Part One - The Amuse Bouche

The Dragon opens as a darkly comic fable.

Alice, a journalist-turned-reluctant corporate spouse, and her husband George, an idealistic environmental consultant, find themselves drawn into the orbit of K, the dragon at the heart of Komodo Industries.

K is no metaphor: he is a literal, coal-chomping, fire-belching dragon in a suit, whose real power lies in his ability to cast a spell of glamour, wealth and status over those around him.

George falls under K's influence, climbing the corporate ladder while Alice digs deeper into Komodo's catastrophic environmental malpractice.

As George's transformation into a compliant corporate drone accelerates, Alice, inspired by their daughter Evie's love of The Brave Little Hummingbird, begins her own quiet resistance.

Eventually, George awakens to what he has become, breaks free of the dragon's spell, and both he and K are forced to confront the consequences of their choices. The story ends not with a dramatic battle, but something more radical: personal responsibility.