Jonah and the Last Great Dragon by M E. Holley Read Free Book Online Page A

angry tears filling her eyes.
    â€˜Dad, you weren’t there. We’re not silly kids. They were wolves! Take a look at Jonah’s bite, why don’t you? And, anyway, the radio’s not working, so you couldn’t have heard about it!’ She slammed out of the kitchen and they could hear her furious sobs, as she thumped up the stairs. Mrs Morgan shook her head at her husband.
    â€˜Oh, Emlyn! Did you have to? You can see how upset she is.’ She turned apologetically to Mike. ‘It’s just that it is so difficult to believe that there could be wolves on the loose in Wales.’
    Emlyn sniffed but said no more. There was an awkward pause and then Bryn said quietly, ‘Are you sure it wasn’t a pack of dogs, Jonah?’
    Jonah nodded vigorously. ‘Yes, they definitely weren’t German Shepherds or anything, and they were much too big to be huskies. I’ve seen one of them before! It was the thing that chased me this morning. But I knew nobody would believe me if I said it was a wolf.’ He shivered as he remembered the animal’s evil yellow eyes.
    â€˜But a wolf bite!’ Rhodri Morgan said. ‘Surely, if the animal had been a wolf, Jonah would have far worse injuries. A wolf’s jaws are much more powerful than a dog’s. If it had been a wolf, it could well have bitten through the boy’s shoulder-bone!’
    Mike nodded. ‘You’re right. But, you see, it didn’t get a chance to shake Jonah about too much. Before it could close its teeth fast and really bite down, I shoved a burning branch in its face.’
    Rhodri nodded but Jonah thought he still seemed rather sceptical. ‘Lucky you had time to find something big enough to light,’ he said.
    Mike looked around at the doubting faces. ‘I heard the wolves well before they attacked,’ he said calmly.
    â€˜Look, they were wolves,’ Jonah insisted. He was beginning to feel annoyed now. ‘We had quite enough time to look at them. And we saw other things, too.’ He laughed hollowly. ‘Now this will really make you think Erin and I are off our rockers.’

CHAPTER 9
AN UNBELIEVABLE STORY
    Jonah told them everything. He described how they had found the great, smoking fissure in the ground and how he had felt himself slipping towards the crevice. Turning to see how Mike would react, he told them about the strange, disgusting little animals on top of the church. Mike’s lips tightened as Jonah described what he and Erin had seen, but he said nothing. Suddenly, Jonah broke off as a thought occurred to him.
    â€˜What is it?’ asked Claire.
    â€˜When my foot got caught,’ he said slowly, ‘Erin swore she saw a bony hand round my ankle. And I didn’t feel as if I was just slipping, either,’ he added. ‘It felt as if something was pulling me! It could have been one of those awful things on the church. They had nasty skinny hands. It could have been one of them!’
    When he finished talking there was silence for a moment. The adults seemed lost for words. Then, abruptly, Emlyn turned to Mike. ‘I have to see for myself. I can’t take it on board, otherwise. If you can show me just one of the things Jonah has been talking about, I’ll be able to believe everything else.’ He turned to the other men. ‘I need to go up to the church. Do you want to come?’
    Mike placed his hands on the table. ‘I told your wife that I have to call a meeting to alert as many people as possible. Look, we need to take action fast, if we are to prevent a disaster. People could get hurt. If we go to the church now, quickly, and if I can convince you that we have a serious problem here, will you help me get word around the community?’
    The men nodded. ‘Come on, then,’ said Emlyn. ‘I’ll get my guns.’
    As Emlyn spoke, Jonah noticed a strange expression flicker across Mike’s face. Then he