Butterfingers Read online

  Thus armed, Ned – beginning to feel a little more like a knight-went back up the passage to the Princess Bella.

  She watched him as he approached. He still wore his odd assortment of armour – a bent breastplate, a knee protector, an elbow protector and a gauntlet. But he didn't look funny any longer. The large shield and sword of a champion knight gleamed in front of him.

  "Now, Princess," Ned began, "I think I've got a plan—"

  But as he spoke, he heard a terrible roar! The very mountain seemed to shake. The dragon was returning and already Ned could feel the wind and smoke travel up the passage as the monster alighted on the outer ledge. Suddenly all the torches flared up on the walls.

  As the roar started to die down, Bella whispered urgently: "Hide, Ned! The dragon will come in here!"

  But as he started to move, he heard another sound – a familiar sound which made his heart leap. It was the high-pitched whinny of a frightened horse!

  Ned didn't stop to think. He'd have known that whinny anywhere. It was his beloved Dilly! He ran back down towards the main cave and saw the dragon bend its neck and drop the pony from its mouth. Dilly careered across the cave in terror. The light from the torches lit her white rolling eyes as she galloped.

  Ned ran towards her and saw the dragon opening its mouth to emit its fire! "Dilly!" he cried, and she reared up and stopped at his voice. "Up here – come through here!" And the echo of his voice reverberated through the cave. But Dilly seemed paralysed with fear.

  The dragon stopped and stared. A boy! A skinny boy, holding in his arm a long silver sword! Smoke started to stream out of its nostrils.

  Ned grabbed Dilly's bridle and ran helter-skelter up the passage to the treasure room. A long tongue of flame followed them. It licked the walls of the cave, but Ned and Dilly were too quick, too quick! While they felt the great heat at their backs, they outran it.

  A roar reverberated along the passage as the dragon followed. Before Ned could begin to think, the huge head came through the entrance to the cave. They stared into glowing orange eyes and grinning jaws. The dragon showed surprise and also something else – something like pleasure.

  The torches flickered, the treasure glowed, and on top of the treasure, a beautiful princess sat leaning forward, her hand tied to the ceiling. At the foot of the pile the dragon saw a stunned pony – dinner – and a skinny boy – seconds! It was not used to its victims running this far, but it was more of a challenge.

  The dragon bent over Ned and Dilly. Then, at the first flickering of flame, Bella's voice rang out!

  "Catch!" (Catch! . . Catch . . . catch . . . atch . . . ch . . . went the echo.)

  The dragon stopped and slowly turned its head to look at her. Suddenly Bella's ball came winging through the air with a sure throw. Through the air it spun, shining, sparkling, spinning – the golden ball! Treasure!

  Ned, in the blink of an eye, without a thought, dropped his sword, put out a hand and, for once, caught the ball!

  The dragon's eyes narrowed and it paused. Food – or treasure?

  ANIMAL ARMY

  NED TOSSED THE BALL BACK TO BELLA. It flew high, its brilliant gold shining in the torchlight. Now the dragon's head moved back and forth, like a tennis spectator, watching the arching ball. It seemed mesmerized, greedy for the treasure. To and fro between Ned and Bella went the ball. All time seemed to stop.

  Bella caught a small movement out of the corner of her eye: something small was scuttling across the floor. It was a mouse! Back and forth Bella and Ned continued to toss the ball. Back and forth went the dragons head as it followed the game with its eyes. Meanwhile, along the rock walls animals crept in, one, two . . . three . . . more! Bella made out an otter, a fox, a bird . . . yet still her hand went up again and again, catching the ball confidently, and all the while, to her astonishment, she noticed more animals creeping in. Hundreds of eyes gleamed in the torchlight! They too swivelled back and forth as they followed the track of the ball.

  At first Ned was unaware of all the animals coming into the cave to save them – not only the "princess's army", but all the animals' friends and relations; the whole animal kingdom, it seemed – a real animal army, bravely entering the dragon's lair to help the boy.

  At the front, nearest to Ned, was Tuff. His nose followed the progress of the ball just as the dragon's did. His furry face was frowning in concentration just as Ned's was. The dog looked at Dilly, quaking by the treasure pile. He was so worried for poor Dilly, and for his boy, that he just couldn't help himself:

  "Careful, lad . . . don't you drop it now . . ."

  That was all it took. Ned was distracted, and he dropped the ball!

  The princess gasped. As she did so, it was as if a thousand animals drew breath too.

  "Butterfingers!" they all shouted.

  Suddenly, from all around the cave, multiplied into what seemed like a thousand voices, came a loud reverberating cry of:

  "Butterfingers!" (Butterfingers . . . butterfingers . . . terfingers . . . fingers . . . gers . . .)

  Mixed with this word came strange bellows, barks, squeaks and grunts. It made an enormous sound, strange, reverberating with all the different tones – a woof, a whisper, a squawk, a neigh – as it moved round the cave. The echo magnified this shout of disappointment and anxiety until it seemed as if the mountain was alive with every animal in the kingdom, all calling out "Butterfingers!"

  The dragon paused, unsettled by this huge cacophony of sound. The ball landed on the ground and rolled away.

  A strange scene was being enacted there in the dark rocky chamber: a frightened boy standing frozen, his sword useless on the floor; a mighty but confused dragon; and a loud echo of different sounds vibrating around them. Then, from the hidden corners of the mountain, a group of animals moved forward, tense and ready for action – an otter, a pig, a rabbit, a bird, a fox! Then, to Ned's surprise, more rabbits, badgers, mice, rats, voles and shrews stepped out of the gloom. Birds of many kinds fluttered in the air – the cave seemed alive with all kinds of creature!

  If Ned was frozen for a second, staring at them, so too, for a moment, was the dragon. Its head was raised at the appalling sound and sight of the strange collection of animals coming out of the rock! Then, as if in slow motion, it seemed to gather its senses and bent over to release its fire at Dilly.

  At this, Tuff rushed in front of her, barking at the top of his voice, and hundreds of yaps echoed around the room.

  "You pesky dargon!" barked Tuff. "You keep away from my Dilly!"

  The dragon slowly curved its head down to face the little dog.

  "Just a mo, dragon old thing," came an unlikely voice.

  The dragon stopped again.

  There, next to Tuff, was the jaunty fox, and he was tossing Bella's golden ball up and down. Up it went, catching the light with its shining gold.

  The dragon's eyes narrowed with greed.

  "Now you see it," said Foxy, in a careless tone; "now you don't." The ball disappeared somewhere in his red fur. "Here's your treasure, Dragon. Take it." The ball reappeared. "Whoops! Now it's gone again. Irritating little object, isn't it? Oh, here it is again!"

  The dragon was transfixed and astonished. The ball disappeared and reappeared like Foxy's smile.

  Tuff grinned. "Hey-ho, Foxy, me old mate," he said. "Always said you were to be depended on. Pass it here, pal."

  Foxy grinned and tossed the ball to Tuff, who stopped it with his nose. He sped between the legs of the dragon, dribbling the ball around its scaly feet. It was the second time that this irritating, tiny dog had incensed the dragon. Smoke began to stream once more from its nostrils.

  But Tuff was away, twisting in and out, the ball spinning and rolling. And now Piggy and Otter, with all his friends, came running to join in! Beneath the dragon the ball zipped about from one animal to another. Lark flew overhead near the dragon's snout. She led all the other birds as they swooped in, aiming with their pointed beaks. Rabbits, rats and little mice scuttled
up the dragons legs, swarming over its back to reach its head, nipping its ears and eyelids. Otters leaped on the dragon's long pointed tail, biting it as it lashed about.

  The dragon was confused to see these small creatures hanging from every limb, biting and scratching. As Tuff, Piggy and Foxy sped under and around the dragon, it reared up on its hind legs, then lifted a foot and set it down right on top of the rolling ball. Losing its balance, the dragon began to topple over.

  In a blur of legs, tails and wings, the animals scurried aside or leaped off the falling dragon.

  Ned's eyes took in flashes of a huge foot, two black wings, a rearing neck; then, momentarily, the princess, hands raised to her mouth in horror; the animals darting away; and, above all this, heat and fire and panic!

  It was a moment like no other. In one continuous movement, the ball rolled out from under the dragon and, quick as a flash, Tuff tossed it up to Bella. She put out one hand and caught it.

  "Quick, Ned, the sword!" she cried.

  Ned seized his sword and shield. As the dragon toppled over, it opened its mouth wide and let out a huge blast of fire, and Ned raised the large shield: the flame leaped around the metal, but the boy was unhurt. Then the beast crashed heavily to the ground, jaws gaping, and Bella threw the ball; it spun down through the air in an arc and landed right in the dragons mouth!

  "Goal!" yelled Tuff.

  (Goal, goal, goal, goa . . .)

  The dragon, struggling on the ground, coughed and choked.

  At that instant Dilly galloped forward and Ned leaped on her back, his assortment of armour gleaming, his large shield before him and his silver sword held high. He looked the very picture of a valiant knight!

  "Go, boy!" barked Tuff.

  Dilly, suddenly clear-headed, cried: "It's now or never!"

  Letting out a battle cry, Ned charged with the sword. With the extra speed and force provided by Dilly, the sword plunged into the soft underbelly of the choking dragon and found its mark!

  LANDSLIDE

  THE DRAGON'S HEAD WAS STRETCHED UPWARDS, ITS EYES BLINKING IN DISBELIEF AND PAIN. It lay on its side where it had fallen, the ball still wedged in its great mouth. The sword stuck out from its yellow underside, and now a thin trickle of green liquid oozed down its belly. Its large legs shuddered and twitched. Still its head was raised, and its big orange eyes stared at Ned. Ned got down off Dilly's back and looked at the dragon's terrible face. Smoke began to stream from its nostrils, and then its long neck began to sway.

  "Look out, Ned!" cried the princess, watching from the top of the treasure pile.

  As Ned backed away, the dragon's neck suddenly bent and juddered. The huge scaly head fell to the ground with a loud thud and the golden ball rolled out of its mouth. Smoke billowed out of the nostrils, but no flame came. All the friends stared transfixed. The huge eyes slowly closed; then the dragon's breath stopped. A little cloud of grey smoke hung in the air and then dispersed. There was silence.

  Very cautiously, Ned approached. Then Tuff trotted up next to him and together they looked at the vast body of the dragon as it lay on the floor, wings folded crookedly, black and heavy on the Turkish carpet. It seemed to fill most of the chamber.

  After a moment Tuff found his voice. "I . . . I reckon you did it, Ned. I reckon you did just what you set out to do, lad! Kill the old dragon. By crikey, you did it!"

  "Is it really dead? Are you sure, Ned dear?" Dilly came up behind Ned and nuzzled him.

  "Looks like it, Dilly."

  One by one the animals approached.

  "Well, well, never thought the boy had it in him. Most entertaining," said Foxy.

  Ned looked at him. "I could never have done it without you, Foxy." Foxy grinned and gave a little half-bow. "And I could never, never have done it without you, Tuff. Or you, Dilly. I could never, never have done it without all of you!" He looked round at them. "How did you all get in here?" he asked. "You gave me the shock of my life when you all started yelling."

  "Fair shook up the dargon, too," said Tuff. "That huge echo and all. And he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw us all. Nearly laughed, I did, if I hadn't been so busy at the time."

  "Mouse came and found us and Rabbit showed us the way in," said the otter. "There was a tunnel near Rabbit's home."

  "Never thought I'd be going down a rabbit's burrow," said Foxy in his slow voice, grinning as usual. "Always wanted to of course."

  The rabbit moved away, and all his relations hopped back nervously. Rabbit knew this fox was on his best behaviour, under the circumstances, but well – it wouldn't do to change the habits of a lifetime.

  "I thought I'd lost you all," said Ned, looking around.

  "You never lose your real friends, boy," said Tuff. Then, suddenly, the dog gave a little yap and started to leap in the air. "Hooray!" he barked. The echo of that word went round and round the cave, and for once they delighted in the sound.

  They grinned at each other. "Hooray!" they yelled. They danced about. They hugged each other. They laughed.

  "Excuse me," came a voice. "Am I allowed to join in all this merriment?"

  The Princess Bella peered down from the top of the mountain of treasure.

  "Oh, Princess, dear Bella, forgive me," cried Ned. "Why, if it hadn't been for you and that wonderful ball throwing, we would never have defeated the dragon. You were brilliant!"

  Ned started to climb up the pile. As he did so, the treasure gave a lurch and began to topple.

  "Oh no, Ned," cried Bella. "Careful! I'll be left hanging by the cord!"

  Ned scrambled up a little higher but the pile shifted and tipped, and a cascade of shiny things started to slip and tumble downwards. As he looked up, he saw Bella's chair plunge a little further. She clung there, a nervous look in her eyes, her hand raised towards the ceiling with the cord. But as he watched, he saw the cord loosen. It uncoiled itself like a small snake and fell from the ring in the ceiling. Simultaneously it unwound itself from Bella's wrist. Then it fell, shrivelled, to the floor.

  But by now the impetus of the shifting objects was causing a little landslide, and the caskets, the jewels, the bright fabric, the gold and silver all started to topple downwards. Bella fell too, her dress flying out behind her. Ned was ahead of her, tumbling head-over-heels. He landed with a bump on the floor and, looking up, saw Bella hurtling down towards him.

  Crash! She landed on him, and for a moment they lay sprawled together on the floor as a shower of jewels and treasure clattered about them. Ned jumped to his feet and helped up the princess. And there she was, looking at his embarrassed face, a smile on hers. She rubbed her wrist where the green cord had been tied, and they stood for a moment staring at each other.

  Then she spoke. "You did it, Ned. You killed the dragon and saved me. Thank you."

  Their hands came together, and they stood gazing at each other in wonder and delight. Then Tuff gave an impatient grunt.

  "Blow me, Ned, boy!" he said. "Don't you think it's time to get out of here? We've done more than our dooty, if you asks me! Time to go home."

  "Oh yes," said Dilly. "Let's go home, dear boy." And Ned put his arms around her neck and hugged her. There was nothing he'd like better.

  "I suppose we go down the tunnel," he said. "Lead on, Rabbit."

  Rabbit and his family ran ahead and disappeared. The mice scampered after and all the others started to follow. Bella bent down and picked up her golden ball, but as she did so, a huge rumbling noise like cracking thunder echoed through the mountain. The whole craggy rock was crumbling about them!

  HOMEWARD

  WITH THE DRAGON'S DEATH, THE MAGIC OF THE DARK MOUNTAIN WAS BROKEN. Fearfully they watched as the floor of the cave cracked open. Suddenly it gave way and they moved with it. They were part of the rock, part of the very mountain, and they slid downwards with the landslide around them. The dragon's lair was destroyed before their very eyes, and all its treasure was buried in the dust and rubble.

  Ned, Bella and the animals found themsel
ves lying at the foot of the crag, dazed but miraculously unharmed.

  As they looked about them, they saw that the sky was bathed in a pale light. And then it was as if the skies had opened: a downpour of rain soaked into the parched landscape, finding its way into cracks and dry, rocky seams and filling them all with fresh water. Ned and Bella raised their faces to the rain. As they watched, the heavy fog that had lain for so long over the land disappeared, and they could see blue sky.

  Then, through all the rain, the sun started to shine. As they looked up, they saw five magpies fly towards them over the rubble. In their beaks some had bits of treasure they had pilfered from the treasure chamber as it crumbled down. They flew ahead, cackling.

  "We always knew you could do it!" called the biggest bird.

  "Mind you, you took your time about it!" called another. They cackled with laughter.

  "Those dreadful birds," said Tuff in fury. "Always on the lookout for what they can get."

  Where were you when we needed some help?" called Ned, but the magpies were too busy with their glittering objects to reply, and off they flew.

  Tuff leaped up at them, yapping.

  "Let them go, Tuft" said Bella. "Some creatures are always trouble."

  Tired but full of relief, the friends gazed at the landscape ahead of them.

  "Walk on, Dilly," said Ned. "Ready, Tuff?"

  "Ready as I'll ever be, Ned, lad." The little dog trotted up beside Dilly. "Ta-ta, Rabbit. I'm very sorry about our little mix-up earlier. Thanks for all your help."

  The rabbit stood on his hind legs, his whiskers twitching. "Never thought I'd be saying a fond farewell to a dog and a fox, but farewell. Farewell to all of you." He hopped off and nibbled at the grass. "Perhaps we'll get a bit of peace now," his relatives muttered as they hopped after him.