There was so much he wanted to say but never could, it’s like his mind was always racing, but every time he picked up a pen or opened his mouth his hands froze and his tongue would get all twisted. The only time he ever felt free was with Malakai, because they understood each other better than anyone else ever could. The problem? Malakai was a dragon, and humans aren’t supposed to be able to see dragons, but for some reason Ezra could. Of course, there were many times when he wished he could tell others about his best friend the dragon, but he knew they wouldn’t understand. People judge what their eyes show them instead of what their heart tells them, and the minute they saw that dragon, with wings bigger than airplanes and a roar that could cause earthquakes, they’d kill him.


Every day after school, Ezra would ride his bike down by the sea where he’d meet Malakai, right outside his cave. They couldn’t speak each other’s languages, but they didn’t have to, they just understood. They’d play for hours and hours until Malakai’s jet-black scales blended in with the night sky and all Ezra could see were his red eyes. Then he’d hop on his bike and be on his way home. It was like they were re-living the same day over and over again, but with new adventures every time. Some days they’d fly over the cities and watch the people, and some days they’d stay by the sore and stare at the waters.


They thought their friendship could never end, but as they grew older they grew farther apart. Ezra found new friends and new ways to spend his time, and Malakai moved off to find a new place to be. Every year he’d still return to that same place by the sea with a little bit of hope that he’d find Ezra there waiting for him again, but he never did. He wondered if he too thought of all the great times they had together, or if he’d forgotten about it all. His roar didn’t seem to be as ferocious as it once was, his tail dragged low behind him, and his scales faded to a dull gray.


The other dragons would always say, “You’re a fool for thinking humans could be friends with us”, and though he never believed them at the time, those words would now repeat in his head over and over, if only he listened at the time


Ezra always wanted to return to the place he spent most of his childhood, but he never though anything would be there waiting for him. He regretted so much how he left his first friend, but he had to. The other kids would tell him he was stupid for believing in dragons, but he wished he never would’ve listened to them. He would give anything to go back and change it.


One day, he finally let himself return to that place, and it was the best decision he ever made. He sat down and stared at the giant gray dragon lying there, and the dragon stared back at the old man. There was something so comforting in the silence, no words needed to be said. They never have better friends than each other.