[Fuzzysabeast]: 282.The Winged Gaffer

The Winged Gaffer



So many days had passed since I had seen anything but desert, that everything around me had become a mirage. I had been without water for at least three days and the sun was beating down, baking the sand around me. It was so hot that the sweat beading from my body sizzled and turned into steam the moment it drained from my pores. Food was so scarce, the only savory morsels I could capture were nothing more than lizards and the occasional desert hare.
It was late afternoon and I had just seated myself on the desert floor to enjoy yet another lizard when I saw something that I was sure could only be a mirage. There, thirty yards or so in front of me was this large creature that I had never seen before. It stood nearly three feet tall with a great set of wings, and it’s body was at least five feet in length. The nearer I came to the creature the more it’s features became clear. It had the great body of a lizard with a long tail spiked with what almost appeared to be a spear at the tip.
I was at a complete loss as I gazed at this great creature. What could a beast like this want with me? As we maintained a constant watch on one another, a thought occurred to me that perhaps this beast was just as ravenous as I was, so I broke off a piece of the lizard I was feasting on and threw it near the creature. The beast began to move toward the savory morsel of meat that I had just tossed, then it abruptly came to a stop in front of the meat. The creature gazed at me while it lowered it’s nose to the meat and smelled it, then suddenly it snatched the morsel off the desert floor in it’s great maw. As I gazed at the creature with fascination, I excitedly decided it should be named a Gaffer. I continued to feed the creature, and as I did, I slowly gained what could only be a small amount of it’s trust.
The beast followed me for the next day till near early evening when it raced in front of me and sounded a great whistle. I froze in place and examined the Gaffer as it swung it’s head toward the east as if it wanted me to follow it. As I took my next step the Gaffer began to lead the way, occasionally glancing back to make sure I was still following it. After what seemed to be an hour we emerged into a flowering oasis and at it’s center lay a large pond filled with fish and pure, clean water. I eyed the Gaffer in earnest as I knelt and gladly consumed my fill of water for the first time in days.
“Now my friends, that is how I made acquaintance with Custer here!” I said proudly as I patted the Gaffer at my side.


By Jason Howe'06