Elmer and the Dragon (3 page)

"But Elmer, I can't! I can't move. Oh, Elmer, I hurt all over." The dragon grunted and groaned and strained and struggled but he was too stiff to move at all. "Elmer, do you really see dry land, not far off?"

"Nice near dry green land, and the water's shallow all the way. Are you sure you can't move?"

"I'll try again. How stupid! I can't even see the land after waiting here for it all night long in the soaking wet water," complained the dragon, glaring at the miles of ocean before him, which was all he could see.

Elmer walked around to the dragons head and pretended not to notice that he was crying.

"Elmer, I guess I'm not much of a dragon. A little storm comes along and forces me down, and I stand in a little water for a little while and it makes me so stiff that I can't move a single muscle."

"That's not at all true," said Elmer. "It was a big storm, and you stood in a lot of cold water for a very long time, and besides, you're only a baby dragon and you're not used to flying long distances. And just as soon as the sun dries you off, you'll be unstiff again. Have another lollipop."

"Thanks, Elmer."

"But you'd better get unstiff pretty quick because the tide will come in and you'll be up to your stomach in water again."

"No, no," whimpered the dragon.

"Well, I'll hang on your neck and see if it will bend," suggested Elmer. He jumped up and caught the dragon's neck. He dangled for a moment and then both he and the neck thumped down on the sand.

"Ouch!" groaned Elmer and the dragon.

"Now, can you see the island between your legs?"

The dragon carefully curled his head under to look, and then he shouted, "I see it now, Elmer! It's really there. What a lovely little dry island! Now help me limber up my right front leg."

Elmer pulled very hard on the dragon's right front leg until it would bend. Then he worked on the left back leg, and the left front leg, and the right back leg, and started all over again with the right front leg. At last the dragon could turn around and walk. By now it was hot, and steam rose up all along the dragons back as the sun beat down on his water-soaked wings.

Elmer started for the island and the dragon hobbled slowly behind. They went along the sand bar as far as they could and then waded into the shallow water. Elmer was still wearing his black rubber boots, but the dragon muttered, "I hate oceans!" as he splashed along stiff-leggedly.

Finally they came to the pebbly beach of the tiny island. Above them rose a cliff, and green vines hung over the edge, making a pool of shade. Elmer and the dragon sat down and ate fifteen tangerines, leaving forty-three more in the knapsack. "I wonder who lives on this island," said Elmer, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I think that's a path over there. Come on, let's go exploring."

"I'm afraid I'll have to rest a while longer," said the dragon. "My wings are still wet and heavy, and I'm awfully hungry. Tangerine peels don't really fill me up, and I'm terribly thirsty, and maybe I'm going to faint."

"Then you rest here in the shade while I go to look for food and water," said Elmer as he picked up his knapsack and went off to follow the little path.

Chapter Four

THE ISLAND

The path wound between boulders on the beach and then rose steeply through a crack in the cliff. Elmer scrambled up, bracing himself between the rock walls until he could find the next toehold. Just as he thought he could go no farther he found an old log ladder going straight up to the top of the cliff. "Somebody must live here," he thought as he climbed up the last rung and sat down. All around him rose beautiful tall pine trees standing in rows, and he said, "Trees don't grow in rows all by themselves. These pines were planted here by somebody a long time ago."

Elmer ate four more tangerines, and then started through the pines to look for food and water. At last he came out onto a sloping meadow. He saw a brook winding its way down the slope and he ran to take a long cool drink.

"The dragon will be happy to see this," he thought. "But I do wish I'd find somebody to tell us where we are and how to get home." He followed the brook up the slope into an old, old apple orchard. Some of the trees had rotted down to stumps, but they had been planted in rows, too. Elmer didn't see anybody anywhere, so he followed the brook back down the slope to a place where it made a pool of clear, cold water. He stooped down for another drink and found an old wooden bucket carved out of the trunk of a tree. "This bucket hasn't been used for many years," he thought as he scraped off the moss and weeds. "Maybe nobody lives here anymore."

Elmer left the bucket beside the pool and followed the brook through ferns and bushes until it turned into a swamp."Skunk cabbages and ostrich ferns all over the place!" yelled Elmer, who was worried about the hungry, thirsty baby dragon. He quickly pulled up six skunk cabbages and ran back through the bushes to the pool. He dipped the bucket half full, threw in the cabbages, and hurried through the meadow to the pines and the dragon.

He knew he couldn't go down the ladder with the bucket, so he crawled to the edge of the cliff and peered through the vines. There was the wilted baby dragon, snoring in the shade.

"Dragon! Dragon! Wake up! I've got water and skunk cabbages for you!"

The dragon slowly opened one eye and looked up at Elmer. Then he quickly opened the other and said, "Where?"

"Right here in a bucket. But I can't bring it down to you. You'll have to let me pour the water down your throat. Ready?"

"Ready," said the dragon, tipping back his head.

Elmer aimed and poured and the dragon drank. Then Elmer threw down the cabbages one by one, and the dragon caught each cabbage in the air, laughing and crying at the same time because he was so happy and hungry and thirsty.

"That's all," said Elmer, "but there's lots more up on the island, and ostrich ferns, too. Can you fly up now?"

"Ostrich ferns! I'd better be able to fly," said the dragon, stiffly flapping his gold-colored wings. He hobbled along the beach, gave a. little jump, and fluttered up to the top of the cliff. "I'm not the dragon I used to be," he panted, "but I'll get you home yet, Elmer. Don't you worry about that."

"Oh, I know you will. I'm not the least bit worried," said Elmer, although he had secretly hoped to find people on the island, and a boat going home, and all sorts of good things to eat.

Chapter Five

FLUTE, THE CANARY

Elmer and the dragon rested awhile on top of the cliff, watching the waves spreading out over the sand bar. Suddenly a little voice chirped, "You're Elmer Elevator, aren't you?"

Elmer was too startled to answer.

"Aren't you? Of course, it has been three years, and people do change."

Elmer looked all around but he couldn't see anybody. "Yes, I'm Elmer, but who and where are you?" he asked.

"Look up in the tree above you. It's me, Flute."

Elmer and the dragon looked up and there he was, Flute the canary—funny little Flute with two black eyebrows and one black feather in each wing.

"Oh, Flute! How glad I am to see you. But how did you get here?"

"I flew here the day you let me out of my cage when your mother went to answer the doorbell. This is where all the escaped canaries live—Feather Island, we call it. But what on earth are you doing here?"

"Well, I just rescued this baby dragon, and he was flying me home, only we got caught in a storm and landed here instead. And now he's got to rest and get plenty of food and water before we can go on."

"Does he eat canaries?"

"I should say not!" snorted the dragon. "Only fruits and vegetables and lollipops."

"That's a relief," said Flute. "I almost didn't talk to you because the rest of the canaries were afraid. I'll just tell them everything's all right," and Flute trilled loudly in every direction. Soon canaries were chirping all over the island, and the pine trees rustled with fluttering wings.

"Let's go eat," said the dragon, who was bored and still hungry and thirsty. So Flute flew down and rode on Elmer's shoulder as they walked through the pines.

"Tell me, Flute, do people live on this island?" asked Elmer.

"No. Just canaries."

"That's what I thought. Well, how have you been getting along without my mother? She's never stopped worrying about you."

"Quite well, thank you," said Flute, "but I'm beginning to suffer from the island disease."

"What's that?"

"I know it sounds silly, but the whole island is sick with curiosity, and old King Can is actually dying of it."

"Who's King Can?" asked the dragon, becoming somewhat interested.

"He's the king of the canaries. He's really King Can XI. His ancestors, King and Queen Can I, were the first canaries to live on the island. They came with a party of settlers. But the settlers sailed away after a month or two, and they left King Can and his wife behind."