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| Art: Ella Annelies Wusten, 9, The Netherlands |
Once upon a time, on Wawel
Hill in Poland, there lived a fierce dragon.
Every day the dragon roamed
the countryside and terrified people. He burned their crops and devoured their cattle
which grazed along the Vistula River.
The dragon especially liked
to eat young girls and was happy on those days when a young girl was sent to
him for his meal.
King Krak, who ruled the
kingdom along the Vistula River, wanted to put an end to the dragon because he
was fed-up of complaints from the people.
The king announced,
“The brave warrior who kills the Wawel dragon will be rewarded with half of my kingdom and will get my daughter’s hand in marriage.”
Many princes and knights
came along to take up the challenge but unfortunately they lost the fight with
the dragon.
After a year, there were no
brave young men left to take up the challenge. Young girls were regularly sent
to the dragon to keep him pacified.
One day, there were no
young girls left in the kingdom except King Krak’s beautiful daughter, Princess
Wanda. The King was very unhappy.
On the same day, a young
shoemaker named Skuba came to the kingdom and heard the King’s announcement. He
went to the sad King Krak, bowed down, and said,
“Your majesty, allow me to take up the challenge to slay the Wawel Dragon.”
The King looked at the
humble shoemaker and replied,
“Young man, I admire your bravery. But you are not a warrior. The dragon will kill you easily without a fight.”
Skuba seemed quite
determined. He said,
“Your majesty, please give me a chance. It might save your daughter’s life.”
The King was moved by his
plea.
“Alright” he said, “I admire your courage. Tell me, what weapons will you need to slay the mighty dragon?”
Skuba replied,
“I would simply need a dead lamb and some sulphur.”
“Is that all?” asked King Krak, puzzled.
“Yes, your majesty. That’s all I will need” replied Skuba with confidence.
King Krak arranged to give
him whatever he needed and wished him good luck.
Scuba sat by the bank of
the Vistula River and stuffed the dead lamb with sulphur. Then with his needle
and thread, he carefully sewed-up the lamb.
When evening came, he put
the stuffed lamb on his shoulders and carried it up to Wawel Hill. He left the
lamb at the entrance to the dragon’s cave and hid in the bushes.
Skuba could hear the dragon
roaring with hunger. No young girl had arrived for his dinner that evening. He
seemed impatient and angry.
Finally, the dragon came
out of his cave and breathed fire in fury. Skuba was frightened of his blazing
red eyes that darted around to seek food. The dragon saw the lamb lying at the
entrance of cave. He was so hungry that he ate it up in one big gulp.
As soon as he ate it, his
stomach was on fire. He felt so thirsty that he drank water from the Vistula
River. He drank and drank but his thirst could not be quenched. The fire raged
in his belly and he drank up all the water in the river. His body ballooned up
with all the water he had drunk, and yet, he had no relief. He danced and he
wriggled and he turned and he squirmed.
In the end, he exploded in
one big watery
‘BOOM!’
King Krak, Princess Wanda,
and all the people in the kingdom watched the explosion. They clapped when
Skuba came down the hill.
Princess Wanda married
Skuba and they lived happily ever after.
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| Art: Lisa D'Cruz, 5, India |
(Folktale Retold)
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