Chapter 5 Jeremy finds a friend


"Em"

"Em"

No reply.

Of course not. Jeremy whispered Em's name so quietly even he couldn't hear it and he said it. Or at least he thought he had said it.

He did not want to make a sound. Not a single sound, even his breathing sounded too loud. His heart was pounding.

The dragon had not moved. Jeremy was looking at it very, very, carefully.

He was sure he had seen it blink.

He was almost really scared. Almost because he was not moving and to be scared you need to move.

Move. Like run. Fast. Away.

But Jeremy stood still.

And then jumped two metres straight into the air.

Whoosh. Straight up. And his hair went straight up with him.

It was the hand on his shoulder.

A soft touch, perhaps just a tap. It was enough. Like a coiled watch spring Jeremy simply unwound and went up.

He came down.

"Sorry"

"Sorry?" said Jeremy, after he landed. "Sorry? is that all you can say??. You speak English?"

"Yes, sorry again" she said.

Jeremy calmed down and looked around. The dragon hadn't moved. The tap on the shoulder had been real and she was standing in front of him. Wrapped in a green coat, big boots, long scarf, red hair. Smiling and looking worried at the same time.

"Where am I" he said

"Lovely Ana" she said

"No, I asked where am I not who are you"

"Lubbly Ana" she said again.

"OK", he thought, not getting anywhere here, let's try another tack, "where are you from?"

"Mary Bor" she replied sweetly.

On no, he thought, first she was Ana and now Mary, what next? Change tack again might be the best bet.

"Is this a real dragon?"

As soon as he said it he knew it was a mistake. A big mistake. Big as in enormous.

Ana, or Mary, laughed. No, not just a little snigger, not a little embarrassed chuckle but a real laugh. Noisily. Her whole face, her whole body took part in the laugh.

Jeremy felt for his phone. Get me out of here! was his only thought. He could feel the redness of his face, boy, was he red. Get me out of here was his only thought. But he couldn't find the phone in his pockets.

"No" she said, wiping away the tears. She saw, through a fine mist, that he was embarrassed and hastily tried to re-assure him. "It's not real, it's just a statue on the bridge.. we call it dragon bridge. But is a good likeness isn't it?" she said proudly. "Did it scare you?"

"Yes, No" he said , hastily changing his mind. He was brave really. "I was only joking" he said, not entirely convincingly.

She smiled and Jeremy warmed up at once. "Shall we start again?" she said " My name is Teresa and this is Ljubljana.. I know it's difficult for the English to understand the word and who are you?"

"I'm Jeremy from London" Jeremy said, glad to be on firm foundations "and I'm a dragon hunting magic traveller and my sister is fighting a red dragon right now. She's squashed it."

Whoops, he thought, Should have stopped at the London bit. Might have overdone it with the dragons.

"Dragons" You fight dragons?"

Oh ho, thought Jeremy , here it comes, ridicule, more red faces (mine). Jeremy looked around for a whole to hide in. None around.

"Yes" he murmured, "I fight dragons". Of course he had not actually fought a dragon. In his dreams many times, and in his adventures with the magic passwords nut in real life.. not yet, not ever.

"Great" Ana, Mary or rather Teresa said.

"What?" exclaimed Jeremy

"I just love dragon hunters and I really need one soon." She was jumping up and down, smiling and hugging herself at the same time.

Jeremy could not believe what was happening.. she wanted a dragon slayer and thought nothing of meeting one on this cold darkish evening in a strange city (well strange to him at least). This was something he had to tell Emma the next time he saw her.

"Do you know the green dragons? " Teresa went on, "There are lots of them and they are really hard, really tough. At least that is what they want you to think but really they are wimps.. is that what you say?"

Jeremy nodded. He was not quite sure about these green dragons. Emma had a squashed dragon, that seemed OK but this was dragons.. lots of them.. and can you really have a wimpish dragon?

"The green dragons are not here at the moment. They have gone to the islands to get a tan ready for the autumn. Then they come back and scare the city. But now that i have found a real-life dragon slaying hero we can fight them together.. you will be here in the autumn won't you?"

"Of course", said Jeremy, rather relieved he would not have to fight tonight.. it was rather dark now and it is very difficult to fight dragons in the dark. (He had read that in a book).

"where are you going now? " asked Teresa, "would you like to come for a coffee?"

"OK" said Jeremy.

"Good" said Teresa, "we can go to a white place where polar bears live"

"What?!!!!" exclaimed Jeremy. From green dragons to polar bears.. who was this girl? And what happened to Mary Bor? He followed here into a white room.. all white.. walls, chairs, ceiling. And there in at the back was a secret room.. and Teresa was walking into it.