by Jenny Kingsford‘I think I’ve got it!’ Zac slammed his hand on the wooden table. ‘I know how to tame the Dragon.’
A fellow member of the Knights of the Square Table, Ben groaned. ‘Not again. Every time we try we end up in trouble. Last time it was the Scream of The Banshees and the Dragon roared louder than ever. I nearly pooped my pants.’
Dallin, another Knight, laughed. He waved his hand under his nose. ‘What do you mean nearly?’
Ben’s green eyes narrowed.
‘Only kidding,’ Dallin said. ‘So what’s your grand idea this time? I hope it’s better than offering up Nut Treasures. The Dragon puffed up like a giant blueberry.’
Zac frowned. ‘Okay, not my finest idea. But if we don’t get this Dragon tamed soon, we are all in for a miserable year.’
Ben and Dallin nodded their heads.
‘Yeah, did you see what happened to Liam yesterday? The Dragon had him pinned against the wall. I thought it was going to rip him apart with those talons, ’Dallin said.
They all shuddered at the thought of those ruby- red talons digging into their delicate flesh.
‘So, what’s the plan? Frontal attack? Gather more forces? Appeal to a higher Dragon?’ Ben asked.
Zac shook his blond curls. ‘No, higher Dragons always back other Dragons, no matter how mean they are. This time we are going to use stealth.’
‘Stealth?’ they asked in unison.
‘Yes. We are going to gather up all of our forces, creep in to the Dragon’s lair and be as quiet as a cockroach until we get the treasure. That’s how we’ll tame the Dragon.’
Dallin looked doubtful. ‘No way that’ll work.’
‘When we did the Scream of the Banshees, the Dragon screwed its eyes up and frowned. Then it came at us spewing fire. I think the noise hurts its head and makes it even angrier.’
Zac tugged Ben’s arm. ‘Okay, we’ll try it,’ Ben agreed.
‘Great! I’ll send our messengers out.’ Zac leaped up and set off among the trees.
Ben hesitated at the entrance of the lair, his freckles standing out like a speckles on a chook egg. Zac put a finger to his lips and led them all in. They huddled silently on the ground.
The Dragon unfolded its giant body and waddled closer to Zac. He gulped and stayed as still as a stalking cat.
The Dragon bared its fangs.
Zac gasped as the Dragon pelted things at them.
Ben and Dallin ducked but Zac flung out his hand. In his palm were sparkling gold coins. He sighed with relief. The Dragon was throwing its treasure. The Knights cheered and the Dragon almost smiled.
Dallin licked the sticky chocolate from his fingers, his gold coin feast now over.
Ben grinned. ‘Ah. I get it now. We had to be quiet so she didn’t get a headache.’
Zac crumpled his gold wrappers. ‘I guess Mrs Smith’s not such a bad teacher after all.’
Jenny Kingsford lives in the Blue Mountains where she is currently working hard on her debut novel. She enjoys writing, reading and delving into people’s secrets (which is okay because as a psychologist she is good at keeping secrets safe). Jenny wrote this story for her reluctant- reader son, Zac.
KBR Short Stories are a way to get your work ‘out there’—and to delight our KBR readers. Stories are set to a monthly theme and entries are due in the 25th of each month. Find out more here.
