I didn’t get this far in life by playing it safe, you think. You close your eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. Then, you turn the corner, and begin sprinting toward the Capitol building. Other than a few people running, you see nothing out of the ordinary.

You cross Capitol Avenue and are approaching the Capitol lawn when you see something impossible. The dome of the Capitol building is being clutched by a giant animal talon. You blink and shake your head, trying to focus the image into something that makes more sense. Surely it’s an optical illusion, or perhaps some unusual scaffolding. But then the giant talon moves, and you watch in horror as a great scaly animal head peeks out from behind the building, its black glossy eyes peering across the lawn, tracking each tiny human darting across its field of vision. Soon it reveals its teeth, and appears to be smiling at the fear and chaos it has caused.

The creature lifts its head upward, makes a triumphant growl, and spews a stream of orange fire into the sky.

A dragon.

You find yourself both terrified and awestruck. You are vaguely aware of people running past you, of honking horns and squealing tires, and a far-off siren. Somewhere deep inside, you know you need to get out of here. But instead, you’re stunned into inaction by the magnitude of the situation. Fear of making the wrong move has left you unable to move at all.

As if sensing weakness, the dragon turns its head to you. You catch a glimpse of wings, and a forked tail, as you regard each other. Its body is still largely covered by the Capitol building, but its muscles are tensing, like a tiger ready to pounce.

Do you:

Stand your ground and challenge the dragon.

Or:

Run south down Capitol Avenue.

Or:

Run east back toward Washington Square.