I have never wanted to leave home, to leave my warm cosy room. In Grasmere, all I could eat everyday was one boiled egg, one toast, two roasted potatoes and one small portion of salad. That is why I did not like my host, Mrs Snark. She never took care of me like my mother did. She was mean, horrible and very strict. Whenever she asked me to do something, she would always shout. Her husband was fighting in the war, as far as I knew, and Mrs Snark would always pray for him. 

School was a lot better. The kids there weren’t that bad. The teachers were also okay. My teacher was called Mr Mator. They didn’t really beat up the kids like they  did in my old school. The children always liked to play outside. The girls would play hopscotch and rope and the boys would play marbles and jacks. I was okay with maths and reading but not writing. Once I would get home, to Mrs Snarks house, I would get   to pet her cat. I only got to pet her once a day. At home, I only had to clean the dishes and put the clothes on the washing line but when I was in Grasmere, I had to do those jobs and I had to go out into the garden, water the plants and vegetables, out in the freezing cold with no gloves or proper clothes for cold weather. 

I thought she had this secret that she was not telling me about because twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday, Mrs Snark would go into the woods at 12 o’clock. I would  ask myself whether I should follow her or not. When we would have breakfast (one boiled egg and one toast), Mrs Snark would look really tired, as if she had had no sleep at all but at lunch, she would put on makeup to cover her eyes.

I have no idea why but one Tuesday night I decided to follow her to the woods because I was so curious that day. 2 minutes after midnight, I put on my warmest clothes and boots and followed her out. I was very careful, trying not to step on twigs and trip over. Soon, Mrs Snark stopped. I quickly hid behind a tree and peered at her.

I was so shocked at what I saw that I thought that I was dreaming. There was an enormous, ferocious, dangerous, fearless, fierce dragon. I was so scared, I just stood there, not blinking, full of fear.