"Well, " said Shelly nervously, " the tail I really want would have to come from a ..."
"Oh look! A monkey tail! Gross! " said Jenna, as she pointed at the monkey tail sticking out of the pants of a boy walking towards them. He was sort of geeky, with wire rim glasses and a lot of acne. The girls probably would have been nicer if he had been better looking. But as he passed by their table, Michele couldn't help but be rude.
"Ooo, ooo! Eee, eee!" said Michele, imitating the sounds of a monkey as soon as she was out of his eyesight.
He turned and glared at her. But she looked back with an innocent 'who me?' expression on her face. The boy turned and walked away angrily.
The girls giggled hysterically as he left.
"Those things are so gross and ugly. Totally uncool. I think people only get them because they can use the tail to do stuff with it," said Michele.
"I bet he uses it to jack off," said Jenna, and the girls roared with laughter.
Wiping her tears away Michele looked back at Shelly.
"So you were telling us what tail you wanted," said Michele.
Michele suddenly turned pale.
"Oh, if you want a monkey tail, that's cool," Michele said quickly.
Jenna quickly chimed in. "Yeah, a monkey tail is fine. I meant a monkey tail looked bad on him, but I am sure it would look great on you."
"No, that's not what I want, " said Shelly, much to the relief of her friends.
Shelly thought that monkey tails were weird, too. She had seen people using them to do all kinds of things and it kind of freaked her out. She had seen one guy eating with one and she almost threw up. People with monkey tails were too much like the animals they imitated. In short, they were freaks.
"No, I want something much better. Much cooler. Beautiful, majestic, exotic. I want a Dragon's tail!" said Shelly with excitement.
Her friends stared at her in stunned silence for almost a minute. Then they doubled over with laughter.
"What? What's so funny? Stop laughing! You said you wouldn't laugh at me," said Shelly angrily.
Michele choked back her laughter. "But Shelly, that's ridiculous. You can't have a Dragon's tail. Dragons aren't real! Tails come from real animals. Are you stupid or something? Duh!"
Michele and Jenna began to laugh again. Shelly stood up from the table angrily.
"I know dragons aren't real, but you asked what animal tail I wanted if I could have any tail. Well, I want a dragon tail. I know it's stupid and weird, but I thought I could tell my friends. I guess I was wrong," said Shelly, as she gathered up her purse off the chair.
Michele grabbed her hand. "Wait, Shelly. I am sorry. It was just a little shocking, that's all. You can't get a dragon tail, but you can get a lizard tail. Or even a gator tail. I mean, you have enough money to get practically whatever you want. I'll go to the clinic with you right now if you are sure that's what you really want, " said Michele with a grimace.
Shelly knew what Michele was thinking. Reptile tails were not quite as popular as the others. They were not fluffy or soft so few beautiful people had them. Most of the people with reptile tails were the rough and tough sort. It was not uncommon to find them among the punk rock crowd or rich juvenile delinquents.
"I don't want a gator tail or any other kind of lizard or reptile! It has to be a Dragon tail! I want a Dragon tail!" whined Shelly like a spoiled child.
Shelly didn't fear a reptile tail because of the stigma attached to it. No, her reason was much deeper than that. She had always loved dragons ever since she was a small child. She thought they were wonderful magical creatures, much more interesting than the boring princesses of the fairy tales. They could fly and shoot fire from their mouths! She had secretly desired to be one, and attaching a tail was probably as close as she would ever get to living her dream.
And dragon tails were so much prettier than the dull reptile tails. The smooth sides lined by brightly colored scales with a thin strip of spikes trailing down the spine. True, maybe an alligator tail or even a snake tail would look similar, but it would just be an inferior imitation. And although a tail could be removed, it was an intense, exhaustive procedure. It was rare and even considered dangerous by some to attach a second tail after one had been removed. So she wanted to get the right tail the first time, and waited and hoped to find the tail of her dreams.
"Listen, Shelly. I am sorry. And Jenna is, too," said Michele, as Jenna nodded her head vigorously. "Please stay and have something to eat with us."
"No, thank you. Suddenly I don't feel very hungry anymore. In fact, I feel a bit ill. I think I better just go home, " said Shelly as she walked away from the table.
She could hear her friends whispering behind her, obviously talking about her behind her back. She was so angry at them that she did not notice the strange man rise from the table beside hers. He followed her as she quickly stomped away from the courtyard in a huff. The smaller man struggled to keep up with her stride. But just as she turned a corner she was shocked to feel a small hand grab a hold of her arm. She looked down and saw a small very old Asian man.
"You want Dragon tail?" he asked in broken English.
Shelly was sure she was about to be mugged or something. She had been on the verge of a scream but the odd question stopped her.
"What did you say?" she asked quietly, thinking the old man was going to make fun of her like her friends.
"You want Dragon tail. Sorry, I overhear you talking with friend. I have Dragon tail if you have money. Very expensive. You have money?" asked the strange man.
"Yes.... yes, I have money," said Shelly in a kind of daze.
"Then come," said the old man, as he let go of her arm. He raced to the door of the mall and stood there, beckoning for her to follow.
Shelly hesitated. This could be a trap. She had no idea who this guy was or where he wanted her to go. For all she knew he was going to take her to a dark alley and mug her. He had asked if she had any money, after all. But could it be true? Did he have a real Dragon tail? Could she really give up her one chance to get a real Dragon tail?
Shelly hesitated and weighed her choices, as the man impatiently waited for her to follow him.