The Dragon's Curse of the Rhyme and Limerick!

A limerick is a form of verse, usually humorous and frequently rude, in five-line, predominantly with a strict rhyme scheme of AABBA, in which the first, second and fifth line rhyme, while the third and fourth lines are shorter and share a different rhyme.

It was a wet and rainy day. Jenny Anne and her dog, Midnight were lying down on Jenny’s bed. She was bored. It had been raining for 5 days straight. All she could do was play 'bored' games and read. She was actually a pretty fast reader and had read all her books and magazines. She was always daydreaming of life in fairyland. The worst part was that she couldn't meet her green-eyed, blonde pixie friend, Ellie. All she could do is read. She really wanted to meet her friend, Ellie the elf.

As soon as she got up for a drink of water, she felt a blast of wind behind her. As soon as she got up, she heard a swish of air. She thought that she left the window open but it was actually Ellie the elf!

"Hello,Jenny.

I called out to you a plenty,

Why didn't you answer my call,

In the wood by the waterfall?" Asked Ellie .

"We can't get out of the house since it's pouring outside." Replied Jenny, with annoyance.

Ellie then said –

‘’O, dragon slayer

Please save the fairy lair,

The dragons have burnt the land

You can stop them, yes you can,

As no God will answer our prayer’’

‘’Ellie! Why are you speaking in limericks?’’ Asked Jenny.

Ellie once again replied in verse,

‘’The dragons did this

Please trust me, miss!

The woodcutters chopped down the place of their hunt

So, our buildings are now burnt,

And those we miss’’

Ellie opened up a portal and then, with a Zapp she, Midnight and Jenny went to the border the land of Ice and Fire shared with Fairyland. It was really different from the last time she was inFairyland. Every thing was so haphazard that she was not sure whether they were in the right place.

“To Draconia we must travel,

While trudging through the gravel!

Six hours it will take our feet,

If our deadline we have to keep!”, said Ellie.

On the way to the Dragon lair, they saw a sunny meadow where Jenny saw the unicorn she had been trained to ride on. She whistled and waved to her unicorn who (in limericks) asked why they were there. Jenny replied in the same way. The unicorn called a friend of hers and they agreed to carry them to the Dragon lair.

They camped near Melony lake for a while to make their plans. They divided into 2 teams. Team A consisted of Jenny and Midnight and Team B had Ellie and the unicorns. Team A was to face the perils of the path to the dragon cove, enter and convince the dragons to lift their curse. Meanwhile, Team B was to search the fairy realms and find a new hunting spot for the dragons.

The next day, they awoke at cock’s crow but the cock didn’t crow, it said-

“Cock a doodle do

how are you

Awake

and to sleep say good bye

and the leaves will be covered in dew!

Cock a doodle do

How are you

awaken by my cry

To the night say goodbye

For in the morning you have a few jobs to do!”

The curse was beginning to work. Even the cock was speaking in limericks. It was strange to hear it do so. Suddenly, as she woke Ellie, Jenny realised that even she started to recited limericks.

“Wake up, my dear friend,

The night has come to an end.

We have to continue our mission,

And remove the fires from vision,

To save our dear fairyland!”

She was so surprised! She recited a limerick without realising. She was worried about it. Ellie said,

"It's okay my friend,

the curse will soon end.

Dragons are 'warm-hearted'.

When they calm down, the curtain of the curse will be parted.”

The two teams wished each other luck and started on their respective their tasks.

Jenny andMidnight took the steep and treacherous path to dragon cove, where the dragon lair was hidden. Although it was just 5 miles away, they had to bypass all the magical snares and climb the steep path through a craggy cliff (something Jenny was quite good at). Meanwhile, Ellie and the unicorns searched for forests in fairyland so that the dragons could get the hunting space they wanted.

When they reached dragon cove, Jenny and Midnight shivered and were free of the curse. The dragons had put a protective spell on the cove as they didn’t want to speak in limericks themselves and they did not want any uninvited guests either.

They saw a colossal door in front of them, with the words Amicus interaret engraved on the edges. "This means 'enter friend' in Latin, Jenny told Midnight. To gain entrance, Jenny knocked on the door and a magical voice boomed, “Enter friend, if you dare!”.

Inside, they were confronted by a gargantuan dragon, as tall as a skyscraper. This was Azure, the blue dragon, the keeper of the gate. “Who are you and why are you here?”, he asked with a wicked smile. “It has been so long since we have tasted fresh meat. You will make a tasty morsel!”

With a deep breath, Jenny raised her right hand and said, in a brave voice, much braver than she felt, “I am Jenny-Anne the Dragon Slayer and you will hear me out. You will not harm me or my companion.” The magical ring of the Dragon Slayer that Jenny wore on the index finger of her right hand glowed with a magical light and she and Midnight were encased in a rainbow coloured sphere that protected them from all harm.

As soon as Azure, the dragon saw this, he began to shiver with fear, much to Jenny’s surprise. “Where is Queen Sharp tooth?”, she asked. The dragon cowered and pointed to a door with roses carved on it.

She entered the room and at the same time, a letter was in her hand. It was from Team B. They had found a forest fit for the dragons. The wildlife was teeming with the dragon’s favourite food: deer. There was plenty of water and no matter how much they hunted, they would never run out of food.

Suddenly, a voice behind her boomed “What do you want, Dragon slayer?” It was Queen Sharp tooth. She was a silver dragon, with large, black eyes and sharp fangs that were fatal to anyone who dared to confront the queen.

Jenny bowed low and replied “Your majesty, I mean no harm to you and your subjects. I have just come to ask you to release fairy land of the curse of the limericks.”

“My subjects need a land where we can hunt and live in peace. Fairyland destroyed our home and they owe us a new one”, said Queen Sharp tooth. “Not until they have provided for us, will I lift the curse.”

“Do not trouble yourself on that account”, said Jenny. “We have found you a place befitting your kind.”

With the queen’s permission, she summoned Ellie with the power of her ring. Ellie arrived in a tinkle of crystals and bowing low, showed Queen Sharp tooth the map of the Forest of Sakura. It was ten times as large as the Dragon Cove and was one of the best places to hunt with lots of deer and plenty of water. No matter how much the dragons hunted, they would never run out of food.

The queen accepted Jenny’s offer and lifted the curse on fairyland.

As Jenny and her friends prepared to leave, Queen Sharp tooth said, “You are different from all the Dragon Slayers before you. I believe the time has come for you to learn the story of the Dragon slayer and your destiny. Visit us in the Forest of Sakura once we are settled there and you shall have the blessings of the Dragons.”

Jenny thanked the queen and stepped through the portal. Everything went dark and Jenny heard the pitter patter of raindrops striking the windowpanes and the roof. She woke up to find Midnight asleep at her feet and her mother smiling at them from the door. Once again, Jenny was certain that she had had a wondrous adventure and that it was not a dream!

She was happy that, in Fairyland, all was well!

The End