SLAW THE MIGHTY AND MEEK THE MEEK
PART ONE
Far, far away in a long, lost land of elves and dragons there lived a meek elf and a mighty dragon. The dragon, whose name was Slaw, ruled the land and no one dared cross him. For anyone who did was thrown into the Cage of Eternity for, well, eternity. Slaw sat on his Golden Throne in his Golden Cave at the top of the Golden Mountain watching everyone in the village of Nork making sure no one did anything he didn’t like - and he didn’t like a lot of things. If anyone disagreed with Slaw he snarled. If anyone ignored Slaw he roared. If anyone disobeyed Slaw he blasted them with a shot of flame from his very, very hot mouth.
But what gives Slaw his mighty power, you might be asking? I shall tell you. The Golden Egg of Wonder that’s what gives Slaw his power! Once many lifetimes ago the 57 Wizards of Wonder made an egg and filled it with all the power, magic, strength, wisdom, and enchantment in the land. And whomsoever owns the Golden Egg of Wonder owns all the power, magic, strength, wisdom, and enchantment in the land - and the Egg of Wonder sat in the Golden Cave on a Golden Plinth next to the Golden Throne (just around the corner from the Cage of Eternity) where its owner, Slaw, sneered quietly and watched every elf in the village with his beady eyes.
And one of those elves was called Meek, because she was, well, meek. She was very, very shy, very quiet, and very well behaved. She was short for her age with ringlets of blonde hair and a couple of freckles across her cheeks and as this tale begins she is collecting eggs from the chickens outside her Elf Cave.
“Make sure you don’t drop them!” shouted Meek’s mother, Molly.
CRASH!
“Oooops!” cried Meek, looking at all the crashed and smashed eggs at her feet, “Can I fix them?”
“You really are a silly little elf!” said Molly from inside the cave, “When it comes to collecting eggs - you are the worst!”
Meek tugged at her blonde hair and grimaced. I’ll get better at collecting eggs one day, she thought to herself.
And as she thought that thought a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning filled the air and Meek looked up to see lots of her elf friends scattering and scrambling and scurrying and shouting, “Clive the Wizard! Clive the Wizard! Clive the Wizard!”
Meek was about to ask her mother who Clive the Wizard was when Molly grabbed her, dragged her into the Elf Cave, slammed the door, bolted it, closed the curtains, and whispered, “It’s Clive the Wizard!”
“But who is Clive the Wizard?” asked Meek, quietly.
Molly peered through a gap in the curtains and said, “Have I taught you nothing?”
“Errr…not really,” said Meek.
Molly grabbed Meek by the shoulders and stared her in the eye, “Clive is the most powerful, wondrous, and mysterious wizard in the land. And he’s coming here!”
“Why?”
“No one knows!” said Molly and a shiver went up and down her spine.
Suddenly there was a knock, knock, knock at the door. Molly very carefully and very cautiously opened it. Standing before her was -
“Clive the Wizard!” she said, gazing at a very short man with a long white beard to his feet, a pointy white hat, and a stick which looked a bit like a wand. He twiddled it.
“That’s right, dear. Could have a cup of tea?” He wiped his feet without being invited and before they knew it, Clive the Wizard was sitting in the Elf Cave drinking their tea.
“Well, you’re probably wondering why I am here!” said Clive, admiring the teacup, “It’s all about Slaw the Dragon!”
“Slaw the Dragon who’s ruled this land for years, who watches our every move and gives out horrible punishments if we disobey him?” asked Molly.
“That’s the one!” said Clive, licking the last drop of tea from his saucer, “Me and the other Wizzes have been having a think and we think he should go.”
Meek peeked out from behind a cupboard where she had been hiding and stared at the wizard.
“And the only way to get rid of the dragon is to steal the Golden Egg of Wonder! With the egg gone all his power will be gone too and the egg will be brought to the village where you elves will keep it and its power will become your power!”
Molly checked the curtains were fully closed and hissed, “But how?”
“Meek!” said Clive and pointed his little wooden stick at her daughter who gulped in surprise.
Three hours later Meek was climbing the Golden Mountain wrapped in five knitted blankets, wearing a red, woollen hat, and clutching a packed lunch of egg sandwiches her mother had made. And she was muttering to herself.
“How did this happen? How did I get chosen for this quest? I hate quests!”
The cold, cold wind bit into her and the rain splattered down on her soaking her clothes.
“I really hate quests!” she muttered.
Through the crashing rain she could just about make out a small wooden sign and walked over to it.
“Beware! Turn back! Go away or you will be eaten!” it said in big, red letters.
“I really, really hate quests!”
And as Meek was muttering and mumbling to herself and wondering why she had taken on this quest and why some other elf couldn’t have done it instead, the ground suddenly opened up and she fell into a dark, dark hole.
“Arggghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!” she screamed as she slid and slipped and skidded and glided down the dark, dark hole banging her head and arms and legs as she went.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Suddenly she landed with a bump!
“Ouch!” and when she looked around all she could see was gold! Gold chests, gold bars, gold chains, gold cups. Gold, gold everywhere.
Meek wondered where she was.
“Welcome to my castle!” said a deep, dark sinister voice.
And Meek suddenly knew where she was!
What happens next? How will Meek get out of this mess? Will she steal the Golden Egg? Only you know the conclusion to Slaw the Might and Meek the Meek!
