Her Key To Success

By Ananya Manglik

Claire stepped away from the dragon’s corpse, expecting something to happen. A sound, maybe, or a voice calling to her, something which would allow her to be complete, successful.

Wasn’t slaughtering the last dragon of Ka-Ha, who brought all the suffering into the world, supposed to mean something? Why wasn’t she successful, then? Why did she still feel incomplete?

Her magic was quiet, too.

Besides, who was she now that Ka-Ha was dead?

Claire climbed over Ka-Ha’s limp tail and went over to the key. She knew she should destroy it,

throw it in the water to douse its flame. Make the world a place without misery and ruin.

Would it let her be complete? She didn’t think so anymore. Not when the raging fire inside her wouldn’t be pacified even with Ka-Ha dead. She looked towards the pool.

She took the key and strode away from the water.

~

One year later.

“I-I can kill you! The key is mine!

“I know you won’t,” a voice soothed from the other side of the door. “You are still my sister,

Claire. You used to hunt down all my nightmares. I have always been safe with you, Clay-Clay.”

Claire closed her eyes at the beloved childhood nickname, tears escaping under her eyelids.

“Remember your graduation?” she said, settling her head on the door. “I had just arrived

from my job in Montana. Even if you didn't want to meet me, I still needed to

see you. You looked so complete, so successful. I-I’d just been made head of my

branch, but I couldn’t help thinking that I never felt the way you did. How thrilled you looked? I never had that warmth.”

“Claire-”

“Layla, wait. I need to get this off my chest. After that night, I realized the only way I would find

that sense of success is if I followed my magic. And it led me to Ka-Ha and the key. I killed him, but I was still empty.”

Layla stifled a sob at her sister’s unhappiness, the way Claire’s voice broke in the end.

“Lay, what does that suggest about me? Am- Am I broken for not feeling anything? Am I being punished?”

“Punished for what?”

“It-it doesn’t matter. Lay, just stay away, there’s nothing you can do. The key makes me powerful, and-and that’s enough for me.”

“Power isn’t success, Claire! It won’t make you feel complete!”

“But then what will, Layla? Before, I had everything! I graduated, landed a career, became promoted. I even killed the most dangerous creature in the world, and I felt nothing!”

“Love, Clay-Clay. You need love. That’s why you felt nothing- you didn’t have anyone to share everything with. The key to success is happiness, not the other way around! This is my fault. All those times, I wasn’t there, you were alone. I-I’m so sorry-”

Claire opened the door. She took Layla in her arms, comforting her just as she used to.

“Thank you,” she whispered to her key to success.

By Ananya Manglik