Ch9-Fire Dragon

CHAPTER NINE Fire Dragon

Jack followed Annie over the wet rocks to the waterfall. In the moonlight, he could barely make out a hollow space in the cliff behind it. "That looks like a cave!" said Annie. "A cave that hides from sight behind a curtain of white," said Jack.

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Yip! Yip! Oki popped his head out of Jack's backpack. The little dog kept barking as Jack and Annie slipped behind the waterfall and made their way inside the cave. The air in the cramped cave smelled of wet rocks and mold. Jack had to bend down to keep his head from hitting the ceiling, and Oki tumbled out of his backpack. Before Jack could catch him, the puppy dashed off. "Oki!" cried Annie. Yip! Yip! Oki's barking came from deep within the cave. "We're coming!" called Annie. She and Jack moved their hands along the cave wall to guide their way. As they followed the sound of Oki's barks and whines, the cave became more like a tunnel. The ceiling was so low that Annie and Jack had to get on their hands and knees and crawl in the blackness toward Oki's cries. Suddenly Jack heard a flapping and squeaking off to the side. "Watch out for bats," he called.

"Yikes. You think spiders could be in here, too?" said Annie. "Probably yes," said Jack. "Oh, no," said Annie. "Keep going," said Jack. "Just keep your head down." Close by, Oki yelped furiously. Jack felt around blindly for the puppy. But instead of fur, his hand touched a cold, smooth object. He quickly drew back, afraid he might have touched a snake or some other creature. "Gotcha!" said Annie. "I got Oki!" "Good," said Jack. "Hey, there's something else here," said Annie. "What?" said Jack. "It's heavy, but it feels like a plate," said Annie. "Actually, I felt something, too," said Jack. He reached out and touched the cold object again. He picked it up and ran his fingers over it. "I think I found a goblet," he said. "I just found something else," said Annie. "Oh, wow…it's too heavy to lift with one hand."

"Where is it?" said Jack, reaching toward the sound of Annie's voice. "Here," said Annie. She guided his hand to the object. When Jack tried to pick the object up, he almost dropped it. It was very heavy. Jack ran his fingers over its surface….Is that a head? A snout? he wondered. Wings? Claws? "Oh, man, we found it!" he whispered. "The dragon?" asked Annie. "Yes, I think so!" said Jack. "Let's get it outside!" "Okay, I'll carry Oki," said Annie. Jack stuffed the heavy object in his backpack. Crawling and then crouching, he and Annie made their way back through the cave, until they came to the entrance. The waterfall showered them with spray as they climbed over the rocks to the ground. Jack set down his backpack and pulled out the object. In the moonlight, the ninth dragon was magnificent. Its golden wings were raised behind its back, and its eyes seemed to be gazing into the far distant hills.