Trey Watkins Media

The Guardians of Time

"There weren’t always dragons in the valley," I began. Three tiny faces stared at me. Eyes widened, jaws dropped, and heads tilted. These children weren’t even born yet when the dragons arrived. They didn't know life without them. They didn't know what it was like to see flowers bursting with reds, oranges, and pinks. To taste fruit freshly picked from the vine. To walk through the valley and run their fingers over the top of waving grass as a cool breeze washed over them. All they knew was char and fire, the dark gray that covered the smoldering valley floor, and the holes carved into the sides of the mountains to make the dragons’ caves.