There's a Dragon in my Stocking

by Tom Nicoll

  For Charlotte – T.N.

  For my wonderful Primary School – Harper Hill Primary School, Buxton, Derbyshire – S.H.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Read on for an extract from There’s a Dragon in my Dinner!

  Collect the whole series

  About the author

  About the illustrator

  Copyright

  ’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house,

  Not a creature was stirring, not even a Mini-Dragon.

  “ERIC, WAKE UP!”

  So maybe it wasn’t quite true about the Mini-Dragon. He was definitely stirring.

  “Pan, what’s wrong?” I moaned, sitting up in bed and switching on my lamp.

  “Someone’s downstairs,” said Pan excitedly, from up on my bookshelf.

  “Probably just Mum or Dad.” I shrugged.

  “Seriously, Eric,” Pan said. “It’s the middle of the night. There’s only one person who’d be downstairs at a time like this.”

  I checked my bedside clock. It was almost four.

  “You mean a burglar?” I yawned.

  Pan slapped his forehead. “No, not a burglar. I meant there’s only one person who’d be downstairs in the middle of night … on Christmas Eve.”

  I sat up straight, the penny finally dropping. “No way,” I said.

  “Well, I can’t think of any other possible explanation, can you?” asked Pan.

  I couldn’t … but then, I was still half asleep. “I don’t hear anything,” I said.

  “I do,” said Pan. “Mini-Dragons have excellent hearing. There’s a knocking sound and it’s definitely coming from the living room. In all those stories you’ve been telling me, that’s where he always goes. Let’s go down and meet him!”

  Pan had been super-excited to experience his first human Christmas. Mini-Dragons celebrate Christmas, too, but from what Pan had told me, it’s a little different. They still give each other gifts but Santa doesn’t visit Mini-Dragons. Pan was more than a bit miffed when he realized how many presents he had missed out on over the years. If it really was Santa in our living room, he was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

  But the last thing I wanted was to be caught out of bed by my parents. Every year Dad would tell the story about getting up early one Christmas to sneak a peek at his presents only to be caught by my grandad and sent back to bed. Then, when he got up in the morning, Grandad had hidden every one of his presents. I didn’t fancy spending all day searching for gifts like Dad had done.

  On the other hand, what if it was … him?

  “Come on,” I said, slipping on my dressing gown and putting Pan into the pocket. I opened my bedroom door and checked for signs of Mum and Dad. The coast was clear. I moved silently along the landing and tiptoed down the stairs.

  We were almost at the bottom when I heard it – a faint knocking.

  I crept over to the living-room door and pressed my ear up against it. The knocking had stopped but now there was something else.

  “Can you hear talking?” whispered Pan.

  I nodded. The noise was too muffled to pick out any words but it definitely sounded like someone speaking.

  “Can you hear what they’re saying?” I asked Pan.

  “Not really… Something about going the wrong way…” said Pan.

  I took a deep breath, turned the handle and slowly opened the door.

  “Wow! Look at all those—” said Pan, before I quickly clamped a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet.

  I put Pan down and went to switch on the main light. But before I got the chance the Mini-Dragon dashed over and turned on the Christmas-tree lights.

  I gasped. Above the mantelpiece hung five red stockings embroidered with our names – Mum, Dad, Eric, Posy and Pusskin. Each was overflowing with parcels. But that was nothing compared to the huge pile of presents almost completely obscuring our Christmas tree.

  Pan let out a whistle. “You must have been really good this year,” he said, pointing at my stocking.

  I wasn’t so sure about that. In the past year, I had been at least partly responsible for:

  On the other hand, Pan had definitely played a big part, too. And I had actually done some pretty good things this year. I had:

  If that’s not enough to make Santa’s Nice List, then I don’t know what is.

  As tempting as it was to tear into all the presents, we were downstairs for a reason. Aside from our cat Pusskin, who was curled up asleep on the rug, there was no one else in the room.

  “Where is he, then?” I said, looking around.

  “I don’t know,” said Pan, sounding disappointed. “Maybe we just missed him? I can’t hear anything now.”

  “Yeah, maybe…” I said, beginning to wonder if we’d imagined it. “Well, we’d better get back upstairs before Mum and Dad hear us.”

  I was just about to switch off the tree lights when we heard it again. Talking. It was coming from the old boarded-up fireplace.

  “You said this was how we’d get in,” said the first voice.

  “I thought it was…” said the second. “Didn’t you see all those pictures of that jolly-looking man in red with the beard on the way over?”

  “I think he might be a special case, dear,” the first voice sighed.

  The voices were muffled but there was something very familiar about them. I exchanged glances with Pan.

  “It … almost sounds like…” said Pan, staring fixedly at the fireplace. “But it can’t be…”

  “There’s only one thing for it,” said the second voice. “Stand back.”

  There was silence after that. For a second I thought whoever it was had gone, until I noticed a small circular patch at the foot of the fireplace, glowing redder and redder.

  “Wha—” I said, before being cut off by a blast of flame shooting through the board. I jumped in fright, stumbling backwards and almost treading on Pusskin. She let out a huge hiss and darted off.

  I got to my feet just in time to see two tiny winged creatures stepping through the hole that had just appeared in the fireplace, each carrying a rucksack almost the same size as they were. Even with all the soot on their faces, I recognized them at once.

  “MUM! DAD!” cried Pan.

  “PAN!” the dragons shouted back, rushing towards him. “MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

  “What are you guys doing here?” asked Pan. I had never seen him look so happy, or so shocked. I knew the feeling. Well, the shocked part anyway.

  “We couldn’t miss spending Christmas with our only son,” said Pan’s mum, Isabel. She looked a lot like Pan but with long curled eyelashes and red-painted claws.

  “You never said you were coming,” said Pan. Pan regularly borrowed our laptop to speak to his parents and he was right, they hadn’t mentioned it once. I’d definitely remember something like that.

  “We wanted it to be a surprise,” said Pan’s dad, Cheng, who also resembled his son, except for his wispy white beard and miniature spectacles.

  “It definitely is a surprise,” I agreed.

  “Eric!” said Pan’s parents, flying over to give me a hug. Well, my ankle at least.

  “Good to see you,” said Cheng. “You’re much bigger in real life, you know.”

  “Er … thanks,” I said. “So, you guys flew here all the way from China?”

  A mischievous smile appeared on Mr Long’s face. It reminded me of Pan when he
was up to no good.

  “Actually, we caught a lift,” said Cheng. “Flight CH945 – Beijing to London.”

  “You came in a plane?” asked Pan, looking impressed.

  “More like ‘on’ a plane,” said Isabel. “We were on the underside of one of the wings.”

  “The wings?” I repeated. “How did you stay on?”

  “With our claws, of course,” said Cheng, waving them at me. “Mini-Dragons are excellent at attaching themselves to aircraft. It’s a lovely way to travel.”

  “Well, it was until you decided to go for a wander just before we landed,” said Pan’s mum. “Some of the passengers spotted him so we had to get off a few minutes early. We flew the rest of the way. Luckily, you’re not too far from the airport.”

  “You were seen?” gasped Pan.

  Cheng waved him away. “They probably just thought they saw some birds or something. Your mother worries too much.”

  “I do not,” Isabel said, raising her voice. “I worry just the right amount.”

  “Shh!” I said, “You’ll wake up my—”

  There was a loud thud from upstairs.

  Then an “Ouch!”

  And then the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs.

  “That’s my parents,” I said, panicking. “You’ve got to hide.”

  “We have to what?” said Isabel.

  “We’ve been over this, Mum,” said Pan. “Eric’s parents don’t know about Mini-Dragons.”

  “Still?” said Pan’s dad, turning to me. “You mean you’ve managed to keep Pan hidden all this time?”

  “That’s right,” I said, desperately scanning the room for somewhere to put them.

  “That’s quite impressive,” said Cheng. “Pan’s never exactly been one for staying out of trouble. Have you, son?”

  Pan frowned. “Me? You just burned a hole through Eric’s fireplace!”

  I groaned. There wasn’t time to try to cover it up. It did kind of look like a little mousehole. So if Mum or Dad spotted it, that would be my story.

  “Just keep quiet,” I said, scooping up the three Mini-Dragons and cramming them into my stocking, just as the door burst open.

  “Eric!” said Mum, in a disappointed voice. “What are you doing up?”

  “I … I … thought I heard Santa,” I said, which was true.

  “Did I ever tell you about the time I got out of bed early on Christmas morning?” said Dad.

  “Yes, Dad, only every Christmas.” I sighed.

  “Oh,” said Dad. “Well, I think we should probably go back upstairs. It’s really early…”

  “PRESENTS!” screamed Posy, my three-year-old sister, bursting into the room and making a beeline towards the tree. She dived at the pile of presents and ripped open a bright purple box to reveal a men’s electric shaving kit.

  “Or we could just stay up,” yawned Dad.

  A couple of hours later our living room was a jumble of wrapping paper and empty boxes. Posy was using her tea set from Santa to entertain an assortment of dolls and teddies. Mum was engrossed in a yoga book I had bought her. Dad was admiring his football boots and Pusskin was batting at a rubber mouse. Meanwhile I was admiring my brand-new electric scooter.

  “I know you wanted another Thunderbolt,” said Mum, “but after what happened with your first one, we thought it was safer to go for another brand.”

  “Are you kidding?” I said. “Fireflies are awesome. I can’t wait to see what it can do.”

  “I think you’re going to have to,” said Dad, parting the curtains and looking out. He pulled them back to reveal our street covered in a white blanket.

  “Snow!” shouted Posy.

  “A white Christmas,” said Mum. “How lovely!”

  As much as I wanted to try out my Firefly, it was hard to be too disappointed. Snow! On Christmas Day!

  “Hey, we’re not finished yet,” said Mum, noticing my stocking and going over to pick it up.

  My face turned the same colour as the snow. In the excitement of opening presents, I had forgotten the three Mini-Dragons. They had been keeping surprisingly quiet, which in my experience of Mini-Dragons was very unusual.

  “Er … actually, maybe we should leave those ones,” I said.

  Mum and Dad looked at me like they thought I was coming down with something.

  “Eric? Not wanting to open presents?” said Dad. “That’s something I never thought I’d hear.”

  “No… I mean… I just thought it would be nice to have something to open later,” I said.

  “Your grandparents are coming over, remember,” said Mum. “I’m sure they’ll bring you something. Here you go, Eric.”

  Before I could utter another word, she reached inside the stocking and pulled out a green…

  …package. I breathed a sigh of relief as I took the parcel from her. I opened it to find a Slugwoman electric toothbrush.

  “Thanks,” I said, adding it to my pile. “I guess I should go and get dressed now.”

  “Good idea,” said Mum. “I’ll get started on the breakfast. Full English, everyone?”

  “Yum,” I said, grabbing my stocking when no one was looking and heading out of the room.

  “Maya?” said Dad as I closed the door. “Has there always been a hole in the fireplace?”

  I didn’t hang around to hear the rest of the conversation. I raced up the stairs to my room and slammed the door behind me.

  “All right, you can come out now,” I said, tipping the contents of my stocking out on to my bed. There were toys, sweets, an apple and a satsuma. No Mini-Dragons.

  This was a new record. I was used to losing one Mini-Dragon, but three? And before breakfast.

  Trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, I opened my bedroom door to head back downstairs.

  And there they were, coming out of Posy’s room.

  “And last but not least,” said Pan, leading his parents on to the landing, “we have Eric’s bedroom, where I’ve been staying.”

  “Ah yes, home of the infamous sock drawer,” said Pan’s mum dryly.

  I swiftly scooped up the three of them and bundled them into my room.

  The Mini-Dragons seemed bemused by this. “Everything OK?” asked Pan.

  “Of course not,” I said. “You were supposed to stay inside the stocking. What have you been up to?”

  “Oh, we slipped out ages ago,” said Pan. “Don’t worry, your parents were too busy trying to assemble Posy’s Magic Castle toy. Which looks great, by the way. Just my size…”

  “Pan’s been giving us a tour,” said Isabel.

  “He even showed us the actual toilet you flushed his aunt and uncle down,” said Cheng, giving me a massive grin. “Couldn’t have happened to two more deserving Mini-Dragons.”

  I couldn’t help but smile, too. “All right,” I said. “But look, I need you to stay in my room for the rest of the day. My grandparents are coming for Christmas dinner so the house is going to be busier than normal. There’s too much risk of you guys being seen.”

  Mr and Mrs Longs’ faces fell.

  “You mean I’ve come all this way and I’m not even going to get to meet your mum?” asked Mrs Long. Mum taught yoga classes over the Internet and Isabel was probably her biggest fan. I’d even had to post her a signed photograph.

  “I’m sorry, no,” I said.

  “I’d hoped we’d at least get to meet Min and Jayden,” said Mr Long.

  “You couldn’t, anyway,” said Pan. “They’ve both gone away for the holidays.”

  This was true. Jayden was off to France and Min…

  Pan and I laughed. “Min’s gone to China,” said Pan.

  “Like dragons passing in the night,” chuckled Cheng.

  “On the plus side,” said Pan, “Toby from next door is away as well. Where’s he gone again, Eric?”

  “New York.” I sighed. All I had heard from Toby for the past month was how amazing his Christmas was going to be. I turned my attention ba
ck to the matter at hand. “So you’ll stay in my room?”

  Pan’s mum rolled her eyes but nodded.

  “Thanks,” I said. “Right … er … I don’t suppose you could all look that way.” I pointed behind them.

  Isabel put her hands on her hips. “It’s bad enough that you want us to spend all day cooped up in here,” she moaned, “but now we have to spend it staring at a wall?”

  “Um … no,” I said quietly. “I just meant for a minute, while I get dressed.”

  Her face turned bright red. “Oh. Yes, of course.”

  Just as I finished getting changed, Mum shouted that breakfast was ready. But in all the chaos, I realized I had forgotten something.

  “Pan, we haven’t given each other presents yet,” I said.

  “Ooh, yes, let’s exchange gifts,” said Pan’s mum. “We’ve got something for both of you.”

  To my surprise, Pan didn’t look very keen. “Er … no…” he said. “Mini-Dragons wait until after dinner.”

  Pan’s dad frowned. “Yes … most do. But you’re normally too impatient for that.”

  “Um … yeah, I’m much more grown up now,” said Pan.

  “Suit yourself,” said Isabel.

  “All right,” I said, not really sure what was going on. “Later then. Anyway, I’d better go.” I was about to head back downstairs when Pan pulled me aside.

  “Eric,” he whispered. “I need your help.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I haven’t got my parents anything,” he began. “I wasn’t exactly expecting them.”

  “You and me both,” I said.

  “I can’t think of anything to give them.”

  It was an interesting problem. I had struggled to figure out what to buy a Mini-Dragon for Christmas but Mini-Dragon parents? I had no idea either. “Leave it with me,” I said. “I’ll try and think of something.”

  “Thanks, Eric.”

  I hurried down to join my family in the kitchen for our traditional Christmas morning fry-up. I could tell by the smell of bacon, sausages and eggs that it wasn’t going to disappoint.