The Dragon Rock
This story begins with Once Upon A Time, because the best stories do, of course.
So, Once Upon A Time, and imagine if you can, a steep sided valley cluttered with giant, spiky green pine trees and thick, green grass that reaches to the top of your socks so that when you run, you have to bring your knees up high, like running through water. Wildflowers spread their sweet heady perfume along the gentle breezes and bees hum musically to themselves as they cheerily collect flower pollen.
People are very happy here and they work hard, keeping their houses spick and span and their children's faces clean.
This particular summer had been very hot and dry, making the lean farm dogs sleepy and still. Farmers whistled lazily to themselves and would stand and stare into the distance, trying to remember what it was that they were supposed to be doing. By two o'clock in the afternoon, the town would be in a haze of slumber, with grandmas nodding off over their knitting and farmers snoozing in the haystacks. It was very, very hot.
No matter how hot the day, however, the children would always play in the gentle, rolling meadows. With wide brimmed hats and skin slippery with sun block, they chittered and chattered like sparrows, as they frolicked in their favourite spot.
Now, their favourite spot is very important to this story because in this particular spot is a large, long, scaly rock that looks amazingly similar to a sleeping dragon.
The children knew it was a dragon.
The grown ups knew it was a dragon.
The dogs and cats and birds knew it was a dragon.
But nobody was scared because it never, ever moved.
The boys and girls would clamber all over it, poking sticks at it and hanging wet gumboots on its ears but it didn't mind in the least. The men folk would sometimes chop firewood on its zigzagged tail because it was just the right height and the Ladies Weaving Group often spun sheep fleece on its spikes.
Often on a cool night, when the stars were twinkling brightly in a velvet sky and the children peacefully asleep, the grown ups would settle for the evening with a mug of steaming cocoa in a soft cushioned armchair. Then the stories about How The Dragon Got There began. Nobody knew for sure, there were many different versions depending on which family told the tale, but one thing that everybody agreed on, was this:
In Times of Trouble The Dragon will Wake And Free the Village By making a Lake
This little poem was etched into everybody's minds and sometimes appeared on tea towels and grandma's embroidery.
The days went by slowly, quietly and most importantly, without any rain. There had been no rain in the valley for as long as the children could remember. The wells were starting to bring up muddy brown water and clothes had to be washed in yesterday's dishwater. The lawns had faded to a crisp biscuit colour and the flowers drooped their beautiful heads. Even the trees seemed to hang their branches like weary arms. The valley turned browner and drier and thirstier, every hot, baking day.
The townsfolk grew worried and would murmur to each other when passing with much shaking of heads and tut tuts. They would look upwards searching for rain clouds in the blue, clear sky, but none ever came.
"The tale of the Dragon cannot be true," said old Mrs Greywhistle, the shopkeeper.
"It hasn't moved an inch, I swear," replied her customer, tapping an angry foot.
It was now too hot for the children to play out in the direct sun and they would gather under the shade of the trees, digging holes in the dust and snapping brittle twigs.
"The Dragon will help us soon," said one child.
"He must do Something," agreed another.
"I'm sure he will."
They all nodded in agreement.
A week went by with no change, the people struggling along as best they could. Some were getting cross at the Dragon and would cast angry, sideways looks at it when passing. The villagers were becoming skinny eyed and sullen.
Meanwhile, the children had a plan.
Quickly and quietly, they moved invisibly around town, picking and plucking at the fading flowers. With outstretched arms and bouquets up to their chins, they rustled over to where the giant rock lay, as still as ever.
The boys and girls placed bunches of flowers around the Dragon in a big circle. They scattered petals around its head and over its nose, then danced around and around it, skipping and chanting the rhyme that they all knew so well.
In Times of Trouble The Dragon Will Wake And Save the Village By making a Lake.
The searing heat made them dizzy and fuzzy and finally they all fell in a sprawling heap at the bottom of the mound. They looked up at the rock.
Nothing happened.
A dry wind lazily picked up some flower heads and swirled them around. The air was thick with pollen and perfume. A stony grey nostril twitched.
"I saw something," cried the youngest boy.
They stared intently.
An ear swiveled like a periscope.
The ground began to rumble.
"Look out! Run!Run!"
The children scampered in all directions, shrieking and squealing, arms pumping with excitement.
The rumbling grew and grew.
The Dragon raised its sleepy head. It got onto its front feet and sat like a dog. It stood up and stretched, arching its long scaly back like a sleek tabby cat. It blinked and looked around with big kind, long lashed eyes.
And then its nostrils twitched and quivered again.
The older folk were alerted by the screams and shrieks. The ladies held up their long skirts to run and the men rolled their sleeves up and soon the whole town stood together in a tight huddle at the foot of the hill, staring up at the large beast with mouths held open.
"AHHHHH AAHHHHHHHHH!!"
The noise erupted from the Dragon.
"AHHHHH AAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The families gripped each other tighter and shut their eyes.
"AHHHHH CHOOOOOOOOO!!"
The sneeze blasted from the Dragon like a rocket, throwing it back fifty paces, causing a whirlwind of dust and dirt.
"AHHHHH CHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
The second blast split open the dry earth, sending explosions of soil and tree roots high into the sky like missiles, and something else too ...
The people heard the sound but couldn't recognize it at first for it had been such a long time since their ears had heard such tinkling melody. As their eyes widened in wonder, their smiles turned into grins and then yahoos and hoorahs.
Water, cold, clear spring water, oozed, then trickled, then roared out of the hole, down the hillside and along the valley floor.
The torrent knocked over a farmer's haystack, but he didn't care.
The river carried away the schoolteacher's bike shed but she cared not a jot. It even demolished the Ladies Bowling Club changing rooms but they howled with laughter and slapped their thighs. When the flood sent pools of water out towards the golf course, filling up sixteen of the nineteen holes, the men just hooted and whistled and threw their caps up in the air.
What used to be a dirty, brown dust bowl, now gleamed and glistened in the sunlight, sending playful waves and ripples across the lake and inviting all to share.
"HMMMMM," sighed the Dragon sleepily, and showing his perfect movie star teeth. "Seeing as I'm awake ..."
And he lumbered forward with surprising grace and style and disappeared into the cool dark water with a small wave of a claw and flick of his tail.
They never saw him again.
After the families had restored and rebuilt the village, and set up sailing clubs for the children, and scuba diving for the grandparents, they erected a bandstand and monument in the spot where the Dragon used to lay. Every year to mark the occasion, they would bring garlands of flowers and herbs and arrange them in a big circle. The children would have the day off school, for it was known as 'Water Dragon Day' and wearing the dragon masks that they had been working on all week, would skip and clap and sing.
The Dragon helped Us As We said He would Do Hooray for The Dragon Achoo, Achoo, ACHOOOO!
And that is the end of the story.
Comments
wow! this is excellent! how did you manage it??? 10/10-..
wow! this is excellent! how did you manage it??? 10/10- dedcert
ellie
Our class, room 5 read this story aloud and thought it was..
Our class, room 5 read this story aloud and thought it was awesome. There was so much description and imagination. We used parts of this story to look at good examples of writing and looked for other ways of saying said in conversations. I think our teacher liked it to and said we needed to read more of this good stuff!
brooke fort this was a cool story . I ..
brooke fort this was a cool story . I loved it.
I read this to my 6 yr old and she enjoyed it very much...
I read this to my 6 yr old and she enjoyed it very much. Thank you so much for writing such a sweet story about a dragon :D
It was a good story but it was short. ..
It was a good story but it was short.
it was AWESOME!!!!
it was AWESOME!!!!
OMG I TOTALY LOVED THIS STORY IM 36
OMG I TOTALY LOVED THIS STORY IM 36
i love the story .. I also love dragons. Heres my dragon..
i love the story .. I also love dragons. Heres my dragon story
http://fragilepunch.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post.html#more
Room 8 in Dunedin, New Zealand loved this story we liked..
Room 8 in Dunedin, New Zealand loved this story we
liked the dragon and how it played with our perception
of what the Dragon is and what it would be.
i think this story is interesting and fun too. The whole..
i think this story is interesting and fun too. The whole movie is funny about the dragon who sneezes
very good story best i ever read
very good story best i ever read
love it........................
love it........................
This is a good story, but i hate that its not for older..
This is a good story, but i hate that its not for older kids, well sorta. It was ok, I guess...
Great story but too short.
Great story but too short.
Very good story.
Very good story.
Really? MAKE EM A SANDWIHC!
Really? MAKE EM A SANDWIHC!
This story was very interesting and well written.
This story was very interesting and well written.
A very well written text, I hope everyone enjoys it.
A very well written text, I hope everyone enjoys it.
This story was very interesting and i enjoyed it.
This story was very interesting and i enjoyed it.
Good story, but too short would be nice if it was made into..
Good story, but too short would be nice if it was made into something like a book, and such.
I liked this book, i like how the kids worked together to..
I liked this book, i like how the kids worked together to bring the drangon to life
so... there gonna drink water from a lake made by dragon..
so... there gonna drink water from a lake made by dragon snot... other than that okay book
gesundheit, gesudheit!!!
gesundheit, gesudheit!!!
very much enjoyed this-I will be using it to act out with..
very much enjoyed this-I will be using it to act out with some young children
wow......THAT IS..
wow......THAT IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This story was very bad
This story was very bad
yooo diz ish is good
yooo diz ish is good
the best part was The Dragon helped Us As We said He..
the best part was
The Dragon helped Us
As We said He would Do
Hooray for The Dragon
Achoo, Achoo, ACHOOOO!
ha ha ha ... i m still smiling.. and will
tease my friend she has cold and sneezes
7times in a row after each 15 min ha ha ha
:D
It is awsome 5 stars :)
It is awsome 5 stars :)
This short story is too good to be read you guys are..
This short story is too good to be read you guys are awsome. :)*****
I liked this story because of how they used boring and..
I liked this story because of how they used boring and interesting words.e.g playful waves and ripples. Hot day. :) :) :) **)
The Dragon Rock was good because it never missed anyone..
The Dragon Rock was good because it never missed anyone speaking and Ellena Ashley did not miss a single word.
Id give this story 10 stars because it has lots of..
Id give this story 10 stars because it has lots of discribing words of the dragon and the village.
I like this story becaues its the one for me.My favoirte..
I like this story becaues its the one for me.My favoirte part is when the chidren,gown ups cats and dog bird.Nobody was scared becaues it never,even moved
I loved it I like how they used the dragon rock. I also..
I loved it I like how they used the dragon rock. I also liked how they didnt give up.
I would rate the dragon rock a 4 because i liked the..
I would rate the dragon rock a 4 because i liked the poem.
in times of trouble
the dragon will wake
and save the village
by making a lake.
this story was a great story and i like the dragon the maost
this story was a great story and i like the dragon the maost
This story was a great story but a bit long i like the..
This story was a great story but a bit long i like the dragon and the story had lots of detail i would of never thought to write that
Nakara primary school year six really enjoyed this..
Nakara primary school year six really enjoyed this story.Very descriptive.We are working on writing descriptive short stories.Thank You Ellena Ashley
I liked this book it was very interesting and i heard about..
I liked this book it was very interesting and i heard about a thing that a never saw this book has interesting words to this is the best book in the whole world!
There was a village on an island and a scaly dragon..
There was a village on an island and a scaly dragon rock.
It was very awesome story because there was a dragon that was turned into rock then breaks out of the rock then sneezes two times and everybody knew that the rock was a dragon.
It made me feel wierd and i would recormend this for 1,2,3,and 4 grades.
The people in the story were the dragon,farmers and..
The people in the story were the dragon,farmers and children.
the dragon stood still on a rock thats why its called the dragon rock.
I think the story should be for yr3-5.
I realy liked the story beacause it has a dragon in the story.but I think
it could be more execting.
The island people found a large, long, scaly rock and the..
The island people found a large, long, scaly rock and the children adults and creatures of the island knew it was a dragon!!
I thought this book was GREAT!!! I liked the writing. I think it would persuade many people to keep reading.
p.s. people u should read it
.All the villagers and creatures knew it was a dragon and..
.All the villagers and creatures knew it was a dragon and it had been in a long slumber.No one was scared because the dragon had not moved for so many years.The children had a plan to wake the dragon up and it succeeded.
I think it was a very interesting book because it was like a adventure.
I felt relived that it all worked out good.
This is a story about a rock that turns into a dragon..
This is a story about a rock that turns into a dragon after lying dormant and still for many years.
The story was great but there should
be more good descriptive words.
I felt excited to read this story beacause it was quite amusing.
I thought tht it was strange why the dragon was asleep all..
I thought tht it was strange why the dragon was asleep all that time I actualy thought the dragon was dead so, it was a sirprise to me that he was alive waiting for that one bad moment to save the village. The stories name is very different for the story if you read then you will know its a bit off for "The Dragon Rock" because he doesent rock and for my opinion it should be "The Dragon Saver" but thats only my opinion.
San Antonio School for Inquiry and Creaivity, 4th grade class
I like this story very much. I wonder if the dragon..
I like this story very much. I wonder if the dragon felt like everyone mistreated him. Every one knew that there was a dragon there but nobody was not even scared I was supprised. I wonder how he felt when the little kids were poking him? I would not like if someone put wet gumboots on me. the story was awesomeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My awesome school is.....
San Antonio School for Inquiry and Creativity
My awesome learning grade is......
4th
That was AWESOME!!!!How did you do it?! That was bad to..
That was AWESOME!!!!How did you do it?! That was bad to the bone man.I loved it,an i think all of my friends did too. ====}note:im gonna be a writer one day.
-itsuko orizimas ;D
The way the book mad me feel is that the kids got..
The way the book mad me feel is that the kids got florwers and put them all around him and then he woke up. Then, the way you can make the book is like a chapter book or a regular book like art all around you book. Also, thats when the dragon had helped the village and restored the water and thats when everything had went back to normal.
by: Jason Garcia
Steven 4-4-12 I really liked..
Steven 4-4-12
I really liked the story. It was cool because of the Water Dragon.
The ending was weird for me because they never saw the dragon again. You could add,The Water Dragon only comes on Water Dragon day.
Add new comment