The maiden voyage of the Mary Belle 8/13

She sat down and began to eat her sandwiches while she was waiting. She tried to question Fred about the purpose of the dragons meeting, but he didn’t seem to be too sure himself.

“I haven’t lived in your world very long yet, so I’m not very clear about what’s going on. I only know that all the dragons that live in this world are coming here for a week, but I expect Clarence will explain it all to me when he gets here.”

She kept an eye on the dragons flying in as she ate her meal. They were still arriving in ones and twos and then at last she spotted three dragons in a group. Sure enough it was Clarence with Megan and Cyril. She watched them land in an open space that was being left for that purpose. The green dragon that’d brought her down from the rim of the crater went across and had a word with Clarence. Then they both came through the crowd towards her, bringing the Chief dragon with them as they approached.

“Don’t you dare say a word,” the Chief said fiercely to Jennifer Jane, “now then Clarence what is this young girl’s name?”

“Oh she’s all right,” said Clarence, “I know her well, her name is... er, thingy, er... oh dear.” He looked helplessly at Jennifer Jane and then had a brilliant idea. “She’s the one who thought of making Tornak the Terrible eat coal instead of peasants in the alternate world!”

The Chief dragon looked at Clarence. “I see, so her name’s Freda Elaine?”

“That’s right, my memory for names is terrible but I never forget a face.”

“She doesn’t look nine feet high to me, as for killing trolls in her spare time, well I'm afraid I just don't believe it!"

Fortunately at that moment Megan came over to see where Clarence had gone. “Hello Jennifer Jane, whatever brings you to this part of the world, this meeting is supposed to be a secret.”

“That’s it,” exclaimed Clarence, “Megan’s remembered her proper name.”

Megan began talking to the Chief and soon managed to convince him that Clarence had embroidered the truth a little to make a good story.

Cyril told him that it really was the Jennifer Jane who’d made his dad and all the other dragons in the alternate world eat coal and had also been involved with the killing of Lurgin the troll.

Clarence had the good grace to look embarrassed as his friends sorted out the true story with the dragon Chief. Megan assured him that there was no risk of ordinary humans getting to know about the meeting and it would be perfectly safe to let her go. At last he was convinced that everything was alright and left them alone.

Then it was Jennifer Jane’s turn to tell her friends how she’d arrived with the goblins in the new brig on its maiden voyage. “So we found the paddle steamer, but we can’t find Barnacle Bill and now we’re lost and don’t know how to get home.”

“Right you are then,” said Megan, “I think we’d better take you back down to your friends. I know where we are even if old ‘golden eyes’ here can’t remember the time of day.”

She nodded at Clarence with rather a fond look in her eye. “We’ll be staying here for a week catching up with all the news from the other dragons that live in this world. A lovely time it is for all of us! This year we have two new dragons to talk to.

There’s young Cyril grown up enough to join us for the first time and Fred. Now that they live here with us they’re entitled to join in the fun and games.”

Jennifer Jane climbed up onto Clarence’s back, then all three dragons flew out of the crater and glided down to the beach.