Drabblecast 395 – The Slaying of the Dragon

This week on the Drabblecast we present “The Slaying of the Dragon” by Dino Buzzati.

Enjoy this rare piece of translated fiction by Italian novelist and short story writer Dino Buzzati, about what might happen today if we discovered a dragon.

Dino Buzzati was a painter, playwright, poet, novelist, short story writer, opera librettist, mountaineer, and science fiction writer. In writing his books, he drew on folk tales, but he believed that fantasy should be written with all the detail of a newspaper account. Buzzati’s most famous book for adults, The Tartar Steppe, shares with The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily a concern with the difficulty of keeping up one’s courage in a confusing and often threatening world.

Story Excerpt:

“I think it’s all over,” said Andronico.

It did indeed seem so. The last breath of obstinate life was coming out of the dragon’ mouth.

No one had answered his call, no one in the whole world had responded. The mountains were quiet still, even the diminutive landslides seems to have been reabsorbed, the sky was clear without the slightest cloud and the sun was setting. No one, either from this world or the next, had come to avenge the massacre…

Drabble:

Our Drabble this week is “Dream of the Dragon” by MK Apache

I dream of the dragon. It rises when I sleep, trumpeting the beginning of the end.

Work seems pointless when the future is so dark but what else can I do. Ella, my wife, has started to see the cracks. I’m showing the strain. I see her worried eyes when I pour just one more drink, trying to dull the vivid memories of my visions.

I see the bleak future, what will become of the human race. I see what rises from the depths.

I dream of the dragon and the dragon knows. The dragon waits and dreams of me.

Twabble:

Today’s Twabble comes from listener A Tiny Sloth:

I often wonder

of the bullet man’s thoughts

as he flies naked across the sky

Unstoppable, Supersonic

Think you can write a 100-word or 100-character story? Give it a shot! Hit us up on the forums, or tweet us at @drabblecast!

Alright fair slayers, enjoy the show!