Stormdragons

Chapter 16

The closer they came to their village, the more excited the boys became. Abu Hamid in particular could not stop talking.

'We are bringing back two full baskets and a stranger who rode a dragon. There will a party tonight for sure,' he said.

Joe said he liked parties. He told them that he had a machine at home which played music all by itself. They laughed and said he'd been fooled.

'Someone had hidden a bird in that box of yours, Joe. Your mother feeds it when you are not looking,' said Ibrahim.

'Then how do you explain that it sings in all sort of voices and plays all manner of instruments?' retorted Joe.

'Easy, it is a parrot that has been enchanted by a sorcerer!' said Ali.

'Or there is a genie trapped inside,' said Ibrahim.

Joe didn't argue. It was hard to believe he was in a world where such things were possible but that's what he had to accept. He realised that he would not survive unless he changed the way he viewed the world.

They turned the shoulder of a hill and the ground fell away before them. Joe could see the start of a valley that grew wider and smoother as it moved towards the far horizon.

'Look, our village! There it is!' exclaimed Ibrahim.

Joe's gaze followed Ibrahim's pointed finger. Perched on the upper slope of the valley was a cluster of mud-brick houses surrounded by neat hillside terraces. It was a rocky, desolate place with only a few small trees and low bushes by way of vegetation.

'It's beautiful Joe, don't you think?' said Ali.

'Very pretty,' said Joe. But as he spoke he pictured the villages of England surrounded by green fields and tall trees. 'I'll never complain about rain in my life again,' he thought to himself.

The boys walked even faster now and soon they were approaching the village. People at work on the terraces waved down to them and shouted their welcomes.

'Two full baskets!' the boys cried in response.

Small children ran to meet them, their bare feet covered in dust. Seeing a stranger, their eyes widened and their hands went up to their mouths. Young girls with long-hair and dark eyes appeared in doorways, shyly observing their arrival from the shadows. Then the boys' mothers rushed forward with open arms, hugging them tight and thanking heaven for their safe return. An old woman sniffed the baskets.

'Wonderful dung. Top quality!' she pronounced.

A great fuss was made over Joe. He was led into a cool mud-brick house and given a flat disc of bread, a bowl of goat's milk and five apricots. After eating Joe realised he was very weary. Seeing this, Ali's mother encouraged him to lie down on a canvas bed situated behind a long curtain. The last things Joe saw as he closed his eyes were three pretty girls looking in on him and whispering to each other.

Joe slept very deeply and did not dream. When he awoke, Ali was by his side with a glass of water. Once Joe had drunk, Ali took Joe by the hand and escorted him to the shade of biggest tree in the village, the one that grew near the well. Here the whole village sat assembled in a semi-circle, the children at the front, the women in the next rank and the men at the back. Ibrahim brought a stool for Joe to sit upon. Ali stood up and introduced Joe to the village. He told them Joe had shared his food with them and brought them luck in the dragons' lair. Then he invited Joe to tell the story of his ride upon the dragon's back.

With the eyes of the village upon him, Joe stood up to speak. He told his story from the moment he fell off the cliff. He did not mention his sister or anyone else but described how the dragons had swept him through the sky, travelling from night to day, how they had swooped on the farmer's cattle and how they had allowed him to dismount in peace.