Finn held his breath as the dragon flew overhead, It’s bright pink scales reflected off the morning sun. It’s long snake-like body blanketed him in shade, but as quickly at it came it passed over him and vanished into the skyline towards the city beyond. He and few other freshmen had stopped to watch it go. To the rest of the student body of Almaster University, however, it was just another Tuesday and so, walked on by.

He wondered when such things would become normal to him but couldn’t imagine it. His body still shook with anticipation. Dragons! Real dragons! Not the ones he’d seen on the web! As he made his way to the H Building, he wondered what kind he’d meet. The advertisement hadn’t mentioned the species.

After ferreting out the correct room number he followed the paper’s instructions and rapped the door. When no one answered he reread it. Had he come to the right building? Between the chipped paint and broken water fountain this part of the school seemed run down—the heavy metal door opened and a tuft of curly red hair poked out from pointed hat.

“I came about the ad.” He said brandished the wrinkled paper. “I’m not too late, am I?” The woman blinked in surprise. Had he come to the wrong place after all?

“This way.” she finally said cinching the door open and he followed. She was tall, even taller than him. Unlike the usual black and blue robes the student body wore hers were emerald green. Her pair of bell earrings tinkled as they made their way to another door.

“And you’ve never touched or made contact with another species of dragon before? Not even a head pat on the street?”

“No, I—”

“Had Dragonblight when I was a child. I kept trying to steal my neighbor’s silverware to make a hoard. It’s like sending an angry letter to humans except we're also the paper and the ink convinces us to glide off of dining room tables. This way please.” She said gesturing to an unmarked door. They walked through a hallway and stopped at a yellow bin. “If you have anything enchanted on you leave it in here, otherwise it’ll stop working.”

“Seriously?”

She stood there stone-faced, saying nothing. He produced an automatic pencil enchanted to never run out of graphite and placed it in the bin.

“I trust you have the papers filled out?” she asked holding out her hand. “The one students need to sign before—Oh.” She said as he handed her the form. After a moment she took out a pen and signed on the bottom. “Can you begin today?”

He blinked. “I thought there would be an interview or—”

“There would if anyone else applied.”

“I’m… I’m the only one?”

The witch sighed. “Do you want the job or not?”

He only hesitated for a moment. “Yes, yes of course! When do I start?”

At that the tall woman opened the door leading into the Eggery. Finn guessed this place used to be a greenhouse as the entire ceiling was composed of misty single-pane windows. A few steps in the hot, humid air burrowed his robes. He broke into a sweat as passed three rows of six enormous yellow-red eggs; each rested in planter boxes packed with dirt. A distinct triangle pattern that glowed when he neared them.

“They’re… eggs?”

“Dragon’s Eggs.” She said as if it explained everything.

“Are there any dragons?” He asked, the enthusiasm bleeding from his voice.

“This is where you’ll be working.” She said ignoring his question. “You’ll need to stay hydrated here so get a water bottle or two. Penny will show you how to channel magic into them—”

As if on cue a woman about his own age with purple hair in an updo surfaced from under a table. She wore a gardening apron that held an armada of magical implements including a tuning fork he’d only ever seen the professor’s use. Now though, she held a wand with a wicker pattern pointed down.

“Hi, I'm Penny! It's great to meet you!” she said.

“Hello Penny, I’m, uh,” he always hated saying his name out loud. “I’m Finn.”

“It’s nice to meet you Finn.” She said. “Are you going to be working here with us?”

He shrugged. “Yeah,” he said eying the eggs.

“He's disappointed there aren't any ridable dragons here.” The witch explained.

“I—”

“But you can ride them,” Penny said gesturing to the eggs. “Eventually.”

He began to deflate.

“Unlike humans” The tall woman began. “Dragon’s can’t regulate their own magic until they’ve hatched. We provide them with our own until then.”

He frowned. “Is that what you’re doing with that wand?” He asked Penny.

“This? Oh no. We use this for that.” she said producing a small undulating crystal the same color as her hair.

“And you’re taking care of them because... their mom can’t?”

Penny nodded.

“The school put us in charge of these eggs: we clean them, keep them warm and safe. It’s a lot of hard work but one day it’ll all pay off.”

“Which means,” The witch went on. “They need heat regulation, hydration, and most importantly: magic.”

“So… we’re like batteries?” Finn asked shielding his eyes against the sun.

“We’re Dragon Hatchers.” She corrected. “Eventually Dragon Caretakers. Also, you'll have to buy your own crystal. Whatever color you end up using will dye your hair to match.”

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“I had rainbow all last month!” Penny chimed.

Finn fished his pockets and held out a clear colorless crystal he used for basic channeling. “Even this?”

“Why don’t you try it out?” The witch said. “Though it could turn your hair transparent.”

He blanched.

“We’re short on equipment so I’ll have to share my tools with you.” Penny said gesturing to her tools. “I’ll teach you how to use them. Gosh, it’s been so long I had someone to work alongside. We’re gonna make a great team!”

“If you’re all settled, I have paperwork that needs doing. Oh, and my name is Gale.” She said already walking away. “If you have any questions for me save them until the end of your shift.”

Before he could say anymore the door to a small room facing the eggs was closing. He turned around and saw Penny beaming.

“Where do I start?” Finn asked.

“We need to go to the supply closet and grab your gear.” She had snatched him by the hand and guided him to a door. As she did, he was suddenly grateful for the heat. Her grip bit into his wrist as he stumbled along. When they arrived, save for a few barrels covered the tarp, the supply room was barren.

“You’ll need a watering can and a thermometer and—I think we still have one left.” Penny said pillaging shelves and cabinet drawers.

“Roomy.” He remarked as a dust rabbit no larger than his thumb sprinted past his shoes and out the open door.

“We’ve had a few cutbacks.” She laid down a compass with no arrow, a string that didn’t bend and finally two shabby gloves. “Don’t have another apron but we do have a bucket you can carry them in.” She went to rifling through a broom closet.

“What am I supposed to do with these things?” he asked picking up the string.

“I’ll show you!” she said emptying a metal cylinder.

She lead him back to the Eggery and pointed to one in the far corner of the room. For whatever reason, its shape was loosing definition.

“It’s time we channeled into them, you ready new newbie?”

“You’ll have to show me what to do.”

She nodded and dashed over. Finn trailed behind, his bucket rattling with magical equipment. Finally, he set it down and inspected the egg. Penny pulled out the crystal he’d seen earlier, now dull. She removed her glove with one hand and palmed the mineral in the other. Her body stood ramrod straight as though being tugged by an invisible wire. After a moment she unfurled her hand revealing a glowing purple light.

“This one’s been craving lots of magic this month. Both of us should feed them.”

“My hair isn’t going to become transparent is it?”

“Only if you want it to.” She said. “It also took weeks for mine to turn purple.”

He shrugged and mimed Penny’s actions. His nostrils flared, his eyes bulged and he flexed his biceps. The crystal remained dull.

“I’m out of practice.” Finn said not meeting her gaze. “Enchanting is one of my worst subjects.”

Penny frowned. “That’s okay. I wasn’t any good at it either. Let me show you what Gale taught me!” She said wrapping her now gloved hand around his wrist.

“What—” he started. The crystal fluttered a soft light when she did.

“Imagine a time in your life where you felt alive.” She said moving her hand under his upturned palm.

“But I’m alive right now.” He said pulse rising in response.

“Imagine a time where you felt more alive. Like when you listen to your favorite song or drank a good cup of coffee.”

“A cup of coffee is going to enchant my crystal?”

“If it’s one you really liked!”

He bit his bottom lip and thought of his graduation ceremony. It had been the first time he’d ever seen an Archmage before. A tall spindly man with a bushy, unkempt beard had spun himself into existence using the school theater’s curtains and custodial equipment to construct his body; much to the delight of his and other parents. He gave a speech and at the end dissolved into rainbow snowflakes to the applause of faculty and students alike. After the show, his parents bought him an enchanted pencil now sitting in the yellow plastic bin. He loved that pencil.

Something shifted inside him as a small trickle of light bled into the crystal. Embarrassed, he held it up for Penny to inspect. She nodded and placed hers at the foot of the egg, he did the same. The egg shimmered, the triangle pattern reverted to its original definition and the crystal’s light faded. He tugged on his locks of wavy hair.

“Did it change color?”

Penny shook her head.

Relief washed through him. “They didn’t take much. I was worried I wouldn’t have enough for classes.”

“It’s morning right now. They’ll get hungrier as the day goes on.”

“How often do you feed them?”

Penny frowned as if she hadn’t given the matter much thought.

“I think twenty or so times a day. Sometimes more.”

He gaped at her. “There’s no way—”

“Gale helps too and now that you’re here it’ll be a three person job!”

Finn thought about this. He eyed the bucket on the white linoleum floor heavy with gleaming instruments, the roof-windows with the sun cascading on them, and finally at Penny. Her grin hadn’t faded. Did he really want to do this? This wasn’t what he signed up for. No one would blame him if he walked away.

“Guess I’ll give it shot.” he found himself saying.

---

Finn spent the rest of first day shadowing Penny from egg to egg. If he walked out now, he reasoned, the Eggery would be shorthanded. He owed it to her to stay until the end. Hours passed and his crystal channeling hadn’t improved. The task robbed him of focus and his breath. All the while the room’s humidity sapped his strength and sent him searching for more water. By the time the sun had reached noon his undershirt had glued to his chest.

“Sorry what?” Finn stammered realizing Penny was speaking to him.

“I said, the fork is for measuring how much water they have.” She said hovering it over an egg. As she did the prongs emitted a low whine. “The higher the sound, the more water they have. If it’s low you’ll need to use the watering can.” In his head, all he heard was water, water, water. He could use some water.

“How are you able to use that anyway?” He asked pointing to the fork. “I thought enchanted items stopped working here.”

“These are simple enchantments: they only work if we channel magic into them. Too much and they’ll try to eat it.”

Finn blanched. “Eat… the enchantment?”

She nodded. “They don’t know any better when it comes to magic. It’s up to us to show them!”

He shivered. No wonder they were so far away from the main campus.

She continued her explanation then move onto the string. It frayed or wobbled depending on how hot or cold an egg had become. If the room grew too hot and they pried the heavy windows open to ventilate the room and cool it down.

“It’s hardest during the summer and the winter.” Penny explained shooing a fly that had wandered inside. “Because we can’t use magic to change the temperature.”

“They eat Elem magic too? What can’t they eat?” He asked sticking his head out of a window. Penny pressed her lips together and thought. Finally, she replied, “Coffee. I tried once.”

The rest of the day passed in a blur. While he hunkered for breath Penny jetted past him. Her energy seemed boundless, her routine precise. She was patient with his questions and cheered him on when he channeled. Meanwhile, his magic reserves strained further and further. When no light bled into his crystal he knew he’d tapped too deep. Using magic, he decided, was easier than leeching it away.

By the time the sun had set, he was heaving. His clothing was sticky with sweat, legs burning from dashing with Penny from one egg to another.

“You did better than me on my first day.” she said putting an arm on his shoulder.

“How long did it take you to get used to it?” he rasped.

She put a finger to her lips in thought then answered: “A week.” The look of incredulity on his face must have shown because she followed up with: “I wanted to be marathon runner, so I was already in good shape.”

“What made you stop?”

She shrugged and looked away. Her face became a mask. “It wasn't fun anymore.”

Finn returned his equipment to the supply closet, certain he’d never return here again, and shuffled away. As he opened one of the double-doors Penny called out to him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” It was a statement, not a question. He cocked his head to look at her, then at the eggs, then at the ceiling where the sun was vanishing into the horizon.

“Yeah.” He found himself saying. “You can count on me to be there.” He regretted it immediately as Penny’s smile returned. The door to Gale’s office opened and the weary-eyed woman yawned loudly. She surveyed the room and began talking with Penny. He took his cue to leave.

“What have I gotten myself into?” he asked aloud. He plucked his pencil from the yellow bin and left the building.