Parable sci-fi somewhere between Terry Gilliam and Aleksei German. A parable of the cycles of Soviet power and different population strata’s deference to it, but as much a parable of any n+1-headed dragon that generates maddening, corrupt, brutal, unserving system after system. Kill a dragon to set space for another. I feel the world wants there to be more movies like this. Feasts for the eyes and imagination, dark, pessimistic, nightmarish science fiction worlds a step from our own, we’ll-made, wholly immersive. Here’s a good one.
The cage was small, Daniel hadn’t entered there yet but he was sure he wouldn’t be able to as much as sit up straight, he glanced at Joar, not even a pleading look, pleading wouldn’t work, it was more like a ‘do I really need to?’ look.
“It’s just one day,” Joar said with a smile, of course they were smiling because they weren’t the one who would be locked in there, “It’ll be over before you notice it.”
It was wrong, the time would move painfully slowly while alone in there, yet Daniel didn’t wait for an order, because if he waited the order would come from Harper, and she would be sure to make things worse, and it was because of her he was going to be locked to begin with, ‘he is stealing you’ she had said, ‘he needs to at least learn to be grateful’ she had said.
Joar didn’t accept all her terms —which were cold, sensory deprivation, starvation, dehydration, all at once, so Daniel would learn to appreciate what he has—, but they still bent on her whims, so they will take the comfort away. Joar said it was just one night, and Daniel can go back to sleep with them the next day.
Daniel wanted to say they already appreciate enough, that they already crave enough, but Harper is right —even if she doesn’t know it, even if she is only being mean—, she is right about him not wanting this humiliating comfort, she is right that he will learn to appreciate if deprived of any comfort at all, that he will come to enjoy it fully, she is so so right.
And knowing she was right was worse than the darkness he was left in, worse than the pain on his back due to the unnatural position, worse than being alone. Knowing that slowly, painfully, inevitably he would be happy as a pet, the highest points of his day would be some leftover snack and some pats on the head, and knowing that he would love it because the alternative was rotting inside a too-small cage, knowing this all hurt too much.
Daniel didn’t sleep that night, he should; he never knows when he’ll be allowed time to rest again. Joar wants him to be comfy and sleep well, but they want Harper’s happiness even more, so they are unreliable. Still, he didn’t sleep, he only cried, silently at first and then loud, trying to fill up the emptiness of the cell where the cage was.
When the morning came —or at least Daniel so thought, since he could not see the sky he was never sure—, Joar showed up, they gently took Daniel out, “She isn’t here today,” they said, and Daniel’s whole body relaxed at that.
Joar carried the human up to the living room, where a warm fireplace was waiting already, when they were about to put Daniel down he held them tightly, refusing to let go.
“What is that? Want a hug?” Joar asked casually.
“Please not again,” Daniel begged, maybe if they pretend it worked already they won’t do it again, “Not again, please please don’t live me alone again, please,” they felt tears. Pretending he broke? As if he hadn’t broken already, as if it wasn’t already true.
Daniel held the dragon more tightly, they were warm, they were gentle in their own way, and principally they were the only good thing in that whole place, “Please, please, I… I am a pet, right? Don’t I? Don’t people… don’t people care about their pets? Why- Why did you lock me up? Why? I was behaving I was good I did everything you two asked why do you still lock me up? Even when I did everything I could! So… even if even if I am good I’ll I’ll still suffer? I’ll still- I’ll-” the sobs didn’t allow any other words out.
“I’m sorry, little pet,” Joar said, their voice sounding apologetic as they held the human closer, “I shouldn’t have been so mean to such a frail human, I’ll be more careful.”
“D-don’t lock- don’t- don’t-”
“I won’t lock you, okay? It was just this time,” Joar said, and Daniel forced himself to believe because it was either believe or accept that doesn’t matter what he does he’ll still be punished randomly, “Let me put you on the floor, so we can get comfortable and sleep a little, okay?”
Daniel nodded, waiting as the dragon shifted to a larger, more lizard-like form, he didn’t wait for orders before hiding under the dragon's wings, he sobbed some more while Joar caressed him.
I’m broken, I’m so broken I’m not even a person anymore, Daniel shook his head, thinking like this would just make things worse, it doesn’t matter if it’s true, nothing matters. He curled up and finally slept, they can’t sleep elsewhere anymore, they only feel safe enough under Joar’s wing.
"Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon."
