Elmer and the Dragon (2 page)

So Elmer and the dragon ate nineteen tangerines, Elmer the insides and the dragon the peels. A chilly wind blew along the beach and the dragon curled his great long tail around the boy to keep him warm. "Good night!" said Elmer, resting his head on his knapsack. "I can't wait for the trip home tomorrow."

Next morning, as the sun edged over the horizon, the dragon rubbed his eyes, stretched his wings, and yawned. "My, but it's good to be free again! By the way, Elmer, where do you live?"

"In Nevergreen City near Evergreen Park on the coast of Popsicornia," mumbled Elmer, who was already awake and eating tangerines.

"I hope you know how to get there," said the dragon.

"Don't you?" asked Elmer.

"No, don't you?" asked the dragon.

"No," said Elmer. "You see, I came here in the bottom of a boat and I couldn't see where I was going."

"The seagulls will know," said the dragon. "They follow ships out to sea."

"I'll go ask one," said Elmer, suddenly remembering that it would be nice to be home for his father's birthday. He walked down to the water where a very old gull was blinking at the morning sun.

"Excuse me," said Elmer, "but did you ever hear of Nevergreen City?"

"Of course," croaked the very old gull. "I lived there before I followed a ship to Tangerina, but I wouldn't dream of going back now."

"That's very interesting," said Elmer, "but would you know how to go if you did want to?"

"Certainly!" answered the old gull, pointing his right wing toward the ocean. "Just fly in exactly that direction until you get there."

Elmer took out his compass and found that this direction was west northwest. "Is it very far?"

"Far? I should say so!"

"Well, thanks a lot," said Elmer.

"I'm kind of worried," said the dragon. "Suppose we never find it?"

"We'll find it, all right," said Elmer, who was a tiny bit worried himself.

The dragon ran along the beach warming up his wings while Elmer packed sixty-nine tangerines, as many as his knapsack would hold. Besides the tangerines, he had in his knapsack all sorts of things left over from the rescue, including seven pink lollipops (which he was saving for an emergency), half a package

of rubber bands, three sticks of chewing gum, a very good jackknife, and a burlap bag. Of course, he kept his compass in his pocket where it would be handy, and he wore his black rubber boots.

"Are you ready?" asked Elmer.

"Jump on!" said the dragon.

Elmer clambered onto the dragons back and took one last look at Tangerina and the blue and white waves skipping in from the cold ocean onto the sandy beach.

Chapter Two

STORM

They flew all morning, high above the endless blue and white waves. Elmer sat feeling the wind on his face, listening to the whir of the dragon's wings, and watching the compass to make sure they were going in the right direction.

"I see a rock down there," said the dragon in the late afternoon. "Let's rest a bit."

"Good idea," said Elmer.

The dragon circled down to the rock, landing on all four feet. Elmer unpacked eleven tangerines and as he and the dragon ate they watched the sky turn from blue to gray and then to dark gray.

"Looks like a storm," said Elmer.

"Yes," said the dragon. "Do you think we'd better wait here or go on?"

"If the wind's bad, the waves will wash right over this rock," said Elmer. "But if we keep going maybe we can fly away from the storm."

"Let's hurry on," said the dragon, and up they flew while the waves grew whiter and wilder.

"I felt a drop of rain," said Elmer, looking up at the blackening sky.

Suddenly a ferocious wind rushed up from behind, pushing them forward faster and faster. Thunder crackled all around them, and cold hard rain beat down upon them.

"I wish I had my raincoat," yelled Elmer.

"I wish it weren't raining!" panted the dragon. "My wings are getting heavy and I can't fly very well. Besides, I hate thunder!"

The wind blew harder and the rain was colder. Elmer looked at his compass and cried through the rumbling storm, "We're going in the wrong direction!"

"I can't help it. The wind's too strong. I can't fight against it," screamed the dragon.

Elmer put away his compass and looked down at the thrashing spray. He could hear the dragon breathing hard, and he watched his wings beating slower and slower. He wondered how long the tired dragon could fly through the crashing storm.

"I can't go on," puffed the dragon, and he sank through the rain nearer to the cold wild water. Elmer shut his eyes and held on as hard as he could, trying not to cry or think about home.

"I'm sorry," huffed the dragon, "that I couldn't keep my promise."

"Oh, that's all right. You did your best," sobbed Elmer.

And then the dragon sank lower, closer to the water.

Splash!

"Elmer, we're safe! I landed on sand!" yelled the dragon. "But don't get off, because the water is up to my knees."

Elmer opened his eyes and looked around, but it was too dark to see anything. "Are you very uncomfortable?" he screamed above the noise of the storm.

"It's not too bad," shrieked the dragon, "but I think the water's getting deeper."

"Gosh, maybe you're sinking in quicksand!"

"No, I don't think so. Anyway, where else can I go? We'll just have to wait here. Why don't you take a nap? I can sleep standing up, you know."

"A nap in the middle of the ocean in the middle of a storm?"

"Why not? There's nothing else to do."

So Elmer lay down along the dragon's back and they both were so tired that they fell asleep while the thunder boomed all around them.

"Elmer! Elmer! My stomach's under water," cried the dragon, suddenly waking up an hour later.

Elmer looked around. The storm was nearly over, but all he could see was drizzly rain and the water lapping against the dragon's stomach. "Poor dragon, would you like a pink lollipop?" asked Elmer, deciding that this was a real emergency.

"I'd rather have a cup of hot milkweed milk, but I guess a lollipop would help," said the dragon.

Elmer unpacked one for himself and one for the dragon, and then carefully crawled along the dragons neck until he could put the lollipop into his mouth.

"It does help a little," shivered the dragon.

As they were sucking their pink lollipops in the middle of the ocean, the drizzly rain turned into thick, thick fog and then the water began to get shallower.

"My stomach's out of water again," announced the dragon cheerfully.

"I know why the water goes up and down!" exclaimed Elmer. "It's the tide, and we're on a sand bar near some land, and just as soon as the fog lifts we'll be able to see what kind of land it is!"

"I hope it's dry land," said the dragon.

All night the water got shallower and shallower, and Elmer and the dragon were too excited to sleep. Finally, as the sun rose, even the dragon's feet were out of water, and the fog began to rise.

Chapter Three

THE SAND BAR

The fog rolled along the sand bar and out over the water and suddenly Elmer shouted, "There, behind you! Look at the pretty little green island!"