jason gaidis

MFA Alumnus

the dragon

The wind is quiet over the ocean with no objects to give it sound. At night, the darkness is a void that fuses water with sky in an inky blackness so absolute that the moon surrenders its glow. 

The wind is loud against my face as I look over the rail at the ocean rushing past. A jet engine spools up on the flight deck above me. I hear the deep hum of fuel being sprayed and ignited in the combustion chambers. Again, as the second engine ignites. The sound crescendos into a thundering roar as the rotors of a helicopter engage: four fiberglass and gas spars approaching the speed of sound, vibrating my brain inside my skull.  

Red and white lights strobe from the helicopter on the otherwise dark flight deck, casting ghostly reflections onto the speeding waves. I look up and see thousands of pounds of steel and flame fly sideways away from its nest.

Its position and running lights flash for a few moments before they extinguish, leaving the grey dragon to prowl over the ocean, invisible except for the faint green glow of the crew's night vision goggles. 

The sound of the dragon fades. Soon, even the beast’s glowing green eyes are consumed by the darkness. I look over the rail again, as the ocean rushes past, and I am left with the wind.

JASON GAIDIS EARNED HIS BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY FROM PURDUE UNIVERSITY AND HIS MFA FROM ASHLAND UNIVERSITY. HE IS AN ACTIVE DUTY HELICOPTER PILOT WITH THE UNITED STATES NAVY.