gestured toward the river with a golden claw.
“There on the bank,” the dragon said, “near that little clump of trees, you’ll find a rowboat. It was left there by the farmer who lives in the house across the river. You can just see the light in his window from here. He leaves the boat there for runaways like yourselves. He is a conductor on the Underground Railroad. He will help you.”
Slowly Sallie and her family began to walk across the field toward the river, with the golden dragon pacing by their side. The wind in their faces now was cool and fresh, blowing toward them off the river. It smelled sweetly green.
Sallie’s father took deep breaths.
“Smell that,” he said. “The air of freedom.”
Sallie’s mother suddenly gave a little laugh. “I just realized,” she said, “we don’t even have a name. Our old master — we certainly don’t want his anymore.”
“No name?” Sallie said. “You mean we can just pick one of our own?”
The dragon had paused in the grass. It held its golden head very high, staring off across the dark river.
“In the matter of a name,” the dragon said solemnly, “I would be most honored if you would take mine.”
The children shifted on the cave floor. The dragon had fallen silent.
“Did they really take your name?” Sarah Emily asked. “Goldenwings? That must have sounded a little strange.”
The dragon bent down toward her with an incredulous look on its face.
“Strange?”
it repeated, in an offended tone. “
Strange?
You find my name
strange
?”
Sarah Emily hastily backtracked. “Not at all,” she said. “It’s a beautiful name. I didn’t mean anything bad. It’s just a little unusual, that’s all.”
The dragon regarded her suspiciously for a moment. It gave a small snort.
“Go on,” Sarah Emily said. “What happened to Sallie? Did they get across the river? Were they all right?”
“They crossed the river,” the dragon said. “They settled down in Ohio, in free country. Sallie’s father opened a little blacksmith shop. They were safe, but Sallie worried about all the people they had left behind. When she grew up, she decided to do something about it. She went back down south, following secret paths through the woods, and helped many runaways find their way north, out of slavery, into freedom. Then the Civil War came and Abraham Lincoln took care of all the rest. And Sallie learned to read. After the war, she became a schoolteacher.”
“She flew,” Hannah said softly.
“What happened to Jamie?” Zachary asked.
The dragon’s face grew sad. “He joined the Union army during the war,” it said. “He was killed at Gettys-burg. Fighting for freedom.”
Zachary, still sitting cross-legged at the dragon’s feet, said quietly, “What’s worth fighting for . . .”
“I know why you told us Sallie’s story just now,” Hannah said. “And those other stories too. This is all about freedom, isn’t it? We’ve been so confused, Fafnyr. Mr. King was almost making sense, but now that I think about it, I see that he was all wrong.”
“I don’t think Mr. King really wants to protect Fafnyr,” Zachary said. “I think he just wants another valuable possession.”
“Fafnyr isn’t property,” Sarah Emily chimed in. “It isn’t up to us to share him. He doesn’t belong to us. He doesn’t belong to anybody except to himself.”
“Herself,” Hannah whispered quickly.
The golden dragon nodded.
“I thought you’d work it out,” it said, sounding pleased.
Then it gave an indignant snort.
“As if any dragon would fall for that,” it said scornfully. “
Nature preserve,
indeed.”
“We don’t want to accept Mr. King’s proposal,” Zachary said, “but we’re just kids — and he’s rich and powerful and grown up. What if he won’t take no for an answer? What can we
do
?”
The dragon waved a golden claw. “In life,” it said impressively, “one often reaches decision points.”
“I don’t
“There on the bank,” the dragon said, “near that little clump of trees, you’ll find a rowboat. It was left there by the farmer who lives in the house across the river. You can just see the light in his window from here. He leaves the boat there for runaways like yourselves. He is a conductor on the Underground Railroad. He will help you.”
Slowly Sallie and her family began to walk across the field toward the river, with the golden dragon pacing by their side. The wind in their faces now was cool and fresh, blowing toward them off the river. It smelled sweetly green.
Sallie’s father took deep breaths.
“Smell that,” he said. “The air of freedom.”
Sallie’s mother suddenly gave a little laugh. “I just realized,” she said, “we don’t even have a name. Our old master — we certainly don’t want his anymore.”
“No name?” Sallie said. “You mean we can just pick one of our own?”
The dragon had paused in the grass. It held its golden head very high, staring off across the dark river.
“In the matter of a name,” the dragon said solemnly, “I would be most honored if you would take mine.”
The children shifted on the cave floor. The dragon had fallen silent.
“Did they really take your name?” Sarah Emily asked. “Goldenwings? That must have sounded a little strange.”
The dragon bent down toward her with an incredulous look on its face.
“Strange?”
it repeated, in an offended tone. “
Strange?
You find my name
strange
?”
Sarah Emily hastily backtracked. “Not at all,” she said. “It’s a beautiful name. I didn’t mean anything bad. It’s just a little unusual, that’s all.”
The dragon regarded her suspiciously for a moment. It gave a small snort.
“Go on,” Sarah Emily said. “What happened to Sallie? Did they get across the river? Were they all right?”
“They crossed the river,” the dragon said. “They settled down in Ohio, in free country. Sallie’s father opened a little blacksmith shop. They were safe, but Sallie worried about all the people they had left behind. When she grew up, she decided to do something about it. She went back down south, following secret paths through the woods, and helped many runaways find their way north, out of slavery, into freedom. Then the Civil War came and Abraham Lincoln took care of all the rest. And Sallie learned to read. After the war, she became a schoolteacher.”
“She flew,” Hannah said softly.
“What happened to Jamie?” Zachary asked.
The dragon’s face grew sad. “He joined the Union army during the war,” it said. “He was killed at Gettys-burg. Fighting for freedom.”
Zachary, still sitting cross-legged at the dragon’s feet, said quietly, “What’s worth fighting for . . .”
“I know why you told us Sallie’s story just now,” Hannah said. “And those other stories too. This is all about freedom, isn’t it? We’ve been so confused, Fafnyr. Mr. King was almost making sense, but now that I think about it, I see that he was all wrong.”
“I don’t think Mr. King really wants to protect Fafnyr,” Zachary said. “I think he just wants another valuable possession.”
“Fafnyr isn’t property,” Sarah Emily chimed in. “It isn’t up to us to share him. He doesn’t belong to us. He doesn’t belong to anybody except to himself.”
“Herself,” Hannah whispered quickly.
The golden dragon nodded.
“I thought you’d work it out,” it said, sounding pleased.
Then it gave an indignant snort.
“As if any dragon would fall for that,” it said scornfully. “
Nature preserve,
indeed.”
“We don’t want to accept Mr. King’s proposal,” Zachary said, “but we’re just kids — and he’s rich and powerful and grown up. What if he won’t take no for an answer? What can we
do
?”
The dragon waved a golden claw. “In life,” it said impressively, “one often reaches decision points.”
“I don’t
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