Jonas The Dragon

• Noah Bickerton, Grade 6, Bayside Christian College
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Horizon of Dreams 2018' competition

Legend has it that Jonas, the dragon is tall, proud and nothing gets in his way. His neck is scaly and wings are as huge and as strong as the biggest rock. He waits in his cave to stalk his prey. Truth be told, Jonas just wants to be left alone.
The knight thinks he's strong and fierce like the dragon, but actually he's a big scaredy. He dislikes spiders and really hates dragons, but here he is, on a 'harmless' walk in a volcano.
The volcano is big, everyone fears it. The knight is going to be the first to survive. He is walking and scared, all his bones in his body are shaking. He sees something, it is big and red.
"IT'S A DRAGON!" shouts the knight.
Jonas, the dragon stared at the tall stranger, a ghostly figure draped in dark chain mail. He looked like a knight of some kind, like a toy box action figure come to life, 'but what is he yelling about? Could he be yelling at me?’ he thought.
The knight swung a sword in his right hand. Its brilliant blade flashed in the sun and
his armor jingled all over his body, echoing his swift, skillful moves.
Despite his fear, he waved his shield and barked a challenge, "I fear you not, fiend, nor your hellish fire! Come to battle and we shall see whom the best will be!"
The knight went to hit him. He missed. Jonas's throat burned like a sizzling sidewalk and acid bubbled up from his boiling stomach. With a conclusive shudder, he belched a plume of hot smoke, steamy gases, blistering his tongue and scorching his lips. A second later a raging river of fire blasted through his gaping mouth and hurtled toward the knight. The knight jerked his shield up and tucked his body behind it.
The battle raged on. The knight was lashing his sword violently through the air. Jonas, the dragon was spraying out hot larva. The knight thrashed his sword, it hit Jonas. He fell to the ground, but caused no damage. Jonas quickly got back up and continued on. He hit the knight's chain mail with his tail. The knight fell to the ground screaming; his bones were all in agony. He felt like giving up, but no, he did not.
He jumped up surprisingly fast and hit at Jonas once more. Jonas moaned and fell. He stayed down. He squirted larva out of his mouth. It bolted through the air like an Olympic athlete. It missed the knight. Jonas noticed a big stalactite hanging from the inside of the volcano, he hit it with his fire and it fell on top of the knight. He was dead. The dragon hissed "you were right to fear me, no one who comes here will survive". Jonas went home to his cave in the volcano and hoped it would never happen again.
And it didn't.