The Dragon’s Curse
Dimity Stride, Group 2: Fiction, The International School of Macao
ong ago, in the plains of Ancient China, not far from the foot of the great Yan Mountains, lay a small
straw hut. Inside that hut lay a sick woman. Bending over her was a man.
wen
boo
“
Tong...” said the sick woman in a slow, croaky voice, “Help...”
“
I can’t believe that dragon put this sickness curse on you,” replied the man named Tong. He
t to open the book that his merchant friend had lent him. “It was very kind of Chao to lend us this
k on curses,” said Tong. “Xiang, it says here that the only cure is to slay the dragon that invaded the
rice fields.”
L
“
Oh my,” said the woman called Xiang. “I...”
“
It’s ok,” said Tong reassuringly. “I will find it and slay it!”
Xiang started crying, “P-p-p-please! D-d-don’t g-g-go!” she wailed.
“
I must, Xiang. To save you,” said Tong grabbing some stalks of rice and a spear. “I want you to stay
right here and take good care of yourself. I will be back soon.” And with that, Tong left before Xiang could stop
him.
Tong began his arduous journey towards the mountains. When he finally reached the foot of the
mountain and looked up at it, he felt completely hopeless. Then he remembered Xiang, sick in bed... “I must
try,” he thought and started to climb. For hours he climbed up the steep, rocky mountain face. He knew the
dragon lived somewhere on the other side because of purple columns of fire that sometimes shot up in the air
during the early morning hours or at night. They were not frequent, but Tong had lived in his hut long enough to
know that they were the same colour as the fire spewing from the dragon that invaded the farm. As Tong
worked his way up the mountain, he got colder and colder. Wearing only a pair of tattered old pants and a linen
shirt, he soon felt too weak to continue. He sat down and looked around. Almost nothing, but frozen rocks. Just
as he was about to give up hope, he spotted a small cave not too far from where he was resting. He quickly made
his way towards it, the freezing wind burning his face. When he crawled inside he instantly felt the difference.
He decided to light up a fire and spend the night in the cave.
The following morning, Tong woke up with Xiang on his mind, and knew he had to keep going. “I could
eat all of this season’s crops right now” he thought, as he made his way further up the mountain.
Soon he was at the top. Tong could see everything from up there. As he looked down, right below him he
saw the beginning of the Great Wall. It stretched out for miles and miles, the end nowhere in sight. To the right
of the Great Wall, perched on a large outcrop of sharp rocks there was an enormous dome-like cave.
“
That must be the dragon’s home,” thought Tong. Then he froze. The dragon poked its head out of the
cave and quickly pulled it back in. For a brief instant, its vivid green scales sparkled in the morning sunlight.
Tong shuddered, then slowly made his way down the other side of the mountain. When he reached the bottom,
he decided to sit on the soft grass and catch his breath. Hunger was nagging at him. Just then he spotted a puddle
not too far away and decided to investigate. He ran with all of the energy he had left. When he reached it, he
noticed steam was coming out of it. It was a hot spring! “Finally a chance to eat my rice!” he thought.
He grabbed two large rocks and smashed one into the other until he had carved a bowl. He dipped it
gently into the hot spring and scooped out boiling water. He put the bowl on the ground and pulled the stalks of
rice out of his pocket. He pulled off the grains and put them in the hot water. While waiting for them to soften,
he walked back to his grassy spot. He found two sticks on the ground and with great care used them to grab the
rice and stuff it in his mouth. It tasted like mud, but it was food. As the sun was setting, Tong eventually fell into
a deep sleep.
He awoke with a start. The daylight nearly blinded him. He decided to press forward. He picked up his
spear and made his way towards the other side of the wall and on towards the cave. As Tong neared the lair, the
dragon stuck his nose out again. He gave the air a quick smell, then stiffened. “Oh no!” thought Tong. The
dragon came out of the cave; then looked at Tong. He charged. Tong began running forward, too. When they
were only a few feet apart, Tong jumped and stuck his spear out in front of him.
The dragon ducked, but not low enough. Tong’s spear went straight into the beast’s left eye, causing him to
howl. The dragon shook his head frantically, sending Tong flying into the side of the rock wall. The dragon tried
to run back to its cave, but tripped and fell face first into the sharp rocks.
The battle was won. Tong had triumphed. He was suddenly filled with energy and joy. Xiang was saved!
Leaving his spear behind, he started on his trip back to the village. As he approached his little hut, he could hear
Xiang singing inside and knew the spell had been broken.
“
TONG!” cried Xiang the minute she saw him. “I was so worried about you, but I knew you’d be back