The dragon blinked its golden eyes open, stretching its colossal wings and letting out a low, rumbling yawn. The air was thick with the scent of earth and old smoke, and a faint hunger gnawed at his belly, sharper than ever after a hundred years of sleep. The cave trembled as he rose, his scales shimmering in the pale light. "I want some breakfast," he grumbled, his voice echoing through the tunnels.
Hungry and determined, the dragon stomped down the mountainside, his every step shaking loose pebbles and startling woodland creatures. The morning air was crisp, and the village below looked peaceful, smoke curling from chimneys. As he drew nearer, the houses grew larger in his vision, and the smells of cooking teased his nose.
Sia, a clever boy with quick eyes and nimble feet, froze as the dragon loomed above him. "Yum, a boy for breakfast!" the dragon declared, licking his lips with a forked tongue. "Don't eat me! Wait—I'll give you some food instead," Sia pleaded, his mind racing for ideas to save himself.
Sia hurriedly led the dragon inside, loading the table with every scrap of food he and his family could find. The dragon devoured three plates of chicken and rice in a single gulp, then looked up expectantly. "I'm still hungry," he announced, licking the plates clean. Sia scrambled for more, bringing out noodles and sausages, which vanished just as quickly.
Even after five plates of noodles and ten sausages, the dragon was still ravenous. Sia led him to the restaurant, where he devoured twenty meatballs, fifty fish balls, and twelve plates of sticky rice. Dessert followed: six creamy puddings and a towering cake, crumbs flying everywhere. Yet, the dragon let out a mighty sigh, his stomach rumbling anew.
Desperate, Sia took the dragon to the shop, where he devoured all the mangoes, cabbages, tomatoes, mushrooms, and beans. Still, the hunger lingered in his eyes. Sia patted his pockets, searching for anything left, and his fingers closed around a single, shiny sweet.
Sia held up the sweet, unwrapping the paper as the dragon gazed hungrily at it. "This is all that's left. Would you like it?" The dragon nodded eagerly, snatching the sweet and swallowing it whole. In an instant, he puffed up, scales shimmering, and with a tremendous bang, exploded into a cloud of glitter and smoke.
Sia grinned as the last wisp of dragon smoke faded. "Hooray! The dragon is gone! No more boys for breakfast!" The villagers hoisted Sia onto their shoulders, celebrating his cleverness and courage. Peace returned to the village, with only a faint scent of sweets lingering in the air.
