DAY OF THE DRAGONS

Premise by Richard Merwin

Story written by J.E. B.

Daylight peeks through the canopy of trees of the Realm of Dungeons and Dragons, in the Forest of Despair. Something huge gives chase to the Young Ones running through said Forest. Shrill, ear-piercing shrieks beat through the forest cover- it's Tiamat, fierce queen of the dragons, eternal guardian of the Dragon's Graveyard! She lunges for Presto's head, narrowly missing him.

"Yipes!She's after my head! HELP!"

From below it, Hank spots a tree with a large hole at its bottom and points to it.

"Over there! Run for it!" yells Hank.

"And serve her six free meals, Hank? Are you CRAZY?" Eric yells back.

"You got any better ideas?"

Eric looks down in silent consent.

"Then follow me AND MOVE IT!" Hank shouts ahead.

The YOUNG ONES all run for the tree hole. Presto outruns the rest with Eric following closely behind. The others watch in horror as Tiamat bites at Presto's hat on his head.

"Yikes!" scream Eric and Presto.

Running two steps behind Eric, Hank suspects that Tiamat's after what's in the hat. Hank yells to Presto.

"PRESTO! TIAMAT'S AFTER YOUR HAT! THERE MUST BE SOMETHING IN IT SHE WANTS!"

Eric now realizes what's in the hat that the angry queen dragon wants—the treasure he 'lifted' from the Dragon's Graveyard, a world they found through a wormhole nearly a day ago! Anxiety mixed with fear grips Eric as he tries to confess while on the run.

"Oh brother THAT'S what she's after?" yelps Eric, quickly rolling his eyes. "How was I s'posed to know that loot was HERS?"

"ERIC!" shouted an angry Hank.

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Diana and Bobby follow suit. "ERIC! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"YERFULL!" baas Uni, trailing closely behind.

"YEAH DON'T REMIND ME!" whimpers Eric.

Eric catches up to Presto, snatching his hat from his head.

"Gimme that dumb hat of yours, Presto!"

Eric dumps Presto's hat out as the magician hightails it though slowing down, followed by the others. Eric dumps out the hat—out drop a dog whistle, sticky paper, a note pad, and an amulet, while in flight!

A frantic Eric shouts "OH NO! THAT'S not IT!", slowing down just as the others speed by.

Just overhead, on a branch overlooking the holed tree sits a koala-like bear. Camera view overlooks the koala's shoulder. As he watches the kids run Tiamat's shadow darkens over Eric who flattens himself against the grass, barely escaping her attack. All of this occurs from the koala's bird's-eye view from its left shoulder. Tiamat lifts up to air overhead, her shadow growing and passing overhead, briefly eclipsing the koala's entire face and body, which looks above at the source of the darkness.

Hank, Diana, Bobby, and Sheila reach the hollow, followed by a hobbling Presto. Eric recovers, stands up, sighs, and dumps out Presto's magic hat once more. Out pops a Jack-in-the-Box, a deck of cards, and a toy robot!

"HURRY ERIC!" Sheila shouts.

"C'MON, YOU DUMB HAT!" belts out a frustrated Eric, shaking it out.

Finally the treasure rises out- followed by a small box, about one hundred gold pieces, and many small but precious jewels as Tiamat resumes her descent.

Eric gathers all the treasure he took into the box, removes his shield, and loads the loot into the shield's concavity as Tiamat's shadow engulfs him. Sensing the Do-or-Die urgency, Eric folds into a discus thrower's pose.

Eric, focused, and with increasing volume, steps up. "Here..Goes..EVERYTHING!"

As he flings his shield of treasure at Tiamat, surprisingly, the shield's magic pulls him along into the air- and into Tiamat's grasp!

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