Dragon's Nasty Trick

The window lights began to flicker and a totally different picture appeared.

"Hey! That is the front of my house!" declared Asia.

A child with brown, curly hair, wearing a pink blouse and blue jeans with fancy pink patches arrived at the door.

"That is my friend Brandy . . . and that's her mother!" Asia pointed to a woman arriving at the door who leaned down to straighten Brandy's collar and to give last minute instructions.

Again the scene changed. Asia found herself floating through the window back into the orange-red pillow chair. She was facing the fireplace as she had been when she fell asleep, her eyes resting upon the fairy tale picture hanging on the fireplace wall.

"Now I know who the princess is in that picture," said Asia aloud.

There was the fast thumping of someone coming down the stairs. It was Brandy. Asia already knew her five year old next door neighbor would be arriving and she could hardly wait to tell her about the cave stories and Grandmama.

The girls ran around the room, excited to see each other. Brandy, during the frolic and chatter, took a raggedy doll from the cabinet shelf that she wanted to play with. Asia ran over and jumped on the pillow chair eager to start talking about her adventures. Brandy sat next to her and placed the doll on her lap.

"I have a secret to tell you, Brandy," whispered Asia. "You must promise not to tell anybody."

"I will not tell anybody. I'm good at keeping secrets," said Brandy.

"I've been going to a different world," whispered Asia.

"Aha," whispered Brandy.

"There is a cave with dwarf writings on the wall that are stories like fairy tales only true."

"Aha," whispered Brandy.

"I sit on a raft on an underground river with an old woman who reads to me the stories," continued Asia.

"Aha," said Brandy.

"Why do you keep saying 'aha, aha, aha?'" snapped Asia angrily.

"Because I'm listening," said Brandy defensively. "My mother says that when she is listening to someone so they know she's listening."

"Well, say some other stuff besides 'aha'" demanded Asia.

"I don't have to!" shouted Brandy.

Asia did not want Brandy to shout because her mother would come down and scold her. Anyway, she needed somebody to talk to about her adventures.

"Okay, you can say 'aha' if you want."

Brandy was looking down at her doll feeling mopey and wanting to go home, but as Asia talked about the stories, she forgot her anger.

"Wow, a unicorn!" exclaimed Brandy. "I have a unicorn soft doll at home that's white with a yellow horn and blue eyes. Can I come with you on the raft?"

"I do not know, Brandy," said Asia. "It's very scary, and besides, I don't know how to get you there because you have to go to sleep to do it." Asia lifted her arms out and laughed.

"I know what we can do," said Brandy. "When you come over to my house and we go to sleep, we'll hold hands so wherever you go, I'll go!"

"Okay," said Asia. Asia and Brandy took out of the cabinet the unicorn collection that they played with until supper time. After supper, Asia packed her small suitcase with her nighty and clothing to wear the next day. They waited until Gene arrived and waving goodbye to Janet and Gene, they strolled across the field to Brandy's house.

That night Asia and Brandy held hands and tried to go to sleep. Brandy's mother thought something was wrong because usually when the two girls slept together they chattered and chattered. It was not until Rachel gave them a scolding or until they were exhausted that they would go to sleep.

"I cannot get to sleep," complained Brandy after what seemed like a very long time.

"Ssh!" said Asia. "Can't you see I was almost asleep?" However, she was having as difficult a time falling asleep as Brandy.

"Is there no other way to get there?" asked Brandy.

"I haven't found it yet and anyways, we can't go looking outside now can we?" said Asia. "I mean sure - we're going to sneak out the window and fall and bump our heads - sure! I mean sure - we're going to go through the spooky night and bump our heads against the trees - sure, sure!" Asia was making Brandy laugh. After much trouble, they stopped laughing and tried to go to sleep again.

Another very long time passed. Brandy's mother came into the room and asked "What are you two doing?"

"Nothing, mama," said Brandy in a frustrated voice. "We are trying to go to sleep!"

"Oh, well I'm sorry for interrupting you," said Rachel. Rachel held her hand over her mouth as if she were trying to keep from laughing and quietly left the room. There was silence for a moment and then Asia asked, "Doesn't your mother want us to go to sleep?"

"Yeah, but she thinks we are doing mischief because we are too quiet," said Brandy. Another moment of silence, and then Brandy asked, "Are we being mischievous?"

"I do not think so," replied Asia. She fell asleep wondering if it is mischievous to go into that other world without her mother knowing.

"Well, we have a guest I see," said Grandmama.

Brandy and Asia were sitting on the raft, their eyes getting accustomed to the eerie darkness of the cave. Brandy looked quickly about, at the cave walls, the raft, and the old woman sitting on the rocker. Her eyes began to shut and she drifted back into the window.

"She's going back to bed!" yelled Asia. "Brandy, don't go!" Brandy returned to her bed as Asia looked on in dismay, as the window lights and the image of her best friend flicked and faded away.

"It's all right, Asia," assured Grandmama. "She is too frightened to stay here. She'll be braver another time, you will see."

Asia did not speak for a moment. She was angry that Brandy did not stay with her.

"You know," spoke the gentle voice of the old woman, "not every child is as brave as you. I'm glad you do not drift away, back into the window lights, because I like your company."

Asia looked carefully into the dark emerald eyes of the old woman. "Do you get lonely when I am gone?" she asked.

"Yes . . . but there was a time when I was not lonely at all. There was my child, as you already know, but he has gone away a long time ago," said Grandmama.

"Where did he go?" asked Asia.

"I do not know," answered the old woman, "but for many years I have been waiting to find him."

"You mean 'trying to find him'," corrected Asia.

"No, 'waiting' to find him, but never mind this," said Grandmama. "If we talk too long, you will not hear the story written on the wall."

Asia looked at the flashing pictures and saw the 'lady of the spring' from the last story sitting against her favorite tree by the forest pool. Grandmama began reading, and as she did, the raft began to move.

"Sophia," began Grandmama, "was the name of the lovely maiden who sat by the waters resting herself against an old ash tree. She was the one the unicorn visited, and now another creature sat hidden behind some trees, scheming of the best way to approach her. He was the offspring of the Great Dragon that lived in a cave in the mountains. He was the baby dragon who fled to the mountains when Sylvan became King of the Fairies. The Great Dragon once carried off a maiden many years ago, but a hunter, riding on the back of a fast flying unicorn, defeated the dragon and saved the maiden. She had become crippled, only once leaving her cave, but her child was not crippled and was far more devious and mischievous than she. He knew everything of heaven and earth, and yet, sitting there among the trees, he had never heard the song Sophia sang. Like his mother before him, he longed to capture the one who sang the song and then to carry her away to his cave in the mountains. This time, however, he intended to keep her as a prisoner; to own her like a child owns a toy.

The Dragon changed himself to appear like a unicorn and, in this disguise, he trotted over to the feet of the maiden. Sophia was awestruck to see this unicorn step so boldly toward her. "How strange that this one is not shy," she thought. Yet her innocent heart did not see the trick, and she started singing a lovely song. The dragon, disguised as a unicorn, lay down at her feet and Sophia reached down to pet him. The dragon looked up into her eyes. This was unfortunate for Sophia because it is mortally fatal to look into the eye's of a dragon. 'I-I feel strange,' said Sophia, but she could not look away. A terrible dragon spell weaved its way into Sophia's mind.

There was a high whinnying sound and the earth trembled under the beating of hoofs. The dragon turned it's head and saw a great silvery-white unicorn stomping the ground in a raging fury. The dragon changed back to his true form, whipping his tail and spewing fire at the other creature that threatened to attack.

The unicorn was Kai. He had seen too late the dragon's trick. Now he came forward to battle the evil beast, to prevent the dragon from causing more harm to the maiden than he had already done.

It was a furious battle. Kai dodged the deadly storms of poisonous fumes that spilled from the dragon's mouth. He ran forward, thrusting his horn into the dragon's tough hide, attempting to find a weak area where he could lay the fatal blow. On and on they fought and the whole world knew, so great were the sounds coming out of the forest that day. But the dragon had more weapons than the unicorn; he would thrash his tail, tear with his claws and his teeth, spewing tongues of fire at the tiring unicorn. Still Kai would fight to his last breath, for such is the valor and courage of the proud and noble unicorn!

In the midst of the battle Kai felt a weight upon his back. He turned and saw a man whose hair seemed ablaze with a golden light! The man was the prince who now lifted the golden sword, given to him by his father, the King. 'Take heart, unicorn,' said the prince. 'This fight will soon be ours! '

The bewildered dragon withdrew a few steps, then lunged at the prince with outstretched claws, but the unicorn was just as swift. Kai jumped to the side as the prince swung his mighty sword wounding the dragon in his side. The dragon lunged again, roaring in raging fury, tongues of flame spewing from his jaws. Again Kai swiftly dodged the attack, flying up and then behind the terrible beast. The Prince swung his sword, clipping the dragon's tail, swung again, slicing into the dragon's hide.

The dragon wanted no more of this fight and fled into the trees. Kai wanted to chase him down but the Prince pulled upon his mane, commanding him to stay.

Then the Prince jumped from the unicorn's back to where the princess lay as if dead. He felt the warmth of her neck, the pulse of her heart, then he lifted her up, placing her onto the back of the unicorn.

"We must seek my brother, brave unicorn," said the Prince. "He has the magic to heal this maiden."

The Prince guided the unicorn through the forest to a meadowland, the land of the little people. There he hoped to find his brother and the medicine to cure the woman that he loved.