The Boy Who Sang with Dragons

by Andy Shepherd

  ‘Hey, Mamma, what was that? Something just flew past your head,’ Aura said with a giggle.

  ‘What?’ Rosa spun around. ‘Was it a bird? We had one in here the other day. Must have flown in and got stuck.’

  ‘There it is!’ Aura said.

  Rosa looked hard at the spot where Rosebud was hovering.

  ‘I can’t see anything. Maybe it already flew out.’

  ‘Nope, it’s right there on the end of your nose. I think it might actually be a dragon, not a bird.’

  Rosa laughed. ‘You and your dragon stories. Next you’ll be telling me Tomas has one in his pocket.’

  ‘You do, don’t you, Tomas?’ Aura said. ‘Go on – why don’t you introduce Zing.’

  Aura pulled at my pocket where Zing was tucked safely away. And before I could stop her, Zing had peeked his head out, seen Rosebud careering around above us and zoomed up to join her.

  I glanced at Rosa. But she was still smiling fondly at Aura.

  As Zing darted up and down the stairs, he knocked a picture with his tail. It fell with a crash to the floor.

  ‘Bother,’ Rosa said. ‘I’ve been meaning to fix that frame for weeks.’

  Aura looked at me and shrugged. ‘Always finds something to explain it away,’ she said.

  ‘I’ll clear it up after we’ve eaten. Hope you’re both hungry,’ Rosa said.

  Aura grabbed my sleeve as I began to make my way through to the kitchen. ‘Listen,’ she hissed. ‘Eat quickly, OK? I’ve got something to tell you once we’re on our own. And Mamma might not be able to see stuff, but she can still hear.’

  Having tea with Rosa while the two little dragons whizzed around the kitchen felt strange. At one point Rosebud perched on the fruit bowl, flicking her tail back and forth across Rosa’s plate. We watched, trying not to laugh as every time she took a mouthful the tail just missed her fork. Until finally a mistimed swipe hit it and sent her food flying across the table.

  ‘I’m ever so clumsy at the moment,’ Rosa said. ‘Yesterday I knocked a whole pot of yogurt across the room!’ We sniggered as Rosa apologised yet again for her sudden strange food flinging when another forkful splatted against the fridge.

  It actually felt amazing not having to hide the dragons, and a relief not to always be on my guard. We could just sit back and enjoy watching them zooming around us, and when they settled on our arm or shoulder I didn’t have to keep one eye standing firmly to attention. But every so often I couldn’t help noticing Aura’s smile slip, and I wondered if actually she’d prefer it if her mum could share in the joke.

  It turned out I was right. As soon as we were up in her room she asked, ‘Don’t you ever wish you could share the dragons with your mum and dad? I can’t help wishing Mamma could see Rosebud. And Papi too. I bet he wouldn’t have any trouble seeing her.’

  I looked at her, alarmed. Was she planning on telling her dad?

  ‘You know you can’t tell him? We have to protect the dragons – we can’t go telling more people about them.’

  ‘I know,’ she said quickly. ‘It’s just that you’re lucky you’ve got your grandad. And Lolli,’ she added.

  She did have a point. ‘I know. I’m sorry. Don’t forget you have the superhero squad though.’

  Aura smiled and gave a nod.

  ‘Hey, you said you had something you needed to tell me.’

  ‘Yeah, I do.’ She leaped up, starting to get fizzy again, and reached under the pillow on her bed.

  ‘I was reading Amma’s diary last night. And I found out that Mamma definitely used to be able to see the dragons. You know that picture I always draw? Well, it turns out it’s her dragon. She actually had a dragon! But then one day she couldn’t see it any more; she couldn’t see any dragons. Or even remember that they existed in real life. Amma was really sad. She couldn’t work out what had happened. After that she and Mamma were never quite as close, because Amma couldn’t share the dragons she loved so much with her. Maybe that’s why she always told me about the dragon, to keep it alive for Mamma in case one day she remembered.’

  Aura gave a little shrug. ‘It makes me feel a bit sad too.’ She looked up and sighed. ‘But don’t worry, I won’t tell Papi.’

  Before I could say anything else, Rosa popped her head in. ‘Anyone fancy watching a film?’

  ‘Thanks,’ I said, ‘but I’d better go, I promised Lolli we’d finish building her Lego space station. She’s supposed to be taking it into school tomorrow and her arm still hurts, so she needs a bit of help.’

  ‘Oh dear – what happened to her arm?’ Rosa asked.

  ‘I think it’s from when she went for a burton in the garden.’

  ‘A what-on?’ Aura said.

  I smiled. ‘Just something Grandad says. She went flying. Don’t you remember?’

  Aura nodded. ‘Poor Lolli. I hope she hasn’t fractured it – I did that once and it hurt like mad.’

  I frowned. ‘I’d have thought Mum and Dad would have got it checked out if it was that bad.’

  ‘Well, give her this from me,’ Aura said. And she handed me a picture she’d drawn of Rosebud. ‘Actually, hang on.’ She grabbed it back and for the next couple of minutes she huddled over the paper, pen in hand.

  When she held it up I saw she’d drawn herself next to Rosebud, and Lolli and Tinkle too. And she’d written: ‘To Lolli, I hope your arm feels better soon. Love Aura.’

  ‘She’ll love it,’ I said, smiling. ‘Thanks.’

  15

  Ouchy

  On the way home from Aura’s house I saw a familiar figure getting off the Number 6 bus. I don’t know about you, but I always find it a bit weird seeing someone out of the place you usually see them. It’s like when you meet a teacher outside of school. Somehow I have this idea that they just live there, in special teacher containment pods. So seeing Chouko was a bit like that, because up till then I’d only ever seen her in the botanic garden, surrounded by trees and plants. Standing there, she looked like a flower that had been uprooted and left on the pavement.

  ‘Chouko!’ I called, and hurried towards her.

  ‘Ah, hello, Tomas,’ she said.

  I couldn’t help noticing she looked tired.

  ‘Would you like a hand?’ I said, eyeing the huge bag she was carrying.

  ‘Oh, I’m fine, thank you,’ she replied. ‘Just a long and rather exhausting day. One of those where everyone and everything seems to need you at once. And some people like to think they know what’s best. Even though it’s your work they’re meddling with,’ she added.

  I nodded, not really listening. I was too eager to ask the question jumping up and down in my head.

  ‘How are the seedlings doing?’

  She gave a little sigh. ‘Not so well, actually. They were one of the things that were being rather demanding.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ I asked quickly. ‘I thought they looked healthy last time I saw them?’

  ‘Yes, they were. But they’ve all gone a bit limp. Rather like me,’ she said with a little laugh.

  ‘But what are we going to do?’ I squeaked. I realised by the look on Chouko’s face that the words had come out sounding as desperate as I now felt.

  ‘I’m sure I’ll figure it out,’ she said. ‘Although some plants just don’t thrive, whatever you do. I don’t like to admit defeat, but sometimes there’s not a lot to be done.’

  ‘You mustn’t give up on them,’ I pleaded. She took a little step back as if I might grab hold of her in my desperation.

  ‘I’ll certainly do my best, Tomas. Better get off now though. Your parents must be expecting you.’

  Back at home, I hurried upstairs. I passed Lolli’s room, but I was so preoccupied, imagining the seedlings shrivelling up and dying, that I didn’t see Lolli at first. Then again, I’m not sure I would have spotted her even if I had been taking notice. She’d made a huge nest on her bedroom floor with a quilt, several blankets and what looked like every pillow in the house. She was half buried under
a pile of cuddlies and a huge bunch of sticks, most of which had plasters stuck all over them. A piece of paper was taped to the floor, and on it she’d drawn a big red cross in crayon and lines of little sticks with smiley faces. To be honest, her sticky hospital was looking a bit overcrowded. Then a little white tail bobbed up and I realised Mr Floppybobbington was in there too.

  ‘You OK, Lollibob?’ I asked. ‘Thought you wanted some help with your space station?’

  Lolli looked up and gave a long sigh. ‘We’re all too hurty for making fings,’ she said.

  Dad popped his head out of the bathroom and, seeing me, came over carrying a huge basket of washing.

  ‘Poor Lolli – she’s not feeling too well. Wouldn’t even eat my special spaghetti.’

  ‘Why has she got all the sticks in with her like that?’ I said quietly.

  ‘Oh, Mum was telling her about imprinting. You know, when baby animals attach to the parents when they’re born. There was this one girl who hatched a gaggle of goslings and they all thought she was their mum. So Lolli’s now convinced Mr Floppybobbington and all the poorly sticks have imprinted on her. She won’t go anywhere without them.’

  Lolli gave a little grunt and held up her arm with the other hand to show me.

  ‘Is it still sore?’ I asked.

  She nodded and stuck out her little bottom lip. ‘It’s all ouchy. Can you do us singing, Tomas?’ she asked. ‘Herbert needs a lullyby, but all my singsong has gone.’

  ‘I’m not sure my singing is very comforting,’ I teased. ‘I might scare him.’

  ‘But you do good songs,’ she insisted. ‘And it will help, promise.’

  ‘Come on, she needs an early night, Tomas,’ Dad said.

  ‘Another time,’ I replied. ‘You need to sleep now.’

  Lolli yawned and pointed to one of the sticks, which had fallen from the cosy nest. ‘Need Douglas,’ she said quietly. I reached down and picked it – him – up. Poor Douglas was more plaster than stick, as far as I could tell.

  I tucked him in beside her.

  ‘Night night, Lollibob,’ I said. And then remembering Aura’s picture, I laid it next to her, and immediately regretted it as her eyes started to shine with tears.

  ‘Tinkle,’ she whispered.

  ‘You’ll see her soon,’ I promised.

  16

  Letters from Arturo

  Later, after Mum and Dad had said goodnight, I switched on my rocket lamp, pulled out my rucksack and spread the letters we’d found across the quilt. Zing, who’d been curled up in one of my jumpers, launched himself upwards and landed on my back. He wriggled, getting comfy, and I winced a bit, feeling his claws through my pyjamas.

  ‘Right, time to get reading,’ I whispered. Zing rubbed the bottom of his jaw across my shoulder and bashed me a couple of times with his tail. The air crackled and I felt some of my hair stand on end. I just hoped our excitement was warranted and Arturo could tell us what we needed to know.

  I started to read, and the hours slipped by. It was clear that Arturo loved the forest and all that it contained. And his letters were crammed with scribbled notes telling Elvi about what he’d seen and learned. But the pages were full of his worries too, about keeping the Hidden Dragon City secret from developers, who were moving deeper and deeper into the forest. There was too much at stake he said, too much that could be lost forever.

  Sometimes I turned a page and saw that he’d decorated the margins with drawings. On one, he’d sketched a tree with strange pods, draping over the page, its branches intertwining with the words so that it looked as if his writing and his thoughts grew from this tree.

  My eyes lit up when he said:

  I felt a buzz, and this time it wasn’t Zing! I was right, he did know something!

  But as I read on, there was more and more about the customs and history of the people from the Hidden City and how they looked after all sorts of other trees and plants, and nothing at all about what he would do differently if he ever found the seed. I dropped the letters in frustration, my eyes burning from reading so late. I wriggled down under the covers to try to get some sleep, but instead lay there tossing and turning for hours.

  When I crawled out of bed the next morning I found the house quiet. Lolli was still curled up in her nest, not belting around the kitchen with her cape flying out behind her as usual.

  Mum was on the phone and Dad was getting breakfast ready.

  ‘Lolli still not feeling well?’ I asked.

  He shook his head sadly. ‘I even made Douglas and Herbert some breakfast,’ he said, pointing at two little bottle caps filled with dollops of gloopy porridge. ‘But she still wouldn’t get up. We’re going to take her to A & E, in case she needs an X-ray on her arm or anything.’

  When I went up to see her after my cereal, I discovered Lolli wasn’t too sure about her ‘eggy ray’. So I said she could take Pink Dog – who has lived in my bed since I was four and doesn’t go anywhere usually because she’s totally not brave enough to go out. (Some people can be really mean when you’re pink.) Luckily for Pink Dog, Lolli just said, ‘’S’OK, Tomas, I got all the sticks coming.’

  Before setting off for school, I tucked Arturo’s letters into my rucksack. Halfway down the street, I met Ted.

  ‘I wish I hadn’t fallen asleep,’ I said, after telling him about my late night of reading.

  ‘So Arturo didn’t say what he’d learned then?’

  I shook my head. ‘I guess it might still be in there, hidden among the scribbles and drawings and stuff. I’ll just have to keep looking.’

  Just like Arturo, I thought to myself.

  ‘He spent more time talking about cacao trees – whatever they are – than dragon-fruit trees,’ I added.

  Ted looked dreamy. ‘Mmmm,’ he said. ‘Chocolate.’

  I looked at him a bit crossly, ‘Can you not focus on anything other than chocolate? This is important.’

  ‘I am! The cacao tree is another name for the cocoa tree – you know, that thing that gives us the beans chocolate’s made with,’ he said, rolling his eyes. ‘Besides why shouldn’t I focus on chocolate? Chocolate fixes everything.’

  I laughed. If only.

  17

  A Cloud of Dragons

  Towards the end of the day a note came from the office for me. Miss Jelinski called me to her desk to say that Mum had phoned and they were still at the hospital with Lolli, so I should go straight to Nana and Grandad’s after school.

  I was glad the rest of the superhero squad were free to come with me. I suddenly felt a bit wobbly at the thought of Lolli in hospital. Even with her sticks to keep her company, I knew she wouldn’t like it.

  ‘I’m not sure what the doctors will make of all her sticky patients,’ I said, and quickly explained how Dad had told her about imprinting and how she was so attached we couldn’t get her to leave them behind.

  ‘The doctor won’t mind a few sticks. They’ll probably all come back covered in stickers,’ Liam said.

  ‘I’m sure she’ll be OK,’ Aura said, giving me a reassuring smile.

  I nodded, hoping she was right. Poorly seedlings were bad enough, without a poorly Lolli as well.

  ‘I think I imprinted on a doughnut this morning,’ Ted added, giving me a grin. ‘I definitely found it hard to leave it behind.’

  When we got to Grandad’s garden, it was raining steadily. We squelched our way over to the dragon-fruit tree.

  ‘It’s a bit soggy round here,’ I said.

  ‘We’ve been having a lot of dawn downpours,’ Grandad said. ‘But it’s all been clear skies by the time you pop your head out of bed, so I don’t expect you’ve noticed.’

  ‘Do you think the tree will be OK?’ I asked remembering Chouko’s warning about cacti not liking to get their feet wet.

  ‘No, I don’t think it will,’ he said. ‘But don’t you worry, Chipstick. I’ve got a plan. And now you’re all here, we can get to work on it.’

  He handed Liam and Ted a garden fork
each.

  ‘Right, you two, you’re on spike duty. We need lots of little holes all across the grass. That’ll stop the ground from getting too waterlogged. Tomas, you and me are going to dig out a little pond over at the back there. That’s a good spot for wildlife and it’ll give the water somewhere to drain to.’

  ‘What about me?’ Aura asked.

  ‘Compost,’ Grandad said. ‘Grab that wheelbarrow and start spreading it all over. And you can take a closer look at the tree while you’re doing it. Give us a yell if you see any yellowing leaves.’

  When Aura gave a yelp soon after, I was afraid she’d found something wrong with the tree. I dropped my spade and sploshed over to her.

  ‘What is it? What’s wrong with it?’

  ‘Nothing,’ she said. ‘Sorry. I just got a bit of a surprise.’

  She pulled back one of the cactus leaves and out flew about a dozen teeny tiny dragons. They were only as big as my thumb. And they had long pointed snouts and were all different colours, although they shared the same glittery orange wings. They hovered in front of Aura’s face in a little cluster.

  ‘Wow, they’re beautiful,’ I said. They were like little shiny jewels.

  ‘And so tiny,’ Aura agreed, smiling. ‘And there’s more too.’

  I peered back in past the cactus leaves and saw other tiny dragons darting in and out.

  ‘I spotted this one fruit that was a bit bigger than all the rest,’ she said. ‘And it was yellower than the really red ripe ones. I thought maybe it’d been damaged, especially after what your grandad said about looking for yellow leaves. It was lying on the wet ground too, so I moved it so it could rest on one of these flowerpots. Only it burst.’ She grinned as several of the dragons fluttered down and settled on her hair. ‘And it was packed full of these little beauties.’

  ‘There must be at least fifty,’ I said.