The Dragon that Came to School

THE DRAGON WHO CAME TO SCHOOL by Misha Herwin

“Hist.”
“What is it?” Megan muttered, still half asleep. She’d been dreaming she hadn’t done her Science homework and was standing outside the headmaster’s office, again.
“Hist.” It was louder this time. Megan sat up. She rubbed her eyes and peered through the darkness. A thin wisp of smoke curled lazily towards the ceiling, followed by a scritching and a scratching as if a rather large mouse was trying to claw its way out of her cupboard.
Megan pushed back her covers. She leaned over and picked up one of her shoes. Holding it in front of her, in case she had to splat something, she crept cautiously across the room. “Got you,” she cried, flinging open the door.
“Please, please don’t hurt me,” the something squeaked. She was so surprised that she jumped back, dropping the shoe onto her toe.
“Ow!” she cried, hopping about on one foot.
“Don’t squash me.”
“What are you?” Megan looked down and saw a tiny newt like creature.
“I’m harmless, really, really harmless,” the little dragon said. But it crossed its wings behind its back and the claws on its front feet. “Mostly,” it added under its breath, but Megan was too excited to hear. She knelt down and taking a deep breath held out her hand. The dragon hesitated, then leapt onto her palm. Megan and the dragon looked at each other.
“What are you doing in my room?” she asked. The dragon cocked its head to one side as if it was thinking.
“Hibernating,” it said at last.
“Wow!” Megan sat back on her heels. “Wait til I tell everyone about this. You are just what I need.”
“Really?” the dragon said carefully. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes,” Megan said firmly. “I need something for my Science project and you are it.”
“No!” the dragon backed away. “I can’t.”
“And why not?” Megan demanded.
“Because, because,” the dragon stuttered. “I’m an endangered species and if they find out you’ve got me, they’ll make you send me back.”
“Where to?” Megan wanted to know.
“Somewhere horrible.” The dragon cried and started racing round and round fluttering its wings and beating its tail.
“Stop it. You’re making me feel dizzy,” Megan cried completely forgetting that the dragon hadn’t answered her question. The dragon flopped onto its belly and gazed up at her imploringly.
“So you’ll let me stay? And you won’t tell anyone.”
“I suppose so,” Megan tried to sound as if she didn’t care, but her insides were bubbling and fizzing. She had a dragon, a real live dragon. In her bedroom!
“Thank you,” the dragon said politely and it gave a little bow. “I could do with somewhere to sleep,” it added.
“Is this OK?” Megan rummaged under her bed and came up with an old shoe box. The dragon wrinkled its nose, but it let her place it inside and as she closed the lid, it lay down with its head on its paws. Megan hid the box under her school blazer, then got back into bed and tried to sleep. It took a long, long time and when she finally drifted off it seemed only minutes later that her mum was calling from the bottom of the stairs,
“Hurry up, you’ll be late again. Come on Megan. I don’t want any more letters complaining about you from that school.”
She scrambled into her clothes, splashed some water on her face, whisked the toothbrush round her mouth, grabbed a piece of toast and was down the front path before her mum could say anything. She was in enough trouble as it was. Two detentions and one phone call home this week. If anything else happened she’d be grounded for months and there was that sleep over she had to go to on Saturday. So from now on she was going to be perfect.
The first lesson was Science. 7L filed into their places and sat down.
“Today,” Mr Jones began we are going to do some work on reptiles. We will start by studying the Komodo Dragon. There is only one place in the world where they can be found. Does anyone know where that is?”
“On the Galapagos,” Jake O’ Reilly shot up his hand. “But Sir, they aren’t dragons. Dragons don’t exist.”
That’s what you think, Megan smiled to herself. There he was showing off like he always did, thinking he knew everything. If only she could show him. She leaned forward and was about to poke him in the back with her pen, when the girl sitting beside him gasped and pointed.
“Sir,” Shamira screamed. “Jake’s on fire!”
“It’s my hair!” Clutching his head, Jake leapt up from his seat. Flames shot in all directions. Mr Jones grabbed the fire extinguisher and the fire bell rang. 7L yelled and raced for the door. The corridors echoed with the sound of tramping feet as the whole school piled out into the yard. The bell rang and rang, the ambulance siren screeched and the fire engines tore down the road.
As Jake was carried out on a stretcher, Mr Casey the headmaster finally managed to restore order. The registers were called and the classes began to walk back into the building.
Hiding at the very end of 7L’s line Megan kept her head down and her hands in her pocket. If she was lucky, very, very lucky, then perhaps no one would notice her.
“Megan Davies.” A hand descended on her shoulder. “Where do you think you are going?” Mr Jones said darkly. Megan chewed her lip and said nothing.
“Well,” the teacher prompted. Megan swallowed.
“Back to class, Sir,” she said finally.
“I don’t think so. Not after what you have just done.”
“It wasn’t me. I didn’t do anything. Honest Sir. I didn’t.”
“Really!” Mr Jones’s voice was heavy with sarcasm. “What do you mean it wasn’t you? Wasn’t it your hand that was holding the lighter? Weren’t you the person that set Jake’s hair on fire.”
“No,” Megan protested. “It wasn’t. It really wasn’t. I don’t have a lighter I don’t. Sir, you’ve got to believe me.”
Mr Jones frowned. “Enough,” he said. Do you think I’m stupid?” Megan stared at the ground, not daring to say anything. “I’m tired of your lies. I saw you leaning forward, so how else did you set fire to Jake if it wasn’t with a lighter?”
“But Sir.”
“No.” Mr Jones held up his hand. “Go down to the headmaster’s office.” He scribbled a note. “And give him this.”
“It really wasn’t my fault,” Megan murmured as she walked slowly down the corridor. “It was,” her hand slipped into her pocket and her fingers stroked hard leather like scales, “ it was you.”
There was a scrabble and a scuffle, then something ran up her arm and needle sharp claws dug into her shoulder.
“I’m so sorry,” a thin little voice hissed in her ear. “I didn’t mean to. Not really.” The dragon crossed its wings behind its back. “But that boy made me cross, when he said I didn’t exist. So I had to show him. Didn’t I?”
Megan sighed. “I didn’t mean to bring you to school either. I suppose you crawled into my blazer pocket when I wasn’t looking.”
“I didn’t want to stay behind in that cardboard box in your cupboard. It was dark and boring.”
“Yes, well.” Megan’s shoulders slumped. “Now what do we do?”
“I could eat the headmaster for you,” the dragon offered.
“You can’t do that. You’re too small,” Megan objected.
“That’s easily fixed,” the dragon fluttered his wings. “Just you wait and see.”
When they got to the headmaster’s office, the dragon scurried back into her pocket and Megan sat and waited, until the red button on the door turned to green.
“Megan Davies in trouble again,” Mr Casey shook his head sadly. “What are we going to do with you?”
“I don’t know Sir. “Megan hung her head, hoping she looked truly sorry. Mr Casey thought for a while then he said,
“What I think you need is some time out of school to reflect on your thoughtless behaviour. What you did was very dangerous. Poor Jake could be scarred for life. I am going to ring your mother and ask her to take you home. You will be excluded for at least a week, while I make up my mind what will happen to you. Howeve,r I’m seriously beginning to think that this is not the right school for you and you will be better off going somewhere else.“
“Oh please don’t,” Megan began, but Mr Casey wasn’t listening. He turned towards his desk and as he did so the dragon jumped to the ground. It spread its wings and thumped at the floor with its tail.
“What was that noise?” the headmaster glanced over his shoulder. The tiny dragon hissed, the scales rose like spines on its back. It took a deep breath and its chest filled, like a balloon inflating. At the same time its legs grew thicker and stronger, its wings wider and its tail lashed furiously, knocking a row of books off the shelves.
Mr Casey gasped. He began to back away. The dragon opened its mouth. A great roar shook the room. Megan shut her eyes. She couldn’t bear to look. When she opened them, the headmaster had gone.
“See, I told you I could do it.” The dragon licked his lips. “That was good, but I’m still hungry. Shall I deal with that science teacher for you?”
“No!” Megan cried. “You’ve got to stop. You can’t go around eating people.”
“Why not?” The dragon put its head to one side. “If they’re mean and nasty, why shouldn’t I eat them?” Its stomach rumbled and it burped loudly. There was a terrible stink of brimstone and rotten eggs. “Sorry. Looks as if teachers don’t agree with me. I prefer princesses.”
“You mean you’ve eaten princesses!” Megan was horrified.
“Of course. That’s what dragons do,” the dragon said huffily. At that moment there was a knock on the door.
“Mr Casey, are you there?” The door began to open. “Remember you have an appointment at two o’ clock.” The school secretary’s head appeared.
“Help. She’ll see you,” Megan hissed. She looked round desperately, but the dragon had gone. Standing on the headmaster’s desk, however, was a small bronze statue. Its wings were open, its head and tail held high and if she looked carefully at its face, Megan was sure it was smiling.