Ethan Lai’s “Flight of the Dragon” is a fantastical story about a man named Carmichael and his search for dragons. Carmichael’s curiosity and adventurousness motivated him to keep searching for the supposedly extinct Dracobatis. Although this is a fantasy story, I felt like I could relate to Carmichael's relentless pursuit of even the tiniest glimpse of this mythical creature. His passion is only further emphasized by Ethan’s descriptive writing. I felt like I could see the creatures from the narrator’s point of view.
Carmichael’s sheer determination caught me off guard at first. The story states, “His expedition three years ago cost him two fingers on his right hand and part of his kneecap. He recovered, though he never regained full use of the joint. This trip will be his last.” Although he suffered injuries that would’ve discouraged any person from journeying ever again, he chose to persist to the point where he couldn’t any more. The fantasy elements in the story did not impact how raw Carmichael’s persistence was, and I was extremely satisfied with the ending.