Elmer and the Dragon (6 page)

Chapter Nine

FAREWELL

"I think I ought to be getting home," said Elmer the next morning as he ate the last ten tangerines. "How do you feel, Dragon?"

"Fine! Why, I could fly to the moon and back." "Good," said Elmer, "because I think today is my father's birthday." He looked at the plates and the pots and the cups and the silverware and the bags of seed spread all over the pine needles and asked, "King, what shall we do with your part of the treasure?"

"Dear, dear," said the King. "Well, we can plant the seeds, but I guess we ought to put the rest back in the chest. But my gold! I must have my gold!"

"I insist upon at least one silver spoon," cheeped the Queen.

"Then I'll save out the seeds and a spoon and three pieces of gold," suggested Elmer, who was anxious to be off.

"Better make it five pieces of gold," said the King. "I really ought to give one to Flute."

Elmer packed the chest and gave the key back to the King. "Shall we bury it again?" he asked.

"I suppose so," said the King with tears in his eyes. "I hate to think of it way down there, but at least it will be safe from robbers. But never mind about putting back the dirt. We can do that ourselves."

So the dragon carefully lowered the chest into the hole while Elmer put away the shovel. Then Elmer packed his knapsack with the three bags of gold and the sterling silver harmonica, carefully wrapping the harmonica in the burlap bag left over from the rescue.

"Good-bye, everybody, and thanks for a wonderful visit," he shouted to all the canaries. "You can count on me. I'll never tell your secret to a soul."

"Good-bye, Elmer, and thanks again," said the King, who was already busy giving orders to the other canaries about filling up the hole.

Flute rode on Elmer's shoulder as he and the dragon walked back to the cliff. "Good-bye, Elmer. Please give my best to your mother. She really was awfully good to me, you know."

"I will, Flute, and good-bye," said Elmer, wondering if he didn't have some little thing to give Flute. He looked once more in his knapsack and found that he still had three sticks of chewing gum and half a package of rubber bands. "I don't suppose you'd like to have these?" he asked.

"I'd love them," said Flute. "I'll keep them with my gold piece, and I'll be even richer than the King because I'll keep my treasure where I can see it every day."

Flute told Elmer and the dragon the best way to fly to Nevergreen City, and then Elmer hopped aboard, waving farewell to Flute and Feather Island.

Chapter Ten

ELMER FLIES HOME

They flew and flew, the dragon trying hard not to look at, or think about, the wet, wet ocean. Elmer sat watching their shadow rippling over the waves beneath them, feeling washed by the cool morning breeze. The dragon was strong and well rested, being nicely stuffed with skunk cabbages and ostrich ferns, and they hadn't stopped once when he shouted towards evening, "I think I see land ahead!"

"So do I, and I think it's the coast of Popsicornia," yelled Elmer. "Yes, I'm sure it is. There's Firefly Lighthouse. It won't be long now. It's just a few miles up the coast from here."

"Where shall I land when we get there?" asked the dragon. "Now that I'm free I should hate to be put in a zoo or a circus or something."

"Well, it'll be dark soon. I think you could land on a wharf without attracting attention. Of course, we'll have to be quiet."

They flew up the coast, passing the lighthouse and the Village of Fruitoria and the Town of Custard, and finally came to the outskirts of Nevergreen City.

"There it is!" cried Elmer. "See, that dark patch is Evergreen Park. I live just across the street. Could you land on that long wharf just ahead?"

"I think so," said the dragon, "but I do hope nobody sees me." He circled lower and lower and landed gently on the end of the wharf. Elmer slid off and whispered, "Gosh, it was fun knowing you. I'm going to miss you and flying and everything, and thanks so much for bringing me home."

"It was fun, wasn't it," sniffled the dragon, "and I'll never forget how you came all the way to Wild Island just to rescue me. By the way, Elmer, I really think you ought to have this beautiful gold watch and chain. I can't see it on me, and anyway, I don't even know how to tell time."

"Are you sure? I could give it to my mother. But haven't I got something you'd like to trade it for?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, I was wondering if you still had some of those delicious pink lollipops."

"I have four left over," said Elmer, getting them out and taking off the wrappers. "Would you like all four at once?"

"Yes," said the dragon.

They stood there quietly in the dark, the dragon sucking four pink lollipops, and Elmer whispered, "Where will you go from here?"

"I'll go to find my family in the great high mountains of Blueland," said the dragon, thinking of his six sisters and seven brothers and his gigantic mother and father.

"I'd like to go there too, someday," said Elmer.

"Well, maybe you will, but listen—I hear voices." "Men coming down the wharf! Quick, you'd better hurry! Good-bye, dear Dragon."

The dragon flew up into the darkness just as two watchmen thumped by to make their rounds. Elmer hid behind a crate and heard one say, "Funny, I was sure I heard voices, and I know I heard something big flying just over our heads."

"Look! Four lollipop wrappers!" said the other watchman, who had been searching the wharf with a lantern.

"Hmm," said the first watchman, and then they walked back down the wharf. Elmer followed them at a distance, and while they were telling another watch man about the lollipop wrappers he ran as fast as he could, through the streets, through Evergreen Park,

all the way home. He leaped up the porch steps three at a time yelling, "Mother, Daddy, I'm home! Happy Birthday!"

Mr. and Mrs. Elevator rushed to the door and threw their arms around Elmer. "Oh, Elmer, how glad we are to see you! You don't know how worried we've been these past two weeks. Where on earth did you go?"