【明報專訊】IN THE WEST there was a mythical creature. It had golden scales and sharp claws. It looked like a reptile with wings. A lizard to be precise. People called it dragon. The dragon was so formidable that people in the west thought it would prevail forever. Let's call it Lizzy.

In the east there was also a mythical creature. It could fly like its western counterpart but had no wings. It had similar scales and claws. Its antlers looked like a deer's. It resembled a snake. Let's call it Sissy.

Some said if the two met, that would definitely cause a catastrophe (災難). But who could stop the most powerful living things from seeing each other?

Both Lizzy and Sissy could fly like rockets. Of course there weren't any rockets in ancient times. But surely the two creatures could move faster than those pipes.

They conquered more land, and they heard more news about each other.

The day finally came.

On the border of its vast empire, Sissy saw a weird monster approaching. It was Lizzy.

"Hey would you mind sharing your resources with me? I need more to feed my siblings and kids..."

"Mind your own business, you lizard. Go back to where you belong!" Sissy roared. It was angered by the presumptuous (放肆的) request and struck Lizzy with its tail and claws.

Not expecting such an attack, Lizzy fought back much harder.

People were terrified. The dragons dragged their neighbours all down with them.

A truce (停戰) was not possible since no one had the power to call one. A few years later there were major disasters one after another. First the earthquakes. They destroyed temples worshipping the two dragons and left millions of people homeless. The floods then inundated countless fields. The disasters were so enormous that many small creatures died.

Lizzy and Sissy paid the situation no attention. They longed for war and didn't hesitate to mount sneak attacks against each other. Lizzy knew how to shoot fireballs. But Sissy always went into the water to avoid being hit.

Something more deadly came. A shower of meteors and other asteroids (小行星) were seen in the sky. They would wipe out all living things. Within a few days, there would be nothing left on earth. The small creatures were supposed to protect Lizzy and Sissy's borders. But there were fewer of them left. The two mighty beings realised that they had to stop.

The asteroids hit the earth and smashed mountains into pieces. Lacking sufficient safeguards, stronger beasts were unhappy with the two. Some were killed and their living environments dismantled. But no one dared summon the two dragons. Lizzy tried its best to shield the remaining animals and plants from extinction.

A gigantic meteor emerged. It was about to blow up a major forest. Lizzy was good at blowing fire but too clumsy to catch up with that meteor. It exhausted its power to break down other rocks. It could move no more. Although Sissy didn't have wings and a more muscular body, it was more agile (靈活的) and able to remove the remaining targets before they landed.

They understood they need to join forces to save the whole world. To make the planet a safer place, they should stop fighting. Eventually they reached a deal and made it clear who was responsible for what.

◆Food for thought

It takes time to learn how to cooperate with others. Have you ever disagreed with your classmates while doing group projects? How did you sort out the disagreement?

■Gear up

According to the story, circle the correct answer.

(1) Lizzy has no wings. ( True / False / Not given )

(2) Small creatures are happy that the two dragons are at war. ( True / False / Not given )

(3) Sissy is agile though it has no wings and is not muscular. ( True / False / Not given )

(Answers on next text)

■Glossary

inundate (v) 淹沒

long for (phr v) 渴望

sneak attack (n phr) 偷襲

exhaust (v) 用盡

[Smarties' Power English 第258期]