Ivory Scales

Hundreds of people were walking by on the streets. Some were last minute buyers, others just lurkers in the night, and others going home for Christmas. Rain was falling down on their heads, but they didn’t seem to mind, overtaken with the joy of the holiday season. Everything seemed right. The perfect Christmas, like all the ones before it. Everything was in tune, and everyone was happy

Except for James. James had only one thing on his Christmas list; had only one wish for the holidays. One hope that he had had for every Christmas. But James never got what he wanted. He got what he asked for, but never what he wanted. And he knew that he would never get his wish. Looking up to the crying skies he sighed.

"Rain…like every year. Is there any chance it will ever snow here?" James pondered to himself. But he new the answer. He lived in Arizona, on of the hottest states in all of America. People were in shorts and T-shirts while walking in the streets. He wished it would snow, but some wishes just don’t come true.

James was doing some last minute shopping. He still had to get gifts for his four-year-old sister, both of his parents, and some just-in-case gifts, if a girl had ever taken a liking to him. He walked into a thrift shop in search for something cheap and yet appealing to the eye. He eventually found a doll that didn’t seem to be in too bad of shape. It would have to do; he didn’t have much money. He walked up to the clerk with the doll and a few ones and a handful of change.

"That will be $5.39." The clerk said, as James sorted through the change to find that last penny. "Thank you, come again. And, hey, cheer up guy, it's the holiday's"

"Sorry, it's just…I never seem to get what I really want for Christmas…" He said sadly.

"Hmm…wait here." The clerk said, before going into the back room. He then returned with a sort of amulet in his hand. "This charm was sold to me with a story. It was said that it would grant a wish, as long as it's unselfish and pure. You seem like someone with that type of wish."

"Sorry, but I don’t believe in that whole hocus-pocus deal." James said. Although it was a gorgeous gem, it seemed like just a ploy to get a buyer. And being as beautiful as it was, it probably cost a lot of money. Money he didn’t have. James started to walk towards the exit.

"Wait!" The clerk proclaimed, causing James to turn back around. The clerk then placed the medallion in his hand. "Take it, free of charge. Even if you don’t believe in the power this has, I do, and I would hate to see and opportunity like this wasted. So take it, and make good use of it."

He walked out of the store and back into the rain. He inspected the amulet more closely. It was a beautiful glass crystal, with a single snowflake inside. It had an unearthly glow and the light from the rain bounced off of it. It was truly a treasure. Even if magic didn’t exist, it still had a magical feel to it. It would a perfect present for his parents.

He walked into his house and into his room, prepared to wrap his presents. He began to wrap his sister's present, but the gem caught his eye again. He looked into the crystal again and marveled at the snowflake inside.

"I really do wish it could snow for real…" He said out loud to no one.

As he said those words the crystal seemed to glow. At first James thought it was just his eyes, but even as he rubbed them clean, the crystal still glowed. He began to feel cold, even though it was at least 70 degrees outside. It wasn’t a stinging cold, more soothing. Like turning on the air conditioner after a long jog. He was enjoying this feeling, until the coldness seemed to numb the body. Then things started to get interesting. He noticed that his hair had started to fall out. As he glanced down at the falling hair he caught a glimpse of his skin. His skin had turned completely white. It started to get hard and slick, and then it started to spilt apart at certain areas in a pattern. He recognized this pattern, a pattern you could see on any reptile. Scales.

James was pretty shocked and astonished at this change. The white scales been spreading up his entire body, making him sleek and giving him a shine. He looked over at the crystal, which still was glowing. It started to make his eyes hurt. He rubbed them repeatedly but it didn’t do much good. They started to hurt even more, and seemed to have a stretching sensation. After a few seconds more of rubbing, until the stretching sensation stopped, he opened his eyes again. What he saw was gorgeous. His sight had been magnified, everything seemed brighter and more in focus.

The stretching sensation then came back, but this time in his whole body. He seemed to be getting taller at an alarming rate. This ripped apart his shirt and shorts leaving him naked, save for his shoes. Luckily, the scales covered up all the obscene qualities of the human male. He didn’t stop growing until he was at least 8 feet tall. But the stretching still didn’t stop; it started to go the other way. He felt his spine gaining more vertebrae moving down towards his tailbone. His scales stretched with the growing bones as his tailbone extended until it was a four-foot long tail. James was in complete shock as he stared at his new appendage. He knew then that he wasn’t human anymore, and would probably never be again, but he didn’t seem to mind. He couldn’t explain it, but these changes really didn’t bother him in the slightest; they just astonished him.

As he stared at the tail he started to feel something in his shoulders. They were now elongating backwards and eventually becoming long and narrow bones extending from his back. The bone then split and new muscles started to form, allowing him to fold them flat against his back. From these bones a thin membrane started to spread across them as veins and smaller bones materialized to provide more structured. He now had wings coming from his back. James then realized what he was becoming. He thought in his mind all the other features this creature had and prepared for the rest of the changes.

He felt a pushing coming from his hands. He saw his fingernails pushing out until they completely detached. In there place grew long and sharp claws that took up the whole tips of the fingers. He then felting his feet getting longer, bursting through the shoes he was wearing. He saw that three of his toes were also growing, but the others stayed the same and eventually got overtaken by the rest of the foot. The growing toes took up the excess space as the toenails dropped to the ground and long, curved claws grew. The natural bone alignment also changed, lifting up leaving him to stand on his toes with the rest of the foot raised at a 45-degree angle.

He waited for the last changes to take place. But he didn’t have to wait long. He started to feel his skull growing, becoming longer and pushing out his face. His nose disappeared leaving two slits behind, and his ears stretched out and reshape to form two fin-like protrusions. His teeth started to fall out as new, sharper teeth began to form. He felt two horns growing out of the back of his head; parting the scales they're to show the naked bone. He also felt new knowledge fill his head. He now knew he had a natural coldness surrounding him, and that he could bend it at his will.

The changes were now complete; he was now a full dragon. To be more precise, an ice dragon. He took note of the crystal, which had now stopped glowing. He went over and picked it up. It still had the same shine as when he bought it, and would still make a perfect gift. He knew that there would be no way to tell his parents about his changes, but he could at least give them a gift before he left.

He started to walk towards the door, but before he could even move he saw someone standing on the other side. It was his little sister, and she seemed to be frightened to move.

"It's ok Sally, it's me, James!" He said, in the most innocent voice he could. She still stood there with the same terrified face on. He picked up the Christmas present he had gotten her and walked over to her. "See, I got you a present for Christmas! Please don’t be afraid, Sally."

"Wha…what happened to you, Jimmy?" She asked, with tears in her eyes.

"It's hard to explain, but don’t worry! It will all be ok. But, Sally, I have to go now. I need you to do me a big favor! Can you give this to mommy and daddy for me?" He asked, handing her the crystal.

"Why do you have to go!?" She asked him.

"I don’t think mommy and daddy would understand what happened. So it has to be our little secret. But don’t worry! I'll be back for next Christmas!" He said.

"I'm gonna miss you, Jimmy!" Sally said, as she used her tiny arms to hug her brother good-bye.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Sally." I said, returning her hug with one of my own. After the embrace was over, I walked out of the room and took flight in the rain. I soared up to the clouds, and when I was high enough, used my manipulation of ice to change the rain into snow. I had gotten my one Christmas wish, even if it did come in a very unexpected package.