Giant Friends... (The Wedding) Rating = PG

Chapter 3


Komodo and his bride were blessed with a beautiful clear day for the wedding, and they were supremely happy.

But not so Shoebill. Komodo had woken him at 5 AM to say, “Emergency, Shoebill. Please, please help me out. Will you marry us? The priest is ill. I believe you are a JP--please, say you can do it! I’m desperate! Komini is in floods of tears! I can’t cope, Shoebill.”

 He’d been holding Shoebill’s wing in a grip of iron and was shaking it so hard Shoebill was beginning to get a shoulder ache.

"I'll do it! I'll do it! But please stop shaking my wing; and I warn you, Komodo: I have not done a wedding before. I want you to know I won't even know what to say."

Komodo was unfazed. "Oh, don't worry, Shoebill, how hard can it be to marry someone? Just ask the question!"

                                                                          --0--

 At 10 AM Shoebill was in a terrible tizz. "Oh, I hope I've got everything ready! I hope the food will be all right! I hope I don't mess up the wedding ceremony. Oh! Oh, Zenix, what if everything goes wrong!?

"Settle down, Shoebill. Remember I'll be there with you. Drink this bean brew."

"Oh, no! Oh, no! Well, perhaps just a sip."

 "Anyway Shoebill, how many guests are coming?"

"Thirteen, I think. Oh Oh--but thirteen is an unlucky number! What'll I do, Zenix? What'll I do?"

"Too late, Shoebill! Here come the guests and the wedding party," cried Zenix.


                                                                --0--

When all the guests were seated under the huge spreading chestnut tree in front of the giant's mansion, the number included various relatives, as well as five juvenile dragons.


After five minutes it was clear to everyone present that three of the juveniles, Komini's sister's children, were going to be a problem.

Shoebill did his best to conduct a serious ceremony, interrupted by shouts, giggles, and smart remarks from the offspring. When he declared the two dragons married, the oldest of the young, a male, called out loudly, "Yeah, yeah!!"

Then they all got down to the enjoyable task of eating. Shoebill had gained in confidence, and was serving food with flair and aplomb.

Once again the young ones stood out by their bad behaviour. Talking gave way to loud slurping noises as legs slithered down throats. The second eldest of the juveniles stuffed in too many legs all at once and had a severe coughing attack.

The guests had finished the main course when food started flying from table to table between the small dragons. Zenix could take no more.

 He stood up, "Who is coming out with me to play? Come on children. There'll be lots of games and rewards. Just follow me to Cosy Dell."

Cosy Dell was the name of a small depression about the size of the usual house and covered in short soft grass. It was deep and out of sight of the wedding.

Zenix organised the children into a circle in the bottom of the dell. He had noticed that the three were cousins to two small girls who were well mannered and clever, but feeling very overwhelmed by the three outspoken bullies. Zenix pulled and pushed large boulders into a maze. He started all the small dragons at one end, and told them food was waiting at the other. He knew the smartest would find their way out.

"This is one time when bullies are on the same footing as everyone else," he thought. It wasn't long before the two small girls returned to the wedding breakfast

"Oh, where are my children?" Komini's sister asked Zenix.

"Playing happily," Zenix replied.

And they stayed playing happily for the rest of the occasion.

Zenix bent down and lifted the three children out of the maze and presented them back to their parents just as the guests were leaving for home.