The Blade of Grass and the Dragon God

A playful short story about a questionable Dragon God and his conversation with an equally questionable blade of grass.

He is a man. He is a lizard. He is a lizard man. He can walk. He is twelve feet tall. Some people would call him outrageously hideous. Others may call him stunningly handsome. Some people have called him a monster. A few people have called him a dragon. Others have called him a god.

And he is green.

It is a plant. It is growing alone. It is a plant growing alone. It can't walk. It is two inches tall. Some people would say it is lonely. Others may call it one of nature's failures. Some have called it a weed. A few people have called it a blade of grass. Others have called it a miracle of god.

And it too is green.

It was a bit in the afternoon. The sun shrugged when the two met. Only because the moon didn't want to see what was going to happen next. The stars and the clouds ran away anticipating the worst for the blade of grass. The ground was tired, so it appeared brown and parched. Like it didn't exist, they left the grass alone.

The trees trembled in fear of the earth rumbling. The animals went silent hearing his growls. The humans pretended to not see him. The Dragon God was walking. Everything gets pushed to make room for him. He was too strong to be not left alone. He was too awesome to not be alone. Like they didn't exist, the Dragon God was left alone.

They touched each other at the feet.

The Dragon God crushed the grass. It wrinkled a lot. It had been stepped on before. Even if it was two thousand pounds from the stomp of a single foot, it didn't make much of a difference. It had been stepped on before. Although it prefers that people were more mindful of its miniscule living space.

The grass touched the Dragon God. He felt a tickle. He had stepped on people before. Even if it was two thousand pounds from the stomp of a single foot, it didn't make much of a difference. He had stepped on people before. Although he demands that people were more mindful of his colossal living space.

The grass could not move. This giant green creature was not part of it. It found it amusing every time it got crushed by something. It always cared. This time, it was a someone. It cared even more.

The Dragon God raised his foot. This tiny green plant was not part of him. He found it amusing every time he stepped on someone. He never cared. This time, it was a something. He cared even less.

The Dragon God looked down. The blade of grass was so tiny, he had to put his head close to the ground just to see a sliver of green that was not part of him. There was something there was very insignificant. He laughed.

The grass could not look up. The Dragon God was so huge, it could only see his clawed feet and a skyscraper of green that was not part of it. There was something there that was very significant. It could not laugh.

"Hmm?" The Dragon God bellowed arrogantly. "What is this thing that dares not utter my name?" he said. "This lonely blade of grass believes to be worthy of my presence!"

The grass did not talk.

The reply of no reply irritated the Dragon God. "I am the Dragon God! The birds and the beasts run from me. The humans pretend that I do not exist in order to co-exist with me. The sky, the land, and the sea tremble in fear as I walk the earth. Everything makes room for me!"

The grass did not move.

The movement of no movement aggravated the Dragon God. "Fool! I have torn through the strongest of mountains. I have set ablaze the most impervious of forests. I have brought the mightiest of civilizations to their knees bowing before me. I have stomped on many of your relatives. A single sliver of green need not make a difference to me!"

The grass did not listen.

The listen of no listen angered the Dragon God. "You defiance is petty! Insignificant! Negligible! And meaningless!" The Dragon God wanted to destroy the blade of grass, but that would mean that the defiance of the blade of grass had meaning. That it was not negligible. That it was not insignificant. And that it was not petty.

The Dragon God mused, understanding that reasoning with this grass was unreasonable. It did not talk. It did not move. It did not listen. It was only two inches tall. Others may call it one of nature's failures. Some have called it a weed. A few people have called it a blade of grass. The Dragon God laughed and decided to ignore the grass. He took a step forward, but stopped and suddenly came a realization.

The Dragon God had said that the defiance of the blade of grass was petty. Insignificant. Negligible. And meaningless. He wanted to ignore the blade of grass, but that would mean that the defiance of the blade of grass had meaning. That it was not negligible. That it was not insignificant. And that it was not petty. Everything always makes room for the Dragon God. The Dragon God never makes room for anything. He returned to his post and stared at the sliver of green.

The grass did nothing.

The nothing of no nothing brought ire to the Dragon God. He sat on the ground and brought his head down so he could fathom its inferiority. "The blade of grass mocks my strength. My achievements. My existence." he said with scorn. His voice no longer found this laughable. "Enemies of the Dragon God must perish."

The Dragon God rest the palm of his hand on the ground. His mighty hand strangled the grass with a pulverizing squeeze. Just like when he had stomped on the grass with his clawed feet, the Dragon God felt a tickle. He could not grasp the grass. The blade of grass was so miniscule and insignificant that the Dragon God's hand could not destroy the grass. Just like how the Dragon God's foot could not destroy the grass. He could only pulverize the grass. He could only stomp on the grass.

The blade of grass was standing tall.

This enraged the Dragon God. The blade of grass was small enough to pinch with his nails. The blade of grass was helpless enough to rend the ground under the grass with his arms. The blade of grass was dumb enough to stand in the way and be stomped by the Dragon God. The blade of grass was stupid enough to invoke the wrath of the Dragon God.

The Dragon God shouted, "I am a man. I am a lizard. I am a lizard man. I can walk. I am twelve feet tall. Some people would call me outrageously hideous. Others may call me stunningly handsome. Some people have called me a monster. A few people have called me a dragon. Others have called me a god."

Then he remembered to say, "And, I am green."

He continued. "You are a plant. You are growing alone. You are a plant growing alone. You can't walk. You are two inches tall. Some people would say you are lonely. Others may call you one of nature's failures. Some have called you a weed. A few people have called you a blade of grass. Others have called you a miracle of god."

Then he remembered to say, "And you too are green."

The Dragon God contemplated his own words.

This pleased the blade of grass. The Dragon God was big enough to pinch it with his nails. The Dragon God was helpful enough to not rend the ground above the grass with his arms. The Dragon God was smart enough to not leave the blade of grass alone. The Dragon God was kind enough to embrace the kindness of the grass.

The Dragon God sat there.

The blade of grass wanted to hug the Dragon God, but it did not have arms to express this feeling. It wanted to walk up to the Dragon God and express its gratitude, but it did not have legs to express this feeling. Just like when the grass wanted to tell the Dragon God that it did not mind being stomped on by his foot. The grass could not embrace the Dragon God. The blade of grass was so significant to the Dragon God that his hand would not destroy the grass. Just like how the Dragon God's foot would not destroy the grass. He could pulverize the grass, but chose not to. He could stomp on the grass, but chose not to.

The Dragon God's words brought envy to the blade of grass. It wanted to look up and fathom his superiority. The blade of grass admired his strength. His achievements. His existence. It wanted to say it, but it did not have a mouth to express this feeling. It did not find its own silence laughable. It wanted to live as a friend of the Dragon God.

The Dragon God sighed.

The blade of grass wanted to say that the defiance of the Dragon God was necessary. Significant. Important. And precious. The grass did not want to ignore the Dragon God, but that would mean that the defiance of the Dragon God was not necessary. That it was not significant. That it was not important. And that it was not precious. Everything always took room from the blade of grass. The grass never had room for anything. But the Dragon God thought about giving the grass a miniscule amount of living space.

The Dragon God walked away.

This made the blade of grass sad. It did not have legs to walk to the Dragon God. It did not have arms to hug the Dragon God. It did not have a mouth to thank to the Dragon God. It did not have ears to listen to the Dragon God. It did not have the eyes to see the Dragon God. It did not have the nerves to feel the pain invoked by the Dragon God.

As the Dragon God walked away to tear through more mountains, set ablaze more forests, bring more mighty civilizations to their knees bowing before him, and stomping on many more of its relatives, a single skyscraper of green made a significant difference to a single blade of grass. The birds and the beasts run from him. The humans pretend that they don't see him in order to co-exist with him. The sky, the land, and the sea tremble in fear as he walks the earth. Everything makes room for him... but he made room for a blade of grass. It was one of the many things that would not utter his name. This lonely blade of grass believed to not be worthy of his presence.

If the Dragon God had never stomped on the blade of grass, it would have never been able to comprehend what he is. If the Dragon God had never talked to the blade of grass, it would have never been able to understand who he is. The grass could barely do anything that the Dragon God could do, so it found it very difficult to understand itself this way. It could not see, hear, smell, feel, or talk. The blade of grass believed that the Dragon God taught the grass to think. It believed that he had showed the grass that it could sense.

It now knew that it is a plant. That it is growing alone. That it is a plant growing alone. That it can't walk. That it is two inches tall. That some people would say it is lonely. That others may call it one of nature's failures. That some have called it a weed. That a few people have called it a blade of grass. That others have called it a miracle of god.

And it is green.

It now knew that he is a man. That he is a lizard. That he is a lizard man. That he can walk. That he is twelve feet tall. That some people would call him outrageously hideous. That others may call him stunningly handsome. That some people have called him a monster. That a few people have called him a dragon. That others have called him a god.

It now knew that it could call him a god.

And he too is green.