The last of Lurgin 2/9

Jennifer Jane had decided to spend the morning visiting Megan to see how Cyril was getting on. When she got to the wishing clearing in the woods, she'd only just asked to see Megan when, to her surprise, Jack from the museum had run up behind her, asking to see King John's crown again. She giggled to herself as she remembered the look of amazement on his face as she was blown up into the air. The wind had been much stronger than usual and the ride to the Wish Warehouse seemed to be taking a very long time but at last she felt herself slowing down.

Instead of the Wish Warehouse, she found herself being put down outside a strange cave. There were trees all round, not at all like Clarence's or Megan's caves at home but even so, it looked just right for dragons.

She listened carefully and sure enough, she could hear dragon rumblings coming from inside.

"Hello," she called. "Anyone at home?"

Cyril came bounding out. "Mummy, it’s my friend Jennifer Jane from the other world."

A pleasant looking pale green dragon followed him out.

"How do you do, my dear," she said, "I'm Tornak's wife. My friends all call me Tasmin. Do come in and have a look round our home."

"Pleased to meet you," said Jennifer Jane politely, as she followed Tasmin into the cave. The fairies had obviously used a really strong wind to send her directly to the other world to see Cyril.

Megan was also in the cave, arranging lumps of coal neatly on a shelf.

"There's nice to see you again, Jennifer Jane," she said. "I brought Cyril over to visit his Mam but they've just had a coal delivery, so I'm helping tidy."

"The villagers bring it to us in carts now that Lurgin's gone sulky," said Tasmin. "You've missed Tornak, I'm afraid. He's off visiting all the other dragons locally, trying to convert them to eating coal. I find it such a relief not to have to keep cooking peasants. Cyril never liked the taste and coal is so much more convenient. Just pop in a lump when you feel like it and no washing up afterwards, either!"

Jennifer Jane couldn't get a word in edgeways.

Megan looked at her and laughed. "She does go on that one, once she's started."

"What did she mean about Lurgin being sulky?" asked Jennifer Jane.

Tasmin obviously heard the question, even though she was still describing the merits of coal in preference to peasants. "Why, having three witches cross his bridge in ten minutes has completely upset him. He doesn't even try to ask riddles any more. He just stays under his bridge, sulking and muttering about young witch apprentices. The villagers cross the river whenever they want to, the children jump up and down on the bridge and tease him and he just sits there. It's a lovely day for a walk, so why don't we all go there and see for ourselves?"

She stopped talking just long enough for everyone to agree that it would be very nice and then started chattering about the different atmosphere locally now that peasant hunting had stopped.

Jennifer Jane was bursting with questions and hung back with Megan while Cyril and his mother went ahead of them along the path to the village.

"There didn't seem to be much treasure in the cave for them to guard," she said.

"Not a lot, no," said Megan. "it's not like back home. Clarence and I have all of Britain's treasure between us and quite a lot from Europe. In this world, there are still lots of dragons competing for it and as they've stayed medieval like, there's not too much about. Then there was peasant hunting and keeping away from knights in armour. Very different, it is."

"I'd nearly forgotten the knight," thought Jennifer Jane. "I wonder where he is and what he'll do now he doesn’t have to defend the village against dragons?"