Lichen Dial | Leaf-Winged Garden Dragon on a Stone Sundial

The story of Lichen Dial

A fictional story inspired by the artwork.

The dragon crouches on a stone sundial with its ridged horns raised and its wings lifted over its back. Olive scales and pale patches echo the lichen on the stone, while the leaflike wings catch the warmer light above the terraces. Yellow flowers along the edge of the dial give the creature's tail a bright border.

The sundial once stood at the center of a garden tended by an entire household. The dragon arrives when the late morning shadow reaches a long groove across the face of the stone. It knows the spot by the warmth that rises from the paving. During the hottest weeks, it leaves the dial as soon as the terrace fountain begins to run.

The tilted stone and the sharp pointer give the dragon's broad silhouette a simple frame. Behind the creature, pale steps and old arches recede into the garden. The broken edges of the stone and the plants growing between them suggest how long this place has been left to the weather.

A story could follow an apprentice sent to find the original plan of the garden. From the upper terrace, the apprentice might see the dragon move from one patch of sun to another and realize that the old paths still mark the hours. Finding the plan would mean returning on a clearer day to watch the whole route.

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