The following story is close to my heart my Dad wrote it in the 90’s and he wanted to publish it but never got around to it. He entered into glory on January 28th. He got saved on January 28th 1993, and Jesus took him home on January 28th 2015 pretty trippy huh? This story is a personal story about my dad and his childhood. Although some of it is fiction he never was a orphan, but he did feel like his parents didn’t want him. This story is a allegory and it’s for all of us who have ever struggled with drug and alcohol addition, and been set free by Jesus like both me and my Dad we’re. Also it gets pretty graphic in some spots, but as you may know addiction is not always so pretty like the beer commercials portray.
Let me know what you think
Thanks!
Yohn
The House of the Rising Son lovingly presents….
The Mighty Friendly Dragon
One night in years past there was a little boy who had no mom or dad. He was an orphan, abandoned not only by his parents and family but he was also shunned by society. He didn’t know why nobody wanted to talk to him or play with him. He often cried hurt and lonely. His hurt and pain eventually turned to hatred and anger, and great fear consumed him. Since he didn’t how to communicate, he tried to act like different people. He tried desperately to attach himself to anyone. But nobody would take the the time to care, he would think how lonely his existence was. So the little boy became bits and pieces of everybody he would meet. He would meet a little boy or a little girl who would do nice thing but only for themselves. They would ride their new bikes and play with their new toys, but they wouldn’t share them with anyone. He thought if I had something nice, I would share it, so maybe I could have a friend. He saw other little kids that weren’t very nice. They tried to beat and hurt the other kids but something was different with them. They got respect from the other kids. He thought “How wonderful I can do that too” so he did!
Then the little boy thought that being a little good and a lot bad was cool. That is what a lot of other kids did. So he became a little positive and a lot negative. This went on until he was eight or nine years old.
One day we walking down the street. We were with a group of our cool friends. Wearing our caps on backwards and smoking cigarettes and being cool. from out of nowhere, this old black, grey haired man appeared and said, “Do you want to be really cool?” We looked at each other and excitedly said, “yes.” The old man reached into his pocket and pulled out a joint and lit it up. We started puffing it, then suddenly we felt different. As we toked, the smoke billowed above our heads, and as we looked at the white smoke, like magic, it turned into a great big friendly white dragon. It had four legs and one head, and a great big friendly smile on it’s face. In our fun, we hadn’t noticed that the old man had left. We didn’t even care. We were having too much fun. The big friendly white Dragon promised all the pot we wanted if we promised not to tell our parents.
Instead of thinking ahead of what might happen, we eagerly accepted and promised. The white dragon said with a mighty roar, “all right cool! Now you have to serve me and me alone. If you obey and serve me well, I will fulfill your every desire, and all your dreams will come true, I promise.”
We jumped with laughter and great joy. The white dragon opened his mighty mouth and some light white yarn fell to the ground. He then instructed us to tie the yarn around our necks and the other end to his mighty tail. “Don’t be afraid,” he said, “You can break the yarn anytime you want.” So we did. The dragon then started walking very slowly. We were laughing and playing behind him. Then we noticed we were coming down. We called to the mighty dragon, “what do we do to serve you and get more?” The dragon turned his head and said, “one of you, I don’t care which-go into that store and steal a candy bar for me, I’ve got the munchies.” “But what about the yarn?” One kid asked. The dragon replied, “don’t worry just do it. I promise I will get you high again.” Never thinking about the consequences, one kid went in and did the dirty deed. The kid, not knowing that he was sacrificing his self worth and self pride, brought the candy bar to the dragon. The dragon, in one mighty gulp, wolfed it down. He said, “pull on my right ear,” and the kid did.
From the dragon’s nose fell a great big joint. The yarn became a dull white. He ran back to his friends and said “see how easy that is?” We lit it and all got high. Slowly the dragon took off. We became aware of the time and so did the mighty dragon. The dragon told us to remember our promise to him, not to tell our parents. “Because I love you and they don’t,” was the dragons reasoning. Your parents promise you things and hardly ever follow through, and when you serve me, your dreams will come true, I promise! Don’t worry the yarn is like magic, it won’t break.” That’s why you can always find me it’s no mistake.” So we all ran home thinking that we had found the answer to life. Happily we ran into our homes to tell our moms and dads how much we loved them. But dad was much too busy reading his paper and drinking his beer, and mom was much too busy fixing her hair in front of the mirror.
The very next day we met the dragon. Our same pattern continued. Toking and smoking, cussing and stealing and lying. The days grew into weeks and the weeks grew into months. The yarn become a dull white and we didn’t think about the dragon’s might because we knew that he was right. Mom and dad didn’t seem to notice so we knew they didn’t care. They were much too busy reading their papers and fixing their hair.
One day we met the mighty dragon but something was different. Much to our amazement, instead of seeing one head, the dragon had two heads there! The friendly old dragon said, “we’re going to have fun today. Serve me well, but remember, don’t tell. Come to my second head” he said “an pull my right ear and we’ll drink us some beer.” So we pulled on his ear and from his mouth came a keg of beer. So we grabbed our glasses and our cups and started drinking and toking. We drank and drank and didn’t give a hoot, for it’s our own bodies we we’re going to pollute. Anyway, we said our parents don’t give a hoot. The dragon didn’t tell us how we were to pay, because in the beginning we just wanted to play.
The dragon ordered us to destroy everything in sight. He said, “don’t worry, everything is right.” Our awareness was low, we didn’t think so we obeyed. We didn’t notice that the second head was made of lead and so it filled our empty heads. The twine of yarn became a wire and we all became worse, horrible liars. We didn’t care about anything but ourselves. The only thing that was valuable was to be a slave of the two headed dragon.
Our smiles and laughter became a disaster. He didn’t tell us about the cops. He didn’t care and neither did we. We didn’t think about detaching. We didn’t know how important our awareness was, all we were interested in was getting our buzz. We went on probation and sat in jail, all the time we didn’t know we were living in hell. The wire in the dragon’s tail became thick and heavy but we still didn’t care because we were so very unaware.
We would get out of jail and run right back to hell. Then we would find the dragon standing there and he had another head, the first one white, the second one lead, and the third one yellow. “Serve me well” he said with a bellow. “First, let’s get high the get drunk. Then I will show you yet another trunk.” So we did. He said, “pull the ears on my third head.” So we did and from his nostril fell a 1 cc syringe. At the same time from the middle of his body came oozing out something that looked like yellow potty. He said, “the purest crack and coke always have a yellow tint, so don’t worry where it comes from, just do it. Remember I’m not a liar” So we grabbed our spoons and like baboons, we injected his yellow urine. We jumped about and would holler and shout but we never thought about our sacred bodies. The wire now became a chain and drug us around like careless shame. Our criminal records grew long and lengthy but we didn’t care, for we were so very, very unaware.
Now we finally noticed that we almost had to run to keep up with the dragon, faster and faster we ran headlong into disaster. We didn’t know we were very sick and had an incurable, incomprehensible disease. Now the months and years had passed and so had some of our friends. We would hear on the street that one of our sisters had O-D’d and died. We would think ‘that could never happen to me.’
We never thought about our own immortality. When we are young, we never think ahead. We never thought that we could be dead, but the dragon is such a mighty liar. All we wanted to do was get higher and higher. By this time our arms looked like railroad tracks. We didn’t care where we puked or peed. We only filled our filthy need, which of course is drug greed. We never stopped to look at all the booze and drugs we took. We never cared enough to look. So we took and took and took.
Then one morning as the sun arose, my heart pounding and my feet frozen because it is so very cold sleeping behind trash cans and in alleys, I staggered to my lonely feet, longing for something not to eat. Then that dragon would rattle his chain and I’d have to look at him again. There is no longer any grin. There is no past or any future. There is only now. Again he rattles my heavy chain and pulls me closer to him again.
And then I looked at my clothes, all raggedy, my shoes have holes in them. All I see is black, black, black. I squint my bloodshot eyes at him and I can’t believe yet another head! This one is black as the eyes of death.
“Your already such a loser because you are such a boozer. You don’t need coke or crank, to be frank. You need this, crawl behind my tail, you dog and I am going to show you a mighty log. Shoot it in your arm, you hog, for my bowel is heroine. You have no choice, you’re so stupid and worthless now, you’re going to do it anyhow. You don’t know how to say no. Your addicted to ME and to HELL you will go.” As I shot the black dragon bowel in my one good vein, I wished I was back doing cocaine. Then I thought, ‘that’s insane.’ Then I thought I’d go back to booze but I see I will still lose. ‘Then go back to pot’ I thought. Now it’s to late because it’s the first toke that is killing me.
One night I was walking down the streets of living hell. Again contemplating suicide, but I’m a drunken coward. I couldn’t live and I couldn’t die, my old friends, guilt and remorse were eating me up.
Suddenly, I saw a vivid Heavenly Spiritual Light brightly flashing, like that of lightning. I heard a great thundering booing Living Voice. In awesome wonder I stood in Beauty untold, colors I’d never sen or ever imagined. Slowly an unbelievably beautiful staircase opened. A stairway likened unto great white pearls! Each magnificent step, numbering one and twelve, and twelve and one. A different precious jewel.
I fell to my knees, a Living Voice so soothing, and oh so lovely, opened and melted my heart. as I knelt sobbing uncontrollably, God spoke into my sick distorted immoral thought, saying, “My precious child, I have given Eternal Life to my Son, Jesus Christ. He who has my Son, has Life, he who does not have my Son does not have life!” (John 5:11-12)
I, in a trembling voice said unto God, “Yes, Holy God, I believe, and desperately need you Son, Jesus for my Lord!” I want Life! I can’t exist like an animal, my life and heart, I now give unto Him.”
The spectacular stairway slowly disappeared. I saw where the staircase had once been, a park appeared. I walked through the darkness of my life. Christ Jesus lifted me off the streets of Living Hell, and stepped me onto the grass (Recovery). I looked down at my feet, there lay a Holy Living Bible, A.A. Big Book, and N.A. Basic Test. In the darkness of my sorrow, in deep reality of my lonely, ragged, addicted existence, the Son of Man slowly lighted my unaware heart, and my misguided violent thoughts.
We became as like One, we became friends, I was no longer afraid. My Great High Priest made me likened unto a living crystal, His Living light shining forth, illuminating my heart and thought. I, one day, one moment at a time continued studying. In His time, the Living Word led me to my body, then led me to my soul, then led me to my Holy Spirit, and made my body whole. (Matthew 4:16)
We need only accept and admit our tragedy, and our painful hearts once. The Son of Man is Unconditional Love. We let go and let God. We become alive, on the inside, and slowly become human! Joyous, happy, and free, recovery! Our dream come true! Because Christ Lives so do I!
Love
never
fails…1 Cor. 13:4
Always your humble servant,
In the Light of Jesus Christ
Gerald H.
AA and NA Street Priest
Here’s a pic of me and my Dad walking on the Oregon Trail back in ’07
