The day had barely begun when, from the top of the henhouse roof, Captain Jack let out his famous cry:
“COCK-A-DOOOODLE-DOOOOOO!”
So out of tune that it woke up not only the hens, but the cows on the farm next door too.
“Oh dear… every morning, it’s the same old song,” grumbled Océane, Matilda’s mummy.
As for Matilda, she opened one eye, then the other, and said to herself:
“No way am I staying stuck in here today. I want an adventure!”
As usual, Oscar was already waiting outside, sitting on his paws, looking impatient.
“Hey, Matilda! Come quick! Let’s go to Dadou’s! Maybe he’s carved a new tunnel!”
The little chick slipped quietly through the wobbly plank in the fence.
“Shh!” she said. “If Captain Jack catches us, I’m done for!”
And hop! The two friends sneaked off, the morning dew still sparkling on the grass.
When they got to Dadou’s, surprise: no mole. The carved wooden table was empty, except for a little note, neatly written.
“‘Gone to the cave to fetch stones for my building work,’” read Oscar.
“Oh no,” said Matilda, “and I wanted to play with him…”
Going round the garden, they saw a brand-new sign hanging above a tunnel:
“Look,” said Oscar, pointing. “He’s even put up a sign: ‘Cave →’.”
Matilda jumped for joy:
“Then let’s go!”
The tunnel was splendid. The wooden beams holding it up were covered with smiling faces, flowers and animals, all beautifully carved. Even Captain Jack was there, with his too-big comb and his furious face.
Matilda stopped, her beak wide open:
“It’s like a palace!”
Oscar puffed out his chest:
“And look, he’s made me even more handsome than in real life!”
Little glowing stones set into the walls lit up their way. The two friends’ footsteps echoed softly, like a secret song.
After a long passage, suddenly, everything went dark. No more shining stones. Just a worrying sound of water.
“Glug, splosh, glug…”
Matilda trembled a little.
“I’m scared, Oscar…”
Oscar felt around and found an old lantern on the ground. Once it was lit, it showed an enormous cave, so big that their voices echoed on and on.
A dark lake stretched far away. To cross it, there was an old wooden bridge that creaked, but it looked as though it had been mended not long ago.
“No doubt about it,” said Oscar reassuringly. “That’s Dadou’s work all over!”
Matilda held her wings tight against her as she went forward, every creak of the bridge making her shiver. Oscar, being cheeky, started jumping on the planks on purpose.
“Stop it!” cried Matilda, bursting out laughing in spite of herself.
On the other side, they heard a strange noise.
“Sniff… boo-hoo-hoo…”
Coming closer, they saw Dadou… standing in front of a gigantic dragon with sparkling scales. But the dragon was crying like a little child.
Matilda hid behind Oscar.
“A dragon!!!”
Oscar tilted his head:
“Wait… he looks sad.”
Dadou, all out of breath, explained:
“Flamme has a piece of wood stuck between his scales. I’ve tried and tried, but it won’t budge!”
Matilda thought hard.
“Oscar, you’re strong! You try!”
Oscar went up close, took hold of the piece of wood, pulled, and pulled again…
“Aaaaah!”
Pop! Out it shot, and it fell into the lake.
The dragon let out a sigh of relief, and his tears stopped at once.
“Aaaah… thank you, my friends! You saved me!”
Matilda proudly stuck a starry plaster on the sore scale.
“There you go, good as new!”
Flamme laughed, his voice rumbling like happy thunder.
“To thank you, I’ll share my secret: I can make anything you like to eat appear!”
He waved a claw and poof! An enormous wooden table appeared, piled high with delicious food. Brioche buns, honey cakes, apple tarts, cheeses, jams… and of course, jugs full of apple juice.
“I’d like a warm brioche bun,” said Matilda.
“French toast for me,” replied Oscar.
“And for me, a plate of shiny stones!” called Dadou, bursting out laughing.
The four of them sat down in the dragon’s dining room, a cavern lit by a magic fire.
“The table?” said Flamme with a smile. “Dadou made it for me.”
Dadou puffed out his chest, prouder than ever.
When the sun went down, it was time to go home.
Flamme walked them back to the bridge. Matilda threw herself into his wings to say goodbye.
“You’re the kindest dragon in the whole world,” she said.
On the way home, the forest seemed different, as if it wanted to keep their adventure a secret. The fireflies lit up one by one, like little lanterns all along the path.
Matilda skipped along, telling Oscar how much she had loved Flamme’s magic teatime, while Dadou trailed a little way behind, his snout still covered in sugar.
“Do you think we’ll see the dragon again?” asked Matilda.
Oscar, wagging his tail, answered:
“Of course! Now that we’re his friends, I bet he’ll invite us to lots more teatimes!”
And all three of them burst out laughing, their voices mixing with the rustling of the trees as night fell.
Back at the farm, Joe did his distraction, as always!
Captain Jack, thinking an attack was coming, spun round like a top and leapt into the air.
Oscar and Matilda laughed their heads off.
“Good night, Oscar, see you tomorrow,” said Matilda.
“See you tomorrow,” answered Oscar.
And Matilda took the chance to slip back into the henhouse.
In the henhouse, Océane, Matilda’s mummy, had settled in the middle. Mémé and Mamé, then Manon, Enora and Aurégane, were all lined up on the perch.
Matilda snuggled in between them, her head still full of stars.
She counted softly to fall asleep:
“One… Mummy, two… Mémé, three… Mamé, four…”
But before she even got to Manon, her eyes closed.
She fell asleep dreaming of Flamme, the big-hearted dragon, who made warm brioche buns and sparkling lakes appear just for his friends.
✨ The end… but not for long!