"C'mon, c'mon. No need to be shy. I am not going to eat you. I don't bite, I promise, " said the Dragon with a smile.
"I'm just a human girl. I mean you no harm, " said the girl meekly.
The large dragon rolled her eyes. "I know you are human. I'm not stupid, you know. I mean, what's your name and what are you doing here?"
"My name is Kim. I saw the exhibit listed on the map, and I wanted to check it out. I always kind of liked dragons, and I wanted to see it. I must admit, I thought it was going to be some kind of animatronic thing. I didn't know real dragons existed, " said Kim with excitement.
The Dragon sighed, and rested its head on its front claws. "They don't. The people from the Zoo made me, " said the Dragon sadly.
"Made you? Like in a test tube? " said Kim with interest.
"No, don't be silly. I was once human, just like you. But I got a free pass to the Zoo before it opened. When I was touring the zoo, they turned me into this, " said the Dragon, raising herself up and showing Kim her full body. The large chains on her front paws kept her from standing on her hind legs, so she ended up sitting on her haunches.
"You came here before the Zoo opened? You have been here for 6 months? " said Kim with shock.
The Dragon dropped back down, and rested her head in her fronts paws again. She turned her face away from Kim and sulked. "Has it only been six months? It feels so much longer than that. They keep me trapped in this cave with no visitors. It's so boring. All I do is eat and sleep. It is hard to tell one day from the next, " she said sadly.
Kim began to feel sorry for the creature. No, that was wrong. She wasn't a creature. She was a human being, just like her. With the same emotions, feelings and needs. She just looked a little different. She walked towards the Dragon, and gently patted her massive paw.
"I'm so sorry. That must have been hard for you, " said Kim with sympathy.
The Dragon turned it's large head to face Kim again. "Thanks. I really appreciate that. It's nice to have company. Especially someone that cares. You don't know how much I missed something as simple as human contact."
Inches from her jaw, the smell of the Dragon's breath was even stronger. It was a pungent odor, like the smell of rotting meat, and Kim involuntarily backed away and tried to keep from gagging.
The Dragon looked embarrassed, and tried to cover her mouth with a paw. "Sorry about that. The Zoo staff don't feed me very well. Usually it's just raw meat. I know it must smell awful, " said the Dragon.
"That's okay, I know you can't help it. It doesn't bother me that much, " lied Kim. "By the way, how did you know I didn't work for the Zoo?"
The Dragon dropped her paw from her mouth and smiled. The pungent odor of her breath returned , but Kim pretended not to be disgusted by the smell. "Oh, that's easy. They have these khaki shirts and cargo shorts. They kind of look like some character out of a safari movie. And, of course, none of them are quite as nice as you, " said the Dragon, the white scales around her mouth flushing slight red with embarrassment. "Usually they just dump my food into the cage and run away."
"Well, that's rude, " said Kim with a smile. The Dragon seemed to be cheering up, and she hoped her little joke would keep her happy.
"I know, right, " said the Dragon, matching her smile. "I mean, who wouldn't want to spend time with a person as interesting as me?"
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Kim sat down in front of the Dragon, and conversed with her for several hours. Kim filled her in on the events she had missed in her six months of captivity. The Dragon showed her some of the tricks she could do, like breathing fire. The Dragon had wings, but they were not functional. The Zoo staff had tried to make them as accurate as possible, but they were just not strong enough to lift her off the ground, and ended up being more ornamental. But she extended her wings for Kim to view anyway, and she was very impressed. She thought they were beautiful, in a strange way. The remaining time was spent sharing stories: about school, boys, friends, family, and other girl stuff.
Kim looked at her phone and saw the time. It was later than she thought.
"Well, Dragon ..... Wait, you never told me your name - your real name, " said Kim.
"Well, before they changed me my first name was Heather. I can't remember my last name. I have been in here so long I think I am getting a little bit loopy and my mind is slipping. And no one ever addresses me as anything anymore. Well, except for you, " said Heather with a smile.
"Well, Heather, it has been fun, but I really need to get going. It's late and I need to get home. Besides, I don't think the Zoo staff would be happy to find me here talking to you, " said Kim, as she stood up and began to walk towards the large metal exit door.
Heather's large tail dropped in front of the large metal door, blocking Kim's exit. She turned and glared at Heather angrily, placing her hands on her hips. "Hey, Heather, what gives? I thought we were friends, " said Kim
"We are, we are, " said Heather. There was a strange desperate look in her eyes that bothered Kim. It looked like the eyes of someone on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
"But ....."