Language English Media type Print (Magazine) Originally published August 1955 Country United States of America Genres Short story, Fantasy | Published in Esquire Publication date August 1955 Publication type Periodical literature | |
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Similar Ray Bradbury books, Short Stories | ||
"The Dragon" is a short story by author Ray Bradbury. This story was originally published in 1955 in the magazine Esquire. A limited edition (352 copies, signed and numbered or lettered) of the story was published by Footsteps Press in 1988. It appears in A Medicine for Melancholy (1959), R is for Rocket (1962), Classic Stories 1 (1990), and Bradbury Stories (2003).
Plot
The story concerns two knights who have a mission to slay a dragon. They describe the dragon as huge, fire-breathing, and horrific, having only one eye. They charge the dragon but fail, presumably dying in the attempt.
The "dragon" is then revealed to be a steam train, and its single eye is the train's head light. The operators discuss the event, but go away without attempting to find the knights.