spins around like a whirligig and tips out my soup. It’s a joker.’
‘A balsa wood spoon for Mr Shane Annigan, I think,’ said Questrid. He put the lightest spoon they had beside his bowl. ‘He doesn’t look like he could hold anything heavier … Hey, wouldn’t you love to go to Dragon Mountain?’ he added. He slid an extra chair to the table. ‘Doesn’t it sound fantastic? I’d love my own dragon. Can you imagine how cool that would be? Not one like Glinty, she just sits on her bed of gold and snores.’
‘You’d better not let Aunt Ruby hear you talking like that about her dear Glinty,’ said Copper.
‘Just as well she’s not here tonight,’ said Questrid.
‘I wish she was, though,’ said Copper. ‘I miss her so much.’
‘You know my mum better than me,’ said Questrid. ‘But even I know she loves living in the Rock.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Amy. ‘How can Copper know her better than you?’
‘Well, I’ve only got to know her again recently,’ Questrid said. ‘Ruby lost me when I was six. She went South. She brought Copper up there. Ruby thought Copper was an orphan, you see.’
Shane Annigan came in. Questrid pretended to be blinded. He staggered back with his hands over his eyes. ‘Don’t you keep yourself awake at night?’
Shane laughed. ‘No, no. I’ve these smart photo-receptors in my skin which react, you see, to the amount of light around me. So, when it’s the darkness that’s coming on, I’m light. But I can think myself darker too. Watch me, then.’
He closed his eyes, set his fingertips together and breathed deeply. His shimmering light faded to a gentle warm glow. He opened his eyes. ‘See?’
‘Brilliant!’ said Questrid.
‘Do sit down, Mr Annigan,’ said Amber. She carried some dishes to the table.
‘I am very hungry,’ Mr Annigan said. ‘I travelled all the long day and then getting lost in the snow …’
‘Like you, Questrid,’ said Copper.
‘I see that wolf cub never leaves you, does he, Copper?’ Shane said.
‘No, we’re always together. He’s called Ralick after a special toy I had,’ she told him. ‘I’ve still got the first Ralick, but, well, I’m too old for toys. He took over where Ralick left off and so he’s named Ralick too.’
‘He looks like very intelligent; I can see it in his eyes, whereas with dragons—’
‘What?’ Questrid asked.
‘There’s two things to consider with dragons. One, the smoke. If the smoke comes out of the left nostril, the dragon is very clever, from the right nostril, not so clever.’
‘And what else?’
‘A clever dragon is so clever it will direct its smoke out the wrong way, just to confuse you, you see, and make you think it’s stupid.’
‘But, but that means you never know whether a dragon’s clever or not!’ said Copper.
‘Exactly so! Tricky things, dragons. But your cub – he’s got an aura – makes him special.’
‘I think Mr Annigan’s teasing you, dear,’ said Amber, gently.
‘Oh, not really, Mrs Beech. My what delicious food this is. What a kind family. Why, d’you know, this is quite the cosiest house I’ve ever been in.’ He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest.
‘It is,’ agreed Copper. ‘It’s alive. You will hear the way it creaks and whispers. You can’t do anything you shouldn’t here – if you do, the place makes such a racket!’
‘Interesting.’ Mr Annigan laughed lightly. ‘If I’m to get up to a spot of mischief, it had better be out of doors I’m thinking!’
13
Can She, Can’t She?
In the morning they saw how the snowstorm had changed the landscape. Snow had hidden rocks, bushes and trees beneath a thick white blanket. Half the house was enclosed behind a gigantic snowdrift. Everything looked fresh and clean.
‘It’s lucky that Mr Annigan is so light-footed,’ said Amber. She put porridge into the breakfast bowls. ‘If he was heavy he’d sink into these great snowdrifts and never be
‘A balsa wood spoon for Mr Shane Annigan, I think,’ said Questrid. He put the lightest spoon they had beside his bowl. ‘He doesn’t look like he could hold anything heavier … Hey, wouldn’t you love to go to Dragon Mountain?’ he added. He slid an extra chair to the table. ‘Doesn’t it sound fantastic? I’d love my own dragon. Can you imagine how cool that would be? Not one like Glinty, she just sits on her bed of gold and snores.’
‘You’d better not let Aunt Ruby hear you talking like that about her dear Glinty,’ said Copper.
‘Just as well she’s not here tonight,’ said Questrid.
‘I wish she was, though,’ said Copper. ‘I miss her so much.’
‘You know my mum better than me,’ said Questrid. ‘But even I know she loves living in the Rock.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Amy. ‘How can Copper know her better than you?’
‘Well, I’ve only got to know her again recently,’ Questrid said. ‘Ruby lost me when I was six. She went South. She brought Copper up there. Ruby thought Copper was an orphan, you see.’
Shane Annigan came in. Questrid pretended to be blinded. He staggered back with his hands over his eyes. ‘Don’t you keep yourself awake at night?’
Shane laughed. ‘No, no. I’ve these smart photo-receptors in my skin which react, you see, to the amount of light around me. So, when it’s the darkness that’s coming on, I’m light. But I can think myself darker too. Watch me, then.’
He closed his eyes, set his fingertips together and breathed deeply. His shimmering light faded to a gentle warm glow. He opened his eyes. ‘See?’
‘Brilliant!’ said Questrid.
‘Do sit down, Mr Annigan,’ said Amber. She carried some dishes to the table.
‘I am very hungry,’ Mr Annigan said. ‘I travelled all the long day and then getting lost in the snow …’
‘Like you, Questrid,’ said Copper.
‘I see that wolf cub never leaves you, does he, Copper?’ Shane said.
‘No, we’re always together. He’s called Ralick after a special toy I had,’ she told him. ‘I’ve still got the first Ralick, but, well, I’m too old for toys. He took over where Ralick left off and so he’s named Ralick too.’
‘He looks like very intelligent; I can see it in his eyes, whereas with dragons—’
‘What?’ Questrid asked.
‘There’s two things to consider with dragons. One, the smoke. If the smoke comes out of the left nostril, the dragon is very clever, from the right nostril, not so clever.’
‘And what else?’
‘A clever dragon is so clever it will direct its smoke out the wrong way, just to confuse you, you see, and make you think it’s stupid.’
‘But, but that means you never know whether a dragon’s clever or not!’ said Copper.
‘Exactly so! Tricky things, dragons. But your cub – he’s got an aura – makes him special.’
‘I think Mr Annigan’s teasing you, dear,’ said Amber, gently.
‘Oh, not really, Mrs Beech. My what delicious food this is. What a kind family. Why, d’you know, this is quite the cosiest house I’ve ever been in.’ He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest.
‘It is,’ agreed Copper. ‘It’s alive. You will hear the way it creaks and whispers. You can’t do anything you shouldn’t here – if you do, the place makes such a racket!’
‘Interesting.’ Mr Annigan laughed lightly. ‘If I’m to get up to a spot of mischief, it had better be out of doors I’m thinking!’
13
Can She, Can’t She?
In the morning they saw how the snowstorm had changed the landscape. Snow had hidden rocks, bushes and trees beneath a thick white blanket. Half the house was enclosed behind a gigantic snowdrift. Everything looked fresh and clean.
‘It’s lucky that Mr Annigan is so light-footed,’ said Amber. She put porridge into the breakfast bowls. ‘If he was heavy he’d sink into these great snowdrifts and never be
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