Conclusion

"O.K., Miss Smarty," said Lance. "Just where are we supposed to find this 'Puff the Dragon'?"

"There!" said Gwen, pointing. As he looked in the direction of her finger he saw more hills and valleys, and far beyond them a strip of something blue and sparkling along the horizon. "It's the sea!" she added. "Remember the song?" She began to sing happily:

"Puff the Magic Dragon, lived by the sea."

Lance put his hands over his ears. "O.K.! I get the picture!"

Gwen looked hurt. "My singing's not that bad," she said.

Lance wisely did not answer this, but said instead, "We'd better start walking. It's going to take us all day to get there."

It did, too. Twice they heard the dragon's shrieking cry and had to hide under bushes as the great beast soared overhead. They weren't sure if she was still looking for them or not, but they didn't take any chances. By the time they finally reached the seashore, the sun was low in the sky.

The coastline was rocky and deserted. Gwen was so tired she wanted to stretch out on the sand and go to sleep, but Lance wouldn't let her.

"The dragon might come back," he said. "We need to find shelter."

They began walking wearily up the rocky beach. After about a half an hour, Gwen saw a signpost in the sand that perked her up considerably.

"You Are Now Entering The Kingdom of Honah Lee.
No Littering On The Beaches"

"Honah Lee!" she cried. "That's the name of the place in the song! " She started to sing, then looked at Lance and changed her mind, simply reciting the words instead:

"Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea, and frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee."

"Well," said Lance. "I guess we're on the right track then."

They continued walking, and just as the sun was setting, Lance said, Look!" and pointed. Ahead of them was what looked like a good-size town, on the edge of a bay. "We can ask for shelter there. There must be people there. I can see smoke. It's probably coming from their chimneys."

But as they rounded a rocky point by the bay, they saw that something was wrong. Everywhere were signs of a fiery disaster. The town had once been a thriving village with thirty or forty houses and several shops. But now it seemed deserted, and many of its houses were blackened ruins. Other dwellings were still smoldering, and it was from these that the smoke rose. Even the fields behind the town were black and scorched. Only a dozen houses were still standing. There was no sign of life anywhere.

"What happened?" breathed Gwenna. "Where are all the people?"

"I don't know," said Lance. "We could sleep in an empty house."

It turned out, however, that the town was not as deserted as they thought. As they passed one of the houses still standing, the front door suddenly opened a crack, and a man peered out at them. After looking around fearfully, he beckoned to them urgently.

"Psst!" he hissed in a low voice. "Children! Come inside, quickly! What are you doing out there?"

Come inside? Lance and Gwen looked at each other hesitantly. Should they trust this stranger?

"Hurry!" called the man softly. "Don't you know you're in terrible danger? The dragon may come back any minute!"

The dragon! That settled it. Gwen and Lance scooted inside past the man. He shut the door quickly. "Whatever were you foolish children doing out in the open? What are your parents thinking to let you run about?"

"We're not from around here," answered Lance. "And we haven't any parents with us."

"Well that explains it," said the man. "You mustn't go outside any more. It's too dangerous. For weeks, a fearful dragon has been terrorizing our village. It has carried off all our cattle and sheep, one by one. It has killed all our crops with its fiery breath. We dare not let our children outside for fear it will snatch them away, too. We tried to fight it with pitchforks and fishing spears, and even swords, but we cannot get close enough. We would be burned by the fire it breathes."

"Why did it burn down your homes?" asked Gwen.

"We don't know. Something made it terribly angry today. It just burned half the town for no reason. Most of our people have fled. Only a few of us have stayed to try and protect what is left of our home. I fear we will not succeed," he said sadly. "But I am being a bad host. My name is Will. Come, I will fix you some tea and some dinner."

When Will left the room, Gwen whispered to Lance. "It's our fault. We made the dragon angry. We have to help them."

"How?" said Lance. "There's nothing we can do against that dragon. And anyway, we have to stick to our quest, and find the key."

"Maybe we can do both somehow," said Gwen. "I'm going to try."

After dinner, they both went right to sleep in beds provided by their host. Next morning they decided to ask him for help in their search.

"Are there any other dragons around here?" asked Lance. Besides the one you're fighting, I mean?"

"There is one more," said Will. "He lives in a cave along the shore, about a mile from here. But thankfully, he is harmless."

"Is it Puff?" asked Gwen eagerly. "He's the dragon we need to find."

"I don't know his name," said the man. "He isn't exactly sociable. He never comes out of his cave. But you can't go out. It's dangerous!"

"We have to," said Gwen. "Without his help, we can't get home."

"Good luck," said Will as they left. "He's a total washout."

After walking a mile or so up the rocky beach, they spotted a small cave a few hundred feet from shore--just as Will had described.

"How do we know if it's the right cave?" whispered Gwen.

"Shh!" whispered Lance. "Do you hear something?"

"It sounds like crying," said Gwen

The sound of loud sobbing was echoing throughout the cave.

"Excuse me," called Lance. There was no answer. The loud weeping continued. Lance called louder, "Hello! Can we come in?"

Finally, a mournful voice answered. "Oh, come in if you must. I'm not coming out." The voice sounded as if its owner had a cold.

A little fearfully, they made their way in. Way at the back of the cave, and they saw before them a medium sized dragon, sitting in the middle of the floor and weeping noisily into a large damp handkerchief. A pile of soggy hankies lay on the floor beside him.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"I'm sorry to bother you," began Gwen politely.

"Well, you are bothering me," he sobbed. "Go away! I'm too sad."

"Boy, Will was right," muttered Lance. "this guy's a total drip."

"Shhh!" said Gwen under her breath. "He's just a little depressed. Be quiet and let me talk to him." She turned back to the dragon. "I'm afraid we can't just go away," she said kindly. "You see, we need your help."

"All right then," the dragon said. He blew his nose with a loud honk. "But I don't think I can help anyone. I'm too miserable."

"Maybe we can help you," suggested Gwen. "What's the matter?"

"I've lost my friend!" wailed the dragon. His tears flowed even faster.

"Oh, I know!" said Gwen. "You're talking about Jackie Paper, right?"

"He was my best friend," wept Puff. "We went sailing, and he brought me presents. He came to play with me every day, and we had so much fun! But then he went away, and he never came back!"

"Oh, brother," muttered Lance.

"Shh! Stop it," hissed Gwen. "He couldn't help it," she said to the dragon. "He grew up."

"But I'm not grown up," said Puff angrily. "I'm only 2036 years old. That's just a kid in dragon years."

"I'm sorry," Gwen told him. "It's different for humans. But Puff," she said, "he never forgot you. He told everyone about you."

"H-he did?" gulped the dragon.

"Yes, he did. Really. You're famous on earth. There's even a song about you." She sang a few bars for him. Lance managed not to wince.

"A song! A song about me!" The dragon's tears dried up like magic. "He didn't forget me! He even told everyone about swimming with me! Oh, I'm so happy!" Then he looked sad again. "But I'm still lonely. I need someone to go swimming with, like I did with Jackie. I need friends."

"We'll make you a deal," said Lance suddenly. "You help us with our problem, and we'll find you some new friends."

"You will?" cried Puff joyfully. "O.K. What do you want from me?"

"We need to search through your treasure. We think something we need is in there--something that will help us to get to our home world again."

Puff hung his head and looked embarrassed. "I don't have any treasure," he said in a low voice. I--I was too busy crying to collect any."

They stared at him, aghast. "B-but you have to have treasure," Gwen stammered. "Our clues said the treasure is in your cave. And we're sure the thing we need is hidden in your treasure. So you must have something."

Puff's face brightened. "I do have some special things. They're not real treasure but I treasure them. Does that count?"

"Maybe," said Lance hopefully. "Let's take a look."

The dragon led them to a small chamber at the very back of his cave. He held out a large wooden box which he had already opened.

"See?" he said proudly, holding it out. "These are my treasures. Jackie Paper gave them to me."

They looked eagerly into the box, and their last hopes were shattered.

"Strings and sealing wax," said Gwen sadly. "Just like in the song." She was near tears.

"We might have known," said Lance. He too was struggling not to cry--although he wouldn't have admitted it. His glance fell on the box itself, and he noticed a keyhole in the lid.

"Puff," he said suddenly. "Do you keep these treasures locked up?"

"Of course," said Puff. "They're my most special things."

"So this box has a key," said Lance. He and Gwen looked at each other. She crossed her fingers hopefully. "Can we see it?" he asked.

"May I see it, Puff?" asked Gwen breathlessly. He handed it to her, and as he did she spotted some markings on the twisted shaft of the key. She looked closer and saw the words 'Farewell to Adventure'. "This is it!" she cried joyfully to Lance. "It has to be. The other key said 'Key to Adventure'. It has to be the right one, don't you think?"

Lance said, "Take it back to the castle and try it."

"But--but it's my key," said Puff unhappily.

"Puff," said Lance. "You don't need to keep these things locked up any more. If looking at them makes you happy, then you should keep them out in the open. If they make you sad, then don't keep them around at all."

"Okay," said Puff, surprising them. "You can have it. I want a new friend instead. A friend is the best kind of treasure to have. Can you find me some new friends now?"

Lance looked at Gwen guiltily. He had forgotten about his promise.

Suddenly, Gwen had an idea. "Puff," she said, "in that famous song about you, it says you used to have a fearless roar. Do you still have one?"

"Why yes," said Puff. "Of course I do. I'm a dragon."

"Do you want friends badly enough to fight for them? Even of you have to fight another dragon?"

"Yes. Oh, yes!" said Puff eagerly. "Let me at him!"

"Gwen," said Lance, "you can't make Puff fight that dragon. She's twice his size!"

"Oh, don't worry about that," said Puff. "Just show me where to go."

As they left the cave, they told Puff all about the village and the terrible dragon. Puff didn't seem bothered at all. He invited the two children to fly on his back. It wasn't as easy as it sounded. The flapping of his powerful wings created such a gust of wind it nearly blew them off. And his scales were extremely slippery. But at last they rose into the air and soared down the beach toward the village.

Moments later they saw black columns of smoke rising ahead. When they reached the town they saw that they had arrived just in time. The female dragon was burning houses down right and left. A handful of villagers were trying to fight but very nearly getting scorched in the process.

Puff landed in the nearest meadow so fast the children tumbled off his back. Swiftly he rose again and flew into the town. "Watch this!" He called to them over his shoulder. He flew to the town square and landed directly in front of the female dragon, roaring loudly. The other dragon lunged at him, screaming in rage. Lance and Gwen clutched at each other as she reared up over Puff and sent forth a stream of fire. But Puff's scales were evidently fireproof. And as the villagers scattered, running for their lives, the two dragons tumbled and clawed at each other in a fierce battle. They rolled across the burnt earth, spitting flames. Somehow, Puff slithered from the grasp of the larger dragon, and something incredible happened.

Puff began to grow. Before the astonished eyes of Lance and Gwen and the villagers, he rose higher and higher until he was the size of a five-story building. Beside him, the female dragon suddenly seemed tiny. Towering over her, he gave a tremendous and fearless roar that echoed over the hills. The female dragon cowered at the sound, but recovered and sent forth another stream of fire. Puff turned his mighty head, bent down over the ocean, sucked up a huge amount of water, and blew it over the other dragon. A tremendous wave drenched her and completely put out her fire. Only steam came out of her mouth. Embarrassed and totally defeated, she began to drag herself away.

Puff roared his mighty roar again, shaking the earth. The mother dragon rose into the air, wailing, and flew away as fast as she could, vowing to take her poor children and find somewhere else to live.

The villagers cheered. Puff shrank back down to his normal size, and they all surrounded him, shouting and exclaiming and thanking him. He blushed, and turning toward Lance and Gwen, he smiled happily.

"How did you do that?" demanded Lance in amazement.

"Easy," said Puff, winking. "I'm Puff the Magic Dragon, remember?"

"We have to go," said Gwen, hugging him. "We'll never forget you."

"I'll never forget you two either," said the dragon tearfully. " I have all these friends, thanks to you. Oh, blast, here I am crying again--and I left all my hankies in the cave."

"You won't need 'em anyway," said Lance. "Thanks for the key. Sorry I called you a drip. You're a hero now."

The last they ever saw of Puff the Magic Dragon, he was surrounded by loving friends, laughing and putting out the rest of the fires with his water trick.

Moments later, the land of Honah Lee faded into mist, and they found themselves back in the treasure room, where Org was waiting for them, perched on the chess table.

"Checkmate!" said Org.

A few minutes later, after Org had transported them to the back door of the castle, Lance took the copper key and started to insert it in the lock. Then he stopped. "It's funny, but now that we've finally found the way home, I-I'm not so sure I want to go."

"Me either," agreed Gwen. "We've had so many fun and exciting adventures here. But I miss my family."

"And sleeping in my own bed," continued Lance, "and eating pizza."

Org laughed. "I don't blame you," he said, "but you can always come back, you know."

"We can?" asked Gwen eagerly. "But how? With the book and the ring again?"

"No, you won't need those any more," he said. "You're lifetime members of the Adventure Club. Just contact me, and I'll bring you here for as long as you like, then send you home again."

"How do we contact you?" asked Lance.

"Easy," answered Org. "I get my messages the same way as everyone else does-by e-mail. My address is easy to remember-it has my name in it. Just send a message to 'Adventure.Org' !"

"We will!" said Gwen. "But what about the book and the ring?"

"Give them to someone else," said Org. "You'll know who when the time comes. Someone who needs a little courage."

"Like we did," said Lance. "I can't wait to come back.

"Right," agreed Org, eyes twinkling. "And remember, even while you're back on earth, you can still enjoy an adventure."

"How?" they demanded eagerly.

"Easy," he said, "just open a book, and start reading."

"We will," said Gwen, hugging him, "and thank you for everything, Org. It was fun."

"Yeah, it was great," agreed Lance, shaking hands. "So long, Org." He turned to the great wooden exit door, and put the key in the lock. "Well, here it goes." He turned it, and the door opened, and they both stepped out into the sunshine. They turned to wave, but their strange little friend was already gone.

They walked onto the lawn, and immediately the strange sparkling silver dust began to rise and swirl around them, as the wind began to blow. But this time, there was no sense of falling, or being swept away. This time it was as though the castle, and the magic wood, and all of Adventure Storyland simply blew away, and they suddenly found themselves back in the parking lot, next to the dumpster. Lance's arms were once again full of boxes, and they could hear the sounds of traffic, and children playing, and Gwen's mother calling her into dinner.

They stood looking at each other. After a moment, Gwen spoke. "Thank you," she said, "for saving me all those times and everything."

"You're welcome," said Lance. "Actually, I owe you for saving me a bunch of times, too. You know," he said, "Puff was right. A friend is the best kind of treasure to have."

"Why, thanks," said Gwen in surprise.

Lance turned a little red, and said gruffly, "Yeah, well, if you tell anyone I said that, I'll tell them how you fell down the stairs. Anyway, I'd better go. See you later," he said, heaved the rest of his boxes into the dumpster, and left.

Gwen watched him go. Turning the ring around on her finger once for good luck, she smiled and went up to dinner.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The rest of the school year passed quickly. Lance and Gwen did end up being in the same class, and they did get teased about their names. But after the dangers they had faced in another world, a little teasing didn't seem so bad. After a week or two the school bullies gave up teasing them, and started picking on a skinny kid with glasses named Howard instead. One day on the playground, Lance and Gwen grew sick of their jeering.

"Leave him alone," ordered Lance, and Gwen added, "Yeah, get out of here, you creeps." To their surprise the bullies did as they were told.

"You just have to stand up to them," said Lance. "They're really chickens, you know."

"That's easy for you to say," said Howard sadly. "You two have guts. I'm just a wimp. I don't have the courage to stand up to them like you did."

Their eyes met over the top of Howard's head. "Hey, Howard," said Lance. "How about coming home with us? We've got a book to loan you. Do you like to read about knights and castles and adventure?"

"Sure," said Howard, his eyes lighting up. "Thanks a lot!"

"You're welcome," said Gwen, tucking the ring into his coat pocket when he wasn't looking. "And in return, do you think we could borrow your laptop computer? We've got an email message we need to send."

The End