//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven: Gift from an old friend. // Story: Dragon's sorrow: Tales of Dragon's rest // by Megaskullmon //------------------------------// I open my eyes hearing a knock on my front door. I look over at my husband who is fast asleep. How can he sleep? I groan getting off the bed and heading downstairs to the front door. I open it and the griffin elder comes in. “Blossom, what in the world are you doing here? It's not even morning yet.” Blossom sighs “Glyph, I need you to come with me. We learned that someone is down in the dragon's old cave. One of the mothers couldn’t find their children. I am guessing after your story they went down to the cave.” A deep sigh came out of my mouth so they went down to Malla’s old cave. It’s been fifty years. I doubt most of what Malla left behind is still down there. I trot off with Blossom right beside me. We get to the old cave.  “I haven’t been down here for so long, Blossom. I remember the old dragon being so kind to me even if I tried to pry into her life.” Blossom chuckles “Glyph none of us have been in this cave, only you have. The other elders refuse to walk inside; they feel it has evil inside. Me I just don[‘t care enough about the past of this community to go down there.” I chuckle “Typical Griffin.” Blossom smirks “No need to be racist, even if it’s true.” I laugh and shake my head Blossom and I head down into the cave. The cave has seen better days and when we get down there many of the items that Malla stole over the years are still in her pile or what she called a hoard. “Huh. What a lovely place to live for so long on your own. Well, now I just made myself sad.” Blossom snickers. A frown forms across my face. I stare at the place my old friend used to lie when she slept when I read her books. I can’t believe I am back down here. All I can do is remember her crying and trying to tell me she is not a monster. “Glyph?” I come out of my stupor turning my head to stare at Blossom. “Yes?” Blossom sighs, shaking her head. “We need to find them.” I nod and we follow the path to the back. I stare at a stand I have never seen before and sitting there in front of it are the missing children. They’re here with sleeping bags? Why would they want to stay down here? Something else confuses me. I see an old frame on the stand where that old toy used to sit. “Kids, this place is not safe here.. Glyph?” I walk over to the stand looking at the old frame with a photo of Malla and all her friends. It’s a photo that has not faded. “Kids, was this here when you got here?” A little filly zebra shakes her head. “No, when we came down here a cloaked mare was down here and she just left it and then soon after vanished in a puff of magic.” A cloaked mare? I stare at the old photo. It's cleaned up magically and kept this way from a spell. I look at the back of the frame and see a note written on a piece of paper. I take it off the frame to read it. ‘Hello Glyph I wish I could have seen you again but I had to do something and I am sorry for everything. I am happy about what you did with my friend. I wish I could tell you more or see you again. When the time comes you will see me again but only when the time comes goodbye, my friend.’ I shake my head looking at the photo again. “Come on kids this place is not safe we have no idea what the dragon would have brought down here. Follow Blossom and please never come down here again.” The kids groan and they follow Blossom I follow behind holding the photo in my hoof staring at it. Malla and her friends look so happy. I wish I could have seen them back then. How she spoke of them this type of happiness never showed up again in their lives at least from how Malla put it. From what I read they were always happy as they could be. When we get out of the cave I look back at it and now I am starting to wonder if we should close it up or let the others see what it’s like down there. I will talk to the other elders about it. I help Blossom get the children back to their parents. “I am going to go back to sleep Blossom. I hope you have a wonderful night.” I turn away to head home. “Glyph, wait.” I turn around looking at Blossom. “From the looks of how you see that Photo are they what you think they would be?” I stare at the photo of Malla and her friends. “From how Malla spoke they never were happy. They always got on each other's nerves and they always got on her case. I wonder if she remembers most of it wrong or maybe they were happy with each other then later it all fell apart for them.” Blossom shrugs her shoulders. “Maybe she wasn’t an honest storyteller, it could be for reasons she didn’t want to go into or maybe again things change those around you will change, and even from the sounds of it she changed and hid in that cave.” Blossom is correct Malla went into hiding for odd reasons and when I get to why many are going to be confused. I wave my hoof to Blossom heading back home when I get into the house Star Watcher smirks. “So got called to find little ones? Come back to bed and have a good night's sleep.” I follow my husband up to our bedroom and I place the photo on an old stand I found ages ago, leaving the photo there and looking back at it before I go back to sleep. I lay on the bed cuddling with my husband and falling asleep.