SLAW THE MIGHTY AND MEEK THE MEEK
PART TWO
Meek slowly looked up. Staring down at her with his beady eyes was Slaw the Mighty. He was tall and fearsome and very, very annoyed.
“You’ve just made a hole in my roof! Do you know what that’ll cost to repair?” A snort of smoke shot from his nostrils as he leaned closer, “Lots!” he hissed.
Slaw the Mighty was a huge, green dragon with strong, big muscles, a long twitching tail and talons as sharp as icicles. He looked down at Meek like she was a tiny flea.
“So what do you want? I’m a very busy dragon, you know!” He rapped his talons on the arm of his gigantic throne and waited.
“I’ve come to steal the Golden Egg of Wonder!” Meek thought maybe she shouldn’t have said that.
Slaw laughed the loudest, longest laugh and it echoed all around the Golden Cave and made the candles flicker.
“No one steals my Golden Egg of Wonder - for therein lies all my power. So get your mucky fingers off it!”
Meek pondered what to do next. She had no clue. She’d never done a quest before and after this one was pretty sure she would never do one again.
“I challenge you to a game of riddles!” she suddenly heard herself say, “Best of three! Winner wins the egg”
Slaw giggled and guffawed and gurgled, “But I am Slaw the Mighty. You can’t riddle with me. I’m the best riddler for miles around! You’ll never beat me!”
Meek moved over to sit at the mighty dragon’s feet, “In that case what have you got to lose?” she said.
Slaw looked over to the Golden Egg of Wonder as it glistened in the firelight and then back to Meek.
“Very well. Winner wins the Egg, but I shall win! Ha! You first!”
Meek scratched her head and tried to think of all the riddles her mother had told her. Then she remembered!
“What can’t talk, but always repeats?” she said.
Slaw hissed and the hiss echoed around the cave, rattling the gold and flickering the candles, again.
“An echo!” he snarled, “Obvs! My go - when I’m young I’m tall, when I’m old I’m short. What am I?”
Meek was stumped. What could it be? She looked about and her eyes landed on the flicking candles. Of course!
“A candle!” she shouted, “One all. One more riddle to decide the winner. And it’s my go!”
Slaw stared down at her. Meek was sure she spotted a look of worry in his eye then wracked her brain to think of another riddle. She remembered the perfect one!
“What must be broken before you can use it?” she asked.
Slaw snarled. He huffed. He puffed. He muttered. He mumbled. Time went on and it was clear he didn’t know the answer.
“Give me til that candle burns out!” he spat and they waited and waited and waited, but no answer came. The candle spluttered and the flame went out.
Meek jumped to her feet, “The answer is - an egg! I win!” And she jumped to her feet, snatched the Golden Egg from its plinth, narrowly missed Slaw’s swooping talon and ran from the cave.
And of course Slaw could not follow - all his power was gone. He just sat weakly in his throne and a small tear ran from his beady eye.
Back at Nork, Meek was greeted like a heroine - because she was! The Egg of Wonder was placed in the Town Cave where everyone could visit it and everyone in the Village of Nork was filled with power, magic, strength, wisdom and enchantment and no longer lived in fear of Slaw. Clive raised a cup of tea to Meek and Molly gave her a big hug and a boiled egg and said, “When it comes to collecting eggs - you’re the best!”
