The Adventures of Comenius, the Scottish Dragon
Chapter 1
On the top of a tall, tall mountain among the clouds there was a cave. In the cave there was a dragon and this dragon was very lonely. In fact, he had no friends in the world. He sat slumping, his tail sagging yet still somehow holding its C shape. This dragon was called Comenius. Comenius was tired of sitting around feeling sorry for himself and he knew nothing good would happen if he sat around. Eventually he told himself he was going to go out and find himself a friend. To Comenius the big, wide-world was blood curdling scary and intimidating. He showed great courage as well as determination. You see, Comenius was not faint hearted. Comenius flew over the Falkirk Wheel rapturously, amazed that life outside the cave was not as scary as he imagined. He flew on seedily despite the distance still to travel. Suddenly he landed in Princes Street Gardens. He stood silhouetted on the wall of the Edinburgh castle. This
caused
a
great
hullabaloo!
Comenius
found
this
splendiferous however it made him low-hearted. His scales were
raven black which meant he was upset. A tear fell on to his cheek. It was agonizing to watch this commotion. Cautiously Comenius crept carefully and quietly into the castle, desperately trying to hide his terribly terrifying talons as well as trying to forget his sorrow. What Comenius didn’t know was that he had gone off in a dream consequently about one hundred guards had followed and cornered him. In a sudden rush Comenius began flailing his wings about and sending a tumultuous sound thundering through the castle. Before Comenius could blink he was tied up and thrown into the dungeons. He returned to his natural colour was as blue as the sea. Hoping that the fact that it was animal cruelty to keep him locked up would override the fact that he was a dragon, Comenius went to sleep. The next day, having not been freed, Comenius sobbed so vociferously that two girls playing near the dungeons heard him. One was called Clara and was thin and fetching with extensive hair while her friend, Alice, had short, compressed hair like a blanket of ebony, soft as silk.
Both were exquisite, both had worried
expressions on their faces. Speedily they sped to the dangerous dungeon. Hurriedly, they began to hit the locked door until at last the door gave way. Comenius stood up hopefully when the girls opened the door. He expected these miniscule girls to let out a bellowing scream yet, to Comenius’s surprise, the children entered and asked if they could get a lift to Loch Ness. That night the moon was full, its ivory beams casting dancing shadows onto the ground. Only one noise could be heard: the tap, tap, tap of rain. Comenius sauntered out into the night. On his broad back sat Clara but where was Alice……..? Eventually Alice came out of the castle. “Sorry, went to the loo!” Finally they set off.
There was a blanket of mist ahead.
Suddenly they flew up into the mist and were visible no more. Regardless of the distance still to travel, Comenius flew on showing no signs of giving up. The mist began to fall like a shawl. The darkness gradually got darker and darker. Comenius started
to descend then he landed on a hill top. To his surprise, there was a sign that said, ‘NO WILD ANIMALS!’ Danger permeated the air as Comenius let out a burst of flames
which erupted into a wild fire. Despite the deathly danger, Clara and Alice slipped off his back and disintegrated into the night. Comenius was alone, not only that but he had lost his only chance of having considerate friends. At the first light Comenius flew off to Loch Ness, his gargantuan wings flapping frantically because he had heard of a monster living there which really excited him. When Comenius eventually touched down he had just realised that he had become more and more exasperated with people during his time in Scotland. As he approached the Loch, his head
held high, Comenius’s hopes dropped. How could he have been so stupid? There was a slope in front of him….. The dragon slid down the slope like he was on a rollercoaster. To Comenius’s delight a slimy, speckled monster emerged from the gloom, its face as thunderous as Thor. “My name is Nessie. I think you have a problem.” Then Nessie disappeared. Comenius turned around and, to his horror, men with rifles were advancing on him.
Comenius closed his eyes incredulously.
Unfortunately, when he opened his eyes, the grim men were still there. Quickly Comenius decided to leave for Spain. back melancholy.
He looked
A tear emerged from his eyes and hit the
meanest, most horrid man on the head……. In the newspapers the headlines were all about a sighting of Nessie. This made many people forget about the dragon that was as big as Ben Nevis. Not one person in the whole of Scotland knew that the dragon who played the biggest part in Nessie’s reappearance had had to migrate to Cyprus.
CHAPTER 2
When Comenius left Scotland, he flew for three days and three nights over the Europe and the Mediterranean sea. On the morning of the fourth day, he saw an island on the horizon which resembled a golden, green leaf thrown into the sea. This was Cyprus, the country in which he had decided to migrate.
Thus he began descending towards this island until he landed on a magical beach. The scenery was so beautiful! The sea had a deep blue colour which was the same as his own. Comenius thought that in a place like this which was so serene and calm, he could live forever. The only thing that was left to do now was to find a good friend. So he landed in the town of Paphos. But his thoughts were interrupted by the sobbing of a woman who was so beautiful, like he had never
seen before. She was sitting at a corner and crying. Her tears were dropping on the earth and wherever each one dropped, a yellow anemone grew. In her hands, she held a bundle of red flowers. Surely this woman was a witch or a fairy, Comenius thought. He approached her as quietly as he could because he didn’t want to scare her. He touched her shoulder and covered his ears as he was certain that she would start screaming as soon as she saw him. To his surprise, the beautiful woman turned her eyes which were bright red from crying to Comenius without a hint of fear. - Aren’t you afraid of me? Comenius asked. - No, why should I be afraid of you? I'm a goddess. I am Aphrodite the goddess. I am one of the 12 chosen gods of Olympus. - And what are you doing here? Comenius asked. - This is the place where I was born, right here on
this beach. My mother is the Sea and my father is Uranus. - And why are you so sad? he asked. - Close your eyes and you will see what’s in my mind, Aphrodite said and she touched Comenius. Comenius closed his eyes and then as if he was watching a movie, he saw a wild boar attacking a handsome man, injuring him and abandoning him while the man was left alone to leave his last breath. For every drop of blood that dropped from this man’s body, a rose or a poppy would grow. Right beside him, Aphrodite was crying in desperation.
For
every
tear
fell
from
that
Aphrodite’s eyes, a yellow anemone
would
grow.
Then Comenius opened his eyes and Aphrodite told him that this man was Adonis, the man she had loved and lost forever. Comenius gave Aphrodite a big hug, full of comfort. As a gesture of gratitude, Aphrodite offered him her precious flowers. Both of them immediately became good friends.
Comenius then had a terrific idea and asked goddess Aphrodite to show him around the entire island of Cyprus so she could forget her sorrow. As they were ready to head off on their journey, they heard loud voices, screams and blows from swords. They turned their heads around and what they saw was unbelievable. A huge man in armour, a real giant was chasing a bunch of people. The gigantic warrior decided to take a shortcut and placed his palm on the top of a mountain which rose near the coast of Kyrenia, in order to jump over it. The mountain, as if it was made out of dough, was transformed into five new hills between the fingers of his hand. With his other hand, he flung a huge rock which flew like a comet above
Comenius
and
Aphrodite’s heads and landed on a pirate ship which had
just arrived at the beach and shattered it to pieces. The water which was raised by the rock, got both Comenius and Aphrodite soaking wet. Aphrodite told Comenius that this gigantic warrior was Digenes Akritas who guarded the borders of Cyprus by enemies and that those people he was pursuing were Saracen pirates who used to loot and destroy the island of Cyprus. They had to hurry and help him and that’s what they did. Comenius tried to use the fire which came out of his mouth, but the fire wouldn’t come out because he was wet and he had to dry first in order to be able to use his power. So he decided to use his huge tail and hit another pirate ship thus shattering it into thousands of pieces. Then he turned his tail to the left and sent ten Saracen pirates up to the sky.
Both of them defeated the pirates and chased them away. Digenes shook Comenius’ hand and thanked him for his help and told him that they would be friends forever. Tired from the battle, but very happy that they had won, they headed off for Aphrodite’s palace. They passed by evergreen forests, full of carob trees, olive trees, shrubs, herbs and rare wildflowers. They arrived at the palace which was made out of precious gems and gold. In front of the palace, there was a beautiful lake, while water was flowing out of the slots of a vertical rock and gently falling into the lake like tender rain. Aphrodite explained to him that these were her private baths, but for them she would make an exception and allow them to take a bath, so they could clean themselves and relax. They had a splendid dinner which included roast venison, mutton and wild boar which Digenes had killed as well as plenty of wine. Digenes asked Comenius to stay with him and help him with guarding the boarders. Comenius explained however that he didn’t like confrontations, wars, and the sense of feeling in danger. After this conversation, they fell asleep. During the morning of the following day, before the sun had even risen, Aphrodite announced to Comenius that they were going
to go to a wedding. Comenius got so excited that his usual colour turned from blue to red. They wore their best attire, Aphrodite hopped on his back and they flew away to get to the royal wedding. -Where are we off to now, Aphrodite? the dragon asked. -We are going to Limassol, to a beautiful castle. That’s where I’m invited. In that castle, king Richard will marry his beloved Berengaria, Aphrodite replied. Having flown for quite some time, they finally arrived in Limassol. The sun was slowly beginning to emerge from the East and nature was gradually being overflowed by a beautiful golden colour.
The castle was bigger and more beautiful than Comenius the dragon had ever imagined. A large iron door was in place, which couldn’t be easily opened by a single man. It was made out of stone and turrets were placed right at the top. Around the castle, there were green trees and beautiful flowers. Everything was quiet but suddenly, a loud noise was heard, like someone hammering a piece of metal. The dragon and Aphrodite flew around the castle to find out where the strange noise was coming from. They looked through an iron window and what they saw was unbelievable! There were so many cooks preparing delicious food for the king and queen’s wedding. On top of the huge, wooden table, there were all sorts of food which are fit for a royal wedding: Wild boar, deer and pheasants, anything you could imagine.
The dragon turned red from joy, and could feel his stomach growling! - I'm so hungry Aphrodite, I’m going to dive right in, the dragon said. - Wait! Aphrodite replied. Nobody knows you are here and people will be frightened. You will hide behind that tree outside in the yard and when the wedding is over, I will bring you some food. The sun was now set in the middle of the sky, shining bright and beautiful. At last, the time for the wedding ceremony had arrived. Comenius the dragon hid behind the tree and patiently waited to watch the beautiful ceremony. Queen Berengaria wore a white wedding dress. So many colourful flowers decorated her long, blond hair. She looked beautiful all dressed in white. King Richard was wearing his golden armour and holding a sharp, silver sword. A golden crown with precious gems was placed on his head!
The wedding was out of this world! Aphrodite also looked astonishing with her white dress which looked like the foam of the sea! The dragon was well-hidden behind a tree and watching the magnificent ceremony! His colour had turned white because he was deeply moved by the entire spectacle! A tear dropped down from his big, dragon eyes. Suddenly he smelled something really nice! He turned around and noticed that he was standing right next to a red rosebush. The smell was so beautiful that he bent down to smell the beautiful flowers. Unfortunately, Comenius didn’t know he was allergic to roses! So he let out a loud and powerful
"AH-CHOOOOOOO."
Even the trunk of the tree shook from the loud noise and a few leaves branches!
dropped
from
its
King Richard, without wasting any time and with a loud voice commanded his guards: "Quickly! Arrest this dragon! He might be dangerous." Then, the kind-hearted queen Berengaria hastily told the guards with her sweet voice "Wait, he seems to be a friendly dragon" and without wasting any time, she approached him. - Hello dragon. Where do you come from? You look like a nice dragon. - I am the friendly dragon Comenius, wandering from country to country. I came to your wedding with Aphrodite. I hope you don’t mind, beautiful princess. - Not at all! You will come with me now and you will sit next to me at our wedding table.
The dragon was so happy that he blushed from joy! He sat beside the queen and tasted all the delicious food. The guests were offering him cups of Commandaria, a sweet wine, and without realizing it, Comenius got very drunk!
Feeling dizzy from the wine, he thought he saw a flock of dragon flying up in the sky and he followed them. After a few minutes, the dragon couldn’t see the flock anymore so he flew down and landed on the ground. He found himself at the village of Prodromos. He decided to walk through the narrow streets of the village. A few yards away, three children were playing. Comenius the dragon thought that if he approached them in a friendly manner, he could ask them how to find his way back to Limassol and meet up with the goddess Aphrodite again.
So the dragon took the chance to approach the children. - Hello kids! So the dragon took the chance to approach the children. - Hello kids! - Aahh! A dragon! Ruuuun! one of the kids shouted. - Don’t be scared, kids. I’m friendly. Then one of the kids, Katerina, timidly approached the dragon and then told the rest of the children: - Don’t be scared, this dragon is friendly! Hello dragon. What’s your name? - My name is Comenius the dragon. I am from Scotland. What are your names? - A pleasure to meet you dragon! I am Katerina. This is Konstantinos and this is Eleni. - Can I ask you something? asked the dragon. - Yes, of course. - How can I get back to Limassol? - But why do you want to go back to Limassol? - Because my friend Aphrodite is there. - Don’t you want to go to Troodos for a walk first? Eleni said.
- What’s Troodos. - It’s the largest mountain range in Cyprus. - OK! Let’s go!
During their walk however, the dragon lost the kids. - Kids where are you? Kids? Oh my! Now I’m all alone again. Might as well walk for a bit more and see where I’ll get to. After a few hours, the dragon saw an animal and approached it. - Hello strange animal with the curved horns! - Hello dragon. What’s your name? - I’m Comenius the dragon. What’s yours?
- My name is mouflon. I’m the national animal of Cyprus. You won’t meet me anywhere else in the world except in Cyprus. - That’s great! Can you show me around Troodos for a while? Some kids I met earlier told me that there are a lot of rare and endemic plants here. - Yes you are right. Shall we? - Yea!
So Comenius the dragon and the mouflon headed off on their walk through Troodos. The dragon got the chance to see many of the rare, endemic flowers of Cyprus during this walk.
- Here! This is the cyclamen which grows on rocks. And that's the antirrhinum or bunny as we call it. We’ve named it like that because its petals look like the ears of a rabbit. - Wow! Cyprus has so many rare plants. - And now, do you want to go to Olympus? - What is Olympus? - It is the highest peak of the Troodos Mountains. - Perfect! Let’s go! - Hey! Wait! You should take a coat with you or you might catch a cold.
After finishing their walk at the top of Troodos, the dragon asked the mouflon: - And which is the capital of your country? - Nicosia. Haven’t you been there? - No. Would you like to go together? - Unfortunately I cannot. But if you’d like, I can give you directions and show you the way for you to go on your own. It is very easy. The mouflon explained to his new friend how to get to Nicosia and after exchanging their goodbyes, Comenius set off on his journey. The dragon, still enchanted by the beauty and smells of Troodos, arrived in Nicosia. There he saw wide streets, a multitude of cars, crowds and much to his surprise, Aphrodite. Comenius was looking around enchanted. - Aphrodite, this city seems larger than Paphos and Limassol. - You're right. It is the largest city in Cyprus. Besides, it’s the capital. Aphrodite and Comenius continued to move forward. Comenius was looking at everything with huge interest. Suddenly, he stopped again and asked the goddess Aphrodite. - But where’s the sea? - Comenius, Nicosia is right at the center of Cyprus. That’s why although Cyprus is an island, this town isn’t next to the sea. Without realizing it, they were following the other pedestrians. Then, they got to a street with a lot of shops. Comenius read the sign: "LEDRA STREET". - What a wonderful place, Comenius said and the goddess Aphrodite immediately agreed with him.
Comenius and the goddess Aphrodite got carried away and also started looking through the shop windows. But as they kept moving forward, there were less and less people until finally the road looked deserted. There was no one in sight. Comenius and the goddess Aphrodite started feeling afraid.
Suddenly, an outpost appeared in front of them. A soldier was standing inside. He was dressed in military uniform and on his head, he wore a helmet. He was holding a gun. The expression on his face looked both serious and strict. - Halt! He shouted. You are not allowed to move forward. From here onwards, it’s Northern Cyprus. You have to show me your identity cards in order to go on. - How is it possible? Comenius asked. It’s still Cyprus. You only show an identity card and a passport when you are travelling to another country. - You are wrong. Northern Cyprus belongs to the Turks, the soldier aggressively replied.
Aphrodite was watching the entire conversation in silence and with eyes full of tears. Comenius then begged the soldier to let him pass without showing an identity card. He told the soldier: - I came to Cyprus to find friends, not to make enemies or hurt anyone. Can I pass without showing an identity card? I will be back in an hour, I promise. - No entry without an identity card. The instructions are clear and simple. Anyone who tries to go through without an identity card, will be shot, the soldier replied with an angry voice and without wasting any time, he turned his weapon against them. The goddess Aphrodite immediately nodded to Comenius that they should leave. So, they raised their hands up and slowly began to walk away from the outpost. Comenius had so many questions and so the goddess Aphrodite began to explain and patiently answered all of his questions. - Comenius I’m so sorry that you had to witness this. Unfortunately this only happens in our small island of Cyprus. Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus is the only European capital which is divided. Since the Turkish invasion in 1974, half of the island has been occupied. So many Cypriots were forced to abandon their homes, their
possessions and become refugees in their own homeland. Forty years have passed since then and the only thing that Cypriots can do is show their ID to visit THEIR homes. Comenius was listening to all of this with a sense of confusion. He couldn’t believe that something like this could happen. For someone to be so close to his home and yet so far away... Not to be able to live in the houses that they had built, to be refugees in their own country. - I'd like to see what’s on the other side, Comenius said. I'd like to have the opportunity of admiring Nicosia from above and to be able to see what's beyond those outposts. The goddess Aphrodite remained silent for a minute and then suddenly, her face lit up. - I’ve got it! We will go to a very tall building in Ledra Street and from there, we will have the entire city of Nicosia on our feet.
They quickly headed to the Ledra Street Observatory. They went up to the eleventh floor. The sight was breathtaking. You know what I feel Aphrodite? Comenius said spellbound. I feel as if I am in a hot-air balloon. Aphrodite agreed with his point. But suddenly Aphrodite’s face darkened. After a few minutes of silence she said: - It is not difficult, however, to notice the contrast. The free part of Nicosia is full of life while occupied Nicosia looks completely motionless. It has stopped progressing since 1974, when the Turkish invasion occurred in Cyprus. Please Comenius, let's go. I can’t stand to watch this any longer. Comenius took Aphrodite’s hand and they descended the Ledra Street Observatory. They found themselves back on the street. They found a bench and sat down to rest. They were both very tired. Aphrodite was still very sad. - You know Comenius, I’ve never felt so frightened in my life. I was so scared when I saw that soldier point his gun towards us ... Aphrodite and Comenius’ discussion was interrupted by the tender voice of a small child. - Do you want to play hide and seek?
Comenius and Aphrodite turned in surprise towards the voice. A small, seven-year old girl was looking at them and waiting for an answer. - I have never played with a dragon before and I'd like to know how dragons behave during a game. I'm Anna. Who are you? Comenius and Aphrodite immediately introduced themselves to little Anna and started playing with her. They couldn’t say no to her request. When they got tired, they sat down to rest. Anna told them that her mother was Spanish and her father Cypriot. She had come to Cyprus to spend a few days with her grandmother. She also explained to them that the next day she was going back to Spain. Their discussion was interrupted by Anna’s grandmother who was looking for her so they would leave. Anna said goodbye to her friends and left. But before leaving, she gave Comenius and Aphrodite her address in Spain so they could visit her if they ever came to Spain. Aphrodite and Comenius were left alone again. They sat in silence and watched the people as they passed by in front of them.
- I know which country I will visit next! Comenius cried with joy and without waiting for a response he added, Spain! I had such a nice time with Anna. Who knows? Maybe I will make even more friends if I visit her. Aphrodite agreed with him and said goodbye to her good friend. Comenius thanked her for everything she had taught him and promised her that he would reveal the Cyprus problem to every country he will visit. Comenius then spread his wings and flew away. He never turned back to look at Aphrodite because he didn’t want his good friend to notice the tears in his eyes...
Chapter 3
The dragon, a little more excited, began the long journey to Spain: he had to fly across the Mediterranean sea from end to end. It would take him a few days, but that was not important as he was hoping to meet again his friend Anna, whose address had written on a paper and kept under one of his scales. Comenius needed her direction as he knew that many people lived in Spain and without the address details it would be impossible to find her. During the first two days of travel across the sea, he enjoyed a sunny and calm weather, but soon afterward on the third day, while flying over the island of Sardinia, a violent with
storm
began,
strong
wind,
lightnings rain.
and
Comenius
heavy the
Dragon knew how to fly very well, but after a strong gust of wind he lost the control for a moment and one of its wings brushed against a giant rock. The
dragon had to stop and rest for a while and when he checked that he was not injured, and that the weather had improved, he continued his journey.
On
the
next
morning
he
landed in a quiet beach next to a river estuary. There were birds, both resting and making
their
nests,
everywhere. Comenius was very tired but, really willing to meet Anna. He looked under the scale where he had placed her address and to his surprise the paper was not there anymore. At first we thought he was looking at the wrong scale, but soon he recalled the storm‌ and realised he had lost it!!!! Comenius felt sad again, he was desesperate, he could never find her friend without knowing where she lived, Barcelona area was far too big.
Comenius was exhausted and needed to rest. He flew off and looked for a place to sleep. At that moment he could see a bigger city, and between the high buildings he observed an ancient tower, with battlements and small windows. He thought it was a good place to rest and landed on his roof. He fell asleep deeply. After a while, he felt like someone was hitting gently with his cane. It was an old man in a blue robe and a pointed hat. He had a long beard and looked surprised. - What are you doing on my roof? - the old man asked Comenius. - My name is Comenius the Dragon. I’ve been flying for several days. I come from Cyprus… I was so tired that I’ve fallen asleep… - Aha!!, I thought so. There have been many years since I saw a dragon in Cornellà. I am Mag Maginet, the wise wizard of Cornellà, and this is my home. But… How did you end up in this city and on my roof? - I came from far away to find me friend Anna, but I lost her address details and now I don’t know what I can do….. do you know her?
- No, I don’t. But maybe I can help you - said the wizard winking an eye on Comenius. Comenius was very happy and excited, then the wizard said...we’ll have to think … Mag Maginet invited the dragon to enter in the tower and pulled out from a wooden chest a crystal ball. Mag Maginet and the dragon sat together with the magic ball. - Let’s see - said Mag Maginet - How does your friend look like? - I just know she is only seven years and lives in Spain, her father ir Cypriot and her mum Spanish. - Ufff!! - replied the wizard
-
This
is
a
magical ball but I don’t know if that information will be enough. Then the magic ball began to light up and show blurred images. It looked like a big city by the sea, with many buildings, cars and people going from one place to another. On one its small mountains
it could be seen a park with slender columns and‌. the figure of a little colourful dragon. -I think I know where we need to start looking - Mag Maginet said. We have to go to Park Gßell.
Without wasting any more time Mag Maginet mounted on Comenius the Dragon and they two flew to Park GĂźell. The wizard was not used to fly on a dragon and was about to fall twice. They soon arrived at the park, which was full of tourists who saw them arrive, they were all very impressed. Some began to take photos and others ran terrified. The first thing they did was to look at the stone dragon that appeared in the magic crystal ball. Thay
found the statue next to a fountain, on beautiful stairs. It was very pretty, full of small coloured stones. They approached the dragon, which stood motionless. Then, slowly, Mag Maginet drew from his tunic a magic wand and cast a spell on the stone dragon. Suddenly, it began to glow and his eyes and legs began to move. It had gone from being a stone statue to a living thing!! The coloured dragon stared at the two visitors surprised, like frightened. -Hello! Do not panic please! We are Mag Maginet and Comenius the Dragon. We are looking for our friend Anna. You appeared in my crystal ball‌. Do you know her? Comenius was also stunned when the colourful dragon, which was a stone statue just moments ago, started to speak: - Many children come here to look at me‌ but‌ -the colourful dragon was silent for a moment- Yes! I can remember a girl called Anna. She usually comes here to take pictures. She was here with her grandmother yesterday.
Comenius the dragon was glad to hear that, and Mag Maginet reassured him:
- We will stay here to see if she returns - Mag Maginet said. They looked around and saw a huge hall column, up on the ceiling suns, clouds and flowers of many colours were drawn. -This is a good place to sleep. We can stay here until she turns up - Comenius said. When both of them turned around to thank the ‘stone’ dragon for the information they looked amazed at discovering that it had
returned to its original state. Next morning, they woke up very early and hidden behind the columns they waited for the first visitors. After a while, a group of children showed up. They were very noisy and all of them were talking at once. It was a school group visiting Park Güell. The teacher was struggling to set some order and to place children next to the colourful dragon in order to take a photo. Among the students Comenius could recognise Anna. The Scottish dragon wanted to run and say ‘hello’ to Anna, but Mag Maginet warned him that students could get mad and run when seeing a real dragon. They just need to wait for the right moment which didn’t take too long to arrive, as at one point Anna asked her teacher to go to the bathroom. That was the perfect moment to greet Anna. -Anna!!!! At last I’ve found you!! - Comenius said. - Wow!!! Comenius!! What are you doing here?? So good to see you again!! -This is my friend Mag Maginet, who has helped me to find you as I lost your address.
They played and chatted for a while. They were having such a good time that when they realised what time was it, the school group had already gone. They tried to find them, but it was just too late. They started to think and the best idea was to look for them from the sky, so Mag Maginet and Anna got on Comenius and began to fly over the city. The first thing that struck Comenius was that it was a very large city with many people and many buildings. It would be very difficult to find her school mates. Flying south, at the sea, they spotted a large port with many boats. Anna was very excited, she had never had the chance to see her city from so high. Near the port, there was the city Zoo, where they spent some time playing with most of the animals living there. Anna thought
that
it
was
so
different to visit that place with a dragon and a wizard!!!
After a few hours, they noticed it was getting too late and that Anna’s family could be waiting at home wondering where she may be. Comenius offered to take her back home. It took them just minutes to get there. The dragon and the wizard said goodbye to her, promising that they would visit her again soon. When they arrived at Mag Maginet’s home exhausted and after having dinner, the wizard realised that Comenius was a bit sad… -Aren’t you glad you found Anna? - Mag Maginet asked. -Yes, I am. I had a great time…. but meeting the other dragon at the Park Güell has made me think… - replied Comenius - I have met many children, kings, goddesses… but I would like to meet and have dragon friends. Mag Maginet smiled and said: - I think I have a solution for you. He opened again the wooden chest that held the magic crystal ball and pulled out a thick old book with golden caps. Comenius’ face lit up when he saw that it was a book of dragons. In it there were fantastic stories about all sorts of dragons, dragons of all sizes and colours…
- I would like to travel again and meet some of the dragons from
these
stories
-
said
Comenius. -According to these legends, in Poland you may find the most fabulous dragons. - replied Mag Maginet. Comenius said goodbye to Mag Maginet and started his trip to Poland. Several days of travelling were ahead of him, but the illusion of meeting other dragons was stronger than any danger, distance and unknown surprises which were waiting for him.
Chapter 4
Comenius left Spain and headed to Poland. In the middle of the journey, a storm broke out and Comenius lost control. When he woke up, he found himself on the Eiffel Tower. He set off it flying. He saw an arched structure which was called: Arc de Triomphe. He then saw a long, vast road by the name of “Champs Elysées”. Comenius later heard voices. He looked at his surroundings. He noticed some youths getting on a bus directed to the city of Amiens. Thus, he decided to follow them. Comenius landed on Amiens, behind a school where he then met two children. He introduced himself. The children were not afraid. - Hello children, my name is Comenius. I am looking to make new friends. - I’m Jack. Here’s my friend Arielle. - Do you know if there are dragons around here?
- No, Jack replied. But there are the gargoyles of the cathedral. There is a legend about them. I will tell you the story: In 1914, the gargoyles have woken up to protect the cathedral. But a malefic wizard has put a spell on them making them fall asleep for a hundred years so rendering them evil upon their awakening. - Where can these gargoyles be found? Asked Comenius. - On the cathedral in Amiens, replied Arielle. Comenius flew there with the two children. He posed them
in
front
of
the
cathedral and up he went to look
at
the
sleeping
gargoyles. In that moment, the gargoyles woke up‌ evil! Comenius descended back down to the kids and asked Jack: What can be done to break the spell? Jack had an idea: - We need to go to the library.
They went there and Comenius hid himself on top of the library. Arielle and Jack were looking through ancient books. There, they
found an old book covered by dust. But it was not the one they searched for. They thus searched for hours and hours. Then they went to the entrance desk. The lady told them: - There is a cave, but no one has entered it in a hundred years. They went. The cave was full of spider webs and rats. At the end of the cave, there was a safe with a lock and a rusty key in it. In turning they key, the safe opened. There were many old books. Some of which were ruined. One of them was more than a hundred years old. Jack opened the book of spells. In it, the tip read that they had to go to the House of Imagination, the one of the most renowned French writer across the globe who lived and died in
Amiens. It also read that there could be found an imprisoned wizard. - Let’s go to the House of Jules Verne, then! said Arielle.
So the three directed themselves to the House of Jules Verne and went in. Jack looked at himself in a mirror which was placed on a chest of drawers. It was dusty and dirty, big and rectangular.
Jack was won by fear when he failed to see his image being reflected on the glass. Instead, he saw an old bearded wizard with moustaches on his face. He was in black and white. Jack had truly gotten scared of this wizard unlike the others. The wizard said: - Go call for Comenius and Arielle. They’ll help you look for the stone. Comenius and Arielle came before the mirror. - Ah! There you are, said the wizard. I knew you’d come to free me as I can break the spell of the gargoyles. For that to happen, you need to find a stone of which scent starts with the letter ‘V’ and place it on top of the Perret Tower. - I’ll go! Replied Comenius. He entered in a very small room with three, not very solid, wooden doors. There was one to his right, one in front of him and one to his left. Comenius approached the door situated in front of him. He opened it a saw three bamboo mannequins decorated with golden, argental and coppered jewelleries or bits of precious stones… He smelled each stone. Each stone had smelt differently:
strawberry scent, raspberry scent… and then came across a stone which smelt like… vanilla! He re-joined Jack and Arielle. After, they headed to the Perret Tower. But no luck: a grey fog made them lose their way. They landed on some sort of park surrounded by water filled with plants and vegetables. - Where are we? Asked Comenius. - We are at the ‘hortillonnages’, an ensemble of ornamental gardens and market gardens dating back to the Roman époque, answered Arielle. -How do we get out of here? Asked Jack. They then heard plants and vegetables speaking. A magic tulip disappeared the fog. - Wow! Shouted Jack. The fog has risen! They flew towards the Perret Tower, a building of 104 m in height, built in reinforced concrete between 1949 and 1952 and was, for a long time, the highest European skyscraper.
Comenius flew towards the top of the tower. But around ten gargoyles impeded him to reach it. The children were scared. Comenius protected them. They threws hits right and left. They were able to place the stone and Comenius and the kids were very proud of themselves.
Freed from his spell, the wizard could finally pronounce the magic formula: - By the power of goodwill! Gargouillus, dÊlivrus, cornÊillus, machinus! I command you to become kind again. In no time, the gargoyles were back to being kind again. The gargoyles told him: - Thank you wizard for having freed us from this spell. - Don’t mention it. But it is not me you should be thanking, it is the children and Comenius, told them the wizard.
And it was like this that Comenius and the gargoyles became friends. Jack and Arielle wanted to stay with Comenius but they couldn’t as he had to leave for Poland. Comenius asked the gargoyles if they wanted join him and leave with him but the gargoyles replied: -No, thank you. We need to protect the cathedral. Comenius thus left alone for Poland, in search of new friends. TO BE CONTINUED‌