The Book of Giant Adventures

by Anna Fienberg

  Anna Fienberg would like to thank the Literature Board of the Australia Council for their assistance.

  This collection first published by Allen & Unwin in 2020

  ‘Tashi’, Copyright © Text, Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, 1995; Copyright © Illustrations, Kim Gamble, 1995

  ‘Tashi and the Giants’, Copyright © Text, Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, 1995; Copyright © Illustrations, Kim Gamble, 1995

  ‘Tashi and the Big Stinker’, Copyright © Text, Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, 2000; Copyright © Illustrations, Kim Gamble, 2000

  ‘Tashi and the Stolen Bus’, Copyright © Text, Anna Fienberg and Barbara Fienberg, 2006; Copyright © Illustrations, Kim Gamble, 2006

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

  Allen & Unwin

  83 Alexander Street

  Crows Nest NSW 2065

  Australia

  Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100

  Email: info@allenandunwin.com

  Web: www.allenandunwin.com

  ISBN 978 1 76052 516 3

  eISBN 978 1 76087 473 5

  For teaching resources, explore www.allenandunwin.com/resources/for-teachers

  Cover design by Arielle Gamble

  Text design by Sandra Nobes

  www.tashibooks.com

  CONTENTS

  Tashi

  Dragon Breath

  Tashi and the Giants

  The Bandits

  Tashi and the Big Stinker

  The Magic Flute

  Tashi and the Stolen Bus

  The Mysterious Thief

  ‘I have a new friend,’ said Jack one night at dinner.

  ‘Oh, good,’ said Mum. ‘What’s his name?’

  ‘Tashi, and he comes from a place very far away.’

  ‘That’s interesting,’ said Dad.

  ‘Yes,’ said Jack. ‘He came here on a swan.’

  ‘A black or white swan?’ asked Dad.

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ said Jack. ‘You always ask the wrong questions!’

  ‘How did Tashi get here on a swan then?’ asked Mum.

  ‘Well,’ said Jack, ‘it was like this. Tashi’s parents were very poor. They wanted to come to this country, but they didn’t have enough money for the airfare. So they had to sell Tashi to a war lord to buy the tickets.’

  ‘How much did the tickets cost?’ said Dad.

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ said Jack. ‘You always ask the wrong questions!’

  ‘So why is Tashi here, and not with the war lord?’ asked Mum.

  ‘Well,’ said Jack, ‘it was like this. Soon after Tashi’s mother and father left, he was crying for them down by the lake. A swan heard his cries and told him to jump on his back. The swan flew many days and nights until he arrived here, right at the front door of Tashi’s parents’ new house.’

  ‘Did he arrive in the morning or the afternoon?’ asked Dad.

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ said Jack. ‘And I’m not telling you any more because I’m going to bed.’

  A week passed and Jack ate lunch with Tashi every day. And every day he heard a marvellous adventure.

  He heard about the time Tashi found a ring at the bottom of a pond, and when he put it on his finger he became invisible.

  He heard about the time Tashi met a little woman as small as a cricket, and she told him the future.

  And he heard about the time Tashi said he wanted a friend just like Jack, and look! the fairy had granted his wish.

  But at the end of the week he heard the best adventure of all.

  ‘Listen to what happened to Tashi yesterday,’ Jack said to Mum and Dad at dinner.

  ‘Last night there was a knock at Tashi’s door and when he opened it, guess who was standing there!’

  ‘Who?’ said Mum.

  ‘The war lord, come to take Tashi back! Tashi turned and ran through the house and out the back door into the garden. He hid under the wings of the swan.’

  ‘Go on,’ said Mum.

  ‘Well, the angry war lord chased him out into the night and when he found the swan he shouted, “Where did young Tashi go?”

  ‘The swan answered, “If you want to find Tashi, you must go down to the pond. Drop this pebble into the water, and when the ripples are gone you will see where Tashi is hiding.”’

  ‘Did the war lord find the pond?’ asked Mum.

  ‘Well,’ said Jack, ‘it was like this. The war lord did as the swan told him and dropped the pebble into the pond. But when the water was still again, he didn’t see Tashi. Instead he saw his own country, and his own palace, and he saw all his enemies surrounding it, preparing to attack.

  ‘The war lord was very upset by what he’d seen in the pond, and he said to the swan, “I must go home at once!”

  ‘“I will take you,” said the swan. “Just climb on my back.” And bending his head under his wing, he whispered, “Goodbye Tashi, I am homesick for my country. Just stay in the long grass, and he won’t see you. Goodbye.”’

  ‘Can I bring Tashi home tomorrow to play?’ asked Jack.

  ‘Oh, yes,’ said Mum and Dad. ‘We’re dying to meet Tashi.’

  Jack and Tashi sat at the kitchen table, drinking their juice.

  ‘Would you like to play in the garden now?’ asked Mum.

  ‘Oh, yes!’ said Tashi. ‘I like gardens.’

  ‘We could look for a dragon to kill,’ Jack said hopefully to Tashi.

  ‘Are there any dragons left in the garden?’ asked Dad.

  ‘You always say the wrong thing!’ said Jack.

  ‘He’s right though,’ said Tashi as they closed the door behind them. ‘There aren’t any dragons left in the whole world. Can you guess how I know?’

  ‘How?’ asked Jack.

  ‘Well, it was like this. Come and I’ll tell you about the time I tricked the last dragon of all.’

  DRAGON BREATH

  Jack took Tashi outside to the peppercorn tree.

  They climbed up to Jack’s special branch and when they were sitting comfortably, Jack said, ‘Did you really meet a dragon?’

  ‘Yes’, said Tashi, ‘it was like this. One day Grandma asked me to go to the river to catch some fish for dinner.’

  ‘Was this in your old country?’ asked Jack.

  ‘Of course,’ said Tashi. ‘Grandma doesn’t believe in travel.

  ‘Anyway, before I set off, Grandma warned me, “Whatever you do, Tashi,” she said, “don’t go near the steep, crumbly bank at the bend of the river. The edge could give way and you could fall in. And,” she added, “keep your eyes open for dragons.”’

  ‘Dragons!’ said Jack. ‘What do you do if you meet a dragon?’

  ‘Well, it was like this,’ said Tashi. ‘I walked across the field to the river and I caught five fish for dinner. I was just putting them into a couple of buckets of water to keep them fresh when I saw a cloud of smoke. It was rising from a cave, further up the mountain.’

  ‘Ooah, did you run away home?’ asked Jack.

  ‘Not me,’ said Tashi. ‘I took my buckets and climbed up the mountain and there, sitting at the mouth of the cave, was the biggest dragon I’d ever seen.’

  ‘Have you seen m
any?’ asked Jack.

  ‘I’ve seen a few in my time,’ said Tashi. ‘But not so close. And this dragon made me very cross.

  ‘He was chomping away at a crispy, dragon-breath-roasted pig.

  ‘“That’s my father’s pig you’re eating,” I said.

  ‘“I don’t care,” said the dragon. “I needed something to cheer me up.”

  ‘“You can’t eat other people’s pigs just because you feel like it,” I told him.

  ‘“Yes, I can. That’s what dragons do.”

  ‘So I sat down next to him and said, “Why do you need cheering up?”

  ‘“Because I’m lonely,” said the dragon. “There was a time when I had a huge noisy family. We’d spend the days swooping over the countryside, scaring the villagers out of their wits, stealing pigs and geese and grandfathers, and roasting them with our dragon breath.

  ‘“Then we’d sing and roar all night till the sun came up. Oh, those were the days!” The dragon sighed then and I moved back a bit. “But Mum and Dad grew old and died, and I ate up the rest of the family. So now I’m the only dragon left.”

  ‘He looked straight at me and his scaly dragon eyes grew slitty and smoky. “A few mouthfuls of little boy might make me feel better,” he said.’

  ‘Oh no!’ said Jack. ‘What happened then?’

  ‘Well, it was like this. I quickly stood up, ready to run, and the water in my buckets slopped out over the side.

  ‘“Look out!” cried the dragon. “Watch your step! Dragons don’t like water, you know. We have to be careful of our fire.”’

  ‘Aha!’ said Jack.

  ‘Yes,’ said Tashi. ‘That gave me an idea. So I looked him in the eye and said, “You’re not the last dragon, oh no you’re not! I saw one only this morning down by the river. Come, I’ll show you, it’s just by the bend.”

  ‘Well, the dragon grew all hot with excitement and he followed me down the mountain to the bend in the river. And there it was, all steep and crumbly.

  ‘“He can’t be here,” said the dragon, looking around. “Dragons don’t go into rivers.”

  ‘“This one does,” I said. “Just look over the edge and you’ll see him.”

  ‘The dragon leaned over and peered down into the water. And he saw another dragon!

  ‘He breathed a great flaming breath. And the other dragon breathed a great flaming breath.

  ‘He waved his huge scaly wing. And the other dragon waved his huge scaly wing.

  ‘And then the steep crumbly bank gave way and whoosh! the dragon slid splash! into the river.

  ‘An enormous dragon-shaped cloud of steam rose up from the river, and the water sizzled as the dragon’s fire was swallowed up.’

  ‘Hurray!’ said Jack. ‘And then did you run away home?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Tashi. ‘I certainly did run home because I was late.

  ‘And sure enough Grandma said, “Well, you took your time catching those fish today, Tashi.”’

  ‘So that’s the end of the story,’ said Jack sadly. ‘And now all the village was safe and no one had to worry anymore.’

  ‘Well, it wasn’t quite like that,’ said Tashi. ‘You see, the dragon had just one friend. It was Chintu the giant, and he was as big as two houses put together.’

  ‘Oho!’ said Jack. ‘And Chintu is for tomorrow, right?’

  ‘Right!’ said Tashi.

  And the two boys slipped down from the tree and wandered back into the house.

  Jack ran all the way to school on Tuesday morning. He was so early, the streets were empty. Good. That meant he would have plenty of time to bear Tashi’s new story.

  Tashi was Jack’s new friend. He’d come from a land far away, where he’d met fire-breathing dragons and fearsome warlords. Today, Tashi had promised the story of Chintu, the giant.

  Tashi was waiting for Jack on a seat by the cricket pitch.

  ‘So,’ said Jack, when he’d stopped puffing and they were sitting comfortably. ‘Did you really meet a giant, Tashi?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Tashi. ‘It was like this. Do you remember how I tricked the dragon, and put out his fire? Well, the dragon was furious, and he flew to the castle where his friend Chintu the giant lived. The dragon told him what I had done and Chintu boomed:

  “Fee fie fo fum

  I’ll catch that boy for you, by gum!”

  ‘Chintu took one of his giant steps over to our village and hurled down great boulders, just as if they were bowling balls. Third Uncle’s house was squashed flat as a fritter. Then the giant roared, “Bring Tashi out to me.”

  ‘The giant looked terrible standing there, so tall he cast a shadow over the whole village. He was as big as a mountain-imagine, a mountain that moved!-and tufts of hair stood up on his head like spiky trees.’

  ‘So what did you do?’ Jack shuddered.

  ‘Well, it was like this. My father, who is a very brave man, ran out into the street and cried, “Be gone, Chintu, we will never give Tashi up to you!”

  ‘The giant was quiet for a moment. Then he answered, “If you don’t bring Tashi to me, I will come back in the morning and crush every house in the village.”

  ‘The people all gathered in the square to discuss what to do. Some wanted to take me to the giant’s house that night. Others were braver and said I should run away. While they were still arguing, I took the lantern and set out for Chintu’s castle.

  ‘I walked and walked until finally, there before me was the giant’s castle, towering up to the sky. One path led up to a great door and windows filled with light, but another led down some winding stone steps.

  ‘I took the lower path but the steps were so high I had to jump from each one as if they were small cliffs. After a while I spied an arched wooden door. It wasn’t locked and I pushed it open. It gave a groaning creak and a voice called out, “Who’s there? Is that you, Chintu, you fly-bitten lump of cowardly husband?” ‘Now I saw a big stone-floored room and right in the middle was an enormous cage. Inside the cage was another giant.’

  ‘Ooh!’ said Jack. ‘Two giants! Didn’t you want to run?’

  ‘No,’ said Tashi. ‘Not me. See, it was like this. The giant in the cage was sitting at a table eating some noodles. She was terrible to look at. She had only four teeth, yellow as sandstone, and the gaps in between were as big as caves.

  ‘Well, while I was staring at her she said in a huge voice, “Who are you?”

  ‘So I told her that I was Tashi and what had happened and that I had come to persuade Chintu not to kill me. She gave a laugh like thunder and said, “You won’t change his mind easily, it sets like concrete. I should know, he is my husband! He tricked me into this cage and locked me up, all because we had an argument about the best way to make dumplings. He likes to grind bones for them, but I say flour is much better. Now Tashi, you need me to help you.”’

  ‘And she needed you to help her!’ Jack said excitedly.

  ‘Right,’ said Tashi. ‘So when she pointed to the keys over on a stool, I reached up and dragged them over to her. Mrs Chintu snatched them up and turned one in the lock. “Now I’ll show that lumbering worms-for-brains Chintu who is the cleverer of us two!”

  ‘As she walked past, I scrambled up her skirts and hung on to her belt. She picked up a mighty club that was standing by the door and then she tip-toed to some stairs that led up and up through the middle of the castle.

  ‘We came to a vast hall and there he was, sitting on a bench like a mountain bent in the middle. He was staring into the fire, bellowing a horrible song:

  “Fee fie fo foy,

  Tomorrow I’ll go and get that boy,

  No matter if he’s dead or jumping

  I’ll grind his bones to make my dumpling.”

  ‘Mrs Chintu crept up behind him, grabbed his tufty hair in one hand and held up the club with the other. I slid down her back to the floor.

  “‘Chintu, you pig-headed grump of a husband, I can escape from your cages, and I make the best dumplings. Will
you admit now that I am more than a match for you?”

  ‘The giant rolled his great eyes and caught sight of me. “Who is that?” he roared.

  “‘That is the boy who chops our wood.” And Mrs Chintu winked at me. “Now, let the boy decide who makes the best dumplings.” She let go of Chintu’s hair and gave me a hard look. “‘Very well,” Chintu said, and he rubbed his huge hands together.

  ‘Later, they put some sacks down on the floor for me to sleep on. As he was going to bed, Chintu whispered-it was like a thunderclap in my ear—“If you decide that her dumplings are better, your bones will make my next batch.”

  And as his wife went by, she said, “If you decide that his dumplings are better, I’ll chop you up for my next pot of soup.”

  ‘All night I walked up and down the stone floor, thinking what to do. And then I had one of my cunning ideas. I crept downstairs to the kitchen and had a good look about.’

  ‘What were you looking for, Tashi?’ asked Jack.

  ‘Well,’ said Tashi, ‘it was like this. The next morning Mrs Chintu boiled her dumplings and then Chintu boiled his. When the dumplings were cooked they both spooned up one each, as big as footballs.