Free Jonah and the Last Great Dragon by M E. Holley Page B

so awful happened to me.’
    He took a deep breath. ‘Thanks.’
    She looked puzzled. ‘But what’s that got to do with who Mike is?’
    â€˜Well, the same kind of thing happened, when I looked at Mike just now.’ He laughed and waved his hands as Erin began to object. ‘No, I don’t mean I saw terrible things. The opposite, really. I looked at Mike just as he finished speaking and I seemed to see another Mike. Oh, gosh, it’s so hard to explain.’ He thumped the ground in frustration.
    â€˜Go on!’
    â€˜Well, when he looked at the church, I was thinking he looked really sad, and then, somehow, the sun shone on his hair, and it seemed to sort of blow back. But there’s no wind, is there? And the air seemed to – sort of – shimmer.’ Jonah was looking at her expectantly.
    Erin sat back and wrinkled her nose. ‘Were you – like – hallucinating?’
    â€˜No, I wasn’t! Don’t you see what I mean?’
    She shook her head. ‘No. Sorry,’ she said slowly.
    â€˜Oh, Erin, you do! Think! Mike knows all about these strange things that are happening, the dragon and everything, but he hasn’t said how he knows. He’s sad when he looks at the church...’
    â€˜He just appears and we never know where from.’ Erin put in, eagerly.
    Jonah leaned forward and clutched her shoulders. ‘And his name is Mike, which is short for...’
    â€˜Michael!’ They both said it together. Erin’s eyes were huge.
    â€˜It was what you said about him looking at the church,’ she whispered. ‘That’s why he’s here. It’s his church, isn’t it? You think he’s Saint Michael the Dragonslayer.’

CHAPTER 13
ABRACADABRA
    Jonah and Erin were still sitting by the churchyard wall, deep in discussion about Mike, when the screaming began. The children scrambled to their feet and peered round the bush.
    â€˜Oh, no, the Night Creatures are back. Look!’ said Jonah, pointing. Six or seven grotesque little creatures were slithering over the roof or dangling from the guttering, taunting the appalled people down below.
    â€˜Oh, I don’t like this!’
    â€˜Come on, then. Let’s go back to the others,’ said Jonah.
    As they ran back to the church, Mike came racing away from the crowd, making towards the back of St. Michael’s. As Mike turned the corner, the children saw Rhodri sprinting after him.
    â€˜I’ll help you drive them off,’ Rhodri called.
    Mike stopped. ‘No, mate. Thanks. Can you keep everyone together on the porch side though, and well away from the church? It will be safer.’
    â€˜Sure,’ Rhodri said, and ran back up the path.
    Erin bumped Jonah’s arm. ‘Mike’s good at taking charge, isn’t he?’
    They exchanged glances.
    The clergymen began to say The Lord’s Prayer.
    â€˜Come on, everybody. Join in. Don’t stop!’ a man shouted. The vicar raised his voice and the villagers joined in, with all eyes fixed on the slates. The little fiends pranced in a mad pantomime, grimacing and hissing at them. Rhodri hurried to move people away.
    â€˜Get back,’ he called, ‘Get well away from the church, so these things can’t touch you.’
    The man who had run from the churchyard came hurrying back, panting for breath as he stumbled along. Under his arm he carried a shotgun.
    â€˜Good idea!’ shouted one of his friends. ‘Make space for Harry, everyone! We’ll soon see if guns can’t hurt them.’
    The vicar looked round, saw Harry coming with his gun and waved his arms frantically.
    â€˜Tell him not to shoot,’ he called urgently. ‘Stop him, somebody. Stop him!’
    People were moving quickly aside to let Harry aim his gun at the biggest fiend capering on the apex of the roof. Rhodri dashed towards him but before he could speak, the old man fired. There was a moment of