Mel Crout page 2

© Mel Crout 2006

Puff the magic dragon

In the cold cold wastes of Antarctica where only penguins and a very few seals live, the wind as usual is howling a sad woeful lament. But deep under the ice was a warm and cosy cave. The cave is bathed in an orange glow. The warmth is coming from a small volcanic vent in the corner. The orange glow is coming from all the gold lying on the floor. It really was a nice warm comfy cave. Back on the ice on the surface, as far as the eye can see, there is a vast nothingness. Antarctica is a barren place. One lone seal is sitting at the edge of the ice. It looks out to sea and there it notices a small pinprick on the horizon. The seal watches and keeps very still. If it could voice its feelings, they would be dread words indeed. As man is on the move again. Back in the warm comfy cave a snuffling can be heard and then a deep yawn. Then the smacking of lips and the clicking of tired stiff bones.

One wall of the cave heaves and as if by magic a face appears. The face is covered in grey green scales. They are shimmering in the orange light. The face also has deep brown eyes and a smirking mouth. The mouth opens in a huge yawn. Inside can be seen the biggest teeth on any animal known to man. It begins to stand and as it does its form becomes clear. It’s a huge, dusty, gigantic dragon. As the dragon looks round its cave, its warm brown eyes are shining with tears. Then the great head looks down at the floor and there covered in dust are the scales from a life almost forgotten. A face swims into the great dragons mind. It’s a young fresh-faced laughing boy. A sigh begins in the dragon’s chest and big tears begin to fall down its old scaly face. Why, it thinks, did I have to fall? I miss my painted wings and giant rings. It heaves itself up onto its great-clawed paws, stretches again and then curls up to sleep once more. The dragon’s last thought before it drops off is of a fresh-faced boy, perched on the dragon’s very own gigantic tail. The boy is shouting a happy hello to noble kings and princes. The seal is still silently watching. The dot has turned into a vast Antarctic icebreaker. The seal has seen enough and slips into the cold icy sea as the icebreaker drops anchor in the bay. Voices can now be heard onboard. A small boat is being lowered down the side of the ship and on board is Dr Lu Cannon and his daughter Lee. The two of them are in Antarctica to study penguins-feeding habits. It has taken them a long time to get permission to come, as this part of Antarctica is disputed territory. Dr Lu is very keen to get things set up but his daughter would rather be anywhere than here. She is 15 years old and hates the cold. Since her mother died she has been dragged from “pillar to post” by her father and his job. God, she thinks. I really hate green freaks. She looks at her father with disgust. He winks at her as the boat runs aground on the ice.  Dr Lu says in a jovial voice. “Right, we need to get set up before it gets dark. It’s going to be a cold one.” “Yes dad, I know.” In no time at all the camp was set. They were sitting eating army rations in the bigger of the tents. “I think we should have an early night tonight Lee, we have a busy day tomorrow.” Lee resigns herself as she climbs into her sleeping bag, to a sleepless night listening to her dad snoring. Darkness never fell that night in Antarctica and poor Lee, she never slept a wink. The next morning after a cold night, Lee and her dad Dr Lu had a meagre breakfast. When they were finished they set out to study the penguins. They walked around the bay and at the very tip of the headland they found the colony. Dr Lu was very excited and bumbled around taking snaps. It was left to Lee to set up the other camera equipment. For goodness sake, she thought, it’s always the same. He runs around like a kid and I’m left doing the job of an intern. She looked over at him and said, “Ok Dad, I’m going back to camp now. I’ve had enough, I’m freezing.”

On her way back she was humming to herself. It was a sad lonely tune that her mother used to sing to her when she was small. She stopped and looked back at her father and there he was. He was slipping and sliding about on the ice like some kind of mad scientist. Lee was about to turn and go back to camp when up on the icy cliff to her right she heard a rumbling sound. She looked round just in time to see the end of a small avalanche. As she watched a cave mouth became visible and to her astonishment there was a soft, warm orange glow coming from inside. She looked back at her dad, then up at the cave and a strange feeling came over her. Lee new it was not a good idea to go wandering off in such a dangerous environment. But the cave seemed to be calling to her. She had one more look at her dad and then set off up to the cave. It was not a long climb but Lee was puffed out when she got there. She stopped at the mouth of the cave to catch her breath and that’s when she heard it. The sound was like nothing she had ever heard before. If she had to describe it, she would have said it was a deep soft growling. The noise was not that of any animal she had heard before. So very slowly and quietly she tiptoed into the cave. The noise was slowly getting louder as she went down into the orange gloom. Lee was beginning to wish she did not have so many layers of clothes on as it was so warm. So she began to take off her jacket as she rounded a bend. She stopped with the zip half way down because there just below her, was a wondrous sight. The cave opened out into a larger cavern and there in the middle of it lying on a small hillock of gold and jewels was a grey- green dragon. Lee could not believe her eyes and as she watched the dragon stirred in its sleep. Lee was sure she heard a voice, she looked around but she was the only person there. She blinked and started to walk down the small path towards the dragon. She was fascinated by what she saw. In her head she was arguing with herself, one side was telling her she was seeing things. The other side was telling her yes, yessssss this was real. She walked up to the dragon who was still sleeping and touched it on its rump. Its scales were warm and hard to the touch, but as she rubbed them they felt as smooth as silk. She was unaware that the soft growling had stopped. She also did not notice that one eye on the dragon’s great head was open. A deep brown eye was watching her. Lee was fascinated by the feel of dragon hide under her hand, so when a deep, soft growling voice said, “Welcome child, to the land of Honah Lee.” She jumped 2 feet in the air and fell backwards on to her bum. She scrabbled to stand but as she was trying the dragon stood stiffly, stretched out its hind legs and bowed down to look at her closer.

“Well, it’s been a long time since anyone has come into my cave. I thought this land had been deserted long ago.” Lee was astonished not only had she found a dragon but it was actually talking to her. She got to her feet. And the dragon asked.  You are human, are you not? “Yes”, Lee squeaked. “Well, I think its time for formal introductions then. Don’t you?” “Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Lee and I’m very pleased to meet you sir.” “Gooood. Well now Lee, my name is Puff and I’m very pleased to meet you too.” Lee could not believe her ears and asked. “Do you mean you are Puff the magic Dragon?” “Well, yes, and as I said before welcome to Honah Lee.” “You mean Puff the magic dragon who lived by the sea?” “ Yes and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee. That’s right, that’s me and this is Honha Lee.” Lee looked round the smallish cave and said, “I always thought Honah Lee would have been bigger.” “Oh, it is, this is just the land entrance. The city was only really accessible by air. But then the ice came and all had to flee. Would you like to look round the city?” “Yes, I would like that very much thank you.” Lee looked up at Puff and saw that he was very, very old. There were deep wrinkles round his eyes. When he turned to lead the way she saw, that one of them had the white- misty colour of a cataract. He took her up to the back of the cave. Lee thought that maybe he was going a bit senile as well as blind. As they got closer to the wall of the cave, it began to warp and then to disperse all together.

It was like someone switching off a light bulb. When they stepped through the wide doorway. Lee’s breath caught in her throat. The sight she saw was unbelievable. “There child. That is Honah Lee.” In front of them was a huge gateway. It must have been about three hundred feet high and on ether side of the huge silver gate, sat two enormous stone dragons. Puff and Lee slowly walked towards the closed gate; it dwarfed the two of them. Lee thought it was not going to open but Puff said a word in a language she did not understand. Then the huge gate swung silently open. Another breath caught in Lee’s throat because the city was not the medieval city she expected. There before her was an almost space age city. The buildings where as blinding white as the snow on the surface of Antarctica. As they walked, Lee followed the lines of the buildings up; she saw the unmistakeable blue colour of ice. She looked at Puff and asked. “I don’t understand. Why did the people have to go?” Puff looked down at her with a tear in his milky eye. “They had to leave because access to the sky was compromised. The bigger of my kind could not fly and as you would expect dragons that are skypoor will not survive long. We need the sky to breed. So it was in the best interest for all, that another land was found.” “ That must be why here on earth we have the myth of the dragon. But where did they all go to Puff, and why are you still here?” “Ah, now that is a question. I’m not sure how it works, as I was never good at studying. I was more of a explorer than I was an academic. As far as I know they made a door way to another world. The reason they never flew away is because the ice you see blocking the sky here in Honah Lee. Well it only took two weeks to form. The scientists called it a global freeze, they said something about the magnetic polls reversing and that was supposed to be the cause.” Lee looked at Puff a bit mystified. “I said I was not a scientist. So anyway, they built this doorway and they went through it. I was left here to steer stragglers through. I was not the only explorer in this land. A lot of humans and their dragons had to be given time to come home. That’s when we dug the access way to the beach. You know, it used to be a beautiful beach once. All sand and oh, the sun was wonderful.” Lee looked round and they were standing in a large square. In the middle of the square was what looked like another gate. But it was smaller, for a moment she thought she saw green hills and sunshine through it. But like a mirage in the desert the image was gone. Puff looked at her and grimaced. “Sometimes I think I can see things through that doorway. But then I wonder if it is just the imaginings of an old dragon. What I would not give to feel the sun on my hide once more.” “Puff you did not tell me how you got left behind?” “I was late, simple as that. I was trying to get here but in my rush I slipped and fell. I broke my wing and could not move for an age. When I eventually could the door way was closed to me.” “They never sent someone back?” “No, they could not, the doorway you see, is only one way. I have been stuck ever since.” “Why don’t you open the doorway and go through. I think I saw something through it when we first entered the square. Will you let me try and help you go?”

Just as Lee finished talking she and Puff saw a face on the other side of the doorway. It was the face of a small boy fresh faced and smiling. Puff reared onto his old hind legs and roared a defining roar. “Jackie, Jackieeee.” He scrambled to find purchase on the smooth white stone of the floor. The noise of the dragons nails on the smoothed stone floor made Lee shiver like she had hit her funny bone. He rushed at the doorway but before the great dragon got there the face was gone. Puff slid through the door. He screamed an anguished cry and slid to a stop. She rushed to him and through her arms around his neck. She and the dragon were crying. The two of them clung together for a long time. Each one of Puff’s shuddering sobs shivered through Lee’s whole body. She talked to him in a soft voice. Lee found herself telling him all her woes. When she had finished she had resolved in her mind and heart how she felt about her mother’s death. She found to her astonishment that she loved her father warts and all.

“Let me look at this machine, Puff, maybe I can make it work long enough to get you through. Lee said as she wiped tears from her eyes.” Lee got up and walked over to the gateway and looked at it. Then it struck her it was powered by electricity and she had batteries back at camp. It looked like the gateway needed more power. Maybe their 40 amp battery would do the trick. “Puff I need to go back to camp. To get some supplies, I wont be long.” The great dragon had wiped his sad eyes and looked at her hopefully and said. “I will wait here for you Lee. Another few hours’ wont matter to me, I will wait.”  Puff watched her go. He waited until she was a mere speck under the great dragons of the city gates. He then got up and looked through the doorway once more. The fresh-faced boy appeared again. Puff, this time smiled and asked the boy.

“ Do you think she will be all right now Lord Paper?”  The boy looked at his dragon and said, “Yup, I think so. You have repaid the debt to the ones left behind. Now Puff, its time we were off. She has made peace with her mother and her father. Honah Lee has been preserved and now it is time this great city were bestowed on the heirs of the royal house of Paper. Now I think it really is time to leave this world. We will wait and wave to her and then switch off the doorway forever.” So when Lee came back she was overjoyed to see Puff and the boy together and happy. She stayed in the city awhile and looked around. Then she went to tell her father what she had found. In time Lee was to become the foremost expert on Honah Lee, or Atlantice as it was to become known. She was also the person to prove that dragons were no mere myth.