Page 160 of Tiger's Voyage

After we took our places around the table, the white dragon whirled his hands, and a feast appeared before us. I was starving. We hadn’t dared use the Golden Fruit in front of Jnsèlóng, and the seaweed crackers hadn’t been that appealing after I found out what they were. I took a moment to study the banquet in front of me. Ice bowls held king crab legs with clarified butter and cold peeled shrimp with cocktail sauce.

Other dishes were kept warm. There was lobster pot pie, toasted flatbread with a warm cheesy dip made with artichokes, spinach, and crab. He had platters and bowls full of stuffed sole, seafood gumbo, a julienned salad in a vinaigrette sauce, clam chowder, garlic shrimp linguini, and the biggest maple-and-cherry-glazed salmon I’d ever seen— even in Oregon. He poured us fruity drinks called electric ices that looked like snow cones.

I picked strawberry, and the dragon went to work. He poured a few drops of red syrup into the top of an amazing detailed dragon ice sculpture centerpiece and spoke a few words. The red liquid began to travel through the curvy dragon. Then, Yínbáilóng scooped up a frosty mug and held it under the mouth of the ice sculpture. The drink looked like a slushy but with more liquid and less ice. He repeated the process, making a grapefruit drink for Kishan, lemon for Ren, and cherry for himself.

Indicating the smorgasbord set in front of us, he said, “Please enjoy.”

Still slightly cold, I started with the hot clam chowder. It was the most creamy, most flavorful clam chowder I’d ever tasted. I ate half the bowl before I remembered I wanted to ask the dragon some questions.

“Yínbáilóng? Your brother told me that you were all born in different oceans and that he was the Earth Dragon. What does that mean, and who were your parents?”

The Ice Dragon set down his fork and leaned forward, clasping his hands under his chin. “My parents,” he said, “are whom you would call Mother Earth and Father Time.”

I set down my spoon, hunger forgotten. “You mean they’re real people?”

“I don’t know that I would call them people, but they are real beings.”

“Where do they live? Do you ever see them? What are they like?”

“I do see them though it’s doubtful you could because they reside mostly in another dimension. They live … well … everywhere. If you could train yourself to see, you could find them. Mother is a part of every living thing on Earth. Plants, animals, people, and even dragons are all her children, and she and Father Time will never cease to exist. He is the past, present, and future. He is omniscient. He knows everything that will happen but is endlessly curious to see the course of the world unfold, regardless. He told me you would be coming. My brothers would have known that too if they would ever listen. They’re so young. Like teenagers, really. They think they know everything, so they never listen to our parents. But a wise child always regards parents with respect.”

He sipped his drink and went on. “They’re … retired now. At least as much as immortals can be. They’ve turned over the duties of guarding Earth and its occupants to us. Jnsèlóng watches over the treasures of the Earth. He makes sure mineral deposits are created and found, and despite his faults, he inspired the industrial revolution, though his chief purpose was not entirely altruistic. He wished to manufacture goods more quickly, so he could increase the size of his collection. He does have his quirks, but by and large, he’s been good for mankind.

“L sèlóng is the Earth Dragon, as you know. He is responsible for keeping the balance between the land and sea. He watches over growing things. Trees, flowers, mountains, deserts, and forests are all under his purveyorship. He makes crops grow. He taught the Egyptians how to create papyrus and keep records. If it weren’t for him, humankind wouldn’t have any books.”

“What about Qnglóng?” Ren asked.

“Qnglóng is the laziest of my brothers. Disasters have happened because he refuses to pay attention. He is supposed to be keeping Jnsèlóng has so many treasures piled up is because Qnglóng hasn’t been caring for the ocean properly. His job is to provide the world with water.

“He governs the rain clouds, the rivers, lakes, and most of the oceans, though every so often we help out our own territories. There are creatures becoming extinct in the oceans every day due to his negligence. Overfishing, pollution, and drought are largely his fault. The entire whaling industry happened during one of his naps. But, to be fair, he did inspire your early explorers to find other lands. He was young and eager to please back then.”

The white dragon snickered. “Imagine! Columbus discovering land in those tiny ships on his own? Without a dragon, he would have been lost at sea in the first two weeks.”

“Kelsey.”

I looked over at Ren, who was pointing at my plate with his fork.

“Eat, please.”

“Oh, right.” To my delight, my fish was still warm. I took a bite and said, “Please, go on.”

The Ice Dragon chuckled and ate a bit more himself. “Lóngjn is the most distant. He rarely visits. He imagines himself to be above us all just because he resides in the sky.”

“What’s his job?” Ren asked.

“Can you guess?”

“Something to do with the stars?” Kishan suggested.

“Correct. He is in charge of the constellations. He keeps the stars lit and comets on safe trajectories. He governs meteors. Small showers are allowed, but large meteors are moved or destroyed. He’s been having trouble with the ozone lately, and that’s always his excuse now to miss family reunions.

“He watches over space stations and shuttles and trips to the moon. Lóngjn was on the moon when Neil Armstrong first set foot on it. In fact, if you watch the old video, you can see his shadow hovering overhead. He is very proud of the space program. He inspires scientific discovery, specifically astronomy, was great friends with Galileo, and actually visited him in dreams. He’s also fond of mathematics. He even taught Pythagoras how to play chess.”

“Well, that takes care of everyone except you. What do you do?”

“I am the eldest brother and have the most important charge. You might wonder, what could be more vital than caring for space, land, water, or minerals? Than giving humankind science, math, discovery, technology, or a green planet?”

He paused with a twinkle in his eye and waited for one of us to guess. No one got the right answer. He politely dabbed his lips with his napkin and said, “I am the white dragon of the ice. I watch over the ice caps and the poles. I turn the Earth on its axis. I whirl us around the sun. I cause the seasons to change.