Title: Dragons at Crumbling Castle: And Other Tales
Author(s): Terry Pratchett
Translation: Maciej Szymański
Release year: 2014 (ENG), 2014 (PL)
Publisher: Doubleday (ENG), Rebis (PL)
Why in Database: A book collecting early short stories by Terry Pratchett, it is not related to Discworld, but it have one story entirely about the turtle. Of course, we paste only small fragments, not the entire story.
The stories in this collection are a selection of those. There are dragons and wizards, councillors and mayors, an adventurous tortoise and a monster in a lake, along with plenty of pointy hats and a few magic spells (a few of which actually do what they are supposed to).
It was the end of March – in fact about quarter to April – when the smell of spring broke into the shed. It drifted across the floor, found its way under a pile of old packing cases, and stopped at a large wooden box. The box smelled of autumn straw and deep in the heart of it something began to stir.
Or rather, someone.
Hercules awoke from dreams of lettuce fields under a midsummer sun. Slowly his wrinkled head poked out of his shell. He sniffed, and yawned, and tried to wriggle deeper into the straw. But it was no use.
Spring again, he thought. Without a doubt. And he tried to get his head round so that he could see his shell, because tortoises have rings on their shells and grow one for every year. Yes, there it was, the new ring, and Hercules felt ready to face the outside world.
Hercules lay on the lawn and stretched his legs. The hands put a small heap of lettuce leaves in front of him, and he chewed them thoughtfully. The land beyond the shed had occupied his dreams during the long winter sleep.
I Wonder What Lies Beyond, he mused, thinking as he often did – in capital letters. There Might be Lettuce. Or Even Buttercups. But secretly he knew that it was not buttercups he was after – he really wanted to travel beyond the shed to see what lay on the other side. He didn’t think of it as escaping from the garden.
But the people did, when they found him gone from the lawn.
A larger shadow detached itself from the rocks. It was Old Mother Greengroan the toad.
‘What is this?’ she asked, staring at Hercules.
‘He’s – he’s a tortoise, madam,’ said Pod.
‘A very brave one,’ said the toad. ‘But why is he here?’
‘I Wanted to See What the World was Like,’ said Hercules.
‘It’s no place for tortoises,’ said Old Mother Greengroan, ‘but you killed the adder, so you can stay if you wish. It’s a big place, bigger than a garden, and a lot happens, and there might be other adders.’
Author: XYuriTT
