Chapter Three

Ryan’s dad was bored. There was nothing to do. Ryan’s mum was at an IT conference in Las Vegas and Ryan was out with Harri being an Ancient Briton. He’d made a great costume for Ryan, but as there wasn’t a best costume prize he wasn’t interested in going to the parade. History wasn’t really his thing.

You’d never catch Ryan’s dad sleeping in a leaky tent, eating porridge and turnips, drinking mead with hairy beardy types — not when he could lounge on the sofa, drinking coffee and eating chocolate digestives.

He’d finished Ryan’s homework and cleaned the house, so there was nothing to do but watch TV until the grand prix started.

There was nothing worth watching. Flicking through the channels just brought up endless cookery and antique shows.

‘What the…!’ He sat up straight and turned up the sound.

‘…which happened fourteen hundred years ago this very day,’ the cheerful programme presenter said. ‘Ever since then, the healing waters have flowed from the Holy Well of St Gertrude’s, so today the townspeople have come together to celebrate this historic occasion.’

The programme was coming live from the market cross in St Gertrude’s. The townspeople were dressed up in all sorts of funny clothes. The TV reporter dived into the crowd, pointing the microphone at two grubby urchins.

‘And tell me how you are celebrating today, boys?’ she asked.

One urchin carried a flame-painted box, the other was pointing a remote control unit up to the sky. A flame-painted flag fluttered on the end of the aerial.

‘We’re flying our remote control dragon to lead the Ancient Britons on the May Day Parade,’ one of the boys said, nervously.

‘That’s Harri!’ Ryan’s dad hissed. ‘And that’s Ryan next to him … on TV!’

Mr Davies pushed into the picture. ‘It’s a practice run, see?’ he explained to the TV presenter. ‘We’re the Red Dragons and we’ll be coming back in August to re-enact the Battle of St Gertrude’s. That’s when the Ancient Britons, under the flag of the red dragon, beat the Saxons back across the border into England.’

‘Ha, ha!’ the presenter laughed, ducking as Tân swooped down to attack the hairy microphone. ‘Make sure you have that in your diary, folks. Sounds like it’s going to be lots of fun!’

Ryan’s dad flicked the TV off, put on his coat, put his keys in his pocket and marched off to town. Ryan had said he and Harri were going to dress up for the May Day parade, but he’d definitely not said anything about dragons!