Erik Howard

The Valley of Dragons and Angels

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. In the old world the skies were clear, and there were fleets of cars rolling along the gray roads, so many they got in each other's way. Even after all that has happened, I have trouble believing that those hunks of rusted metal once propelled themselves across the valley and beyond, propelled by captive explosions (as though anything but a dragon could capture an explosion). And people, there were so many people. Though not every car was controlled by a person (some controlled themselves) each building, each rubble pile that was once a building, was filled, crammed to the rafters with people. I can't imagine how many people that must have been, more than a thousand at least. I cannot count that high, and I have never seen more than 30 people in the same place at the same time, but my grandmother swore it was true.