They Called Me Dragon: A Narrative Account of My Adventures on the Planet Earth

By Gail Ann Gibbs

Huge, green, and scaly, alien Professor J'o' Ka Joarchim can't convince the local peasants that he's not a man-eating monster. The villagers chain a young woman to a cliff in sacrifice to him, but she has her own ideas about that. Helping her escape only aggravates the situation, and J'o' ends up with a collection of luckless human victims, all increasingly dependent on him for their survival.
Meanwhile, J'o' must keep his new pets a secret, since interfering in human society is a serious violation of Inter-dimensional Law. The longer he stays on Earth, the more trouble awaits him back home.
THEY CALLED ME DRAGON is the story of a feisty young heroine, an assortment of outcasts, and one very confused alien as they conquer the Dark Ages and become legends in the process.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gail Ann Gibbs
• Release date: Dec 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370567355

Gail Ann Gibbs

Gail Ann Gibbs grew up in the Texas Panhandle, and continues to live and write in the sunny Southwest. She ended up with two college degrees (neither related to writing) and has been employed in a variety of interesting jobs, some of which may end up in novels someday. Gail has four novels with the personalized-romance publisher YourNovel.com, has some short stories published, won a few contests, and owns a very fine collection of rejection letters. She put together five of the short stories as SKETCHES IN THE AIR in 2014, and her latest book is the gentle fantasy THEY CALLED ME DRAGON: A Narrative Account of my Adventures on the Planet Earth. Gail enjoys the Arizona sun with her husband and some really big goldfish.

Book preview

THEY CALLED ME

DRAGON

A Narrative Account

of My Adventures

on the Planet Earth

by

Professor J’o’ Ka Joarchim, PhF, SSJV

translated by Gail Ann Gibbs

Copyright © 2012 Gail Ann Gibbs

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication, except for brief review passages, may be reproduced in any form or medium without written permission from the author.

Smashwords Edition

Cover Image provided by creative artist

xochicalco

via

©CanStockPhoto/xochicalco

DEDICATION

To Ron, who supported me all these years.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This story took a long time to tell, and I am eternally grateful to those who encouraged me, sometimes when all there was to see was an extremely rough draft. I salute all those who have brought this project to fruition:

Those who suffered through the first drafts: Marian Powell, Bonnie Walstrom, Beth Gibbs, John Gibbs, Mary Gibbs, Brad Gibbs, Gary Brown, Heidi Zimmerman, Forrest Brown, Powell Brown. Critique group members: Taylor Zajonc, Alice Ritscherle, Ali Dupont, and Mary Ann Ozimkowski. There was a thorough editing by Kilian Metcalf of The Benign Editor, though I've changed things since, so don't blame her for errors that still linger. Beta Readers: Marian Powell (again!), Mary Ann Hutchison, Patricia Forsythe Knoll, Mike Alvarez, Donna Hokanson, Serena Manickam, and Melissa Abbate.

Thank you, everyone.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: I blame everything on my best friend – Motion sickness disrupts the trip – I circle the Earth several times – I find ancient ruins and entertainment.

CHAPTER TWO: I am tempted by cold water – There is a dark and stormy night – I am mistaken for a god – A human comes to live with me.

CHAPTER THREE: My human grieves – I have an excellent plan – Prima and I create a language – We have an argument.

CHAPTER FOUR: My human makes a home – I have another excellent plan – Prima finds a mate – I am undone again.

CHAPTER FIVE: We all become criminals – My humans begin nesting – Domestic complications ensue – New allegiances are formed.

CHAPTER SIX: I descend further into sin – Duo reveals the human carnivore – Others join us in isolation – I learn many new words.

CHAPTER SEVEN: My popularity as a god declines – Sex and babies abound – The joy of honey is revealed – Tria’s son needs a mate.

CHAPTER EIGHT: Pestilence strikes – Help arrives from an odd source – Grandbabies learn to whistle – A delightful thief joins us.

CHAPTER NINE: The beginning of the end – I learn to breathe fire – A Grand Project is proposed – Evil comes to our paradise – Prima is overthrown.

CHAPTER TEN: The middle of the end – I am in trouble at home – Corruption threatens the babies – A hero comes forward.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: The end of the end – I say goodbye to friends and enemies - A battle is fought - All ends with a dramatic finale.

EPILOGUE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

CHAPTER ONE: I blame everything on my best friend – Motion sickness disrupts the trip – I circle the Earth several times – I find ancient ruins and entertainment.

Honesty is my most outstanding quality. I am always willing to accept full responsibility for my actions in every way. My family, friends, and university colleagues will gladly vouch for my veracity. So let there be no doubt about my sincerity when I say that everything that happened on Earth is the fault of my otherwise best friend, Brandox.

He denies it, of course. We argue the issue interminably at every reunion or social occasion, to the dismay of our respective mates. Our dispute has never been satisfactorily resolved, since whenever one of us feels his defense is losing ground, he delays the discussion by purchasing the evening refreshments, which successfully tables the conflict until the next social gathering.

To settle this debate, I shall allow Posterity to be the final judge of our actions. I present in these pages a full and impartial account of my adventures on the planet Earth, allowing the reader to determine the proper division of guilt.

My name is Jo'o Ka Joarchim and I am head of the geology department at Xses University of Joviahia. My research utilizes satellite imagery and some years ago, while chasing a camera drifting off into space, I carelessly flew at a higher speed than advisable, resulting in a most unfortunate accident with a beacon satellite. Although we have evolved to travel in space without the need of artificial coverings, even our self-sealing skins are not tough enough to endure direct collisions. I recovered, due to the diligence of my physicians and caring support of my family; however, my left wing and the corresponding back muscles never properly healed.

Brandox Oairrin, Master Healing Facilitator II, is my physician, as well as my friend of many years. Although we are very different species - Drundels are small and furry, while we Joviahns are large and reptilian - he is nonetheless an acknowledged expert in Joviahn physiology. Brandox felt that extensive physical therapy, conducted in an oxygen-rich, high-gravity environment would speed the recovery. Naturally, I would also need access to ultraviolet radiation for nourishment. He recommended the planet Earth in the alternate-dimension system of Sol.

I should have suspected chicanery from the start. Brandox was also an enthusiast of archeological research, and a devotee of the study of primitive societies. He belonged to an offshoot organization which collected information about restricted planets - those which the Bureau of Dimensional Affairs have declared off-limits to protect the populations from alien exploitation. Those same restrictions intrigued the fanatics, and they considered themselves intellectual rebels. They called themselves The Forbidden Planet Society.

Once presented with images of the water-world planet, I became equally enthused about a visit to Earth. Geomorphology is my academic specialty, and water-worlds present the most fascinating of studies. As with all planets, tectonic forces wrinkle the planet’s crust into deep crevasses and mountains of elevated rock. However, Earth has so much water that it continues shaping the terrain with constant cycles of precipitation and evaporation, carving solid geologic masses into landscapes of spectacular beauty and fascinating scientific interest. Reports also indicated an abundance of plant life, with photosynthesis cycles that were quite magnificent.

Explorers discovered the Sol star system during the early years of inter-dimension travel. A natural dimension rift occurred on the far side of a large moon orbiting Earth, a perfect site for construction of a dimension portal. Once the explorers had evaluated the fledgling sentient civilization on Earth, the Inter-Dimension Travel Act quickly kicked in, including Section 9 dealing with Sentient and Non-Sentient Cultures and Environment Protocol for Culturally and Environmentally Sensitive Dimension Zones. Earth was declared a Specially Protected Planet within that C&ESD Zone; however, even that short exposure to inter-dimension travelers had resulted in corruption. Most native cultures throughout the planet contained legends of visits by fantastic beings.

This would be my first visit to a Protected Planet, although I have led numerous geologic expeditions into Sensitive Zones. Those qualifications allowed Brandox to devise an acceptable Management Program - a detailed report of my planned activity on Earth, based on a Medical Necessity Authorization. The Council for Management of Inter-Dimension Travel Programs issued the basic permit, good for one-half Standard year, equivalent to ten Earth years. Naturally, I was forbidden any contact with the natives.

I had a number of students under my tutelage, so my beloved nest-mate, Giarina, agreed to oversee their initial submissions and advise them on their research. Her educational acumen rivals my own and, when not occupied with the nestlings, she has participated in many exciting scientific debates. I could evaluate the students' progress and give assignments by communications through the Dimension Portal during occasional trips to the moon.

I sat down with our youngest nestlings and together we made sketches comparing our different solar systems. We discussed how Earth travels around its star many times faster than ours, so that I would be gone ten Earth years, while ours would only move halfway around our home star. We plotted out the holidays and birth-celebrations I would miss, including at what time they could begin to anticipate receiving the gifts I would bring each of them upon my return. They liked the idea of gifts, urging me to begin my voyage immediately.

While instructing me concerning the dreary, painful therapy exercises I was expected to perform, Brandox revealed his evil plan. He asked me to observe human society while I was there, to add to his collection of knowledge and impress his fellow Forbidden Planet Society enthusiasts. I reminded him of the protocols expressly forbidding human interaction. He said he would be satisfied with whatever I might glean from long distance observations, and I agreed to try. As you will see, all my troubles can be traced to the consequences of this seemingly innocuous request.

When all was arranged, I began my journey to the Sol system and planet Earth. I had to pass through several Dimension intersection portals to reach my destination. Most offered rest stations, including pleasing amenities that make traveling enjoyable. The giddy ride through time/space portals leaves me nauseated, so I take advantage of these spa facilities at the rest stations to recuperate.

However, the last few stations are simple automated portals. These only have communication kiosks and portal encoding activation systems. So when I exited the dimension portal on Earth's moon, I was in a sorry state of weariness and travel-sickness. I crawled gratefully toward the sunward side to recuperate.

Here I remained for some time, neck and tail outstretched, my wings fully spread. The damaged left one cast a sad, crooked shadow against the lifeless gray lunar rocks. I soaked up the life-giving ultraviolet radiation via my photo-reactive scales, which convert light to storable food by our unique digestive systems.

While I rested, I studied the planet below that would be my temporary home. I marveled at the sheer size of the solid white ice masses at either pole. Azure oceans covered more than half the planet, while extensive water-vapor clouds swirled through the thick atmosphere. Just as the reports had promised, I could see large expanses of green, promising a wide variety of interesting flora to enjoy.

It was difficult, but I restrained my enthusiasm until my body fully recovered and was fit to fly. Then I gathered and swallowed a few lunar rocks, digested them to produce the necessary gasses for expulsion, launched and coasted toward the pretty blue planet.

Once I entered the thick atmosphere, I opened my wings, and glided along on the high wind currents. I circled the planet several times, remaining close to the troposphere and behind cloud formations whenever possible, out of view of any humans below.

Considerable progress had been made since the last research expedition to Earth. Although relatively small creatures, humankind had expanded around the planet. There were human settlements on every continent, although there was often considerable distance between them. Some communities were basic, with simple shelters made of soft coverings or plant materials, while others were flourishing cities, with stone buildings, bridges, and roadways.

The wind-driven sailing ships which dominate their transportation system had been reported as simple affairs, with one or two sails and a small crew. These ships I observed were fairly large, with several sails controlled by complicated systems of ropes and pulleys, crewed by dozens of people. However, I also noted that even these ships hugged the coastline and only rarely ventured into the open sea.

One massive mountain range drew my attention, since it crossed an entire land mass, with the western edge folding back on itself in a delicate spiral. The jagged edges of the inducted plate