Will's Galactic Adventure by Edwin Pearson Read Free Book Online

mean the just-not-raining sort of hot that people talk about when they’ve just come back from a week’s holiday in Aberystwyth. This was really hot. Sunshine and everything. Anyway, Draig did what dragons do when it gets hot: ‘e went to sleep. Trouble was, Draig wasn’t always the brightest of dragons and ‘e did one of the worst things a dragon can do: ‘e went to sleep with ‘is head towards the wind.”
    â€œWhat’s so bad about that?”
    â€œIt’s the snoring. Usually dragons don’t snore. Ordinary snoring’s not too bad but if they really get going then they start the old fire-breathing trick.”
    â€œYou mean dragons really can breathe fire?”
    â€œCourse they can. Well known that is.”
    â€œEven Drych?”
    â€œEspecially ‘im. Bit of a champion, ‘e was, in ‘is younger days. Now are you going to let me tell this story or what?”
    â€œOK. Sorry.”
    â€œSo I should ‘fink too. Now where was I? Oh yes. Snoring. Old Draig had a bit of an affliction where snoring was concerned. Couldn’t stop hisself. So when ‘e went to sleep ‘e started snoring. Before long there was great gouts of flame and smoke pouring out of ‘is nostrils every time ‘e breathed. While ‘e was sleeping the wind was getting stronger and before long all this smoke and flame was getting blown back all over ‘im. That’s why he shouldn’t face into the wind, see? If he was facing the other way the wind would ‘ave blown the flames away but as it was they blew back all over ‘im. Scorched red ‘e were. Made worse too by the sun. Normally dragons don’t get sunburn, skin too thick, see? But ‘e’d scorched off a couple of layers of skin with ‘is own flames. By the time ‘e woke up ‘e was in a right old state. Just at that moment some dopey shepherd came traipsing over the hill trying to find a sheep that ‘ad got away. The shepherd weren’t even as bright as old Draig – ‘an that’s sayin’ a lot – didn’t see ‘im till ‘e trod on ‘is tail. I ask you, how could ‘e not see a bright red eight metre dragon wot was breathing fire all over the place? Stood no chance of finding a sheep, did ’e? Anyway, old Draig got really fed up, wot with being burnt all over and ‘aving is tail trod on. He stood up with a great roar and chased the old shepherd right off the hill. In no time the story got around that there was this fierce, red, fire-breathing dragon and before you know it the story ‘ad grown in the telling and old Draig was eighty metres long, not eight, and flying about destroying everything in sight. Truth was, ‘ed crawled into a bog to cool off and wait for ‘is skin to grow back. Anyway, it was too late by then. The Welsh wanted something to scare their enemies and a giant red dragon would do very nicely, thank you. Irritates the dragons no end, though. Peaceful creatures really, see? And bright too. Well, most of ‘em.”
    There was a snort from Drych’s direction. Will looked round and saw that Drych had one golden eye half open looking at him. Well, perhaps not quite at him. Perhaps just over his shoulder. As will watched, a curl of smoke started to emerge from one of Drych’s great nostrils. Then, like a sudden sneeze, a bolt of flame shot over Will’s shoulder. This wasn’t the sort of floppy, orange, curly flame that Will associated with dragons. It was white hot, pencil thin, like a laser beam.
    There was a loud “Eeek!” from over Will’s shoulder then the dragon’s eye closed again. For all the world Drych seemed to have once more fallen asleep.
    â€œOops! Nearly got me with that, ‘e did. Wants to be careful, ‘e does. Could do someone some damage like that.”
    Will couldn’t help thinking to himself that if Drych had really meant to hit