Kirabo Read online

  “Don’t worry, Kirabo,” Cedric said. “If I build the wall for them then maybe they will realise I only want to be their friend.”

  With that, the giant went back to the mountain to collect more rocks.

  “Come on, we can start clearing some of this old fence away. When Cedric comes back he’ll be able to drop the next load of rocks,” Brady suggested.

  As they worked, some of the villagers came back ready to throw things at the giant and make him go away.

  “Where is the monster?” a man with a large spear asked.

  “He’s not a monster,” Kirabo said crossly. “Look,” she said, pointing to the pile of large rocks. “He is building a strong wall around your village so that you’ll be safe when the Rhinosophants come.”

  The villagers stood in amazement as they saw the pile of rocks. The ground began to shake once more as Cedric returned with his arms full of large boulders.

  “Where do you want this lot?” Cedric called as he got closer.

  “Erm, over there, please,” the man with a large spear said.

  Cedric dropped the boulders where he had been asked. “I’ll go and get some more. Would you mind clearing the rest of this old fence?” Cedric asked, looking down at the shocked villagers.

  “Yes and than– thank you,” one of them stammered.

  “My pleasure. I’m Cedric, by the way,” he shouted over his shoulder as he walked off to collect more rocks.

  When the rest of the villagers heard that the monster was really a friendly giant called Cedric, they all came out to help clear the rest of the broken fence away and to make sure the large stone wall went in the right place. Cedric left just enough room for a large wooden gateway so that the villagers could go down to the lake whenever they wanted.

  “It’s nearly 4 o’clock,” Bridget called out to the villagers as they put the final touches to the gate. “Come inside before the Rhinosophants arrive.”

  Cedric stood up and got ready to go back to his lonely cave.

  “Wait!” Damon called. “Would you like to come in and have a drink with us? You must be thirsty after all your hard work.”

  Cedric beamed with happiness. “Thank you, I would like that very much,” he said.

  Inside the village was a large rock, which had been left over from the wall.

  “We thought that we could leave this here as a seat for you when you come and visit us,” Bridget said, pointing to the rock.

  Cedric sat on it, as if trying it out for size. He looked around at all of the worried faces.

  “It’s perfect,” he said.

  The villagers all gave a loud cheer. A bucket full of milk was handed to Cedric, which he drank in one big gulp.

  Suddenly the air was filled with a thunderous noise as the Rhinosophants ran past the village on their way to the lake. Some bumped into the stone wall as they ran past but it stayed strong. There was more cheering and more drinks were passed around. Bridget jumped into the circle that the villagers had made around Cedric and began to dance and sing a song. Soon everyone was dancing and singing. Even Wilbur, who was sitting on Cedric’s shoulder, joined in.

  “I’m glad you made some nice friends,” Kirabo said as she climbed up onto Cedric’s knee. “But I’m afraid it’s time for us to go.”

  Cedric gave Kirabo a sad smile. “Will you find some friends so you don’t have to be on your own?” the giant asked.

  “I hope that she’ll be my friend,” Brady said, climbing onto Cedric’s other knee.

  Kirabo smiled. “I’d like that,” she said.

  Kirabo and Brady climbed all the way up the mountain and back inside the cave where they had first found Cedric. It seemed to have shrunk, for they both had to get onto their hands and knees and crawl through the entrance. At once Brady found himself back in the attic. Kirabo followed him out of the cardboard box. She was holding her toy dog Togo close to her chest with one arm.

  No sooner had they climbed out of the box than the door to the attic opened.

  “There you two are,” Sally, Brady’s mum said. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you two. Breakfast is ready.”

  She looked at the two of them suspiciously. “What have you being doing?”

  “We’ve been playing,” Kirabo said smiling.

  Sally let out a sigh of relief. It was the first time Kirabo had smiled since she had come to live with them.

  “We like playing together, don’t we?” Kirabo asked, giving Brady a wink.

  The Dragon Dance

  Kirabo sat on her bed cuddling her toy dog Togo. She felt very sad. That morning had been her first day at her new school. She had been so excited as she and Brady had walked to school, but then, just outside the school gates they had met Neville and Nora, the school bullies.

  “Look it’s Brady Baby,” Neville had shouted.

  His sister Nora joined in too, “Brady Baby, Brady Baby. Who’s this, Brady Baby?” she’d asked, giving Kirabo a nasty look.

  “She’s my friend, leave her alone,” Brady said. He tried to walk past Nora and Neville but they pushed him to the ground.

  Kirabo felt as if she wanted to cry, but she didn’t.

  Nora saw the new pencil case Brady’s mum had bought for Kirabo.

  “I’ll have that,” Nora said, grabbing the pencil case from Kirabo’s hand.

  “That’s mine,” Kirabo said quietly.

  “Not any more, new girl,” Nora said, laughing. With that, she pushed Kirabo over as well.

  The school bell rang and Neville and Nora ran off laughing.

  There was a knock on Kirabo’s door.

  “Come in.”

  Brady opened the door. “Hello,” he said, smiling.

  Kirabo gave a little smile but she felt too sad to talk.

  “Let’s go up to the attic and play,” Brady suggested.

  “I don’t feel like playing today,” Kirabo said.

  “I’m sure it will cheer you up and then we can think about what we should do about Neville and Nora.”

  Even their names made Kirabo feel frightened and sad.

  “Come on,” Brady encouraged.

  Kirabo got up and followed Brady up the stairs to the attic. Kirabo smiled, she liked playing in the attic, it felt special and safe.

  Brady began putting lots of cardboard boxes together.

  “That looks like a castle,” Kirabo said excitedly. “Shall I wear my princess dress?”

  Brady didn’t like the sound of playing princesses, but then he saw a toy sword and shield in the toy box. “Okay,” he said, “and I’ll be a brave knight.”

  Together they climbed inside the cardboard castle.

  “Come quickly, Princess Kirabo,” a tall man said, taking hold of Kirabo’s arm. “Lord Percival is on his way to the castle. You must hide.”

  Kirabo looked at Brady in shock.

  “Why must Kirabo, I mean Princess Kirabo, hide?” Brady asked.

  “Sir Brady, the wicked Lord Percival wants to take Princess Kirabo to his own castle and make her his wife,” the man answered.

  “He wants to marry me!” Kirabo gasped.

  “Yes,” the man answered. “He said that if you didn’t go with him he would destroy the castle and kill us all.”

  “Sir Brady,” a voice called from high on the castle ramparts. “We need you up here. The men are waiting for your orders, sir.”

  “I’ll come with you,” Kirabo said.

  “But, Princess Kirabo, it will be very dangerous up there,” the man said, sounding very worried.

  “I’m not leaving Sir Brady,” Kirabo said firmly. With that, they rushed up the stone steps to the top of the wall that ran all the way around the castle.

  When they reached the top they found the knights looking very worried. Brady took a deep breath and looked out over the castle wall. Down below was a little man sitting on a horse.

  “You up there, I have come to collect Princess Kirabo. If you do not send her out immediately, I will destroy your castle,
” the little man shouted.

  Brady laughed with relief. “There is only one man and we are inside the castle with lots of knights around us. We are safe, Kirabo.”

  Suddenly the sky darkened and the air was filled with a loud roar that made them all cover their ears. As they looked up into the sky they saw a large shape flying towards the castle. Its huge wings were spread out like large black sails and its long pointed tail whooshed through the air. The creature opened its mouth and let out another roar, only this time it was followed by a burst of flames.

  “It’s a d–dragon,” Brady managed to say.

  “Get down!” a man shouted.

  At once, the brave knights dropped to their knees and held their shields above their heads to protect themselves. Brady quickly raised his shield, making sure that it covered both him and Kirabo. The dragon swooped down, breathing its flames across the top of the castle. Brady felt his shield grow hot as the flames bounced off the metal. He held on as tightly as he could. Then, just as he thought he couldn’t hold it any longer, the dragon flew back up into the air.

  The knights got to their feet and began firing arrows after the dragon. Brady and Kirabo watched as the arrows flew through the air and bounced off the dragon’s tough skin.

  “Send out Princess Kirabo or I will have my dragon destroy your castle,” Lord Percival shouted.

  “What can we do?” Brady asked the frightened knights.

  They all shook their heads. “We don’t know,” they said together.

  “My grandma told me a story when I was very little,” Kirabo said, looking around at the frightened faces staring at her. “She said that once, a long time ago, the village where she lived was attacked by a giant snake. Each night the snake would slither down from the hills and eat one of the animals in the village. One night the warriors of the village gathered ready to kill the snake, but it was so big that it attacked the men, swiping at them with its long tail or hissing and spitting venom at them so that they couldn’t see. Soon there was only one warrior left unhurt. Just as the snake prepared to kill him, a little girl stepped in front of it and began to dance. The snake had never seen anyone dance before, and instead of attacking her it swayed in time to her movements. Finally, when the little girl had finished dancing, the snake just slithered away and never returned.”

  “You’re not suggesting that we go out and dance in front of a dragon just because of some silly story, are you? Besides, your grandma probably made it up to scare you,” Brady said.

  “I know she didn’t make the story up,” Kirabo answered. “She was the little girl.”

  Brady opened his mouth to answer but he was so shocked that all he could do was to open and shut his mouth like a big fish.

  “You’ve had enough time,” Lord Percival shouted. “Send Princess Kirabo out now or I will order my dragon to destroy your castle and kill you all.”

  They all looked at one another with worried faces.

  “What shall we do, Sir Brady?” the knights asked.

  Brady looked around and gave a deep sigh.

  The drawbridge slowly opened and Kirabo and Brady walked out.

  “Good,” Lord Percival sneered, climbing down from his horse.

  Kirabo and Brady ignored Lord Percival and walked towards the dragon, which was lying on the ground waiting for the order to burn down the castle. It raised its head suspiciously and made a deep rumbling growl.

  Brady slowly took a penny whistle out of his pocket and began to play. The tune was a happy one. Kirabo took a deep breath and started to dance to the music. Around and around she twirled, dancing from one foot to the other. Slowly the dragon sat up and watched her closely.

  “Stop that,” Lord Percival shouted.

  Brady and Kirabo ignored him and continued to play and dance for the dragon.

  “Destroy the castle!” Lord Percival yelled, but the dragon was so happy watching Kirabo dance that it didn’t hear him. The knights quickly surrounded the wicked Percival and dragged him inside the castle.

  Kirabo danced and danced, laughing at how happy the music made her feel. The dragon seemed to be enjoying it too. Its long tail swished back and forth in time to the music.

  Eventually Kirabo sat on the ground breathing heavily. She looked up at the dragon. “Oh, please don’t destroy the castle.”

  “I’m afraid I must do what my master tells me to do,” the dragon answered in a deep rumbling voice.

  “But he is a bully,” Brady said. “Surely he can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, can he?”

  The great dragon shook its head sadly and for the first time Kirabo and Brady noticed the collar around its neck.

  “What is that?” Kirabo asked.

  “It’s a magic collar. It means I must obey the one who put it around my neck,” the dragon growled sadly.

  Kirabo stood up and walked towards the dragon.

  “Bend down,” she said kindly.

  The dragon bent its huge head. Kirabo unbuckled the collar and let it fall from the dragon’s neck and onto the ground. As it did so, a blue powder fell from inside the collar.

  “That is the collar’s magic,” the dragon said. “Now the collar is useless. Thank you for rescuing me,” it said, unfolding its wings ready to fly away. “I will not forget your kindness.”

  Kirabo and Brady walked back inside the castle. The knights were standing around Lord Percival, guarding him.

  “I will order my dragon to burn you all alive,” he yelled at Kirabo.

  “The dragon has gone,” Kirabo said. “You won’t be able to bully anyone ever again. Now go away.”

  Brady smiled. “Knights, you heard Princess Kirabo. Throw Lord Percival out of the castle.”

  “How dare you!” Lord Percival yelled as the knights picked him up and carried him towards the drawbridge. There was a loud splash as he was thrown into the castle’s moat.

  Kirabo and Brady laughed.

  “Come on, we had best get back home,” Brady said.

  Kirabo suddenly looked very sad. She had remembered the awful Neville and Nora.

  “Don’t worry,” Brady said, putting his arm around her and walking out of the castle and back into the attic. “I have an idea.”

  The next morning Neville and Nora were outside the school gates. Nora was holding Kirabo’s pencil case.

  “Have you got any more little gifts for me today?” she mocked.

  Neville gave Brady a nasty look. “I’ve decided I want your school bag too, Brady Baby.”

  Kirabo and Brady smiled as they pulled out a handful of blue powder and blew it at the two bullies.

  “I think I want you to be a dragon,” Brady said to Neville. “You will run around the school yard all day roaring your head off.”

  “And you will dance for the dragon,” Kirabo said to Nora, “all day long.”

  No schoolwork was done that day. The whole school was too busy laughing at Neville as he ran around the school yard roaring until he lost his voice and at Nora, who danced the whole day, even after she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

  After that strange day, Neville and Nora never bullied anyone ever again.

  Trick or Treat

  Kirabo was dressed as a witch. She wore a long black cloak with silver stars sewn onto it and a false pointy nose with a big boil on the end. However, her favourite part of her costume was her hat. Kirabo loved it. It was tall and pointy and had long green hair that was attached to the inside, so that when she put it on she looked like a real witch.

  Next to her, Brady was dressed as a zombie. His face was white with dark circles under his eyes and his clothes were all tattered and torn. They were both standing staring at Brady’s mum, who was talking on the phone.

  “Okay, well thank you for letting me know. I hope he is feeling better soon. Goodbye.”

  Sally put the phone down and turned to Kirabo and Brady. “That was Imran’s mum. I’m afraid he has chicken pox, so the Halloween party has been cancelled.”

&
nbsp; “Oh no,” Brady said, sounding very disappointed.

  “I’ve never been to a Halloween party before,” Kirabo said, sounding just as disappointed as Brady.

  “I know,” Sally said brightly, “when your dad gets home I’ll take you out trick or treating around the houses. How does that sound?”

  Brady and Kirabo had been looking forward to the party for weeks, but going out trick or treating was better than nothing at all.

  “Alright,” they agreed.

  “Why don’t the two of you go upstairs and play for a little while. You seem to enjoy playing in the attic for some reason.”

  There was a twinkle in Kirabo’s eye and before Brady could say anything she had turned and was running upstairs as quickly as she could. Brady quickly turned and chased after her.

  Kirabo stopped at the entrance of the attic. It was getting dark and the streetlight outside cast dark shadows across the walls and floor. Brady caught up with Kirabo and stared inside the attic.

  “What’s that over there?” Brady asked, pointing to a tall dark shape that was standing in the corner of the room.

  “I don’t know. I’m sure it wasn’t there the last time we played up here,” Kirabo whispered, not wanting to speak too loudly.

  Kirabo and Brady stepped inside the attic. A gentle breeze from the window rushed past them, making the door slam shut. Kirabo and Brady jumped with fright.

  “It was just a draught,” Brady whispered, as they both stared at the door. Kirabo nodded her agreement before turning back to check on the strange shape in the corner. Only they were no longer in the attic.

  Brady and Kirabo were standing in the woods. The moonlight made the trees look like tall thin monsters, their branches were like long arms stretched out ready to reach down and grab them.

  “I don’t like it here,” Kirabo whispered.

  “Me neither,” Brady agreed.

  In the distance they heard the sound of a wolf howling.

  “Look over there,” Brady said, pointing to a large rickety old house that stood at the edge of the woods. “Maybe they will let us stay there for a while, at least until we can go back home.”