He opened one of his yellow eyes and stared at the cave’s entrance. The other heads continued to rest. He remembered the time of his glory, when he ravaged cities and dragged hosts with his tail, when nothing could pierce his hard scales, when in his wake everything was left uninhabited, arid, and barren. In those days the villagers, hoping to appease him, would bring him offerings of fair virgins tied to a pole that stood near the grotto. He devoured them promptly.
That was the time of his power, when his intricate red horns would spread terror, when he would burn villages spewing fire and brimstone, when his fury turned turrets into dust. Every tribe, tongue, and people worshipped him. And feared him.
But now the dragon was wroth.
The scattered bones and scorched thickets he could see from the inside of the cave were but a sign of his frustration. He found the delicious maidens no longer appealing. He was now interested in one woman only… a woman who carried in her womb the fruit that could harm him. He once came close to devouring her when a knight in white who brandished a gleaming sword managed to protect her.
The woman then fled to desolate regions, thanks to some magical power that gave her wings, and he was never able find her again. But he knew that both she and her child represented a danger. One of his heads always kept an eye fixed on the barren wilderness.
Filled with rage, he waged war on every land, especially those where the woman had lived. The plains turned scarlet, the valleys lost their wealth, and the hillsides burnt with scattered fires.
The days passed, and the sum of the days was called time. And time was long, but not eternal.
Finally, as dawn broke on a new day, a bright light that blinded him shone out from the desert. He knew that the wait was over…
It was the woman. She was back, now clothed with the sun, shining forth like the moon and wearing a crown on her head. She was as imposing as an army with banners. And her son, destined to rule the nations with a rod of iron, was with her. By her side also, the knight in white marched, his fearsome sword in hand. He was followed by hosts playing trumpets, flutes, fifes, and cymbals. She was surrounded by those who bore the power since ancient times. One who brought about the gathering. One who ruled the dispensations. One who was taken without tasting death. The holders of the keys of power.
As they marched forward, the darkness fled, the heavens unveiled, the mountains flowed down, and the rough places became smooth.
The dragon braced for battle. It would be a long and difficult one, but he had to fight it because his very kingdom was at stake. His fury would know no bounds. It was no longer the time for spitting fire from his mouth or for casting water as a flood that the earth swallowed. It was now the time for extreme cunning. The numerous hosts he had gathered through flattery and deceit would come to his aid. His influence reached unexpected places…
Destruction and chaos would be his answer. Navies would set sail. Armies would wreak panic. Blood would flow as red as his scales. Much could be bought with the treasures which he hoarded.
The dragon emerged from the cave. His seven heads roared in unison, and their rumble covered the earth.
translated by Gabriel González
Mario Montani (montaniflessia@yahoo.com.ar) lives in Bahía Blanca, Argentina. He studied Humanities at Argentina’s National University of the South. His short story collection El Castillo Gris y otros cuentos [The Gray Castle and Other Stories] was published by Editorial Dunken in 2009. He has been a member of Cofradía de Letras Mormonas, a group that promotes literature among Spanish-speaking Latter-day Saints, since 2015. He keeps a personal blog titled Mormosofia, where he discusses religious art, theology, and philosophy within Mormon culture. He currently serves as the Multi-Stake Director of Public Affairs and Communications in the Bahía Blanca area.
Gabriel González is an Associate Professor of Translation at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He is the author of eleven children’s books (Penguin Uruguay 2019-2023), a short story collection titled Rumbos (Jade Publishing 2021), a poetry collection titled Ese golpe de luz (FlowerSong Press 2020), and a bilingual digital chapbook titled El ciclo / The Cycle (Center for Latter-day Saint Arts 2020). He is the author of the book Book of Mormon Sketches (self-published) and a member of the Cofradía de Letras Mormonas, a Spanish-language association for Mormon letters. González was born in Montevideo, Uruguay.
