Bogwart's dream comes true on his birthday. HM in Creature Features, September 2021. |
Bogwartâs Best Birthday It was Bogwart Scumdropâs tenteenth birthday. Not only was it the day he would enter the terrifying teens, it was also the day long-promised when he would receive whatever gift he had asked for, regardless of what his parent trolls had to do to obtain it. The tenteenth birthday of any trolling or trollette was the dread of parents everywhere. The necessity of keeping up the tradition of tenteenth birthday presents weighed heavily on them as the days to find impossible presents became fewer. And Bogwart had asked for the most unlikely gift of all. His fatherâs first reaction on hearing of Bogwartâs request was revolt. âWhat? A dragon? Howâm I sâposed to give the little blighter a dragon? âArd enough to find âem these days, let alone catch one. Tell the bugnibbler to choose somethinâ else.â âNow, now, Crumsquish,â soothed Mrs. Scumdrop, âYou knows I canât do that. Like it or not, you âave to get the thing for âim.â âBloody stoopid tenteenth birthdays,â grumbled Crumsquish. âThisâll be the death oâ me, I swears it.â He was not quite right in his prediction. Crumsquish survived until, the day before his trollingâs birthday, he returned home after a long absence of dragon-hunting in the wilds. Under his arm he carried something bulky, wrapped in some old sacking material. Seeing that Bogwart was down by the river, playing stomp-the-frog with his sister, Crumsquish marched into the cave and set down his bundle on the kitchen table. Mrs. Scumdrop eyed the sacking suspiciously. âIs that a dragon?â âYes,â replied Crumsquish confidently. âWhy ainât it movinâ then?â Crumsquish shifted as though uncomfortable. âItâs a dragon but a very young one,â he explained. âI guess it would âave to be, considerinâ its size,â said Mrs Scumdrop. âJust âow young is it?â âVery,â answered Crumsquish. Mrs. Scumdrop narrowed her eyes at the troll and then, in one swift movement, she reached forward and swept the sacking off the object. A large, blue egg lay exposed on the table. âItâs a dragonâs egg,â said Crumsquish. âI told you it were young.â His wife was shaking her head in resignation. âWell, I sâpose it will âave to do. Hide it in the pantry and weâll wrap it when Bogwartâs in bed.â And so the deed was done. All was prepared and ready when dawn broke on the momentous day of the tenteenth birthday party. Relatives and friends began to arrive at the cave, bringing gaudily-wrapped parcels of promise that were piled at the foot of the most magnificent and imposing gift in the centre of the table. The sound of trollish chatter began to mount as the adults greeted each other and Bogwartâs friends discussed how likely it was that the largest package would contain his heartâs desire. The scattered bowls of delicious snacks, honeyed beetles and fricasseed worms, were quickly emptied. When all the guests were present, Crumsquish called Bogwart to him and stood to address the crowd. âAs you all knows, today is the tenteenth birthday of my son, Bogwart Scumdrop. On this important occas...â His voice was abruptly cut off by a hammering at the front door. âWhat the âell is that?â asked Crumsquish of no one in particular. Obviously furious, he marched to the door and swung it wide. The view outside was blocked by a landscape of green and orange scales mounting from the ground to the ceiling. As the watching crowd stood transfixed in surprise and horror, a massive, spiked and armoured head lowered itself into view until it filled the doorway. It opened its mouth and flames flickered around its tongue. âMr. Crumsquish Scumdrop?â A hollow and echoing voice issued from the mouth. Crumsquish, his anger dissipated instantly by the awful vision, managed to croak, âY-y-yes, sir.â âI believe you have something of mine,â announced the dragon. âAnd itâs madam, not sir.â âSo sorry, maâam,â stammered Crumsquish. âSomething of yours? I d-d-donât think so.â âYou may have mistaken it for something else,â continued the dragon. âIt is, however, distinctly egg-shaped and its hue tends toward blue. Also, it calls to me. Dragon eggs emit a high-pitched sound that is way above your hearing. The fact remains, Mr. Scumdrop, you are an egg thief.â Crumsquish took a frightened step backward. âOh, that egg, you means. I found it in the wilderness and brought it 'ome for safekeeping.â The dragon produced a sliver of flame that blackened the front of his waistcoat. âDo not lie to me, Scumdrop. You have taken my egg as a gift for your sonâs tenteenth birthday and I will have it back now.â âYes, maâam, right away, maâam.â Crumsquish turned and hurried towards the table. This removed his bulk from the doorway and allowed Bogwart to see the dragonâs head. âOh Dad, you brought me a dragon!â he shouted and rushed toward the door. âNo, wait!â yelled Crumsquish but it was too late. Bogwart ran straight up to the dragon and hugged the armoured muzzle. âMy dragon. My beautiful, lovely, fiery dragon!â The dragonâs eyes widened in surprise. âWell, this is a plucky little thing, isnât it?â She looked up at Crumsquish, frozen in horror at the foolhardiness of his son. âIt seems youâve bred yourself a good one here, Scumdrop.â Crumsquish remembered the egg and quickly snatched the great parcel from the table. âYes, maâam, and 'ereâs your egg. So sorry for this misumber-, mussinder-, misunderstandin'.â Bogwart had slipped beneath the dragonâs chin and was now cuddling the enormous expanse of the dragonâs belly. âCan I keep 'er, Dad, huh, can I, can I?â To Crumsquishâs surprise, the dragon winked at him. âI think we can reach an agreement on this, Scumdrop. Far be it from me to break a trollingâs heart on his tenteenth birthday. I canât stay but I do promise to visit regularly. And certainly on this young fellowâs birthday each year. Will that suit, little trolling?â âYes, maâam,â replied Bogwart, âWeâll belong to each other.â Word Count: 998 For Creature Features, September 2021 Prompt: 1. It's your creature's birthday and the big surprise is... |