51. Hairy Goat

In summer, men cut the grass along the sides. They raked it in heaps which dry in the sun. This year, Melody stops where they get cut. The men loaded up her trucks, and she pulls them to the junction. After that, Swifty takes them to the mountains, so the farmers could feed the animals. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! Melody eeked maniacally. Don't be scared, Ariel. she chuckled. It's just me. Your nasty eek is good enough to scare anybody. thought Ariel. You're a big... Nasty, eh? asked Melody. I'm... A pink-tailed dragon with black hair. said Ariel. You even swim like one. No, I don't. Who was being late every evening this week? It's the grass. I can't do anything about that. Ariel grumbled. ''I can't waste time. King Triton wants me to be classy and sassy. I can't if you keep swimming in the grass all day long. Pink-tailed dragon, eh?'' Melody grumbled. And she swam away to get some grass, and take it to the dockside. ''Everybody thinks I'm a pretty girl. That is, almost everybody. Anyway, my pink tail is much better than Ariel's green one. Ariel thinks I am always late.'' she complained. ''I never get late. That is, just a few seconds. What is that to Ariel? She can always run things on time.'' She and her worker decided to go out early. Then, disaster struck. A box of maple syrup had covered Melody. Melody was upset. She was still dirty when she swam away. Wind blew hard. Wow! cried her worker. The wind was blowing the grass around, which caused the ground to get messy. The ground was climbing. Go faster, Melody! her worker called. Melody went faster, but the ground was very slippery, and her tail wouldn't move. Time was wasting, and she stayed with her tail flipping, and she had to wait until the ground was cleared. Melody was stuck. Everybody was impatient. Especially Ariel. ''She's ten seconds late! I just warned her! The people would get angry, and King Triton...'' Then, when Melody finally arrived, they all laughed. Sorry about the delay. panted Melody. Look what just came from out of the grass. Ariel teased. What's the matter? Melody asked. ''This pink-tailed dragon. It's worse to be late than looking at you.'' When Melody returned home, her worker got her a mirror so she could look at herself. Blowin' Blowfish! cried Melody. ''No question about why they laughed. I resemble a hairy goat. Will you wipe me off before Swifty arrives?'' But it didn't help. Ariel told Swifty the news. Instead of talking about good things, Ariel and Swifty told jokes about pink-tailed dragons and other silly creatures that swim in grass. They had a good laugh. But Melody thought they were being rather stupid. by Julian Ayele Cumberbatch