Monday Dragon Hunt.

[sechan19]

The ancient Chinese (ancient meaning before they really were "Chinese") believed that thunder and lightning were charged with the task of hunting escaped dragons. When lightning struck, it meant that a dragon was being chased from some hiding place. If a person you loved was struck by lightning and killed, it was probably because he was standing near the hiding place of a dragon or was actually the hiding place of a dragon.

It's an interesting means of rationalizing an otherwise irrational kind of death; the ultimate in "well, what could you do?" mentalities. ("He had a dragon hiding inside him--what more can we say?")

Now, whenever the weather is stormy and the thunder and lightning are crashy, I often think of marauding bands of stray dragons and the heavenly deities charged with bringing them back under control. And I hope that all dragons know that 5'1 girls don't make very good hiding places.

Comments

[derrangedferret.livejournal.com]

The dragons apparently thought that the community college was a good place to hide. Two strikes on two different buildings damaged the chimney on one and blasted the system that controls the electronic locking mechanisms for the whole campus (housed in the other). Also they think one of them did something to the phone system; no one could get or leave voice mails all day. It was kind of exciting to see the damage.

[firynze.livejournal.com]

...now I want to write a story about this.

[docjeed.livejournal.com]

Don't make good hiding places for dragons, you mean. Other sorts of arcane knowledge, I can more readily imagine.

[lordameth.livejournal.com]

A fun story! I really like this idea. Hopefully I'll remember it the next time I see/hear thunder and lightning!