my key in the dragons by jakka Willick drawings by John Bozak
this book is dedicated to Mikey Mark Ryan Chris and Seth who went into the
fray and fought the Dragons there once was a little boy named Mike and there
were many things in the world that he didn't like he was scared of
spiders and beetles and bugs and always thought they hid under the rugs they
were creepy and crawly and nasty and mean and he ran from every bug he had
ever seen but it wasn't only insects that gave Mikey a scare there were many
other things for which Mike didn't care he left the light on when he went to
sleep at night he was scared there were monsters ready to bite hidden in his
closet or under his bed and he thought they might get him when he laid down his
head he imagined a monster with giant teeth and claws grabbing his neck with
its giant paws and if it wasn't monsters coming to take him away it would be
slimy snakes slithering his way yes Mikey was scared of evil snakes too he
was horrified of what they could do they could sneak in the house and hide in his
drawer and then bite him to bits of that he was sure there were many other things
that gave Mikey a scare which meant there were many things that he wouldn't
dare he didn't like the water or to go for a swim
he was scared that giant sharks might come and get him he didn't like the
playground with ladders and slides he thought if he fell off he would surely
die yes as you can see things for Mikey were bad
and being afraid made Mike very sad because so many things scared Mike to
the bone it turns out that Mikey was often alone he would sit by himself and
look at the sky and then he would quietly ask himself why why did so many
things give him a scare how could he ever overcome all that fear how could he
ever stand up and be brave or would being afraid always make him a slave and
then one day Mikey noticed a book he opened it up and took a quick look it
had pictures of dragons with fangs like a snake and all kinds of scary things
that made Mikey shake but in the pictures there was a boy - who didn't
look scared but like he knew what to do and even
though Mikey was scared indeed he decided that he would give the book a
read he opened the first page which he eagerly read and this is what the Dragon
books said that once was a kingdom long ago and far away and the kingdom had
suffered a horrible day their protector and leader their King he had died and
when they found out the whole village cried when the King was alive he was a
powerful force now they took the dead king away by carriage and horse they
knew they would miss him and that made them sad but there was something else
that made them feel bad the king had always been so strong and brave and
protected the kingdom from the dragon cave the dragon cave was just over the
hill and filled with scary creatures that were ready to kill horrible dragons
of every single type who thought people in the kingdom were especially ripe the
people thought the Dragons had wrath of fire and that the dragon stood twenty
feet tall or higher they thought the Dragons had
sword stopping scales and powerful long razor-sharp tails but the brave King
never let their beasts around he stood up and fought and held his ground and as
long as the king had been the king none of the Dragons could do a thing yes
the king always kept the dragons at bay by going out bravely into the fray it
seemed without fear the king would go fight he beat the Dragons and come home
at night but now that the king had died and was gone there was only one person
to fight and carry on but that person wasn't big or mighty or strong in fact
he hadn't been alive that long now the person who had dragons to chase was just
a little boy with a smiling face yes the person that now must stand up and be
bold was just the little prince who was only seven years old then the people in
the village just couldn't be sure that this young boy the little prince could
endure how could someone so young and so small stand up to the mighty dragons
that were so tall and the prince himself he also didn't know if he had the
courage it would take to go because he was so little and small and young he
didn't know if he could get the job done how could he make the mean dragons yield
when he could barely lift a sword or a shield
but no one else dared to step up and fight not the kingdoms guards or even
the Knights so even though the prince was scared he still knew that fighting
the Dragons was something he must do so he went to the Kings bedroom and opened
the door and went inside and walked across the floor he opened an old chest
that was tall and wide where the king had kept all his war gear inside the
shield was big and the sword was so long it was no wonder the King had been so
strong but the prince was a boy not a king like his dad and to lift up the
gear took all the strength of the boy hand and that made the prince did even
more nervous and he wondered if he was ready for this service fighting dragons
was such a scary task the prince to himself had some questions to ask how
could a little boy ever be a man how could the little prince ever make a
stand but at the bottom of the chest there was a small note and it looked
like something that the king wrote so just when the Prince thought he was over
and done he picked up the note and it said to my son he took a deep breath and
open the note he had found and this is what his father the King had written
down to my son if you are reading this now it means I
am gone and you are the one that must carry on our kingdom is now what you
must save and to do that you have to be brave I know that you think you don't
know what to do but remember that I was once a little boy - I was also small and
had fear in my heart and I didn't even know where to start
I couldn't imagine going over the hill to face the dragons that wanted to kill
but don't worry son you will be just fine if you can keep these things in
your mind the dragons they aren't really that big
at all it is only in our minds that we make them so tall inside our brains
things always get overblown especially things that are completely unknown but
when fear settles in and gets a hold of you here are some things that you simply
must do stand up straight and hold your head high and look your fears right in
the eye don't look away and don't try to hide know that you have great strength
deep inside when you stand up and go into the frame
your fears start to go away and though there will be horror you feel the things
you are scare that are not a big deal this is not to say you won't feel a
scare fear is a feeling that all of us share fear is normal for every person on
earth but this is where a hero proves his worth a coward runs away but danger
is near but a hero will face the thing that they fear so that is what you must
do my son face the Dragons and do not run and I promise when you meet them you
will see that you are just as strong as me the dragons that seemed so mighty and
mean or not ever as bad as they might see and most of the things that fill you
with dread are usually just made up in your head your father the king now the
boy was still scared though not as bad after he got done reading the note from
his dad the next day he got up and began to get ready he was still scared but the
note kept his mind steady of course he still felt some fear in his mind but he
knew he would have to keep it confined and despite all the fear he had had he
knew he needed to listen to his dad so he picked up the shields and picked up
the sword and held up his chin and went out the door the people of the kingdom
knew where he was going and the crowd in the streets it just kept growing they
stood and they cheered and they shouted and smiled and hoped the kingdom would
be saved by this child and the prince gave them a crisp salute
as he marched past them all down the main route and at the end he stood up
very straight and then he simply walked out of the gate once outside of the
kingdom he tried to stay brave as he walks toward the dragon cave he could
smell the fire of their breath and wondered if he would meet his death but
he remembered what his father had said that most of the fear was inside his
head when he got near the cave he looked all around but he saw no dragons upon
the ground so he walked closer and then heard some noise and though it scared
him a bit he still kept his poise then he got to the edge of the cave and
looked in and saw countless numbers of dragons within but when the dragon saw
him they scattered and hid even though the prince was just a little kid and the
prince II couldn't believe his eyes because to the princes great surprise
the dragons though many were small as could be in fact they only came up to
his knee and when they breathed fire it was just a tiny flame that any little
matchstick could put to shame and their teeth were very sharp and white and
shiny but they were also so very tiny the teeth they had were as small as a
pin and wouldn't even bite through the princes skin so the Prince walked right
into the cave just as a prince and a king should behave and one small dragon
came out looking sweet and sat on the ground at the princes feet and the
prince was convinced by this little sight that his father the Great King was
absolutely right the fear was just like the king had said
and had all been in the princes head so the prince left the cave and headed
back to town and all the people saw him come down they clapped their hands and
shouted with joy that the kingdom had been saved by this boy the Prince
climbed up and stood on the wall and this is what he told them all there
really is no reason for dread all of the fear is just in your head the Dragons
they can do nothing to us and there really is no reason to fuss so have no
fear of a dragon attack in fact the Dragons will never be back
and with that all of the townspeople cheered because the prince had quelled
the thing they most feared and the Prince tried to tell them the dragons
were smaller but they wouldn't listen to him at all so the Prince carried on
protecting the town and of course he never let them down because the dragons
were so small they really were no threat at all and the kingdom carried on
forever filled with laughter all of the people lived happily ever after and that
was the end of the Dragon book and Mikey was so glad he had taken a look he
realized something that he never knew if you are afraid there are things you can
do instead of hiding or running away stand up and face what makes you afraid
and from that day forth Mikey changed his mind and left his
fears and his worries behind even when he was afraid of something out there he
knew how to get control of this fear he would stand up straight and hold his
head high and like the Prince look his fear in the eye
and that is always the best thing to do if there is something that really scares
you don't get controlled by feelings of dread remember most of the fear is just
in your head this isn't to say you won't be afraid but you should know that fear
is okay everyone gets nervous and has a good scare and feels like they're going
into the dragon's lair but when that happens and you don't want to go think
of the lesson the prince got to know that when you are feeling so scared of
it all you just need to remember that the Dragons are small the end
you