Obsessive Compulsive, me?

In a conversation with a friend (yes, dragons have friends) the other day, I was told that I, Jack Dragon, was obsessive compulsive. I'm not sure this bothered me so much as the way the friend tossed it off like everyone knew this was the case, except apparently me. This does not mean that I wash my hands constantly or that I trace the lines of wood grain on the floor. At least not so much. I apparently show it in other ways, like the way I obsess over my treasure and such. I should note, that I am not surprised that nobody has told me before now, my habit of eating people who piss me off makes constructive criticism something I don't hear too often.

Long ago, I had this other friend (that's two friends mentioned in the same post) for a while as well. A sailor who arrived almost alone on a small boat. I think we spent something like a month or two together though it seems like it was years. We bonded pretty well, which to the sailor meant that she was no longer scared of me, and for me it meant I no longer looked on her as food that talked. Anyway, eventually she was called home to a far off place I will never travel to. Her departure was a hurried one before dawn without a goodbye. I doubt I will ever see her again.

So let's bring this full circle. Even though I know that my friend the sailor will never return, I scan the sea several times a day looking for her ship. At night I sometimes build signal fires just in case she's out there and can not find her way. I know that I will almost certainly never see her again, but I do these things anyway. And not just once in a while, but constantly.

I've decided that I'm going to try to stop, ease off a little at a time. I am only prolonging the pain of knowing that she will never return. But even dragons can have dreams. And in my dream I would see her or hear from her just one more time.

My den calls me, back to sleep, to dream.