Narflax Kills Dragons Dead

At first, Leaky wasn’t sure that it was a dragon that flew out of her chrysanthemums.

She saw what appeared to be a small, reptilian creature with leathery wings dart out from her flowers, but lost sight of it after the creature disappeared amidst a cloud of robins. Her old eyes hadn’t been trustworthy for many years, and she told herself she’d been imagining things.

“Haven’t been dragons since I was little,” she chuckled, and went back to weeding her immense garden.

Over the days that followed, she heard rumors about more dragon sightings around town, and rumors had to be mighty loud to reach Leaky’s door. She didn’t talk to other folks very much. People felt she had a mean streak, and she supposed they were right, but what else did they expect from an orphan that’d known nothing but liars and cheaters all her life?

The only love Leaky ever had, the only peace she ever knew, came from her garden. That’s why she was so traumatized the morning she walked outside to find her favorite orchids charred black and smoldering in the morning mist, with dozens of dragons flitting about, nibbling her flowers, and burping up little spouts of flame.

Leaky swung her broom in an attempt to chase the monsters away. They flew just out of range, rolling through the air as though playing a game, their little mouths…