I hear the horns honking as I open my eyelids to find the December’s rays peep through my thin, red curtains. The new program of Google+ just came out onto all smartphones worldwide. I hope to even get  a Blackberry for Christmas, but I doubt that’ll happen. I shield my eyes with the back of my hand before pulling the plaid covers over my head.

“Honey! Can you please help me with these dishes? This sink is only so big!” my mother calls from the quaint kitchen.

I get up and walk out from my room into the small hallway, which is literally about an arms’ width across. Before me stands my dolled-up mom. She’s always ready to go every single day to make sure I can get the best life. After my father passing from a construction fall back in ‘02, my mom’s always done her best with just the two of us.

“Ugh! Thank the gods you’re here! Here,” she huffs and hands me a stack of plates and silverware. “Go put these on the table. It’s way too crowded over here.”

I carefully maneuver past her and set the dishes on the circular, wooden table and stand there on the tiled floor, waiting until she needs my help again. She turns around with a rag in hand and cash in the other.

“Here.” she says. “Go out and buy some more baking trays, will you? The holidays are so soon and we need all the treats we can make!”

“Yeah mom. Not a problem. The one on 22nd Street, right?”

She hugs me tightly. Too tightly. “Thanks so much Pumpkin! Be back soon; and don’t talk to creepy hobos please!!”

“Yep. Uh huh. Got it mom!” I yell behind me as I make my way to the wooden door. Its white paint chips more and more everyday. I shove the wrinkled cash into my pocket and plop on my Knicks winter hat. I walk down our back stairs and head through the moody alleyway, steam rising from the ground. Taking a right, I walk down some while skipping the cracks in the sidewalk and shooing off salespersons. The bell dings when I open the fidgety door to the small store.

“Ah! Gage ma boy! How’s the bakery holdin’ up?” the owner, Julius cheers. His slender face and curly, greasy hair smiles at my presence.

I smile. “It’s going good. Just came to stop by to retrieve some last-minute baking trays. The holidays are so close and we could use as many as we can get.”

“Well then you’ve stopped in just the right place! Come here and check our new product that just came in last week! A cupcake tray, holding twenty cupcakes! Would ya look at that?”

He shoves the freshly polished metal into my face. I politely decline. “Thank you, Julius, but…” I smile at him. “I’ll be glad to buy the twenty-four one!”

“That’s ma boy!” he hoots and grins widely. “How many you takin’?”

“Just two. That should definitely be plenty for the holidays.”

“Alrighty. Let’s see...that’ll be…” he proceeds to put on his thin glasses, squinting at the calculator. “Ah. Eleven dollars and seventy-four cents.”

I hand him my crinkled cash. In return, he hands me a bag of the new trays. We exchange thank yous and I walk out of the store.

“Gage! Gage over here!”

I turn my head. Roland, one of the many local sewage maintenance workers, waves me down. Him and my mom go way back. When she first moved here ages ago in ‘03, she had issues with her toilet so she called up the best NYC plumbers in the city. Roland was the one who came that day. My mom was so embarrassed. A silly and awkward situation left them exchanging emails. After many dates of walking in Central Park and eating at the dated diners crammed between multi-million dollar office buildings, they got married. Now, don’t get me wrong, she still feels sympathy for the guy, but it was too much for her. She later felt sad, I remember her telling me. So, she broke it off, moved back into the apartment and called it a day.

“How’re you doing buddy?” he always called me buddy.

“I’m fine. Just came back from getting the new trays for the holidays.” I hold up the plastic THANK YOU bag.

“Awesome. I wanna show you somethin’. Mind coming down to the sewers real fast?”

I shrug. “Doesn’t hurt.”

We weave between taxis and flustered businessmen who dart at their watches. Roland leads us down a ladder to the black and smelly abyss with a flashlight in his mouth. Our shoes flop into the puddles that relax atop the cement.

“Check. This. Out.” whispering, he shines the flashlight on the ground. A humongous footprint, almost dinosaur-like, is dented in the ground. Now look here too.” The beam of light soars its way to the cavernous walls engraved with silk scratch marks.

“Holy crap! That’s huge!”  

“Shh! You don’t wanna be that loud, buddy! One of my co-workers went down this here tunnel with the NYPD, but none of ‘em ever returned.”

I stare back at the print in shock. “B-but what could it be?? What if it destroys all of our homes and pipes in the whole city? What if-”

“Listen boy. We’ll be alright. Mr. Monster over there just don’t wanna be disturbed. Now you go on home. But,” he grasps my shoulder. A low roar can be heard from the dark abyss in front of us. Citrine-like eyes open to us. His pearly white fangs reflect the flashlight’s rays. “Well I’ll be damned.” Roland whispers under his breath, putting his arm in front of my chest. “Gage, you start climbin’. I’ll hold him off.”

“Roland, you can’t-”

“Gage,” his voice rises slightly with impatience. “I said...start climbin’.” he whispers shakily through his chapped lips.

I turn to the ladder, slowly climbing for my life. I hear something latch to the ladder viciously.

“Faster, Gage! Faster!” Roland screams.

I lift one foot after another along with my hands in a rapid motion up the ladder. I climb out of the hole and onto the ground before spiraling to reach for Roland’s hand. He’s right behind me as I grab ahold of his wrist. It’s cold; much like Mr. Monster’s heart. I hoist him up onto the cold concrete. He scrambles upward, his legs just missing the chomp of the white fangs. The beast growls, sinking back into the darkness.

Roland breathes heavily. “Thanks, sport. I can’t believe he just came on out! It’s not like him to do that!” he catches his breath.

“What was that thing?” I ask as he shuts the grate over the abyss.

“No one knows. The only thing we can make out is a huge dino-lookin’ creature.”

I nod, taking in his information. I grab like a blinded baby bird helplessly, trying to grab my bag of trays. My eyes widen. “Oh no.” I whisper.

“What is it, boy?”

“My bag! My bag of trays for the bakery! I left them at the bottom of the ladder down in-”

“Down there.” Roland points a finger to the secured tunnel. “You just gotta go an’ buy some more I’m afraid.”

“No I have to go down and get them! You know how important these are for the bakery and how little we already have!” I shout angrily at him. I brush past him, trying to pull open the sewer lid. A pair of hands pull me up from under my arms before gently tossing me aside.

“Listen to me boy.” his grasp is firm on my shoulder. “This is suicide. You go down there again, you die. End of story. I ain’t gonna walk on over to your house and tell your mom how you went. You got me?” I stare down at the white concrete, my freezing hands in my hoodie pockets. “I said you got me? You ain’t gonna die down in some hole because of a few tin trays. Let it go. Hear me?” I nod silently. “Good. Now, you go on home.” He releases my shoulder with a little push.

I make my way past the store and down through the alley to the back of our bakery. I slip inside the door as quietly as I can, making my way back up the steep and small wooden stairs. I unlock the front door with my necklace of keys, revealing a small kitchen, a table with two chairs, and a hallway with three doors engraved into the hallway’s walls.

No sight of mom. I should be safe.

I swiftly rush to my bedroom with the boards creaking below my every step. Rushing in and closing the door, I step behind it, breathing heavily.

“Gage? Are you home honey?”

I hear my mom’s voice coming from her bedroom. “Yeah, mom! One sec!” My heart starts pumping faster, trying to find an excuse to the absence of trays. Yes mom. A large monster in the sewer probably ate them while Roland and I were trying to not get eaten. I slowly creak open the door to find a curious mother standing before me in the narrow hallway. “Hey, mom.” I give a slight wave.

“Hi honey. Did you happen to pick up the trays like I asked?” her apron hangs below her, dusty with splotches of flour.

“Uh, not quite! You see…” I stamper. “Julius was out of them today. He said he’d get a new shipment in my this afternoon.”

My mother eyes me curiously before proceeding into a nod. “Gotcha, gotcha. Wanna help me roll out some fresh dough to make our peppermint cupcakes?”

“Sure.” I follow her into our quaint kitchen with the wooden countertops covered with flour, scraps of dough, and rolling pins. No trays are laid out. I proceed to grab a scrap and squish it between my palms. I then flatten the red-colored blob into a pancake before massaging it back into a cupcake-shaped structure. We proceed to add peppermint flakes inside the dough for extra flavor. After hours of making cupcake shapes, we step back to admire our progress. My mom sighs.

“It would’ve been nice to put these in the oven right away, but I guess I can pick some up tonight.”

“No!” she turns to me in confusion. “I can get them. Tomorrow morning. You know...they may not even arrive on schedule! Might as well save your energy!”

“Yes hun, I know. But the bakery’s Peppermint Poppers are scheduled to be in windows tomorrow, ready for customers to purchase. We can’t let our customers down ‘cause then if we do, our bakery could lose customers and money, and we don’t want that.”

“I know mom but pl-”

“Hun. No means no. I will go tonight and get the trays. You can stay here and watch the apartment while I’m gone.” I sigh and nod. “Okay. Now you go on and relax. You’ve had a busy day and I’m gonna start getting ready. Thank you for your help today Pumpkin.” She kisses me on my head and rubs my wavy, brown hair. Walking to my room, I flop down onto my plaid sheets, staring at the white popcorn ceiling. My lightbulb finally goes off after what felt like ages.

“Mom!” I call.

“Yes dear?”

“I forgot to mention, Roland wants to grab some pizza with you. I passed him today on 22nd and he told me to tell you. I immediately forgot ‘til now!”

“Wait, why would Roland tell you and not just call me?”

“He, uh, left his phone at home today before coming to work. He was on his way to stop by but came by me instead.”

“Hm. Okay. I’ll just wait here then.”

“No. He told me to tell you to meet him at Lombardi’s at eight.”

“If you insist. Stay here though until I get back. You now how the nights in this city can be.”

I give my mom a reassuring thumbs up. “Well, you’d better get going so you aren’t late! You know where I’ll be!” I say, gently pushing her towards the door.

“Okay honey, okay. Man, you must be so thrilled to have the apartment by yourself. I’ll be back soon, love you!”

“Love you too!” she then closes the door. I rush back into my room, put on my beanie and zip up my red, flour-stained hoodie. I peer out my window and see her walk through the back alley towards Lombardi’s. Keys around my neck, I rush out the door and down our stairwell, revealing the cold, polluted air. I run down the street and round the old corner to the sewers Roland and his workers are fixing. I bend underneath the yellow CAUTION tape, up for a week or so now since the incident and construction, and spot Roland overlooking some blueprints. “Roland! Roland!” He stares up, startled.

“What is it buddy?”

“I told my mom you’d meet her at Lombardi’s! I have something important I need to do! Please, you gotta go, right now!”

“Sport, I have a job to do. You know I can’t leave now. Ever since we lost my co-worker, it’s been hard without an extra hand. I’m so close to being bumped up in my position, too! I’m sorry, bud, but I can’t leave now.”

“Well, what if I said my mom would never speak to you again if you didn’t go. Plus I can just tell your boss you got really nauseous!”

“Hm. That could work. You know I could go for some pizza!”

“And time with Amy!” I smirk and laugh. Roland’s face turns red. “Come on, you make it so obvious!” I giggle.

“Alright sport. I’ll see you later.” he smiles and gives me a playful punch before walking away.

Once Roland has melted into the touristy crowd, I sprint to the hole, whose lid is slightly ajar. A hand firmly grasps my upper arm. “Hey, what’re you doin’ here kid?” the sewer maintenance worker asks.

“I’m, um, going to check on the pH level down there and to make sure no pipes are broken. I’m alongside Roland who just went down there. It’s, uh, bring your kid to work day for him.”

The worker stares at me for some time. “Alright. But I got my eyes on you.” He pushes me slightly away. I look to the hole and back up at him.

“Can I borrow your flashlight, please?” He sighs and hands me his flashlight. “Thanks.” I quietly and slowly descend down the rusty ladder. Shakily, I hop with a SPLASH into the murky shallow water. I shine my light right by the ladder. Crap! My bag’s gone. I then proceed to shine my flashlight around the walls and down the tunnel. Huh. No new scratch marks or indents. Maybe it moved? I slowly creep my way down the tunnel in the shadows. A ways down, I notice more indents. More scrapes along the stone wall. I shine my light straight ahead. My bag! My trays! The bakery will be saved! I rush over, splashing water around my wake. I lift up the soggy THANK YOU bag with joy. Yes! Finally! Suddenly, I feel a slow exhale behind me. The nape of my neck spawns chills. I turn around and shine the light on jet black scales, muscly torso, and citrine-like eyes stare down at me with their thin pupils. “Oh my god.” Cartilaginous wings unfold from their tense bend. “D-d-” It roars loudly, bits of concrete crumble from the ceiling. I sprint forward towards the ladder. The beast roars mightily, his feet splashing and thumping after me. I whirl around, nearing the ladder and throw the bag at him. He headbutts it against the wall, stalking after me. He growls deeply, looking into my brown eyes. He’s inching towards me now, talons scrape the cement as he edges closer to my fragile body. I press against the cold wall with my palms indenting into the stone and my head is raised. He’s closer now, about a taxi car length. I can see my reflection through his glossy, yellow eyes. My chest starts to lower. He exhales a long breath through his nostrils at me. Garbage. He’s been down here; eating garbage. I relax, lowering my chest. “Hey, Taxi. You’re eyes. This city. You must be called Taxi.” I smile and laugh to myself. The dragon settles his wings behind his back. “Can I have my trays, by the way?” I point to the soggy bag against the wall a few feet behind him. He looks at it, then at me, growling. I put my hands up, surrendering to him. Taxi whips around, trudging back to his dark abyss. My Converse run after him, latching onto the tip of his tail. “Wait!” Taxi turns his neck around. “You can’t stay here. Come with me. If you fold your wings in, we can get you out of here, through that hole!” I point to the faint light coming from the cracked lid. “I can get you real food. A real home. Just in time for Christmas. Please.”

Taxi looks down at me, then at the single beam of light. He walks away from the light; from me. He grabs my bag with his mouth and drops it into my cold hands. I look up at him, nodding. “Let’s get you out of here.” He takes the bag of trays, holding them in his mouth. “Let’s go home. You can sleep in my room.” He purrs as I hoist myself onto his scaley back. He starts crawling up the hole and into the city. The lights illuminate around us as snowflakes dance on Taxi’s scales, making him look like a speckled dragon. He roars as tourists and workers scream in terror, fleeing from the mighty reptile. His wings slowly unfold in the moment. “NOW!” I yell as Taxi lifts up into the air, zipping into the night. We climb up the tallest ‘scrapers in the city. Below us, people get out of their cars and millions of heads are on us. “Oh man!” I cheer, grasping firmly onto his collar bones. Thin layers of cloud poof past us as we level our altitude, gliding with the currents. I pat the side of his neck. “You’re amazing, Taxi. I’ll show you my place.” I then proceed to point at the roof of our brick building. He lands loudly and I slide off him. “You can sleep up here. No one ever comes up here. It’s ours so stop in the bakery whenever you want a treat, maybe a coffee. Oh!” I grab the bag he dropped on the ground. “I better get this to my mom before she comes home. See you tomorrow?” I pet Taxi some more, making him purr. He nuzzles his snout against my chest playfully. “See you tomorrow, buddy.” I steer myself on the steep roof, descending to the pipe on the wall of our apartment and bakery. I land in the alleyway and practically fly up the stairs. “Mom!” I call. I hear chatter coming from the alleyway. Without making a scene, I look from my bedroom window. I see my mom and Roland talking.

“I had a good time tonight.” Roland starts.

“I did too. Thank you for taking me for pizza. It was nice to get out and catch up.”

“Yeah.” Roland smiles shyly, looking down at the shiny concrete. Snow begins to dance around them. He looks up. “A-Amy...I-”

She grabs his tense hands and plants a soft kiss to his lips. They smile at one another. “Thank you for dinner tonight. I’ll see you in a few days for Christmas. My place, five P.M. Merry Christmas, Roland.”

“Merry Christmas Amy.”

They smile and part ways. My mom comes through the door a few minutes later. “Mom! I got the trays!” I hold up the damp bag.

“That’s great hun! Uh, why are they soaking wet?”

“Well...you see...funny story actually. So there’s this dragon, in a sewer. I almost got eaten by him, but don’t worry! He’s safe. I’m safe. He flew me home. You wanna meet him?”

My mother has an eyebrow raised in confusion. “Uh sure. Where’s this magical dragon you speak of?” She waves her hands around.

I grab her wrist. “Follow me!” I lead her up to the roof. Taxi perks up, wings flared. “Taxi! It’s okay. It’s my mom, Amy.”

“I’m sorry, Taxi?!”

“Yes, mom. Taxi, mom. Mom, Taxi.” Taxi smiles.

“Mom, he was in the sewers Roland was working on for awhile now. He’s been living down there, eating garbage. The least we can do is keep him safely up here for Christmas.” I lean in to whisper to my mom. “And he can spend Christmas with you, me, and Roland!”

“Okay, okay. Wait, Ro-How-”

“Thanks, mom!”

The next day, I give Taxi a Peppermint Popper he helped us make on the roof the night before. We have lights and a tree for Taxi with too many blankets. Roland came by and proposed to my mother on Christmas! Taxi and I were so happy, Taxi definitely shedded a tear that night. Taxi and I were Roland’s coolest best men at their wedding! The bakery is thriving and Taxi can finally fly through the Brooklyn Bridge! It took months to practice but we got it down!