OUTWITTING THE DRAGON LONGZE (STORY BY BOST, 2026- PART 2) 

That afternoon John set to the task of repairing Dragon Longze, he first rummaged among the heap of old iron and found there some heavy chains and a great collar that had been made in the days when men sang over their work and put their hearts into it, so that the things they made were strong enough to bear the weight of a thousand years, let alone a dragon.

01-DRAGON LONGZE (54)JP

John fastened dragon Longze up with the chains, and when he had padlocked them all on safely, he set to work to find out how many rivets would be needed.

"Six, eight, ten—twenty, forty," said he. "I haven't half enough rivets in the shop. If you'll excuse me, sir, I'll step around to another forge and get a few dozen more. I won't be a minute."

And off he went, leaving the baby in front of the dragon's forepaws, laughing and crowing with pleasure at the very large purr of it.

John ran as hard as he could into the town and found the mayor and corporation.

"There's a dragon in my dungeon," he said; "I've chained him up. Now come and help to get my baby away."

And he told them all about it.

But they all happened to have engagements for that evening; so, they praised John's cleverness, and said they were quite content to leave the matter in his hands. In truth, they did not believe him, suspecting him of spreading a yarn (or a fib) for whatever reason. Dragons had been extinct for a millennium now; moreover, the townsfolk were a selfish lot, some were cruel narcissist, but the majority were all greedy, conniving (devious), wary lot (doubtful), and even cowardly. 

"But what about my baby?" said John.

"Oh, well," said the mayor, placing a conciliating (placating) hand over John’s shoulder, "if anything should happen, you will always be able to remember that your baby perished in a good cause."

So, John went home again and told his wife some of what had happened.

02-JOHN THE BLACKSMITH (6)jp

"You've given the baby to the dragon!" she screamed (shrieked) at him. "Oh, you unnatural parent!"

"Hush," said John, and he told her some more. What John did not know however, was the fact this celestial dragon had certain innate abilities, one of which being his keen hearing; when Longze set his mind to it, he could hear even the fluttering of butterfly wings in the rushing air, the whispers of trees in the far off mountains or the foliage carpeting the wide open fields and, certainly he could hear the conspiratorial murmurs (undertones) of humans who held special interest to him. He’d therefore heard all that John had told his wife striving to conciliate (placate) her anger, as well, mollify her mounting dread in her heart. 

"Now," John had then sweetly kissed his wife’s forehead and said, "I'm going down. After a while you can then play your part, and if you keep your head, the boy should be all right."

So down went the blacksmith, and there was the dragon, just as he’d left him, still purring away to keep the baby quiet. The dragon Longze, despite all he knew, he had been quite amused at first by this altruistic, soft bundle of pliant (supple) infant swaddled in soft cloth, that reacted favorably to his purring. The baby incessantly cooed and gurgled, drooling, making odd sounds; furthermore, the baby was clearly unafraid, even smiling at him, a strange but lovable creature that it was. But eventually, dragon Longze’s interest began to fade (ebb) and his patience started to wear rather thin.

"Hurry up, can't you?" the dragon said, wanting to see what John would do next. "I can't keep up this noise all night."

03-DRAGON LONGZE (38)JP

"I'm very sorry, sir," said the blacksmith, "but all the shops are shut. The job must wait till the morning. And don't forget you've promised to take care of that baby. You'll find it a little tiresome, I'm afraid. Good night, sir." John quickly climbed the stairs, not giving the dragon any chance to respond.

John did not go far however, once at the outside of the left ajar dungeon door, unseen, he quietly sat on his rump (rear end) and leaned his back to the wall. Though he would never admit it, his shoulders slumped wearily (despairingly) betraying the placid (tranquil) mask he wore on his face. He half-lowered his eyelids, pinning his gaze on the ground and quietly waited; he was prepared to keeping vigil, if necessary, all night long.  In truth, his innate instincts had absolute faith in this noble dragon; but his parental obligation had constrained him nevertheless to stay close,  per chance the dragon suddenly succumbed to anger or became erratic, and therefore, endangered his precious bundle.

The dragon Longze had purred till small hours, but then he got tired of it; moreover, he was annoyed, understanding the trick John had played on him. So now he stopped, and as soon as everything was quiet, the baby thought everyone must have settled for the night, and that it was time to begin to scream. So, it began.

"Oh, dear," said the dragon, "this is dreadful (awful) noise. Now, there, there…" He gently patted the baby with his claw, but it screamed more than ever.

" Humans are so guileful (sly, cunning) and even the best of them is detestable.” Jaded dragon Longze now grumbled.

04-DRAGON LONGZE (45)JP

From the start, Longze had seen something in John that set him apart from the typical humans; though, his unique compassion and generosity of heart had made him vulnerable despite his robust physique and intrepid fortitude (grit, stamina. But now Longze was second guessing his original feel. Besides which, he felt increasingly more annoyed by all the deceit and the disrespect shown to him. Feeling suddenly tired, Longze yearned for a good night’s slumber (repose, sleep) to rest his weary bones."

The baby, meanwhile, went on screaming.

The dragon Longze could have squashed it and instantaneously, permanently put a stop to all that jarring noise; meanwhile, he could not help but wonder why John had left his clearly precious son in obviously precarious (vulnerable) position. Was John, adapting such a drastic measure (and by taking a sure gamble), wished to convey (express) his full confidence in his (Longze’s )benevolence, while establishing an innate bond, a bridge, between their species (genus)? Clearly, he was no ordinary mortal.

Age old beliefs now in doubt, “Things will never be the same for me after this," mused Longze. "Nevertheless, I must put a stop to this incessant noise before it seriously tests my patience. Hush, then—did 'ums, then." And so, the Dragon Longze tried to placate the baby as if it had been a young dragon. But when he began to sing "Hush-a-by, Dragon," the baby, not mollified, he screamed increasingly more.

"I can't subdue this incessant, raucous neonate (newborn); can’t keep it quiet," huffed the exasperated Longze; and then suddenly he saw a woman sitting on the steps. "Here, I say," said he, "do you know anything about babies?"

"I do, a little," eyeing the dragon suspiciously and not wishing to divulge more, said the mother. Betty had fought her husband on this, and defiantly entered the dungeon, and set on the steps at the very top, at first seething in rage, then observing the dragon’s tolerance and so, by degrees calming, she’d kept a sullen (fretting, morose), vigilant eye on the unfolding scene.

05- BETTY SITTING ON TOP OF STAIRS

"Then I wish you'd take him away, and let me get some respite," said the dragon Longze, yawning. "You can bring it back in the morning before the blacksmith comes."

She didn’t need to be asked twice; at once descending the steps, mother’s protective instinct emboldening her, she fearlessly drew near (quite close) to the dragon and picked up her son.

The baby cradled in his mother’s bosom, inhaling her familiar scent, abruptly then stopped all his ruckus (brawl, rumpus); thus, she quickly mounted the steps, and exited the dungeon. A frown (a scowl) registered on her lips, the moment her seething, rebuking gaze turned on her husband, who nevertheless dismissed it, and knowingly smiled. She could not maintain her ire for too long, and so, after exasperatedly exhaling the breath of relief, she nodded, and he happily follow her (in tow) to their bedroom.  

At daybreak the subsequent day, John went down and boldly, unapologetically, explained to the dragon Longze exactly how matters stood. He’d kept his word meanwhile, and first and foremost, diligently and competently repaired the Dragon’s injury. Then, however, electing to keep the locks and chains where they stood, furthermore, retrieving the iron gate with a grating to it, he set it up at the foot of the steps, therefore imprisoning the Dragon.

The dragon Longze was both irate (furious) and same time impressed with John’s deception and courageous acumen, understanding why he’d done as he did. He was after all protecting (upholding, preserving) the safety and welfare of his family, as well, the townsfolks; though being so discerning, Longze doubted townspeople would see it that way, nor will they ever truly appreciate John’s efforts that afforded them salvation and the purported (supposed) lasting security.

06-DRAGON LONGZE (42)JP

The dragon Longze , meanwhile, had not been as helpless as he seemed; he had in fact considered breaking his bonds and leaving this contemptable town the moment John had left his side. Longze however had had a soft spot for this young hero, so he remained  as he were, supposedly restrained and imprisoned; as his curious nature propelled (drove) Longze to wait and see how things would unfold later on that day, anticipating correctly, that the mayor and the towns elite would seek to confirm proof of John’s claim.

Sure enough, afterwards John had gone straight to the mayor and said: "I've got the dragon suitably incarcerated (confined, secured) in the dungeon; rest assured, he will pose no further danger to anyone in town." But of course, they needed proof, so they followed him back to the castle, and went straight down to the dungeon.

"Noble preserver," elatedly cried the mayor seeing with his own eyes the absolute proof of John’s claims. "You’ve truly gone and done it! We will, hence, get up a subscription for you, and crown you in public with a laurel wreath."

07- THE MAYOR  MARCELL

So, the mayor put his name down for six pounds, and the corporation each gave four, and other people gave their guineas and half guineas and crowns or two crowns, and while the subscription was being made the mayor ordered two poems at his own expense from the town poet to celebrate the occasion. These poems were very much more admired, especially by the mayor and corporation.

The first poem dealt with the noble conduct of the mayor in arranging to have the menacing dragon tied up. It also described the splendid assistance rendered by the corporation. And the second expressed the pride and joy of the poet in being permitted to sing such deeds.

When the subscription was finished there was more than five hundred pounds accumulated, a considerable sum, in the coffers, and a committee was formed to settle what should be done with it. Part of it went to pay for the elaborate banquet in honor of the mayor and the corporation; another bit was spent in buying commemorative, gold medals with impaled dragons on them, to pin on the corporate members’ chests; and the reminder that was left, was allocated to other committee expenses.

So, there was nothing left for the blacksmith John except the laurel wreath and the knowledge that it really was he who had saved the town. Nevertheless, after these frivolous expenditures, from thereon things had gone a little better for the blacksmith’s family. To begin with, the baby did not cry so much as it had before. Then the rich lady who owned the goat was so touched by John's noble action that she ordered a complete set of shoes at 3 shillings, 5 pence, and even made it up to 4 shillings, 7 pence, in grateful recognition of his public-spirited conduct.

Subsequently, endless hoards of tourists flocked to the region (town)  from quite a long ways off, and they  paid three and a half pence each to go down the steps and peep through the iron grating at the white dragon in the dungeon—and it was four pence extra for each party if the posted armed guard (assigned by the mayor) let off colored fire to see it by, which, as the fire was extremely short, was three pence-halfpenny clear profit every time. Meanwhile the blacksmith John's wife used to provide teas at tenpence a head, and altogether things grew brighter week by week.

08- JOHN THE BLACKSMITH (31) jp

John from the first, had refused to take any part in all of this despicable and farcical entertainment (amusement); he would not benefit from funds derived from the humiliating carnival like atmosphere, that put the noble dragon on daily display. He felt deeply shamed and grieved most sincerely, for his earlier unwitting part in all of this duplicitous debauchery, and in due course, perpetuating this most demeaning, injurious depravity (corruption, degeneracy) of the noble dragon.

The dragon Longze, despite his boundless generosity of the heart, had eventually grown weary of this worst aspect of humanity, the rampant corruption, his unwitting exploitation and all the immoral display. And so, late one night, when John had pensively gone down to check on the captive dragon Longze, to visit with the poor creature and again, ask for his forgiveness: the dragon pre-emptively instead, had told him, a time had come for him now to abscond. He then with dignified air, though tentatively (hesitantly), asked John next, to release him from his bonds. What John did not know however, was this too was a test, and he had not disappointed Longze’s faith in him. 

Even though John knew this would land him in serious trouble, the blacksmith had been so beset with remorse that he without single moment’s hesitation, had immediately done as the dragon Longze had asked of him.

09-JOHN THE BLACKSMITH (36)jp

“We shall not see each other for a long while; however, by your actions you have earned my lasting esteem. If you are ever in need, I shall return, to set things right by you. Farewell for now, my dear friend. “Dragon Longze then had reverently bowed his head to John and then suddenly poof, disappeared in thin air.

John had fully grasped it then, that he’d never really been in charge (command); and that he was the one who had been outwitted (outfoxed) instead, by the gentle natured celestial dragon who, with infinite patience, had sought all along to attain, a genuine spark of true benevolence from a single mortal being .

 

 

FIN

 OUTWITTING THE DRAGON LONGZE (STORY BY BOST, 2026- PART 1)

John had lost both his parents, due to a freak accident, a runaway carriage, at the tender age of six. His innate nature was willful and stubborn; and so, after his daring escape from the oppressive, state-orphanage, he’d pretty much grown up in the streets, relying solely on his own wits.  Barely nine years old, John had then attached himself to an old, excentric blacksmith that lived at the edge of town, and as his apprentice, he’d hence acquired a useful skill. After his mentor the blacksmith had passed away, John wanting to see the world, had travelled on foot, from place to place, eventually settling in a small border town, earning a meagre living, doing whatever jobs needed doing.

01- JOHN THE BLACKSMITH (7)JP

John celebrated his seventeenth birthday, by treating himself to a cold draft, for the first time ever, at the local tavern.  The proprietor had cast him a cautionary look but took his coin and provided him with the local draft without saying another word. He had sat in the dark corner and quietly sipped, savoring the brew, as this was his right of passage, while his eyes stealthily scanned the room for any potential danger. He always kept his vigil, never trusting anyone; however now that he was in his late teens, his strong athletic physique and stalwart (fearless, valiant) bearing and unfriendly demeanor, deterred most ruffians (thugs, hoodlums) from approaching or targeting him. He had long straight white-blond hair, brilliant blue eyes and was most fair to look at; some might even consider him quite handsome. He’d been smitten with a local farm girl, at the outskirts of town, and that was the reason he’d extended his stay within this region.

There happened to be an old, old castle at the edge of town perched on a hilltop by the fast-flowing river. The castle had been abandoned long ago by the original owner Lord Densel Keroy, whose family had once lived there, for untold generations. After the Lord’s wife’s sudden death, he’d married a mysterious woman, some thought she was a witch, and from thence, things had taken a turn for the worse. One after the other, Lord’s three offsprings, close relations and then the extended members (kinfolk) had all, through succumbing to accidents, bad luck, illness or pestilence, perished. No one knew what’d became of the Lord or the reminder of his family; they had simply, one stormy night, under cover of darkness boarded the moored vassal (river boat) and sailed down the river. They were never seen or heard from ever again; moreover, for unknown reasons, Lord’s name or any reference of him, thereafter, had all been erased (wiped out) from the historical records (this included the town’s genealogy’ books). Deemed a cursed place, the once magnificent castle (along with its manicured grounds sporting fountains and statues and exotic trees and flowers) meanwhile, was simply abandoned and left to rot (decay, deteriorate).

02- ABANDONED CASTLE IN RUINS (3)jp

No one went near this old castle, save for John. The castle was by then so decrepit that most of its walls and towers and turrets and gateways and arches, some overgrown by ivy, lay crumbled or in ruins; a comparatively small segment (of the east wing) had remained intact, as a reminder of its once old splendor. John, unfazed by the supposed, curse and the ghostly hauntings (roaming), however, had noted the advantage to be had here; he saw, for instance, that there were two perfectly habitable, almost cozy rooms, within this sector, that was perfectly adequate for his immediate needs. And so, it was here, that John the blacksmith had set up his forge.

John the blacksmith, soon as he’d turned nineteen, had of course married his sweetheart Betty and his deep love and devotion for his beloved had never once wavered (faltered), despite some marital difficulties. She’d been spoiled by her father and had little understanding of the economics of life. Nevertheless, eight months prior, she’d born to him, a lively little baby boy, which he absolutely adored.

Recently, because of some unavoidable setbacks- first was the fire that had gutted their old home, then afterwards, his wife had succumbed to robbery, loosing all their savings- this unfortunately, had left John at present in dire straits; therefore, lacking the adequate funds for  a proper dwelling, he’d of course considered the dilapidated castle, especially since the two perfectly good rooms were rent-free.  So here John blew his bellows and hammered his iron and did all the work which came his way. This was not much, because most of the trade went to the mayor of the town, who was also a blacksmith in quite a large way of business, and had his huge forge facing the square of the town.

03- THE MAYOR  MARCELL

The mayor Marcell employed twelve apprentices, all hammering like a nest of woodpeckers, and four supervisors (controllers, overseers) to order the apprentices about; he had a patent forge and a self-acting hammer, the mechanical (automated) bellows, and many more spiffy things, all handsome about him. So of course, the townspeople, whenever they wanted a horse shod or a shaft mended, went to the mayor.

John the blacksmith, meanwhile, struggled on as best he could, with a few odd jobs from travelers and strangers who did not know what a superior forge the mayor's was. The two rooms John and Betty had occupied, were warm and weather-tight, but not very large; so, the blacksmith John got into the way of keeping his old iron, his odds and ends, his fagots, and his two pence worth of coal in the great dungeon down under the castle. It was a very fine dungeon indeed, with a handsome vaulted roof and big iron rings whose staples were built into the wall, very strong and convenient for tying captives to, and at one end was a broken flight of wide steps leading down no one knew where. Even the lords of the castle in the good old times had never known where those steps led to, but every now and then they would kick a prisoner down the steps in their lighthearted, hopeful way, and sure enough, the prisoners never came back. The blacksmith John, brave as he was, had not the occasion to go beyond the seventh step, so he did not know or cared to know, what was at the bottom of those stairs.

04- BETTY  (28)JP

Beknows to John, when his wife was not doing the housework or nursing the baby, she would pensively sit on the steps or quietly shed some tears, for she was secretly very unhappy. She often ruminated on the happy, carefree days of old when she lived with her father in a stately (splendid) two-story farmhouse, in relative comfort and luxury, in the pristine setting of the countryside. She had two personal servants then tending to all the household chores and her, fulfilling her every whim. Additionally, they had seasonal workers that harvested the fields, they had three dozen sheep and, seventeen cows.

Then one day, while gathering wildflowers in the field, she’d chanced on John; he was so handsome, so dashing a young man, she had immediately been quite taken with him.  Young and reckless, they had married soon after. She with a wry smile on her lips recollected now, sitting quietly by the window, the time John used to come courting her in the summer evenings, as smart as could be, with a posy fastened in his jacket’s buttonhole. And now, her father had passed away, and John’s hair had lost its lustre (sheen); and though they’d survived many hardships, recently fairing worse, there’d been hardly ever enough to eat.

As for the baby, it cried a good deal at odd times but particularly at night; often, when Betty had settled down to sleep, it would always begin to cry, quite as a matter of course, so that she hardly got any rest at all. This made her very tired. The baby could make up for its bad nights during the day if it liked, but poor Betty couldn't. So, whenever she had nothing to do, she used to idly sit and cry, because she was tired out with work and worry.

05-JOHN THE BLACKSMITH (11)jp

One evening the blacksmith John was busy with his forge. He was making a goat-shoe for the goat of a very rich lady, who wished to see how the goat liked being shod, and also whether the shoe would come to fivepence or sevenpence before she ordered the whole set. This was the only order John had had that week. And as he worked his wife Betty sat and nursed the baby, who, for a wonder, was not crying.

Presently, over the noise of the bellows and over the clank of the iron, there came another sound. The blacksmith and his wife looked at each other.

"I heard nothing," said he.

"Neither did I," said she.

But the noise grew louder—and the two were so anxious not to hear it that he hammered away at the goat-shoe harder than he had ever hammered in his life, and she began to sing to the baby—a thing she had not had the heart to do for weeks.

But through the blowing and hammering and singing the noise came louder and louder, and the more they tried not to hear it, the more they had to. It was like the noise of some great creature purring, purring, purring—and the reason they did not want to believe they really heard it was that it came from the great dungeon down below, where the old iron was, and the firewood and the two pence worth of coal, and the broken steps that went down into the dark and ended no one knew where.

"It can't be anything in the dungeon," said the blacksmith John and smiled reassuringly, then using the small strip of cloth he wiped the sweat off his face. "Besides, I shall investigate it proper, when I have to go down there anyway, to fetch more coals in a minute."

"There isn't anything there, of course. How could there be? But you will still be careful, won’t you dear?" said his wife concealing her trepidation (anxiety, unease). And they, being so considerate (and loving) of each other, tried so very hard to reassure the other, that both very nearly did believe it.

Then John took his shovel in one hand and his riveting hammer in the other and hung the old stable lantern on his little finger and went down to get the coals.

"I am not taking the hammer because I think there is something there," said he, "but it is handy for breaking the large lumps of coal."

"I quite understand," said his wife Betty, who had brought the coal home in her apron that very afternoon, and knew that it was all coal dust.

So, John went down the winding stairs to the dungeon and stood at the bottom of the steps, holding the lantern above his head just to see that the dungeon really was empty, as usual. Half of it was indeed empty, except for the old iron and odds and ends, and the firewood and the coals. But the other side was not empty. It was quite full, and what it was full of was Dragon.

06 - DRAGON LONGZE - JP

"It must have come up those nasty broken steps from goodness knows where," said John to himself, with a frown on his lip, as he tried to creep back up the winding stairs. Facing this unexpected danger, his anxious thoughts had been more about the safety and welfare of his wife and child.

But the dragon Longze was too quick for him—it put out a mighty big claw and caught him by the leg, and as it moved it rattled like a great bunch of keys, or like the sheet iron they make thunder out of in pantomimes.

"No, you don't," said the dragon in a grumbling voice that revibrated in the air.

"I beg your pardon," said John, stockily, “I meant you, no disrespect.”  His fearless eyes looked straight at the Dragon, though he was helplessly trapped under the claw of the dragon. Truth be known, he was inwardly awed, staring at this magnificent creature; he’d never seen a dragon before, he’d always been told that they had long been extinct. Subsequently, John shrugged his shoulders, resigned to his fate, and mumbled:  "Alas, here's a nice end for a respectable blacksmith!"

07-DRAGON LONGZE (3)JP

The dragon Longze seemed very much struck by this remark.

"Do you mind saying that again?" said he, quite politely.

So, John said again, very distinctly: "Here—is—a—nice—end—for—a—respectable—blacksmith."

"I didn't know," said the dragon. "Fancy now! You're the very man I wanted."

"I’m at your disposal." John refused to beg for mercy and so had boldly ejected: “Go ahead, incinerate me.” He’d secretly hoped, that after his demise, the dragon would then go back satisfied, to whence he came from, and that his wife and child be safe.

"Oh, I didn't mean that.”  said the dragon Longze, "Though, I should like you to do a job for me. One of my wings has got some of the rivets out of it just above the joint. Could you put that to rights?"

John exhaled in relief and said, “I might, sir," rather politely, for he always was polite to any potential customer, even if he be a dragon.

"A master craftsman—you are a master, of course? —can see in a minute what's wrong," the dragon went on. "Just come around here and feel my plates, will you?"

John tentatively (timidly, cautiously) went around when the dragon took his claw away; and sure enough, there was a part where the dragon's wing was hanging loose, and several of the plates near the joint certainly wanted riveting.

The dragon Longze seemed to be made almost entirely of iron armor—a sort of thin strip of rust color beneath the blue-silver plates, it was from damp, no doubt—and under it he seemed to be covered with something furry.

All the blacksmith welled up in John's heart, and he felt more at ease.

08-JOHN THE BLACKSMITH (14)jp

"You could certainly do with a rivet or two, sir," said he. "In fact, you want a good many."

"Well, get to work, then," said the dragon. Longze could not detect any usual nuance (tone) of prejudice in John’s vernacular, nor could he sense the typical, intense fear in latter’s heart; therefore, rather intrigued by this unique individual and wanting to experience more of his mettle (valour, bravery), plus, unable to resist intimidating him, Dragon Longze said: "You mend my wing, and then I'll go out and eat up all the townsfolk, and if you make a really smart job of it, I'll eat you last. There!"

"I don't want to be eaten last, sir," said John.

"Well then, I'll eat you first," said dragon Longze.

"I don't want that, sir, either," said John.

"Go on with you, you silly man," scoffed the dragon, "you don't know your own silly mind. Come, set to work."

John drew closer- gave the dragon a bit of a nip or a dig under his rivets—took note of the damage…assess what it would take to fix it … fire and smoke. Then he hesitated; he seemed to be rather ambivalent (indecisive) about his next move.

"I prefer not to tackle (handle) this job, sir," finally John ejected, "and that's the truth. I know how easily accidents could happen… Then you’ll blame me, suspecting me of being deliberately malicious.”

"You may carry on without fear; I will not harm you even if you cause me hurt. “Dragon Longze, noting the blacksmith’s lingering qualms, assured John. “I’ll take all that you said under advisement; now, if you please delay no more, rivet me, and I'll eat you last”. Longze was inwardly laughing up a storm, noting the flicker of terror and calculation simultaneously registering in those human eyeballs (cornea, orbs); subsequently, all of it immediately being replaced with the stubborn, defiant fervour (commitment, zeal).

"I know you wouldn't do it on purpose, sir," said John pensively, "but any gentleman will give a jump and a sniff if he's nipped, and one of your sniffs would be enough for me. Now, if you'd just let me fasten you up?"

09-DRAGON LONGZE (20)jp

“You are way too brazen; I give you that! " The Dragon Longze silently derided; then looking straight at John, outwardly objected: “But that would be so undignified."

"We always fasten a horse up," said John, "and he's the 'noble animal.”

"It's all very well," said the dragon, "but how do I know you'd untie me again when you'd riveted me? Give me something in pledge. What do you value most?"

"My hammer," said John. "A blacksmith is nothing without a hammer."

"But you'd want that for riveting me. You must think of something else, and at once, or I'll eat you first."

At this moment the baby in the room above began to cry. Its mother had been so quiet that it thought she had settled down for the night, and that it was time to begin.

"Whatever's that?" said the dragon, starting so that every plate on his body rattled.

"It's only the baby," said John.

"What's that?" asked dragon Lonze. "Something you value?"

"Well, yes, sir, rather," said the blacksmith John, trying his best to conceal his rising inner dread. He’d so hoped the baby would for once sleep peacefully through it all, and the Dragon would not be aware of their (his wife and son’s) existence.

"Then bring it here," said the dragon, "he’ll be an apt collateral (guarantee); you shall tie me up, I’ll keep an eye on it, till you've done riveting me."

"All right, sir," John reluctantly acceded, "but I ought to warn you… Babies are poison to dragons, so I don't deceive you. It's all right to touch—but don't you go putting it into your mouth. I shouldn't like to see any harm come to you."

The dragon was beginning to lose patience; he inwardly scoffed: “Likely story; you think me so ignorant? But to reassure you, hmm, very well, I’ll simply play along.”

The dragon Longze condescendingly purred and said: "All right, I'll be careful. Now go and fetch the thing, whatever it is."

So, John ran up the steps as quickly as he could, for he knew that if the dragon got impatient before it was fastened, it could heave up the roof of the dungeon with one lurch (motion, toss, heave) of its back and kill them all in the ruins.

Upstairs he found his wife with eyelids closed and in deep slumber, curled up in a ball, lying in bed besides the baby; for despite the baby's cries, she’d been so utterly spent with all that worry that sleep had abruptly claimed her. His sad eyes for a short spell lingering on Betty, John then leaned forward and gently picked up his son. The baby affectionately cradled in his arms, John hastened back to the dungeon and, showing great faith in the creature, he then gingerly placed his precious boy in front of the dragon's front paws.

11- JOHN'S BABY BOY PLACED IN FRONT OF lONGZE.

"You just purr to it, sir," he said, "and it'll be as good as gold."

So, the dragon Longze did just that, and his purring pleased the baby so much that he actually ceased (discontinued, stopped) his crying.

 

(END OF PART ONE- THE STORY CONCLUDES IN PART TWO)

 

                                                                                        ~