dragon ranch pt 7
leave comments, like and vote and anything else if you want. just no stealing my work :p
sorry would have put this up earlier but got busy.
the story is almost over now... one perhaps two more parts before it is over. I appreciate any feedback.
Monday the next day I called off from school. Earl would attract too much attention and we would be away too long at first. Consider everyone in town knowing by now I really had to hide as I was driven by my mom into town by my truck. We finalized the truck title transfer then went to Lowes and picked up some lumber, nails, and other things to build a place for Earl. Getting back home was much more difficult then getting away. Everyone wanted a free picture of the dragon. He hid on top of my house until I got back home. So I took the rest of the week off from school. Building something proper for Earl to sleep in.
He actually helped by digging and moving wood. Took much less time then I thought. When Monday came again it was done and only local press was around to pester us. The big thrill of ' A Dragon off the Reservation' was over. That was the headline title by the way. So I went to school in my truck with Earl in the back. It was one of those 'take your pet to school' days for me. Game warden included. Some of the staff wanted Earl away from the students, especially you know who.
A dragon is in a class of their own. As dangerous as a grizzly but as timid as a trained dog. Being any action to remove him forcibly would be met with hostility and as long as anybody did not do anything too obviously stupid it should be fine. I still had Earl wait in the distance from people as much as possible. You know there is always that small groups of I dare you, bully, red neck, or general trouble makers that would tick Earl of enough to attack. So I became Mr. Popular overnight. Well with the students not the school teachers. Tom, being my only real friend, rode the gravy train and on our way back home he kept bragging how he got to first base with three different chicks during lunch. I promised to be carried by Earl tomorrow if he continued.
That night for the last basketball game of the year I brung Earl as well. He enjoyed the game. At first it was easily told it confused him. Then he got the idea of the game and even started cheering when my school's team scored a basket. After five trays of nachos and three brain freezing slushies he seemed satisfied. Of course everyone wanted to feed him as well but that was MY thing. Sure I let Tom or one of our parents but that was when we were alone. In public he clearly notices how discomforting it makes me. Him being the center of so much attention did cause his head to swell from the fame and that caused problems.
As he wanted to pose for every picture he could. Nothing worse than momentary blocked traffic so far. That is until a few days after I turned 18. That is the day I first and last time met my father. It was after school let out for me for the last time. My mom was still at work and I was looking forward to sleeping in and messing around with Earl all day. I had just turned on the tv when I heard the doorbell. I opened it to a mid-40s man. “ Hello and if you are here to see Earl I'm sorry I'm not parading him around for anyone.”
He smiles widely at the mention of Earl. “ You do not know who I am do you?”
I look closer at him. He looks and smelled like he just slept a three day drunk in a ditch. “ Should I?”
He looks me right in the eyes. I met his with the same stare I have learned to use with Earl. Which surprised him enough to take a step back. “ Erik, I am your father.”
That is when I tried to slam the door but his tennis shoe wearing foot caught it in time. Mom still had restraining orders up to date on him and he is not suppose to be in under a hundred and fifty yards of me, her work or our home. Ever! I take pleasure I broke a few of his toes. I managed to latch the chain lock before he could force his way in. After a few attempts to budge me and it he said, “ Erik, I just want to talk.”
I managed to get it fully closed. “ You can do that from there. But if you do not say anything I like I'm calling the cops.” There was a pause before he said, “ I just want to know my son some.”
I got my phone out to be ready and let some of my weight off of the door. “ What do you want to know?”
He says the one thing I was fearing. “ How did you get that dragon? I know a few people who will pay millions for him. Millions! And I'll split it with you fifty-fifty.”
By the time I heard the first fifty I was halfway threw the house. Waiting for the phone to pick up. I just got out of the back door when it connected. “ Help me, I'm at...”
Not giving away my address sorry enough problems as it is. “... and someone claiming to be my father showed up. He is suppose to be just out of prison and I don't feel safe with him here.”
Suddenly the phone was take from me from behind. “ Hello, who is this?”
I hear him say into it as I turn to the business end of a gun. “ My apologies, my son has dementia. I'm sorry he must have missed taking his medication this morning.”
I hear the person on the other side of the line say something about sending a unit up anyways. I figured out three things at that very moment. First, he was not going to fire his gun at me while connected to the police. Second, Earl was on the roof and seemed to be in a very bad mood. Third, I was going to get shot before the day was over. So I did the stupid thing. “ Gun!”
I yelled as I moved to hopefully catch the bullet in a non-lethal part of my body. The pain was there. It made me miss most of what happened next. When I came to again I saw Earl hovering over his pinned prey. My father. I noticed the line still connected on the phone so I picked it up with my still working limb. “ Been shot. Need ambulance.”
Then I dropped it and took the gun by the barrel and slung it as far way as I could. “ Thank you Earl. You should get away from his hands. Who knows what else he has as a weapon.”
He nods in understanding before shifting to having him pinned by the shoulders and staring at Earl's chest. Who was watching those hands as if they would have a weapon enter them like magic. I can tell he too was as scared as I was as we waited. I put pressure on the bullet hole. When the patrol car got there they almost shot Earl until I instructed him to go into his shelter after explaining to him that they were going to take the bad man away. He went without question. By the time the ambulance arrived I blacked out due to blood loss. The last thing I remember is my dad being arrested again as the female officer was tending my arm.