The Dragons of Cwm Jones

                In a woodland cottage, in a land far away, there lived a wizard with his wife and son. They lived on the edge of a grassy meadow in a valley, bordered by many tall beech and maple trees.  A cat, a dog, a horse, a pony, and two goats also lived with the wizard. He and his family were a mostly normal lot, perhaps a little more eccentric than most, but good friends with those in the nearby village and neighboring areas. This was, however, in a time and place where magic was hardly exceptional. Granted, there is magic in our land too – we use it to make cars and aeroplanes,  phones and music work  - but there was a different kind of magic in that land. It was almost an assumption of everyday life that the world was magical, and some just had more skill and knowledge in working with it than others.

                This was also at a time and place where dragons were still numerous. Some, indeed, were fierce and cruel, but those lived far away, and the nearby ones were typically quite friendly. Still, grownup dragons tended to live in their own places, such as cozy caves or warm swamps, as they never did mix very well with human company. For one thing they were too big and required too much food (whereas baby dragons made for great insect control). For another they were far more magical and were not healthy for humans to be around for too long. Most humans were not used to being exposed to that level of magic, and it could be quite draining. Baby dragons, however, often did best being raised in human company. This was partially for the sake of shelter, as baby dragons are quite tiny, only about three inches long, but it was also for the sake of making the dragons more amiable and pleasant to be around when they grew older. Growing up with humans, dragons learned to understand humans and not to automatically fear or hate all creatures other than themselves. For these reasons, dragons developed a habit of laying eggs where they would be found and cared for by the right people. The wizard’s house was a common hatching ground. People said that he understood dragons better than any other human around, and he and his family were among the best friends of the dragons. Their home was often shelter to many tiny dragons.

                Once dragons were hatched, they often stayed with the wizard for at least a short time, and some chose to stay longer while others departed soon. Dragons are very long-lived and grow only slowly, so a dragon could remain for years and still be no larger than a hatchling. While in this small stage, some dragons chose to seek adventure and live by themselves in the wild world, some chose to remain with the wizard, and some chose to adopt other human families. 

                At this time, there were three young dragons resident with the wizard. They were frequently out and about exploring, but they still considered his home to be their home. Their names were Eustace, Neville, and Tuor. All were approximately the same age, having been hatched within only weeks of one another in the autumn of a year and a half ago This tale begins in the spring of the new year, when the snow was washed away, new grass was poking through the ground, there was still plenty of mud to play in, the flowers were beginning to bud and bloom, the air seemed freshly washed by the rain, and the world was re-entering the youth of spring.

Neville

Eustace

Tuor