Read: Apples and Dragons – Part 1
Hrishi and Tara walk through the forest. The forest is shady, but the air is fresh and clear, perfect for a good sleep. Tara feels that Grandpa would get angry if they go far without his permission. “I feel tired. We should go back,” she says.
“Not yet,” says Hrishi, “Grandpa said there are apple seeds in this forest that can grow trees as big as the ‘big tree’. If we could find more of those seeds for Grandpa, he would be happy.
“But the forest seems scary,” Tara says.
“Don’t worry, sister!” Hrishi says, “I am here if anything happens.”
After a while, the kids stop near a huge rock. They have come quite far from the farm’s boundary. Hrishi touches the rock and wonders what’s on the other side.
“Can we go back now, brother?” Tara says.
“I won’t be able to sleep if we don’t find the seeds for Grandpa,” Hrishi says.
“I am not going any further,” Tara replies angrily.
“If you feel tired, you wait right here,” Hrishi says with a sigh. “Let me check what’s on the other side of this rock.”
Hrishi climbs up the rock. Upon reaching the top, Hrishi looks over and sees something unreal. It is a circular grass field, surrounded by huge trees. The grass is greener than the grass on their Grandpa’s farm. Hrishi has only seen such green grass around ‘the big tree’.
“Hey! Sister. I found something. Climb up.” Hrishi calls out.
“What is it, Hrishi? I am coming.” Tara quickly climbs up to see what’s up. Her eyes sparkle when she sees the view.
“Look! Those shiny dots on the grass, I think those are the apple seeds.” Hrishi says.
“How can you be sure?” Tara counters.
“Because Grandpa said these seeds are special. So it has to be those. Let’s get them.”
Hrishi and Tara slide down from the left side of the other side of the rock. They land on the bumpy grass and look back at the rock.
“It’s a cave.” Thomas realizes.
“Quick! Let’s collect the seeds and go back.” Tara says and she leans forward to pick the shiny apple seeds.
A thunderous roar comes from the cave. Tara screams out in fear. Hrishi’s right ear hears the roar and the left ear hears Tara’s scream. His left ear hurts more than his right one.
They hear loud thuds as they hold each other and look towards the cave. A seemingly tired giant creature slowly appears from the dark cave. It has a long grumpy mouth like a horse and sharp big teeth like a wolf. It has two wings with slow-burning flames and a tail that has no end.
“What is it?” Tara screams while closing her eyes.
“A dragon,” Hrishi replies in awe while holding his courage also.
“Who disturbed my sleep? How dare you enter my garden without my permission?” the dragon asks in a loud angry voice.
“We came to pick apple seeds for our Grandpa,” Tara yells back with closed eyes. Hrishi quickly grabs a stick and points it at the dragon. Their courage surprises the dragon.
“No one’s allowed inside my garden.” the dragon says.
“But, our Grandpa was here before, and he took one of the apple seeds. We are here for more.” Hrishi says while still holding the stick strongly.
The dragon softly blows out hot air that sets Hrishi’s stick on fire. Hrishi drops the stick in panic.
“You cannot take these seeds with you. These are magic seeds that reap the juiciest apples. Only I can own them.” The dragon says.
“We just need one seed for our Grandpa. We are not going without one.” Hrishi made up his mind.
The dragon gets angry.
“You woke me up from a deep sleep. Do you know my power? I can blow up the earth.” the dragon warns them. The dragon is blocking the way back to the cave top. It is about to breathe out a destructive fire blast when suddenly, an apple lands on the grass. The dragon spots the apple and immediately dives to eat it.
“Yum! Apples! I love apples!” the dragon roars in joy.
The kids look up. It’s their Grandpa, standing on the top of the cave. He has brought a bag of apples with him.
“Kids, over here!” Grandpa shouts, “Dragons cannot resist apples. I need to put it to sleep. I will distract it. You both hurry and climb up.”
The Grandpa keeps throwing the apples to distract the dragon. The dragon rejoices for every apple it eats. “Oh! These are the best apples.” He roars.
Hrishi and Tara successfully climb up to the top of the cave and hug their Grandpa. The Grandpa then throws the last apple inside the cave. The dragon chases the last apple into the cave. The Grandpa yells a spell, “Sleep dragon. You are tired. Sleep for another hundred years.”
They hear a loud yawn from the cave.
“I guess it went to sleep.” Tara takes a breath of relief. “I am very tired,” she says.
Grandpa says, “Let’s go back. I am tired too. Time to get some sleep for ourselves.”
“Why do dragons like apples, Grandpa?” Hrishi asks Grandpa.
“Because they cannot farm apples themselves, kid.” Grandpa says, “They protect the best apple seeds so, every few years, someone like me can grow it for them.”
