They’d left it empty too long.

And just like any abandoned building, pests started to move in.

First it was roaches, then rats, then something a bit more fiery: a dragon.

Honestly, what else did you expect to make its home in a giant steel and glass pyramid?

So there he was, sulking through the shadowy bowels, near the old concession stands, trying to find the thing’s roost.

Across his back was his only weapon: a replica of Gandolf’s sword, Glamdring. He’d bought it off eBay after a drunken Lord of the Rings marathon. Guns scared the heck out of him, and what else were you supposed to fight a dragon with?

Sadly, his friends were more than skeptical of this course of action.

They said things like, “You’ve been playing too much Dungeons and Dragons!”

Or, “Life’s not like the cover to a Dio record!”

And, “No way am I bailing you out when you get busted for trespassing.”

His girlfriend had really surprised him with that one.

But he knew what he saw, knew what was in here, and there was no way they were going to stop him.

After all, he’d always wanted to slay a dragon.

Memphis Note
The Pyramid was going to be a shot to the arm of the northern end of downtown Memphis, a foundation from which new economic growth could spring. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out that way. In less than ten years after it opened, the city was planning another, bigger, arena within walking distance. Now, the Pyramid is being repurposed as a headquarters and retail space for Bass Pro Shops. But, hey, at least we can say we’ve got the sixth largest pyramid in the world.