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jewels, then suddenly burst out over the real ocean.
    The sun was just coming up, and the children all peered out between the great curved claws at the sea far below them. It looked like blue wrinkly silk. They flew for what seemed like hours, the wind blowing the smell of smoke out of their hair and clothes. Then they saw the familiar square shapes of the city skyscrapers on either side of the harbour, and squealed in excitement. Behind them, the flying carpet struggled to keep up, sagging heavily in the middle from the weight of all the treasure.
    â€˜What are we going to tell mum and dad?’ James said, as the dragon began to wheel down towards their bay. ‘They’ll never believe us!’
    â€˜I can pretend I just got lost,’ Sarah said. ‘Though I’d hate them to think I’d be so silly.’
    â€˜Not much pretending there,’ James said. ‘You’d better be nice to me or I’ll tell the dragon to barbeque you,’ Sarah said.

    James opened his mouth to say something else, then thought better of it and shut it again.
    â€˜Good decision,’ Sarah said. She raised her voice and called to the dragon, ‘Fly through the railway tunnel, dragon dear, and then no-one will see you. They don’t know you’re really a nice dragon, so they might shoot at you, or something.’
    The dragon tilted its wings and wheeled down. The children all shrieked and clung on tightly to its claws as the yawning mouth of the railway tunnel raced towards them. Then the dragon folded its wings and shot through its dark length, coming down to rest just inside the tunnel mouth at the far end. They could see lots of people with torches searching all through the dawn-grey park. The dragon opened the cage of its claws and Sarah climbed out, straightening her tutu and adjusting her glittering tiara.
    â€˜Goodbye, Princess Sarah,’ the dragon said sadly.
    She kissed its snout. ‘Bye-bye, dragon. Thank you for not eating me.’
    â€˜It was my pleasure,’ it replied.
    â€˜And thanks for my tiara,’ she said. ‘I’ll be able to play at being a real princess now.’
    The dragon winked back a tear as Sarah went running down from the railway tracks towards her white-faced, red-eyed mother. The boys and the dragon watched, feeling very pleased and proud of themselves, as Sarah was kissed and hugged and scolded by her two distraught parents, while the police all stood around, smiling. No-one seemed to notice that her tiara was now made of real diamonds.

CHAPTER TWELVE
    â€˜Now,’ the dragon said, ‘take me to my new friend! I am missing Princess Sarah terribly already.’
    Feeling rather nervous, Ben told the dragon the way to the witch’s house. For, of course, the new friend Ben had been thinking about was the witch’s grey cat. He could only hope that the cat would consent to being a dragon’s companion, instead of an old, absentminded witch’s.
    The cat was fast asleep on the wall and not at all happy to be woken up by a dragon. When it had had the situation explained to it, however, the cat stopped hissing and arching its back, and began to purr.
    â€˜You do not have any other cats, do you?’ it asked. ‘The old lady with whom I reside has, unfortunately, nine other cats, and I do feel that my abilities are rather under-appreciated with so much competition.’
    â€˜No other cats,’ the dragon promised.
    â€˜What about dogs?’ the cat said, licking its back with an air of unconcern.
    â€˜No dogs, I’m pleased to say.’
    â€˜Delightful,’ said the cat, tidying up its tail, which had been startled into a shape three times its natural size at the sight of the dragon. ‘My owner . . . I mean, my witch has five dogs, all of whom have puppies at distressingly regular intervals.’

    â€˜Surely a lapse of good taste,’ the dragon replied. The cat’s purr grew noticeably