[ WP ] You leave a bowl of food out for the dragons .

When the rain started to come down in a misty drizzle, I closed the door and slid the bolt into place. Once there had been days when the thunderstorms were music, and I had laughed with nymphs as they twirled in circles around me by the lake. Perhaps I was tired now, or perhaps it was because of his death that I no longer watched in fascination when water droplets collected on my skin. 
 
 The scratching started as soon as I sat down. I stood on tiptoe to see out the peephole of the door — unsurprisingly, I saw nothing. Deciding not to care, I sat back down. 
 
 As the sound of the rain got louder and louder, so did the scratching. With an exasperated sigh I got up again and opened the door. 
 
 A gust of wind tore through the house carrying icy needles of water. I slammed the door shut, heart fluttering. And unbidden memories came back to me. 
 
 I saw his smile and his emerald eyes reflected in mine. The ghost of his hand print was on my palm; I could feel the way our fingers had fit together. And the water—clear, cold, sapphire water dripping down every crease of his face in rivulets, shining on his skin like diamonds. The rocks, hidden out of sight, below the turquoise surface. And the sudden scarlet ruby color that slithered onto the lake and spread across it and the screams sharper than crystal— 
 
 There was a yowl from outside the door. 
 
 There was thunder rumbling in the distance. And the water. God, the *water*. 
 
 His eyes had been open. Bloodshot. Not emeralds anymore. The light had been gone, the life had been gone. As simple as blowing out a candle flame, he was gone. 
 
 The yowl turned into a pitiful whine. 
 
 I had turned away from the lake so long ago. It was not sapphires or turquoise; it was dark, inky grey. 
 
 The whine broke off into a whimper. I crossed the room impulsively and flung the door open. Wind and rain surged in again, but I held my ground and looked out through the foggy sky. 
 
 `` Who's there?'' I called, my voice scattered and broken across the howling gale. `` You can— `` I hesitated, then shouted, `` You can come in!'' 
 
 A small tail flickered through my line of sight. Then something dashed between my legs, hurtling into the table. I leaned against the door, closing it, my heart nervous. 
 
 My nerves settled. It was a dragon, the size of a kitten, looking up at me with a tilted head. Twin horns, nothing more than little nubs, poked out from between soft ears. 
 
 `` Hey,'' I said softly. I held out a hand and the dragon crept forward, belly low to the ground. `` I guess you ate the food, huh?'' I had n't left a bowl out for the dragons since he died, but something possessed me to do it last night. I'd almost forgotten them—curious creatures, but timid, too. 
 
 The dragon's wings fluttered and it lifted itself into the air, its big, emerald eyes level with mine. 
 
 A few hours later, the rain had lessened to a drizzle again. Gentle kisses of water fell to the sidewalk, and I opened the door. 
 
 It had been so long. 
 
 Nymphs were dancing by the lake. 
 
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 ^Not ^great, ^I ^know, ^but ^I ^liked ^how ^open-ended ^the ^prompt ^is ^: )
