James & the Dragon

By Joanna Walsh

When James loses his beloved dog, he finds that anger is easy to give into. Filled with rage, James decides to take revenge against the magical creature that took away his best friend. The only problem is—that creature is a fire breathing dragon—one of the most dangerous creatures in the world! It is only now, when James devises a plan to kill the dragon with a magical dagger, that he learns the truth about revenge.

With his friends in tow and challenges to face, James takes on an adventure that will change his life forever. Magic and mystery follow close behind as James ventures out into a bold, scary, and dangerous new world. Can he overcome the black magic around them and find revenge some other way? Or is there more to magic than meets the eye?

• Language: English
• Publisher: I Create from the Heart
• Release date: Apr 28, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386803546

Joanna Walsh

Joanna Walsh's work has appearedin Granta, Narrative, The Stinging Fly and Guernica, amongst others. Her first collection, Fractals, was published by 3:AM Press in 2013 and her non-fiction work Hotel was published internationally by Bloomsbury in 2015. This was followed by Grow a Pair and her most recent collection Vertigo, which was published by And Other Stories in the UK in 2016. Her digitally groundbreaking novella Seed was released in 2017 as well as her third collection of stories, Words from the World's End.

Book preview

1

James and his father burst through the door, water dripping from their coats. The smell of rain filled the room of their small cottage. Amy flew into her father’s arms. James’s mother hesitated as she walked across the room then, seeing their faces, rushed towards them. James grimaced as he met his mother’s eyes. He sniffed, wiping his muddy nose on his sleeve then looked up at his father. He noticed tiny rivers ran through the dirt on his face. Had he been crying? James had never seen his father cry before.

‘What happened?’ Amy said.

James’s father put Amy down and removed his hat and coat. He placed a hand on his son’s shoulder and cleared his throat, turning to face the others. ‘It’s Charlie. The dragon got him.’

Tears flooded. James couldn’t hold them back any longer. His mother pulled him into her arms and held him tightly. James stared at the wall. Charlie had been his dog and best friend—the most loyal companion a boy could have. They’d grown up together. James looked up at his mother, sniffing.

‘I-I couldn’t stop him, Mum,’ he said between sobs. ‘Charlie was trying to protect us.’ He buried his head under her chin and she continued holding him.

‘You’re not to blame,’ she said, stroking the back of his head.

The dragon had been so terrifyingly close that he could feel its hot, foul-smelling breath on his face. Its spit had sprayed him and nearly made him vomit. The dragon had looked him right in the eye, and could have killed him too, but had spared his life. James wasn’t sure why.

That night, the family sat around the open fire, barely speaking. The only sound came from the hiss and crackle of the flames. They lived in a small log cabin in the woods, surrounded by pine trees. The forest formed a thick and protective shield and littered the ground with pine cones and tiny pine needles which gave a soft, spongy layer to walk on. Most of the land was flat, with a few gentle slopes, and a river snaking through it. One mountain stood in the distance—a landmark for all to see.

James cupped a mug of hot chocolate in his hands as he stared