Walter the Magic Dragon: Part 1

By Mark Barron

Walter the Magic Dragon lived by the sea. He was not an exceptionally large magic dragon, since he was nearly sixty-seven years old. (This age is roughly equivalent to twelve human years.) He was, however, rather short for his age; he was around two feet tall, was covered with rainbow-coloured scales, and had a fluffy, golden mane running from his head down his back. The combination of rainbow scales and golden fur was a symbol of royalty to the dragons, and Walter was of royal blood.

His father was King Bartholomew the Magic Dragon, who ruled over Asombroso Paraiso. It was a vast kingdom which was composed entirely of dragons (with the exception of the occasional homeless gnome, but the dragons made it a high priority not to notice them). His father, like most other dragons, was about six feet tall; there was quite a height difference between him and Walter. Aside from the common yet severe asthma attack (and, of course, his never-ending joint pains) Bartholomew was in perfect health. It was customary that once the king’s son reached sixty-seven years of age, he was ready to take his father’s place on the throne. He would inherit the crown that day – not to mention the royal beard, which was surprisingly grey and fake, but made its wearer look very wise indeed.

Walter, however, had completely forgotten about these things. None of his friends told him because they found his ignorance rather amusing.