DRAGONS EXIST!
That was the banner headline of the local newspaper. The above photograph taken by Will Bishop is now world famous. You have probably heard or read about the incident and that is why you are here. For those who have only heard rumors and sound bites, here is the wire service report.
SAN ANTONIO, Aug 27, 1997 -- The city was shocked,excited and grateful all at once upon realizing that dragons really exist and one of them just saved the tallest landmark in south Texas and dozens of lives.
Witnesses say it started when a modern looking bi-plane flew into the vicinity and began to make threatening passes by the Tower of the Americas. Those on the tower described an agitated pilot shaking his fist and shouting obscenities at the structure. Then the aircraft lifted its nose to gain altitude.
"At first I thought it was an unauthorized stunt for a movie," stated Will Bishop, a helicopter pilot and aerial photographer who happened to be flying on an assignment. "I was just to the north of the area when I noticed the strange way [the plane] was flying. I decided to get closer and use my last shot of film on the bi-plane. I came to a pretty good position when I saw the craft start a dive heading straight toward the the tower. I put him in my viewer and I thought I was going to take a picture of a tragedy, but that dragon came into view and just grabbed the plane with one... claw."
Bishop was so shaken by what he saw that he decided to land immediately on a nearby rooftop. The dragon, measuring about 600 feet from nose to tail by most accounts, needed more space to land.
Dragon Stuns Park Visitors
Carrying the aircraft and the dazed pilot, the golden dragon landed in San Pedro Park, stunning visitors there and causing a mass of amazed people to rush out of their homes and classrooms (San Antonio Community College is just across the street).
The dragon tried to explain what happened to the crowd, but of course many were just dumbfounded. He did answer a few questions asked by members of the crowd and park rangers. He is a male dragon and has been living in San Antonio for over twenty years in human form. His name is Jatraogadon, which he spelled out for the rangers. He claimed to be able to breathe fire but declined to demonstrate citing the crowd's safety. He also stated that there are many dragons of several varieties throughout the world but refused to give even an estimate. After about fifteen minutes the dragon leaped into the air causing a strong breeze with his wings. He flew into some clouds and never reappeared.
Plane Pilot Goes Berserk
The crowd then turned its attention toward the bi-plane and the bewildered pilot. When the park rangers first tried to lift him out of the cockpit the man started kicking and screaming. The rangers eventually handcuffed him with help from two citizens. The pilot repeatedly tried to break free of the officers' hold and kicked at members of the crowd as he was led to a police car that had made its way through the mass of people.
Witnesses recalled some of the words the pilot screamed as "ugly tower" and "armadillo." The name "Dillo's Revenge" was painted on the aircraft.
Then there was the mayor's press conference about two and a half hours after the events covered by the article. It was held on the steps of city Hall.
The mayor told the excited mass of reporters and citizens that the pilot of the bi-plane was named Melvin Knight. The mayor said that he was very grateful to me for saving the tower from a "deeply disturbed individual" who had loaded his aircraft with explosives rigged to set off on impact! Knight was an architect who back in 1967 submitted a blueprint for the Tower of the Americas.
His plan had the tower looking like a cactus with the top looking like a curled armadillo. When asked about the whereabouts of the blueprints, the mayor said he believed they were disposed of soon after being rejected but there were reports and memos mentioning how ridiculous the plans were.
So, here I am, an overnight celebrity. I know there are a lot of questions. I will answer some of them on this page.
Here's a photo that Jesse, my best human friend, took that shows my face.
My full given name is Jatraogadon (the "rao" especially sounding like a growl), though I have had numerous names in history. I hatched from the egg in 302 BC on an island in the Aegean Sea. I was about six feet long at the time. I grew about one foot in length every three years until I was about 1800 years old. I am a little over 600 feet in length now and my wingspan is a little less than 800 feet. I started visiting nearby islands when I was sixteen. By the age of twenty I could take human form. By chance I learned of Aristotle's philosophy when I was only twenty-five, and his ideas have had quite an impact on me.
I've kept a low profile until recent events because individuals and cultures can be quite irrational and I did not want to be hunted down and burned at the stake! Of course, there were occassional sightings, hence the numerous names from Persia to South America.
Soon after saving the tower, several people in the San Antonio Spurs organization arranged for me to attend their home games in the comfort of my natural form. I am their BIGGEST fan! Jesse drew a sketch of me watching them beat the Rockets in pre-season, 1997. They were rocking this year. Even their TV commercial featured the right music, "New Sensation" by INXS. Their new sensation was, of couse, Tim Duncan, the 1998 Rookie of the Year!
[ Note from Jesse T: I asked him where he got the placard: he said "Oh, I found it by the side of the road."]
At last, after all these months, my promise is fulfilled -
My Visit to the Big Island
A look into the twisted mind of Jesse T.
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Jatraogadon
and
Jesse T
This page was created on November 16, 1997.
Dragon icon was altered from a freebie at HERE BE DRAGONS! All other prose, poetry and pictures are property of Jatraogadon and Jesse A. Torres IV. Do not reproduce without permission.
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