-Have I?
-Of course, mummy. You always tell. And today you will do it, pleeeease!
-Very well. I will tell you a story about the dragon.
-Dragon? Do real dragons live?
-I do not know for sure. I did not see one.
-Are they terrible, mummy?
-Let us read the story and we shall know. Are you ready?
-Yes.
Mother pulled the blanket up to under Puffy's chin and began the story:
| Once, there was a faraway kingdom.
-And in this kingdom lived a dragon?
-Puffy! Or you will be quiet, or I will read the story to some other child!
-No, no! I am quiet.
| In that faraway kingdom lived a King and a Queen.
| And they had a little daughter. People called her the Beauty, because she was very pretty girl.
| The Beauty was also a good student and learned every day.
| She also behaved very well and her parents, the King and the Queen loved her very much and were proud that they had such good daughter.
| Everybody lived happily in this kingdom.
| And everybody loved the Princess Beauty.
| But one day a dragon came to this kingdom.
| And everybody was sad, because everybody knew that dragons eat people, but specially they like girls.
| Nobody knew why dragons preferred girls, but that was that.
| So the kink had to choose a girl for the dragon.
| He called all the people in the kingdom to the main square near the palace and said:
| -Who is ready to give his daughter to the dragon?
| But nobody answered.
| The king asked once more:
| -Is here anybody who is ready to give his daughter to the dragon.
| Somebody shouted:
| -And what dragon will do with her?
| -He will eat her!
| Nobody spoke now.
| -Very well, then - said the King, - we shall choose the girl for the dragon.
| And he brought two boxes of matches. Took one and broke it in half.
| -Come and take a match from my hand. The one, who will take out the short one, will give his daughter to the dragon.
| And people came and took the match from the King's hand.
| But nobody took out the short match.
| Now was King's turn.
| He took with the left hand a match from his right hand and showed to everybody his hand.
| People stopped to breath.
| The king looked on his left hand and saw that there is the short match there.
| The king began to cry: -Why have I to give my daughter to this cruel dragon?
| -If there will be anybody who can kill this dragon and save my daughter, I will marry him with her and will make him a King.
| But nobody came forward.
| So the king cried once more.
| -Tomorrow I will take my daughter to the dragon.
| And everybody went home.
| This night the King could not sleep. He thought all the night about bad fate that he prepared for her daughter.
| He turned from side to side and then suddenly jumped on his legs and ran to the Queen.
| -I know what to do! I shall go and kill the dragon.
| The queen tried to explain him that he was old and weak and the dragon surely will kill him, but the King just said:
| -I am old and lived a good life. But the Beauty is young. She did not see anything yet. It is her turn to live. Or I will kill the dragon or I will die.
| And in the morning, the King dressed in all metal clothes he had, took a special rifle for dragons and went into the forest, where they say, lived the dragon.
-And now go to sleep, Puffy.
-But it is not the end of the story!
-It is not. But it's very long story and we will continue tomorrow.
-Promise?
-Promise.
And mother kissed Puffy, moved hairs from her eyes and went out of the room.
