The Dragon On The Roof - Children's story
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Middle Aged (35-54)Accents
North American (General)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
Ah, a long time ago, in a remote part of China, a dragon once flew down from the mountains and settled on the roof of the house of a rich merchant. The merchant and his wife and family and servants were, of course, terrified out of their wits. They looked out of the windows. You can see the shadows of the dragon's wings stretched out over the ground below them, and when they looked up they could see his great yellow claws sticking into the roof above them. What are you going to do? Cried the merchant's wife. Perhaps it will be gone in the morning, said the merchant. Let's go to bed and hope so. They all went to bed and lay there shivering and shaking, and nobody slept a wink all night. They just lay there, listening to the sound of the dragons, leathery wings beating on the walls behind their beds and the scraping of the dragon Scalea belly on the tiles above their heads. The next day, the dragon was still there, warming its tail in the chimney pot, and no one in the house dare stick so much as a finger out the doors. We can't go on like this, cried the merchant's wife. Sometimes dragons stay like that for 1000 years. So once again they waited until nightfall. But this time the merchant and his family and servants crept out of the house. As quiet as could be, they could hear the dragon snoring away high above them, and they could feel the warm breeze of his breath blowing down their necks as they tiptoed across the lawns. By the time they got halfway across, they were so frightened that they all of a sudden started to run, and they ran out of the gardens and off into the night. And they didn't stop running until they had reached the great city where the king of that part of China lived. The next day, the merchant went to the king's palace. Outside the gates was a huge crowd of beggars and poor people and ragged Children, and the rich merchant had to fight his way through them. What do you want? Demanded the palace guard. I want to see the king! Exclaimed the merchant. Buzz off, said the guard. I don't want his charity, replied the merchant. I'm a rich man. Ah! Then go on in, said the guard. So the merchant entered the palace and found the king playing fiddle sticks with his Lord High Chancellor in the council chamber. The merchant fell on his face in front of the king and cried. Oh, great king! Favorite of his people! Help me! The Jade Dragon has flown down from the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and has alighted on my rooftop. Oh, most beloved ruler of all China. The king, who was in fact extremely unpopular, pause for a moment in his game and looked at the merchant and said, I don't particularly like your hat. So the merchant, of course, threw his hat out of the window and said, Please assist me in my wretched family. The Jade Dragon has flown down from the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and is at this very moment sitting on my rooftop and refuses to go away. The king turned again and glared at the merchant, it said, nor do I much care for your trousers. So the merchant naturally removed his trousers and threw them out the window. No, our said the king. Do I really approve of anything you're wearing? So, of course, the merchant took off all the rest of his clothes and stood there stark naked in front of the king, feeling very embarrassed and throw them out the window, said the king. So the merchant threw them out of the window, at which point the king burst out into the most unpleasant laughter. It must be your birthday. He cried because you're wearing your birthday suit. And he collapsed on the floor, helpless with mirth. You can see why he wasn't a very popular king. Finally, however, the king pulled himself together and asked, Well, what do you want? You can't stand around here. Start naked. You know, Your Majesty cried. The merchant, the Jade Dragon has flown down from the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and is sitting on my rooftop. The king went, Ah, little green about the gills when he heard this because nobody particularly liked having a dragon in their kingdom.