Paradise

Quinn found himself floating in clear, cool water under a warm noonday sun. He was naked, but so was everyone else. Beautiful people of all shapes, sizes, and colors frolicked in the waters around him.

The water was only chest-high. He stood up and looked around. They swam in a large man-made pool of wrought stone fed by an aqueduct. Lovely young men and women swam, splashed, and played. On the grass beyond the stone, nude lovers embraced in front of everyone, shameless.

Quinn stared, his eyes wide, his mouth agape. "I am dead!"

A couple of girls near him giggled. They had the smooth, brown skin of those who spent hours in the sun, but not toiling. Their hair and eyes were dark. "Dead?" one asked.

"I must be," he said. "This is paradise!"

The girls laughed. "I guess it is," they laughed. "Come and play!"

Quinn played. He joined in whatever games the revelers played, most of which seemed to be excuses for lots of splashing and touching. He made love with others in the grass. Hours passed. He didn’t care if he was dead.

He returned to the water. He floated, tranquil, staring into the blue sky as the afternoon sun fell low. He spotted a shape soaring above, spiraling down and growing larger until he recognized its serpentine form.

A cheer went up from the revelers. Quinn looked around, confused. Everyone left the pool and headed down a path through a garden. Quinn followed.

The group led him to a marble palace like something from the legends of the ancient world. Servants provided clean clothes of fine silk and cotton. The revelers entered a huge banquet hall; on the tables sat the finest meats, fish, and fruits of the Earth. They all sat, but no one ate. Quinn noticed this and stopped right before popping a berry in his mouth. He waited.

The dragon slithered through a large door in the other side of the hall. It sat on a dais, coiled about itself, and wrapped its wings around its coils. Quinn watched as it slowly morphed into the shape of a man, but with dark green scales like the dragon’s. It smiled and raised its hands. "Eat!"

The diners cheered and tore into the meal, devouring with reckless abandon. Servants brought cup after cup of beer and wine. Quinn felt a mild buzz when the dragon called to him.

"You!" it said. "I don’t think I recognize you. Come here."

Quinn gulped down his wine and moved to stand before the dragon. A servant came and refilled his cup. He looked up at the dragon-man and said, "Cheers! I’m a visitor. Thanks for the hospitality!"

The dragon-man looked amused. "A visitor from where?"

"Um," said Quinn, "The real world? I came down from the north. That’s why I’m so pale."

"Although," he said, "you seem to have every color of the rainbow here. What is this place?"

"This is my home," said the dragon-man. "I am Jehizkiah, lord of this vast estate."

"And a fine estate it is," said Quinn. "What little I’ve seen. That swimming hole is wonderful."

"Yes," said Jehizkiah. "I had it constructed for my pets."

"Your pets?"

"All of these new friends of yours," said Jehizkiah. "I keep them as pets. I give them the best food and drink, make the others serve their needs, and demand nothing of them. They are as happy as your kind can be."

"Huh," said Quinn. "Being your pet doesn’t sound so bad!"

"It was a great privilege," said the dragon-man, "until things turned."

Quinn raised his eyebrow.

"Come and see," said the serpent.

The atmosphere changed. Time seemed to stand still. Quinn heard a distant roar like a stampede.

The roar grew. Hundreds of people howled in anger as they burst into the hall. They attacked the dragon’s pets with clubs, knives, and farm implements. The pets shrieked and fled in terror, but more attackers waited on all sides.

Quinn looked at Jehizkiah in shock. "Why are you allowing this? Can’t you stop them with your dragon powers? I’ve seen them in action!"

"I can’t stop it," said Jehizkiah, "because it’s already happened. It happened hundreds of years ago, when I was away. My livestock revolted and murdered my pets. They couldn’t burn down my stone palace, but they did take everything they could and ran off."

"Why?" asked Quinn. "Were you cruel to them?"

"I?" asked the dragon. "I treated them no worse than any other master. I even tried to make sure they were well-fed, so they would be able workers."

"No," said Jehizkiah, "It was your people who were cruel. I gave my pets absolute dominion over my livestock, and they treated them with absolute contempt. They abused them, again and again, until some spark lit the tinder that led to the conflagration."

"Wow," said Quinn. "They seemed like such nice, fun people."

"They were, if they saw you as one of them. If not, you were beneath contempt. They knew they were special, you see. Better than others. By giving them everything they wanted for nothing, I made them like dragons."

Quinn looked out the window. He could see the pool below, the setting sun reflecting off the water and blood, with floating young bodies of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

"Crazy," said Quinn.

The blood and people vanished. He found himself alone with the dragon.

"How did you make me see all of those things?"

"We dragons have that power. The ability to manipulate the emotions and perceptions of others. Its a great skill to have, if you mean to rule."

"Sounds cool."

"Yes," said the serpent. "You should ask the next dragon you meet to teach you sorcery."