I work 3rd shift and often find myself sleepy at almost anytime of day or night. When I get sleepy my mind has a tendency to wander. (I have a fairly active imagination, and evidently sleep is an integral part in keeping it in check.) Last night I was sitting at my desk which overlooks a data-center containing rows and rows of large “cages” filled with various servers and communication apparatuses. As I’m staring out over the data-center I begin to imagine what kind of damage a real live gremlin could do there. I’m aware that gremlins do not exist, but it didn’t stop me from picturing the contractor, who was milling about out there, being ripped apart after opening the wrong server cage.

It was at that point that I began to consider how horrific it could actually be if fantasy creatures actually lived in our world.

I imagined Wil-O-Wisps luring interstate drivers into oncoming traffic… You thought those starlings roosting over your car was bad? Imagine what a single dragon could do! Would I have to start paying bridge trolls on my bicycle rides? Mark Chadbourn wrote a scene in his AGE OF MISRULE series where a dragon takes out an interstate. In fact that whole series is basically exactly this scenario. What kind of nightmare situations can you imagine if our world were invaded by fantasy creatures?

Author

  • Justin Blazier

    JUSTIN BLAZIER (on FanLit's staff since September 2009) is a Cyber-Security Analyst/Network Engineer located in Northern Kentucky. Like many fantasy enthusiasts, Justin cut his teeth on authors like Tolkien, Anthony, and Lewis. Due to lack of space, his small public library would often give him their donated SFF books. When he is not reading books he is likely playing board games or Tabletop RPGs. Justin lives in a quiet neighborhood with his wife, their daughter, and Norman the dog.