Forsaken Scar by Emmanuel Harper
As a human, you can never depart and have no regrets. You can never depart without sinning. As a human, you can never depart this world without leaving and taking pride in something, wanting what is not yours or over-indulging. You can never depart without living and having a selfish or lustful desire for something. I wake up every day feeling empty like a gauntlet that desires to be filled. Every day I feel deceitful like a liar. I hear my alarm clock and do what I normally do—wake up, brush my teeth, wash my face—and all the other things people do to get ready. I leave and, as I head out, I blink and see a radiant color. Beautiful and brilliant, I see a glowing pair gazing at me in the darkness like a warning. I feel hesitant and fearful and think nothing of it. Looking for inspiration for my new novel I wonder why the world calls me a lazy genius and recognizes me as a philosopher. Even though I’m lazy I’m energetic and respected and many look to me for guidance, which is why I decide I may as well become a therapist and counselor. I wander into a bookstore and into an aisle for legends and fairy tales. I entertain myself and read a book about a dragon that was portrayed as evil. As I read on, the dragon burned villages, demanded gold, over-indulged desire and slept in it. As I read, I could not see evil. I thought to myself, “What’s the difference between humans and dragons?” Then I remembered Fafnir and how he turned into a dragon. I could not find the difference between him when he was human and when he was a dragon, though he gained scales, wings and a tail. With my PhD in Ethics and 300 IQ, I could not comprehend any difference. If anything, he is more himself as a dragon. I always wondered why I felt fond of dragons and never saw them as evil. It might be that they’re honest to themselves, not trying to deny what desires drive them. Then I felt a gaze like it was trying to devour me, and fear ran down my spine. I looked at Fafnir, the sinning, slothful dragon. Fafnir saw me not as a liar but as honest. I feared that yet desired it. 288
