay in the stable with my trusty magical steed, Horace. I needed to sleep on the matter.
Outside, the next morning, I met with Fleur having decided the best way to help. I couldn’t very well use a magical solution for that is just a matter of papering over the cracks, and not really solving the problem. It seemed my dog dragon friend needs to learn to control her emotions a little.
“What do you do when you get really really angry at someone?” I asked as the sun came up in the sky.
“I bark, even though I want to bite them, I just bark.”
“So, you decide it’s best not to bite them, even though you want to?”
“Yes.”
“A conscious effort to control your emotions is what it is!”
“Yeah, so?”
“So maybe you could try that with your giddiness.”
“Oh, you mean like, when I bark instead of bite, maybe I could squeal instead of giggle?”
“Yes, exactly! Not that you shouldn’t feel the giddy but choose how to react to it. You don’t wanna be thudding out the sky and accidently turning the creatures of the woods into pancakes now do you?”
“No. I guess not.”
“Why don’t you give it a go?” I suggested.
“What, right now? I suppose I could.”
With that, Fleur, the enormous dog dragon, flapped her mighty wings and like an eagle, but one that’s all furry and much bigger than an actual eagle, took to the air.
Up she went and once more started to giggle. Quickly enough, unsurprisingly, she came thudding to the ground, shaking the entire woods.
“What went wrong?” I asked, after checking she was unhurt.
“I got the giddy giggles again,” she said.
“Remember to squeal instead of giggle,” I reminded her. “You can do it!”
With a look of determination, she pulled a scrunchy face, flapped her wings and went up skyward once more. This time, to my delight, she squealed instead of giggled. Well, she did it for a few minutes then started giggling again resulting in the mandatory crash.
She stayed a while longer catching back her puff and putting some ice on her bruised backside. Soon, with heartfelt thanks and fare-the-wells, Fleur the dog dragon flew homewards, sometimes squealing, sometimes giggling and sometimes crashing. Well at least she only crashes sometimes now, I guess.
As I sat pondering that evening how yet again, I’d helped one of the inhabitants of The Enchanted Woods, I realised that I’d learned something myself. It’s okay to feel your feelings and to accept them for what they are. If we want to scream, or cry, get the giddy giggles or even exhilaration elation, that’s fine and normal, but we can’t let those emotions control us and make us do things we normally would not. Especially when it’s to the detriment of others and even worse, ourselves. Sometimes we have to feel that feeling, absorb it, let it pass, and then choose our reaction. Only then will we be able to fly all the way home!
I’m gonna write some cool stories for you now. I hope the week brings you magic and mayhem, wonder and wisdom, and bubbles and erm… ball games?
See ya next time friend!
BB
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Barry S. Brunswick is an author and best selling poet.
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