of excited children and, grabbing both by the arm, escorted Peter and Dan to the headmaster’s office.
The corridor seemed very long to Dan and he focused his attention on the door at the end, the headmaster’s office. Dan had heard tales of the headmaster with his sternness and the ability to make any child in his charge, crumble and cry. Dan had often heard shrieks coming from that office and lived in fear of ever entering it. Today was that day.
He looked across to Peter, who was walking by the side of him. Peter looked worried but not as worried as Dan did. It wasn’t Peter’s first time to be summoned to the headmaster’s office so he knew roughly what to expect. Even so, he didn’t relish the idea of another visit! They stopped outside the door. Simon knocked and a commanding voice called out and summoned them inside. Dan gulped deeply and stepped cautiously inside.
“I don’t approve of violence at my school. Care to explain what was going on?”
Mr. Entwistle the headmaster looked at each pupil in turn, waiting for a response from either.
“Dan says he saw a dragon in the woods sir, but he’s a liar. Dan is a big fat liar!”
“Am not”, retorted Dan who was quickly silenced by a slight glance from the headmaster.
Mr. Entwistle walked over to his desk and picked up an old cane he had lying there.
“In my day this is what you two would have got”, said Mr. Entwhistle grimly, tapping each boy lightly on the head with the cane. Both boys gulped in fear and immediately apologised and vowed never to fight again.
“I think you understand”, smiled the headmaster.
“However, I think I need to set an example with you two! Detention, every lunchtime this week, that should give you time to remember that fighting is completely unacceptable”.
Dan just stood, looking at the wooden cane in the headmaster’s hand and, although detention was pretty bad news, thanked the stars that it wasn’t anything more serious!
“Would you be kind enough to escort both boys to their next lesson Simon?”
Simon nodded and ushered both boys out of the office. “A dragon you say?” Dan said nothing but just looked solemnly at the floor, remembering the dragon’s words.
“Probably a badger I reckon, they are pretty dangerous if disturbed. Stay away from those woods Dan, just stay away”
Simon studied Dan for a few seconds before striding off to the shed at the back of the school playing fields. Dan paused for a moment still feeling those piercing blue eyes of the grounds-man staring at him, even though he had long since departed. Dan shuddered, then, entered his class where he was duly told off for being late. It just wasn’t Dan’s day he reckoned!
THE PITS!
An owl hooted as it swooped long and low over the fields looking for its supper. The moon was out fully but a few scurrying clouds meant that the light kept flicking on and off like some faulty light bulb. The man paused to wipe the sweat off his brow with the back of his sleeve and arched his back to relieve the pain. He had been digging for a good hour now!
The pit was roughly rectangular and seemed to go down an awfully long way. It went down so far in fact that the man had even brought a ladder to get out from its depths. Job done he then proceeded to cover the opening with branches and leaves. It was just weak enough to give way, if stepped on. It hadn’t been too difficult to find the dragons tracks and he guessed the dragon’s home wasn’t too far away.
The man crouched instinctively as a scurrying sound could be heard to his left. A rabbit appeared twitching his nose and sensing he wasn’t alone, ran off into the darkness. The man gathered his tools together before setting off the way he had come, trying to keep to the shadows. Suddenly, the moon appeared, bathing the area with cool, pale, moonlight. All that could be seen of the man was his piercing blue eyes!
HUNGRY
The dragon stood, sniffing the night air. A familiar smell wafted to its nostrils and froze the dragon to the spot. Human! And it wasn’t just any human. It was the same one that had been hanging around over the last few days. Not the boy though. No, the boy was common in the woods and posed no threat to him. This was someone else, someone dangerous. The smell was faint so the dragon knew it was safe to explore the wood. Hunger had driven the dragon out of its hole and hunger would lead the dragon into trouble!
Dragons eat various things, from rodents to berries. This dragon preferred leaves, berries, in fact most fruits and vegetation, typical for a tree dragon. After munching on various leaves within the wood, the dragon wandered back into the clearing. On the far side of the clearing it spied its favourite…. Blackberries!
Now dragons are usually cautious creatures that weigh each situation up as they arise. The fact that there were piles of blackberries should have alerted the dragon to danger but it was hungry and they smelt fantastic. Without any thought, the dragon bounded over to the big piles of forest fruits, and fell! One minute it was running through the clearing, the next it was tumbling down, down, down. It was as if the ground had opened up and swallowed the dragon.
Landing with a bump the dragon howled in pain, and then slowly got to its feet. Trapped! It began to jump up, clawing at the sides of the pit, trying to climb out. Again and again it tried but each time with no success. The dragon felt such a fool. An obvious human trap had caught it off guard. It was only a matter of time before discovery and then? Who knew! Higher and higher it jumped but to no avail. It was no use. The dragon needed a miracle to get out of this one. It sat with its head in its claws, and waited.
TRAPPED!
Dan stood at the edge of the clearing and strained his ears, waiting for the noise. There it was again! It was a scrabbling sound. It seemed to be coming from the middle of the clearing. It sounded as if something was being dragged down against the earth. Every time Dan had heard the sound, it was followed by a thud and then a whimpering sound. Was it an animal? Was it an animal in trouble perhaps?
Dan entered the clearing and edged stealthily forwards toward the sound. He could see a hole in the earthy floor of the clearing. The sound was coming from within!
Cautiously, Dan stepped to the edge of the hole. Dan looked down, the dragon looked up. The sides of the pit were scored with marks where the dragon had attempted to claw its way up and out of its temporary prison. One of the dragon’s claws was stuck in the wall of the pit. Dan noticed the dragon gingerly holding one paw. The dragon was in trouble.
“Help me... Please”, the dragon let out a whimper, its large yellow eyes looking up at Dan. Dan reached down and, with the dragon stretching up, managed to grab hold of its paw. Dan pulled and pulled but succeeded in almost pulling himself in as well!
“No good, you’re too heavy!”
The dragon looked desperately up at Dan.
“What happened?” inquired Dan, wondering how on earth the dragon had ended up in this predicament.
“I fell. A man has been looking for me over the past three days. I thought I had got rid of him but last night... Last night I dropped my guard and fell. I have been trying to get out ever since.”
The dragon was beginning to sound desperate and Dan knew it was only a matter of time before the man returned. Then Dan noticed a log lying in the clearing and had an idea.
“Hold on dragon, if I can push that log in to the pit, you can climb out!”
Before the dragon had time to answer, Dan had disappeared. The dragon felt alone once more.
The log was heavy and try as Dan might he only succeeded in moving the log a few feet at a time. Dan paused to get his breath when all of a sudden Dan heard footsteps crashing through the forest. Instinctively, Dan crouched behind the log and peered through the crack between the log and the earthy floor. When the man reached the edge of the pit, Dan could see his face. It was Simon! Dan felt relieved and was about to stand up and ask for help, when Simon spoke.
“I knew I would get you! You kind are all the same. Stupid and clumsy! Granted, you were once rulers of this world but time has seen you crumble and fall. I come from
a long line of dragon hunters. Generation after generation has defended the land from you. Who would have thought I would catch one, practically on my own doorstep!”
“Just let me go, I don’t harm anyone, never have and I promise I never will”
The dragon sobbed uncontrollably, fear running through his scales. He had heard of dragon hunters all right. The only living creature the dragon feared.
“You may not have hurt anyone, but you could, couldn’t you? Don’t worry; you will be of use to me. Dragon bones have so many uses!”
The dragon hunter’s eyes gleamed wickedly, shiny blue light that froze the dragon deathly still. Turning, Simon walked away calling out as he went.
“Don’t go anywhere dragon, my tools are in the car. Five minutes dragon, spend them wisely!”
With that Simon was gone. Dan stood up then ran to the pit.
“Dragon, I know him, he works at my school!!”
The dragon looked up into Dan’s eyes.
“Go, my friend. You cannot help me now!”
A HELPING HAND
“Hold on, I’m not giving up yet”, shouted Dan who sped back to the log and pulled and pushed with all his might. Any minute now Simon would return. He would return with all manner of instruments to kill the dragon. Dan pushed and inched the log closer, and closer, and closer. Sweat poured off Dan as he heaved the log toward the pit. Then a noise sounded through the clearing. There was