Part II

Drew Meets a Dragon

Chapter one

Drew Jackson turned toward the kitchen with the order he’d just taken. His stomach clenched. A strange feeling of déjà vu engulfed him, and his attention was drawn to the door.

A tall blond man followed the host to the back of the dining room, and was seated at table 29 which wasn’t in Drew’s section.

He stopped Larry Davis who was coming back from the kitchen. “Tip’s yours if you’ll let me take 29. You can finish up table 10 and get both tips.”

Larry turned and looked. “Okay. He’s more your type than mine,” he quipped.

Drew hooked his order on the wheel.

One of the cooks looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“You okay, Bush? You look upset.”

“Just felt like someone walked over my grave as they say.”

Drew approached table 29. “Good evening, sir. My name is Drew, and I’ll be taking care of you this evening. Can I start you with a glass of wine or a cocktail?”

The man ordered a cola and a blooming onion, and then looked up.

Drew looked into eyes the color of new grass in the spring. Instead of usual eyeballs, there was no white around the iris which looked like a many-faceted emerald. As Drew stared, the eyes seemed to spin like a whirlpool. His heart skipped a beat, and a distant memory stirred deep inside. He blinked. When he looked again, the eyes looked normal. He turned from the table, walked to the kitchen, placed the order for the onion, leaned over with his hands on his knees, and took several deep breaths.

Larry placed his hand on Drew’s back. “Are you okay?”

Drew took a deep breath. “Have you ever seen someone for the first time and felt like you knew them in a previous life?”

“Can’t say as I have. Don’t believe in that reincarnation stuff.” Larry placed his order on the wheel. “Do you need me to take over?”

Drew straightened up. “I’ll be okay.”

Larry winked. “He is good looking.”

“Yeah.” Drew turned, walked back to the dining room, and took the man’s cola to the table. “Have you decided on dinner?” He blinked once more as the man’s green eyes again appeared to spin.

The man ordered the largest sirloin. “Make it as rare as the law will let you serve it.”

When Drew brought the onion, the man requested another cola.

Back in the kitchen, Drew picked up the plate with the steak. It wasn’t even browned; blood seeped from under it. How could anyone eat meat that close to raw. He carried it to the table and set it in front of the man. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

The man’s green eyes twinkled with silent laughter. “Your phone number?”

“Sorry. That isn’t on the menu.”

He waited on a couple other tables all the while keeping an eye on the blond man. He took the man’s credit card and noticed the name. “Damien? Wasn’t that the demon in The Omen?” Drew rang up the sale, and wrote, I get off at 10:30, on the back of the customer’s copy.

* * *

Drew walked out the back door with Larry and Bush. He saw Damien sitting under a street light on a big silver Harley and started toward him.

Suddenly Bush started running.

Damien said, “Sorry, Drew. You need to wait a few minutes. I’ll be right back.” He jumped off of the cycle and ran after Bush.

Then impossible things started happening. Bush turned into a wolf. Damien became a dragon, flew after him, and tackled him to the ground. Bush and Damien again became men.

Two more dragons appeared out of nowhere, and turned into men.

One of them tied a rope around Bush.

They both shifted back into dragons, and flew off carrying Bush.

Damien walked to the motorcycle, took a helmet off the handlebars, and held it out to Drew.

Drew stared at him for a couple of seconds. “What the Hell just happened?”

Damien smiled. “You can come with me, and I’ll explain later. That way, you’ll remember everything that you just saw. Or, you can stay here and not remember anything. Ready?”

Drew looked at Damien’s eyes that were again whirling. “For what?”

“An adventure.”

His heart beat faster, and the feeling of déjà vu seeped into his brain. “Why not?” He took the helmet, placed it on his head, and straddled the bike behind Damien.

As the bike started moving, Drew felt the body in front of him grow larger. He found himself lying down with his arms around what felt like the dragon’s neck. Looking down, he saw the lights of the town far below. He shivered and closed his eyes in fear.

He heard Damien’s voice in his head. Don’t be afraid. I’ll drop the cycle before I let you fall.

It seemed an eternity before he felt Damien start to descend. The body under him shrank, and he was again on the back of the motorcycle with his arms around Damien’s waist.

They landed in front of a large log house in the middle of a pine forest.

Drew’s heart beat faster, and his groin tightened as Damien took his hand and led him into the house.