Morning sea water lapped at its body, stale brimstone in it’s mouth, thirst overwhelming his desire to feel, stumbling, sight blurred, unable to recall the previous evening. The dark grey figure labored out of the surf and collapsed on the beach that appeared decimated and deeply trenched, the pre dawn not yet illuminating beyond the dunes, around him the stench of wet animal filth, leathery, feathered it was familiar and comforting albeit revolting, he doubled over retching earth, thousands of small arthropod and crustacean scurried away, looking to the sky he let out a deafening screech.
A little girl holding a lantern approached through a dune path calling, “Papa!”, her hand releasing a lantern taking flight above her, shone brightly reflecting off her scaly flesh that shimmered like rays of soft light, revealing a large hide canteen in her other hand. She then ran to the shore and offered drink to her exhausted father.
“Ah, my little one, you heard me.” he smiled, drinking heartily from the offered flask.
“They are saying you frightened them all again,” she informed, “you presented to more than ever last night, they even saw you in Far East!”
“Really now?”, he chuckled, capping the canteen, adding, “They see what they will.”
“They saw a fiery foo dog prancing proudly over the mountains,” she reported, “an angel in the desert, an owl over the forests, a fire-bird rolling over oil fields, Brahman in the cities and Shiva walking in the sea,” she continued, “a great Minotaur that grew wings and breathed fire and drew in bugs-“
“Okay,” he interrupted her laughingly, “I told you to be careful. Were you careful?” he asked.
“Yes Papa” she replied, “I did not use my mind, I pretended I was one of them and took a ball to town and I sat outside the bar,” she gestured to the West, the woods parted, a light drew near revealing a beach tiki bar, patrons sitting there, the scene alive with animated activity; talking, drinking, everyone occupied with the activity on the screen above them, drawing the image closer to her father she revealed herself watching the news on TV behind the adults, she waved her hand to the North and the beach sand flattened from the surf to the dunes, “then the man at the bar saw me sitting on my ball,” the image to the West changing as her eyes shot toward the bartender as he asked, “Who’s child is this?”
“Mmmhmmm,” her father agreed, reaching down and picking her up by the leg, holding her upside down, her braided snakes unraveled from her head snapping at his face, “and who’s child are you?” he asked.
“Oh papa,” she giggled, the trees giving up her conjured story and closed around as she waved her other hand to the South correcting the beach. Crustaceans scurried up from the ground and disappeared as she became a snake slipping from his fingers, becoming a child again as she found her feet then running off as a Lioness toward the dunes her lantern in tow, giggling, “See you tomorrow Papa!”
He smiled greatly as she disappeared within the sea oats and his glow lighting the beach, “See you kiddo!” he echoed back at her, it was the dawn time, he let out a deep sigh as a tear fell from his eye, he was golden, he checked the stars above, his arms outstretched, feathered, his horns bovine, his mighty legs claws, he arched his back and screeched to the sky, with a fiery breath igniting the Sun on the distant horizon before he fell like evaporating salt, shimmering in the air and swept away on the breeze.

I miss my girls, they took them away; my mother, my wife, my daughter, oh Luna and her sisters I thank you for comforting my slumber, forgive my anger and rage and see my tears and know I still love you, they can not take me, only myself with God. -dbtrine