CHING PING
AND THE DRAGON

Written and Illustrated
by Adam Bushnell

Ching Ping and Mina packed up all of their possessions and set off to find a new village to live in. They were sad about leaving, but knew that after their adventures with the magic pot, it was the best thing to do.

Ching Ping and his mule


In those days you could not get a plane or train or car to get to where you wanted to go, Ching Ping and Mina had to walk, leading their mule carrying all their possessions, to the next village.
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When they arrived at the busy village they went straight to the busy village inn and asked the innkeeper if the village needed a woodcutter.
“No,” replied the innkeeper, “We already have a woodcutter in this village.”

So Ching Ping and Mina set up their tent and spent the night just outside of the village. The following day they set off again towards the next village and after a whole day of travelling they arrived there.

When they arrived, they again went straight into the busy inn and asked the innkeeper if the village needed a woodcutter. “No,” replied the innkeeper, “We already have a woodcutter in this village.”

So again Ching Ping and Mina set up their tent and spent the night just outside of this village. The following day they set off towards the next village and when they got there can you guess what happened? . . .

Ching Ping is a Woodcutter

The innkeeper told Ching Ping and Mina that they already had a woodcutter. The same thing happened every day for three weeks. One village a day, twenty-one villages in all.

Then when they arrived at the twenty-second village something very strange happened.

Unlike the other villages that Ching Ping and Mina had visited, this time there was no one to be seen. It was deserted. When Ching Ping and Mina went into the inn there was still no one to be seen.
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“Where is everybody?” asked Mina. “I don’t know,” said Ching Ping. Ching Ping knocked on the wooden bar and called out, “Hello! Is there anybody there?” No reply.

So Ching Ping knocked harder this time and called out louder, “Hello! Is there anybody there?” Still no reply.

So Ching Ping knocked even harder and called even louder, “Hello! Is there anybody there?”
But there was still no reply.

Ching Ping looking over the bar

“Why don’t you ring that bell on the bar, Ching Ping? Maybe that’s what its for.” said Mina. So Ching Ping rang the bell and called, “Hello! Is there anybody there?”

A trap door behind the bar opened very slowly and two beady eyes and a long crooked nose peered out. “What do you want?” the beady eyes and crooked nose asked very quickly and very gruffly.

“Erm, well I was wondering if you could help me, I’m Ching Ping and this is –”

“No!” shouted the beady eyes and crooked nose, then the trap door slammed shut.

“How rude!” exclaimed Mina. Ching Ping rang the bell again and called, “Hello! Is there anybody there?”
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“What do you want?” the beady eyes and crooked nose snapped again.

The Innkeeper looking out of the cellar

“Please come up and talk to us.” said Ching Ping, “We won’t hurt you.”

The trap door swung open and the grumpy innkeeper with the two beady eyes and long crooked nose climbed out and stood behind the wooden bar nervously.

“I was wondering if your village needed a woodcutter?” asked Ching Ping.

“A woodcutter? Yes we do!” replied the innkeeper sharply. “But no-one wants to go into the woods around here.”

“But why?” asked Mina.

“Because in these woods there lurks a vile, horrible, nasty, disgusting . . . dragon!”

The innkeeper describes the dragon
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“A dragon!” exclaimed Ching Ping and Mina together.

“Yes, but if you’re brave enough to go into the forest and get some wood, then the job is yours.” said the innkeeper and then hurried off back into the cellar, slamming the trap door shut behind him.

“What do you think?” asked Mina.

“I think he’s mad. I don’t believe in dragons. I’ll go into the woods and use my golden axe. I’ll be back in no time at all.” replied Ching Ping.

“I don’t believe in dragons either.” said Mina. “But if you see or hear anything strange then you must hurry right back, OK?” “Alright then, Bye.”

So Ching Ping unpacked his golden axe, then he got his wheelbarrow from the mules back and set off into the woods.

Ching Ping with his Axe

When Ching Ping reached the middle of the woods he set down his wheelbarrow next to a tree and he began swing the golden axe, which made a WHOOOSH sound on every stroke.

Ching Ping went, WHOOOSH, WHOOOSH, WHOOOSH, and in no time at all, the wheelbarrow was nearly full.

But, Ching Ping began to feel very tired. So he stopped for a rest.
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Just then, Ching Ping began to hear another sound faintly in the distance. He stopped cutting the tree and began to listen . . .

Boom. Boom. Boom. The sound went.

Then it got louder . . .

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Then even louder . . .

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ching Ping began to get nervous so he decided to head back to the inn.

But now the sound was so loud that Ching Ping could not work out which direction it was coming from! If he ran he could run into whatever was making the loud, booming noise.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The sound went.

Then even louder . . .

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Ching Ping began turning in circles looking for where the sound was coming from. Then suddenly the sound stopped . . .

Ching Ping frozen with fear

Ching Ping was frozen with fear . . .
He started to turn around to look behind him.
As he turned round, he was confronted by his worst fear.
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There, standing in front of him, was a huge, green, scaly dragon, with gigantic wings and claws as sharp as razors.

The dragon stared at Ching Ping below him and took a long, deep, breath in.

The dragon began to slowly lower his head towards Ching Ping.

Ching Ping’s legs began to shake, his hands holding the golden axe began to shake, but he could not move to run away. He was frozen, like a statue, with fear.

The dragon’s face was right next to Ching Ping’s now and staring right at him in the eyes.

The dragon’s hot, smelly, breath snorting into Ching Ping’s face.
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The dragon took another long deep breath . . .
and then he suddenly said,

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry to bother you but could you help me?” in a voice that sounded just like the Queen of England’s.

“W-W-What?” stuttered Ching Ping.

“Well I was wondering if you could help me,” continued the dragon, very politely, “You see I’m rather lost and in need of some directions. Do you know these parts well?”

“Wh- where do you want to go?” Ching Ping managed to blurt out, still a little petrified.

“I’m looking for the Rocky Mountains. I was meant to be at a dragon conference there about a week ago, but I’m useless with directions. I tried asking some of those lovely people in the village but they all seemed to be in a dreadful hurry themselves and when I’ve been back there, no one has been around at all. Can you help me?” explained the dragon.

“S-So you’re not going to eat me then?” asked Ching Ping.

“Oh, goodness me, no! I’m a vegetarian! I only eat fruit and vegetables!” replied the dragon.
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“Oh . . . erm . . . right then,” said Ching Ping, a lot less nervous now, “The Rocky Mountains, right, well you need to head east towards the sun, that way, and you can’t miss them.”

Ching Ping looking surprised

“Ah, I see. Oh, well thank you so much. What’s your name by the way?” asked the dragon.

“Ching Ping.”

“Well my name is Drago. Thanks awfully for your help Ching Ping. Ta-ta for now.”
Then Drago spread his huge wings and flew off into the distance.

Ching Ping picked up his axe and wheelbarrow, finished the wood cutting as fast as he could and then returned to the village inn with his wheelbarrow filled with wood.

“Oh, I was so worried, are you alright?” asked Mina.

“Yes, but you’ll never believe what happened!” said Ching Ping.

Ching Ping looking relieved
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Just then the innkeeper with the two beady eyes and long crooked nose quickly climbed out of the cellar and stood behind the wooden bar.

“Did you go into the woods?” he asked, rather surprised.

“Yes, I’ve got the wood for you.” said Ching Ping, pointing to the wheelbarrow.

“But did you see the dragon?” asked the innkeeper.

“Yes I did, but he’s gone away now. Actually he was very nice, he -”

But before Ching Ping could explain what had happened the innkeeper began ringing the bell from behind the bar furiously and ran out into street shouting.

Ching Ping and Mina followed him and saw all of the villagers cautiously stepping out into the street.

The innkeeper was shouting, “Come quickly everyone! This is Ching Ping and he has rid our village of the dragon!”

 

 
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Ching Ping began trying to explain what had happened, but the villagers had picked him up onto their shoulders and began carrying him through the village shouting, “Ching Ping! Ching Ping! Ching Ping! Hooray!”

So Ching Ping and Mina were offered a job and a home in the village for as long as they wanted.

They tried to explain to everyone what really happened in the woods many times, but everyone thought they were joking.

After all, whoever heard of a vegetarian dragon?

Ching Ping is happy

 

THE END
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