by Sonya
Once upon a time in a mystical land called Waikato there lived a wee boy with bright red hair called Padraig.
Padraig lived high upon a hill in a beautiful purple castle with his mother and father and older brother Ciaran.
The boys loved to play in the beautiful garden behind their house during the long summer days. They spent many long hours pretending to be pirates or knights. Sometimes Ciarans’ friends came to play and Padraig struggled to keep up, as they ran so fast to and fro, upstairs and downstairs and down to the garden again. Padraig was always included in their games but he felt like they didn’t take him seriously because he was so small… “I am big!” he would always call after them as they thundered past waving their swords or paddled furiously away from invisible sharks.
“I really am big” he would sob to his mother as she cuddled him after the boys had moved onto other games. “I know you are Padraig” his mother sighed “and when your legs get a bit longer you will be able to keep up with Ciaran and Sloan, until then you may need to find something to keep you busy”.
“I am going to dig for treasure” Padraig shouted as he ran for his shovel, “stay out of my pumpkins!” shouted his father as Padraig scooted past him.
Padraig looked at his old tattered map that he had found at the bottom of his closet. He took 12 steps past the pirate ship, 10 steps towards the fence and he was standing right where the cross was on the map! “I found treasure” he giggled as he started to dig. He didn’t realize he was flat smack in the middle of his father’s precious pumpkins until he stood up to wipe the sweat and damp curls from his forehead.
“Uh oh” he whispered to himself, looking to see where his mum and dad were. With no one in sight he started digging furiously “I must find the treasure and get out of the garden before my dad sees me” he thought to himself.
Finally his shovel buckled as he hit something hard. He got down on all fours and started to dig with his hands, he found something purple and shiny, it looked like an egg of some kind but it was larger and heavier than a chicken egg and it sparkled when he held it up to the sun. After dusting it off with his sleeve he quickly filled in the hole and made his way to his secret place so he could examine his treasure.
Once inside he managed to slip unnoticed past the two older boys who where setting up an old train track in the lounge. He was not so lucky when he found himself face to face with his father in the kitchen, “what are you doing then?” asked his father, “nothing!” stammered Padraig as he squeezed past him into the hall way and made a break for the stairs. “What do you have there?” asked his mother as she blocked his way up the stairs, “I have to use the toilet!” shouted Padraig, “ok, ok, get going then” said mum.
“Whew” whispered Padraig to himself as he shut the bedroom door and made his way to his closet. He quickly pulled the lamp into the closet with him and made some room on the floor amongst the shoes and toys. Once settled he pulled out his treasure and set about examining it more closely.
“Bother!! It’s cracked” he exclaimed as he held it under the light. CRACK, “oh no!” he cried as the egg started to move in front of his eyes. He covered his eyes with both hands and whimpered, “I don’t want this treasure no more”. Crackkkkkkkkk, Thump! Padraig peeked out of his hands, “Oooo” he gasped as he looked at the floppy purple mass in front of him.
“It’s a dragon” he whispered as it straightened up to its full height and stretched its wings. Soon the closet was too cramped for them both as the purple dragon seemed to keep growing larger and larger until it was the size of a small pony!
“Wow!” cried Padraig “your cool”. Slurp! the dragon licked Padraig from his toes to the tip of his bright red curls. Padraig giggled and giggled as the dragon kept sniffing him and licking his hands and hair.
“Aww, you’re not scary at all, you’re just a baby! A very big baby!” “I wonder what he eats” Padraig thought to himself, “how am I going to hide him?” Padraig realized that he had a big job ahead if he wanted to keep his new friend. Just then his dragon sneezed “aaaathoooooo”, “aaaaaathooooo”, “puff” “sizzle” “snort”. “Uh oh” thought Padraig, “I better get you outside before mum and dad hear you or Ciaran and Sloan find you”.
“Can you fly?” he asked the dragon, the dragon nodded with a glint in his eye. “Alright!” yelled Padraig with glee leading him to the bedroom window, “Let’s go see those boys then! I’ll soon show them who isn’t too small to play with them now”. Padraig climbed up the dragons’ wings and settled behind his neck, wrapping both arms around as tightly as possible.
The dragon looked back checking that his young rider was ready, he smiled to himself at the sight of the wee fiery lad with his eyes squeezed shut tight hanging on for dear life. Padraig felt the wings lifting and heard the beating of the air as they lifted gracefully off the roof and started to climb upwards into the afternoon sky.
“Wa-hooooooooo” Padraig cried as they glided on the breeze. “I can see all the way to the trains from up here!” Far below he could see Ciaran and Sloan looking up and pointing, “Lets’ fly down and see them” he cried. Down, down, down they spiraled slowly. (Padraig swears to this day that he could see Cairans’ eyes getting bigger and bigger as they got closer and closer.) “Can I play with you now?” he called as they swooped lazily over the boys’ heads.
Both boys just stood there with their mouths wide open, eyes as big as saucers, and their weapons hanging uselessly in their hands. ‘Mummy” whispered Sloan, not believing his eyes, he pinched himself on the leg and squeezed his eyes shut tight. Slowly he peeked through his lashes and to his amazement Padraig sailed by again on the dragon, laughing at his brother.
“Lets’ land” he whispered to his friend. They touched down without so much as a bump and Padraig climbed down feeling ten foot tall and bullet proof. “How do you like my friend?” he has asked the two older boys. “Awesome!” they yelled at the same time as they ran up to where they had landed (which just happened to be in the pumpkin patch). “where did you get it?” asked Ciaran,
“What’s its name?” panted Sloan as he came up behind Ciaran and peered over his shoulder at the dragon,(who was now munching happily on their fathers prized pumpkins.)
“I found him in this very pumpkin patch” said Padraig as he puffed his wee chest out just a bit more. “I haven’t given him a name yet but I think Pumpkin has a nice ring to it” he giggled as they watched the dragon eat one of the giant pumpkins in one bite.
“Cool, can I have a ride?” asked Ciaran, ‘Me too” pleaded Sloan. “Sure” said Padraig feeling more important than ever, “we can all ride together, come on.”
The boys all clambered up the dragons back and held onto each other as Padraig wrapped his arms around Pumpkins neck. “Let’s go!” Padraig shouted “Hold on boys.” Up, up, up Pumpkin flew, his wings beating steadily. Pumpkins scales sparkled with flecks of purple, pink and gold as they flew out from under the trees and into the sun. They sailed over the lake and towards town, Pumpkin dipped and spiraled on the breeze, occasionally checking on his passengers. The boys took turns at holding their arms out straight and moving with the breeze as they glided above Hamilton.
All too soon they found themselves back at home and in the Pumpkin patch. ‘That was amazing”, “so cool”, “did you see how small the houses were?” they all spoke so fast and cut each other off with the excitement of the flight. Padraigs’ face shone with pride and he stood taller than ever before and suddenly he didn’t look so small after all. “Pumpkin is amazing Pad” said his brother with pride, “Yeah you can be on my team next weekend, Pad” said Sloan, “No, he’s my brother, it only makes sense he’s on my team” Ciaran argued as the two older boys ran quickly into the house.
“Well you better hide now, so my dad doesn’t see you eating his pumpkins” said Padraig sadly as he stroked his new friends nose gently…”wheeewh” snuffled Pumpkin as he turned quietly and folded his wings against his purple body. “Aaaaaa” gasped Padraig as he watch Pumpkin get smaller and smaller before his very eyes until he could bend over and pick him up gently and hold him in the palm of his hand. “Amazing!” he giggled as he stuck Pumpkin safely in his pocket.
“Well, well, well, what have we here then?” asked Padraigs’ father as he walked down to the pumpkin patch. “And where did all my pumpkins go?” he asked in amazement while scratching his head “Ummm, I am not sure” said Padraig kicking the dirt with his toes. “There was this bird and “This can not be done by a bird!” “Llewella!” his father called out, “You better come and see this”, “Don’t you go anywhere young man” his father said as Padraig turned to go towards the house, “But I am thirsty and I need to go to the toilet” he said as he ran past his mother up the stairs to the house.
Ciaran and Sloan where inside packing up the trains, “You can’t tell them about Pumpkin” shouted Padraig as he ran inside. “Don’t worry they would never believe us” said Sloan, “Yeah it will be our secret” said Ciaran. The three boys crept out the back door and sat on the stairs watching the parents who where still muttering quietly and scratching their heads looking for an answer to the disappearance of the giant pumpkins.
They all stood quickly as the 2 boys Father came rushing up the steps taking two at a time, “Come on get your coats we are going out”, “Where are we going?” they asked together, “We are going to the library to get a book on New Zealand Birds, cause where I come from we don’t have birds that eat giant pumpkins!” “Oh, ok dad” they grinned as they looked at each other.
Later that night after Padraig had settled Pumpkin in to his new home (a shoe box in the bottom of the closet) he whispered his thanks to his big brother for keeping his secret. “That’s ok Pad” said Ciaran that’s what brothers are for.
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My name is Sonya and I am 42 year old single parent to an amazing 10 year old son, who besides being such a fantastic boy has High functioning autism. I wrote “Padraig and the Magic Dragon a few years ago when I did not have a penny to spare for a friends wee boys birthday. I have never written before and find that if I try to plan to write nothing comes. This piece of writing just came through me, the pictures included are not mine and I do not have a source for them to give credit to, sorry.
I hope the readers enjoy this in the spirit it was written, whimsical, magical and encouraging whoever you are to believe.
