The Catchers

by Stuart J. Kent

  “Jamie, does human Wales have really big dogs?” asked Trixie nervously through gritted teeth as she stood perfectly still like a statue.

  “I don’t think so,” replied Jamie very nervously.

  They then both slowly turned around and stared up in horror as they came face to face with the Ddraig Goch that was now towering over them. The large red dragon, with scaly red skin like a lizard, stood just a bit higher than your average horse, with a long pointy tail trailing out behind it, big red wings on either side of its body, and two large black horns that protruded out of the top of its large, fierce-looking dragon head.

  “Dragon,” gasped Jamie in a high-pitched voice.

  “Yes,” replied Trixie nervously.

  “Dragon!” repeated Jamie, still in a high-pitched voice.

  “I don’t think Uncle heard you,” mumbled Trixie.

  Then the dragon roared showing off its two rows of very large sharp pointy teeth.

  “RUN!” screamed Trixie and instantly the two youths turned and raced away up the road.

  Quickly, the dragon followed them, bounding along excitedly as it roared and snapped its jaws, chasing along behind them.

  “DRAGON!” shouted Jamie finally getting his voice back. “DRAGON!”

  Trixie glanced back at the pursuing beast and then remembered her wand, and quickly fired a spell back at it.

  “Chains!” she cried before a length of chain shot out of her wand, flew over the dragon’s head and smashed straight through the window of a nearby house.

  “Sorry!” she called out as she ran for her life.

  The dragon lurched forward and the two terrified youths had to duck as its jaws swept over their heads. A few seconds later, they reached the end of the road and found themselves with nowhere to go.

  “Dead end!” screamed Jamie in terror as he stared at the row of houses in front of him blocking their way.

  “This way!” cried Trixie pulling him left towards one of the houses.

  They ran across the small front lawn of the house, leapt over the small wooden gate at the side of the house and disappeared into the back garden. The dragon quickly followed them, leaping up onto the little roof of the house in one bound and for a moment he was out of sight. Jamie and Trixie ran into the small closed garden behind the house and glanced around for a way out.

  “Where do we go?” asked Jamie. Then the dragon appeared above them on the roof with another terrifying roar.

  “Over the fence, over the fence!” replied Trixie before leaping up, catching the top of the wooden fence and pulling herself over it as quickly as she could, quickly followed by Jamie.

  “Now what do we do?” Jamie asked as they stood in the next garden.

  “Keep running!” replied Trixie, racing across the freshly cut lawn towards the house it belonged to.

  “Keep running! Keep running is not a plan,” shouted Jamie despairingly before following her.

  “It is now,” Trixie replied.

  Reaching the house, they ran straight towards the side alley leading out to the front and in doing so they raced straight past a little brick outhouse, where inside a little old man sat quietly upon his outside lavatory with the door conveniently left wide open.

  “OI! Get out of my garden!” he cried, seeing them run past before quickly getting to his feet and trying to pull up his trousers at the same time to chase after them.

  Then the big red dragon shot past with a mighty roar.

  “Never mind,” he muttered in wide-eyed disbelief, before sitting back down again and shutting the door.

  Trixie and Jamie emerged onto another quiet street, very similar to the one before and quickly continued running away. The dragon soon appeared on the roof of the house above them and once more gave chase, leaping from roof to roof as it followed them along the road.

  “Shackles!” cried Trixie, flicking her wand out, and a pair of large metal shackles flew up towards the dragon, but again it shot over him and disappeared out of sight.

  “You know, you’re a really bad shot,” said Jamie running beside her.

  “You try then!” replied Trixie angrily.

  “Okay, chain!” cried Jamie before a length of chain shot out of his wand, wrapped itself around a lamp post a few feet away, before then spinning off into someone’s front garden. “Err… the wind took it,” he said sheepishly trying to explain what had just happened.

  “Yeah, yeah!” replied Trixie sarcastically.

  The dragon let out another big roar and they continued running as fast as they could, but unfortunately for them the dragon just continued to follow relentlessly and after a few more metres they were both beginning to tire.

  “I can’t keep running!” gasped Jamie, almost out of breath.

  “Hang on, change of plan, this way!” gasped Trixie before turning and running towards a children’s play park across the road. The young terrified pair ran to the big open green gateway that lead into the park and quickly dashed inside, hoping to find help or a distraction for the dragon, like a really big bouncy ball it could chase. The dragon followed them, leaping from the roof of the house, and with another mighty roar landed heavily onto the metal park gateway, squashing it slightly under its mighty weight before then leaping down into the park.

  “In here!” cried Trixie before she leapt inside a large bright yellow metal climbing frame, shaped like a giant bell. Jamie followed her in, and the two of them then stood huddled in fear in the middle of the children’s outdoor toy as the dragon quickly approached.

  “What now?” Jamie asked terrified.

  “I don’t know,” replied Trixie, just as frightened.

  The large magical beast then leapt up onto the brightly coloured climbing frame and roared loudly, before it began trying to grab at them through the bars with its long sharp claws. The young terrified pair screamed loudly as the long sharp claws swiped at them, but fortunately those razor-sharp talons stopped just inches from their faces due to the dragon’s short arm-reach.

  Then Trixie started yelling as the dragon continued to reach for its prey.

  “UNCLE COLIN, DRAGON!” she began screaming. “DRAGON!”

  “DRAGON!” they then both cried out together. “DRAGON!”

  Then Jamie stumbled backwards trying to dodge a swinging claw, and in doing so he landed back against the climbing frame. Immediately, the dragon quickly moved around the bell-shaped frame and to Jamie’s horror it grabbed his shoulder and began to drag him out.

  “HELP ME!” cried Jamie as he was yanked upwards.

  “JAMIE!” screamed Trixie in horror, watching as he rose up.

  The dragon held him up in the air with one arm and then roared triumphantly before it then tossed him up into the air like a rag doll. Jamie spun over and over unable to stop himself and then the dragon caught his leg and held him up like a fisherman holding up his prize catch of the day. Upside down, Jamie started screaming again in fear, knowing that at any moment he might be eaten or worse chewed like a toffee, then the dragon opened its huge mouth and ran its big wet slimy tongue right across Jamie’s face, leaving him covered in horrible wet dragon slobber.

  “Urrgh!” Jamie groaned before wiping his face with his sleeve and spitting some dragon drool out of his mouth. At that moment, he suddenly remembered he still had his wand in his hand and quickly he aimed it at the dragon to cast a spell, just as the dragon seem to be ready to eat him.

  “NOOO…!” cried Jamie in horror. “STOP!”

  Instantly, the dragon did, the dragon just stopped and, for a second or two, it just stared at Jamie open-mouthed, unsure what to do next. Jamie was just as amazed that it had worked, and hung for a second or two wondering what to do next.

  “What’s happening?” asked Trixie just as confused, then Jamie had an idea.


  “Put me down, now!” he said firmly and the dragon immediately let go of him, and with a thud, Jamie crashed to the floor.

  “Jamie, are you okay?” Trixie asked, still cowering inside the climbing frame.

  Jamie sat up, shook his head because he was slightly dazed by the drop and blinked hard to refocus his eyes.

  “I think so,” he replied happily.

  Then he stared up at the dragon, which was now just standing on the climbing frame looking down at him with a slightly puzzled look on its face.

  “What did you do?” asked Trixie.

  “I’m not sure,” replied Jamie, still keeping eye-contact with the dragon, and then he had another idea. Slowly, he stood up and once on his feet he spoke to the dragon in a firm, commanding tone.

  “Stay!” he commanded, and the dragon immediately sat down on top of the climbing frame.

  “Wow, look at this!” whispered Jamie, waving Trixie to step out of the climbing frame.

  Reluctantly, Trixie crawled out and slowly and nervously joined Jamie. Looking up, she stared in disbelief, the big terrifying dragon that only a few seconds earlier had been trying to grab hold of her with its sharp powerful claws, was now sitting perfectly upright, in a well-behaved manner.

  “Sit here!” Jamie then commanded, pointing to the ground beside him, and immediately the dragon jumped down and sat beside him like a well-trained dog, a giant well-trained dog with a giant wet slobbery tongue.

  “Incredible!” exclaimed Trixie in disbelief.

  As they both stood enjoying the moment, they didn’t hear the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching and the rustle of long clothing rubbing together but as quickly as he could Colin dashed into the park ready to save the day.

  “HOLD ON!” cried Colin, running towards them as fast as his old legs could carry him. “I’LL SAVE YOU!” he said, raising his wand ready to cast a spell.

  The dragon instantly gave a terrifying roar as it saw him approach and before Jamie could stop it, the dragon pounced at Colin, knocking him over and pinning him to the floor as it towered over him. Colin very loudly started to scream in terror. Marty, who was still riding in Colin’s top pocket, also started to scream in terror, and the big red dragon stood over them snarling and snorting angrily just inches from their faces.

  “NO, no, bad dragon, get off them, sit boy, sit!” commanded Jamie urgently as he moved towards them to help his friends. “Get off them now!” he ordered firmly and a second later the dragon reluctantly stepped away and sat back down in the long green grass next to Jamie.

  “What just happened?” asked Marty in shock as he nervously peered out of Colin’s top pocket.

  “I don’t know,” replied Colin in just as much shock and disbelief.

  “I think I just trained a dragon,” replied Jamie proudly.

  Colin sat up and stared at the big dragon sitting calmly next to Jamie like a loveable pet and began to chuckle.

  “Well I never!” he said “Well I never!” he said again lost for words.

  After Jamie triumphantly explained what had just happened to them and how he had saved the day, the little group stood wondering what to do next.

  “Well, I have to say, I never thought you could just command them to do what you want, that is definitely a new one on me,” Colin said, scratching his beard in bewilderment. “Well done Jamie, well done!” he said congratulating the young boy with a well-earned pat on the shoulder.

  “I wish I had known that earlier, we could have saved a lot of wasted time, and running!” moaned Trixie, who still really hated running.

  “And I could have had my own army of unstoppable mutant frogs,” Marty added, with delusions of evil power in mind.

  “Yes, well we know now, and now we need to get him out of here and back to our world,” Colin said cheerfully. “Do you think you can control him if we just walk him back to the door?” asked Colin, looking at Jamie.

  “I think so, it’s just point and command: simple really,” Jamie replied cockily. Then he commanded the dragon to follow him and immediately the dragon stood up and walked calmly and closely to Jamie as they crossed the park back to the road.

  “Point and command!” repeated Trixie slightly sarcastically before spotting a small black cat walking along at the far end of the small grassy field.

  “Sit!” she commanded, pointing her wand at it and the black cat immediately stopped, stared at her for a moment and then carried on into the bushes. Annoyed that it hadn’t worked Trixie let out an annoyed growl.

  “Well, maybe it just takes some practice,” Colin said kindly, trying to comfort her.

  “Or a better magician,” chuckled Marty before she glared at him angrily.

  The little group then strolled back along the street, past the row of little stone houses and back towards the magic door.

  “Stay with me, Spot” said Jamie to the big beast as they walked along the road.

  “Did I just hear you call it Spot?” asked Colin curiously.

  “Yes, I thought he needed a name, and he’s got that black mark on his head by his ear which looks kind of like a spot, so I thought I would call him Spot,” replied Jamie.

  “Oh I see!” nodded Colin, understanding his reasoning.

  “Well, on that premise, I would have called it ‘large, angry, terrifying killing beast’,” muttered Marty sarcastically.

  “Me too,” agreed Trixie once again, which meant she had now agreed with Marty for the third time in as many days. “Weird!” she muttered, suddenly realising this.

  Back at the magical door, and after a big struggle to get the dragon to fit through it, they finally re-entered the magic world.

  “Well, I’m glad he wasn’t a full adult or we might have not got him back through the door at all,” sighed Colin, wiping the sweat off his brow with a handkerchief.

  “He’s not an adult?” asked Jamie, amazed to hear this.

  “No, I would say by the size of him he’s probably just a teenager,” replied Colin.

  “Really? But if he’s just a teen how can he be so big?” asked Jamie in disbelief.

  “Well, dragons grow up very quickly, they can be full-size in just a few years but they live many, many more, some have even lived several centuries, well into their third hundred year,” Colin replied.

  “Wow!” said Jamie in amazement before Spot lowered his head so Jamie could scratch behind his ear, which he seemed to enjoy.

  “Now we need to find a home for him,” Colin said scratching his beard, deep in thought, as he tended to do.

  “Well I thought, maybe we could keep him?” Jamie said, still eager to have a pet.

  “OH NO! No, no, no, no, no, no,” replied Colin in horror at the thought of this large dragon staying with them. “No, no, no, he’s a dragon, Jamie, he belongs out in the wild with the other dragons, and besides he’s far too big to live in my cottage, he would wreck the place in a matter of days.”

  “Oh,” sighed Jamie glumly having already become attached to the large magical creature in just a short space of time.

  “No, I’m afraid, Jamie, he must be returned to Wales where all the other dragons are,” Colin added, determined not to have a dragon around the house. “How the dark wizard ever got him out of there, I do not know.”

  “Well, if we’re going to Wales, it’s going to take most of the day to get there, so we should go back and tell Henry where we’re going,” said Trixie, climbing into the cart.

  “Good idea, and maybe he can do us a packed lunch,” agreed Colin.

  “And a jelly!” added Marty excitedly. “Can’t go on a trip without jelly.”

  Colin then stood looking at the dragon, who was busy sniffing a small tree.

  “Do you think you could get him to climb aboard the cart?” he asked Jamie.


  “I think so,” replied Jamie confidently before turning to face the dragon, who was now rubbing up against the small tree like he had an itch.

  “Spot, up!” he commanded. Spot then moved away from the poor little, now half-bent-over tree, and with ease stepped up into the cart and then sat down, and as he did it creaked heavily under his enormous weight.

  “Well, let’s hope he doesn’t need feeding,” Colin muttered, watching the poor old cart as it sunk down heavily on its old iron springs.

  Streak then turned his head and snorted in a disgruntled manner.

  “Yes, well, do your best old boy,” replied Colin, patting the poor old horse’s head in sympathy before climbing aboard the cart as well. Streak snorted again and then slowly, with a huge amount of effort, began to move forwards dragging the old cart with him as best as he could, and foot by foot they slowly moved along.

  “This might take longer than you thought,” said Marty, lazily leaning out of Colin’s top pocket.

  “Quite,” replied Colin, with another heavy sigh.

  A couple of hours later, they finally reached the outskirts of Hillingdon-above-ground again and glancing to his right Colin watched a an rather angry-looking wizard trundle past in a small horse-drawn carriage.

  “Get off the road!” the very angry wizard shouted as he glared at Colin. “You shouldn’t be allowed to move that slowly on a main road,” he added, waving his fist as he continued on ahead of them.

  Then, glancing behind them, the little group of catchers stared in horror and embarrassment at the long line of carriages and carts tailing back into the distance, all waiting to get past.

  “Oh my!” gasped Colin, embarrassed that he was the cause of the traffic problem.

  “Ooops!” said Trixie chuckling.

  “Blooming tourists!” shouted another angry wizard as he passed by them. “Learn to drive!”

  Finally, after a few more minutes of being bombarded with angry insults by other passing road users, they made it back to Henry’s mount house, and just in time for Streak to collapse, completely exhausted, in the front garden.