Thomas The Terrible

Deep in the Olympic Mountains nestled in the corner of Washington state, on the lush and beautiful Olympic Peninsula there once lived a dragon. He isn’t like other dragons, as most of his species have died off or been captured at this point in history. He is a lonely dragon, going by the rather unfitting given name of “Thomas The Terrible.” He didn’t grow up wanting to be terrible in fact; quite the opposite. He was raised by two loving parents, whose names having been translated through endless and beautiful tangles of legends and stories have been completely misrepresented, and due to my belief that a name is a sacred thing, I will not continue in that fashion, so in my retelling of this tale, they shall remain nameless. 

The Olympics are ancient. Their towering peaks often capped in snow, nestled some hundred miles from the shore of the mighty and frigid Pacific Ocean. Waves crash in the distance as an Eagle soars above the tree-filled valleys and streams. Only rising in elevation to get a better vantage point of the rushing water below to set her gaze upon her next meal as it swims upstream, completely unaware that there is even a world outside of the rushing and ancient water within which she has been living her whole life. These mountains hold many answers. They have seen the rise and fall of many, they have seen a people displaced, a people ripped away from their own land and forced to live elsewhere, or face the consequences. 

…

Thomas was the most beloved child of two very powerful and fierce dragons, who gave him all that he ever dreamed of. All of the money, gold bars, and everything his heart desired were his, at a second's notice. But Thomas yearned for something impossible to describe, something more meaningful, something more spiritual. One day he approached his Father with a simple statement. “I am not the man I am supposed to be, father, something is missing.” He said as he walked into the room where his father spent his time. Surrounded by larger-than-life pillars made of the finest gold in the world and an abundance of diamonds and gems dotting the floor. “My Son, why do you say this? You have been given all of life’s luxuries, never to have doubts about your future, or your safety.” 

“I’m afraid I require something more Father, I require solitude and the freedom to question the great mysteries.”

“I am proud of you, My Boy. I will send you on your way tomorrow. When you arrive you will have a throne of your own.”

“I do not require one, father.”

“I’m not asking this of you, son. I am requiring it. You will be guarding my treasure from my youth. It is in a place foreign to our species. So you will have to remain hidden. You will have the freedom to ponder all you’d like. You can explore but you mustn’t let the treasure be taken, as it holds our family’s pride and power.” “I will do so father if you wish.” “I do, Son. And I trust you to be reverent in your searching.” “Searching for what, Father?” “Searching for what is missing. You have it within you, but you’ve yet to truly realize its potential. These things will be revealed to you in time.” With that, Thomas’s father blew a billow of smoke into the air and took off over the dark valleys of The surrounding land. And left Thomas alone to think about what he had just heard. His mind racing with nerves and questions. So many questions he wasn’t certain that any number of answers would suffice. He looked around him at the excess that surrounds him. An overwhelming sensation of being trapped, the feeling of something having a power over you. He slowly made his way back to his lair, his father’s words ringing in his head. His mind was heavy with feelings of self-doubt and anxiety, for he had never been on his own, let alone in a strange land with nothing of his species but him. He drifted off to sleep slowly, only to be awoken by the loud CLiNG! CLANG! CLING! CLANG! Of the bell tower on the other side of the valley that occurred every couple of hours every day. He never had gotten used to this, even after living here for 4,700 years. Tomorrow was going to be different though, he thought to himself. After the ringing subsided he slowly drifted off into a deep sleep, slowly coming into a different reality. One that only exists within his mind, a calm and lovely dream-filled sleep. 

… 

Part 2. 

Thomas was awoken by his Father, with his large yellow eyes set deep into his skull surrounded by a dark red flesh, the same flesh that surrounded Thomas, saying “it’s time to go my boy.” “Must we go now, father?” I’m not ready!” “You will never truly be ready.” With that his father took off out of the mouth of the cave, calling Thomas to follow him. Thomas took off into the pure blue sky and watched as the bell tower below him sat high above the mountains, smoke billowing from the chimney in the parish next door, from the strange humans who are inhabiting that piece of space. As he flew further and further away from his home he felt a weight slowly falling from his shoulders, crashing into the ground, casting branches from side to side as it tumbles down, piece by piece.. “Freedom at last.” He thought to himself as he was passing over endless miles of choppy sea. His father was silent the whole trip, deep in thought it appeared. After several hours spent above the abyss of the sea, Thomas saw land. A dark, tree-lined land set with jagged rocks, waves creating over top of them. As they got closer His father started to descend toward the ground. As they landed on the jagged land they looked at one another in silence. After a few moments, Thomas looked at his father and said, “Why have we stopped here?” “This land is sacred, it requires reverence.” They sat for several moments in silence. “How much longer is our journey?” “Not long, if you turn your back to the sea you will see the mountain in the distance.” “I am unable to see it, father.” “The clouds here are dense and hide many things. This is how you too will remain unseen.” 

Part 3. 

At the mouth of the deep dark cavern, there lay a collection of bones. Bones of creatures who dared at one point to enter the cave. Laying on the ground, stained and bloody, charred and dusty, frozen in that moment.. “Where is the previous guard of this lair, Father?” “His name was Psaltodorius. He was driven mad by the darkness. He was not strong enough to survive.” As he said this, they entered the cavern. When they got to the very end, it was blindingly dark. His father let out a half breath and lit the flow of oil to illuminate the massive room. Piles of gold from the floor to the very top of the ceiling lay all around, gems and diamonds lined the walls, and the pillars slamming into the darkness above, pillars of solid gold, just like at home, but much larger. “This is my treasure from my youth, it has been unguarded for years, but I feel that it will be discovered soon without guardianship.” “This is exceptionally beautiful, father.” “It is yours now, my boy.” He replied. “You must be mistaken father, I cannot take this from you.” With no response, father laid his head down and drifted off to sleep. Thomas was not far behind, and eventually, his mind was full of the dreamlike possibilities that now exist in his subconscious. Dreams of beauty abounding, fields of flowers bursting into the world only to be clouded by the darkness. 

When he awoke it was abruptly dark. He blew a breath of fire into the lanterns and the room illuminated as it had the night before. Only this time, he was without company. “Father!” He shouted, with the echo being his sole companion. He walked through the tunnel to the entrance and there was such thick cloud cover that he was unable to see anything beyond a few meters of his face. He slowly walked back to his cavernto do his best to settle in. He was finally in the perfect place to learn and grow into the dragon he so desperately longed to become. 

Part 4 

For months on end, Thomas sat in his cavern alone. Only the thoughts in his head kept him company. The only sound was the blustery wind that had not ceased to blow violently as it ripped past the opening to his deep and dark lair. During this time he pondered several things. He pondered the question of death and life, trying to find meaning in both. The most he could muster up is that he couldn’t dare try and comprehend questions so unimaginably complicated and in the end, potentially meaningless. He spent many hours in meditation, sometimes days on end. Only eating when it felt direly necessary. The stillness was his friend, and he felt comforted by it. One day, during one of these practices he was startled to hear voices from outside the cavern entrance. He was shaken from the abrupt break from the silence that so often surrounded him. “Maybe the voices are drifting from the far-off hills.” He whispered to himself, only to be startled to see a small bit of light heading down the tunnel towards his throne room. He tried to remain as quiet as he could, doing his best to not make the mountain shake with his footsteps. “This is creepy Chad, we have to get out of here.” “It’s ok Kate, I promise you. Just up ahead a little more. There are rumors of a treasure so unimaginable that we will have no more problems. We can buy a third home in Miami, and even fix up our ski cabin with the money, we’re going to be richer than you could ever imagine.” As he heard this Thomas knew something must be done to stop them his mind racing back to the pile of bones, decaying and still. The universe had shown him though, that violence and murder are not the answer, and do not align with his new mindset. With that in mind, Thomas decided to do his best to scare them away, and hope that they cease to return. At this point, the young couple was mere feet away from the entrance. The lanterns had been put out during the meditation and the whole room was drenched in darkness, with no visible reflection of light anywhere. Until the flash flight burst into the room and the two young treasure hunters were standing at the cusp of a tunnel and a room that was so large, it is impossible to even try to comprehend. Chad flashed his light around and looked over at Kate, who was visibly shaking. “What’s wrong Kate?” Her eyes aimed directly at the eyes of a large beast in the center of the room, crouching, but still keenly looking at them. “We-w-we have to run, right now.” “Don’t act so fool-holy shit.” At that moment the flashlight illuminated the large beast, with his blood-red flesh and yellow eyes. His skin resembled volcanic rock, torn up from thousands of years of protection. They both turned around and ran as fast as they could, dropping their bags to the floor as their only preoccupation was staying alive. They burst out of the tunnel with a shriek. Never to return again. 

Part 5

Thomas sat in silence for some time. He hadn’t heard anything for several minutes and felt comfortable enough to venture out and see. As he walked up the long tunnel he tripped over the bags dropped by the two unfortunate explorers. Thomas set them aside and checked the rest of the tunnel.As he walked back to his lair he grabbed the bags as he passed them. “I wonder what these humans left behind.” When he got back to the room he started opening the bags and tossing aside clothing and what seemed to be rather useless equipment he pulled out a book. His father has taught him the languages of the humans as a child, it is a king’s duty. He examined the cover. A simple yellow color with the title words in black font “Capital: Critique of Political Economy” By Karl Marx. 

Thomas spent the next few weeks reading and re-reading the words on the pagea. He was fascinated with the ways in which humans viewed and obtained their resources. He was disgusted with the idea of millions of humans suffering at the hand of a powerful few. He read and read, over and over becoming more and more acquainted with the damages of hoarding resources for yourself while another human suffers for you. One day while on his stoop, it became clear to him. Within the deep cavern sit mountains of gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, and more. He realized what he must do. He had finally discovered the answer he was looking for. For the first time since leaving, he felt a purpose. He felt as if he’d finally arrived. “I must give this treasure to the people. I surely do not require it's offerings.” He thought to himself as he went toward the entrance of the cave. The clouds had cleared and he felt the warm embrace of the sun as it touched his icy-hard skin. His eyes squint as the sun beat down on them. 

He stayed for a moment, silently taking in the beauty that has been hiding behind the clouds for so long. He felt warmth and contentment within himself. He turned and headed towards his dark cave filled with treasure that only shine when light reflects. For the rest of his days he sat and meditated, and are nothing. He became a man of his word, and guarded the treasure of his father, now his, until his last breath. 

Part 6

“To whoever stumbles upon these riches, take them freely. I have passed from this realm into another. When the overlords ask whose it is, simply tell them, “It is a gift for the workers. Each and every one. Let there suffering be no more, let there be no more capital. Let there be light. 

-Thomas, The Terrible.”