World's Oldest Living Dragon Read Online Free Page B

off.”
    Just then, the dinner bell rang.
    â€œDinnertime already?” Sir Lancelot said. He stood up from his loom. “Excuse me for running off, lads and lasses, but I like to be first in line. I like being first at everything.” And he hurried away.
    As the aged knights all tottered off after him, Wiglaf heard a strange thumping sound. He turned and saw Donn coming toward them. Thump, step. Thump, step.
    â€œPerdón!” said Donn, bowing. “Pardon me. I was nearby and could not help but overhear what you said. There is solamente uno —only one—person in all the world who can get these poor, weak, hunched-over knights in shape in time to help you.”
    â€œWho?” said Erica. “Tell us!”
    â€œYo,” said Donn with a sly smile. “Me. Sí! I can do it.”

Chapter 5
    In my native country of Spain,” said Donn, standing straight and tall, “I was a famous personal trainer. I was known as Don Donn.”
    Wiglaf saw muscles rippling under Don Donn’s tunic.
    â€œI owned a chain of popular gyms called Uno! Dos! Tres!” Don Donn said.
    â€œOne! Two! Three! Right?” said Angus.
    â€œSí,” said Don Donn. “I made getting in shape as easy as Uno! Dos! Tres! I was rolling in pesos.”
    â€œAnd what brought you here to Ye Olde Home, sir?” asked Wiglaf.
    â€œAh, that is a strange story,” said Don Donn.
    â€œTell us, Don Donn,” said Wiglaf.
    â€œWe love stories,” said Janice, chewing loudly.
    â€œEspecially strange ones.”
    â€œ Bueno ,” said Don Donn. “Three years ago, I boarded a sailing ship in Spain. I sailed for England to open more gyms. Suddenly, a terrible storm hit. Rain! Lightning! Waves as big as this castle!”
    â€œHow awful!” said Erica.
    â€œIt gets worse,” said Don Donn. “A huge wave picked up the ship and smashed it to bits. The only thing left was the mast.”
    â€œThat’s terrible!” said Janice.
    â€œIt gets worse,” said Don Donn. “All the passengers and crew were hurled into the sea. Every bone in my body was broken. But I grabbed the mast and hung on. Two others did the same. For days, we floated in the ocean, circled by vicious sea monsters.”
    â€œHow horrible!” cried Angus.
    â€œIt gets worse,” said Don Donn. “A big sea monster bit off my left leg.”
    Wiglaf’s stomach lurched. “Does it get worse?” he asked. Because if it did, he did not want to hear it.
    â€œOnly a little bit,” said Don Donn. “Luckily, the water was so cold, I didn’t bleed much. At last we washed ashore on an island. My comrades ripped up what was left of their shirts and bandaged what was left of my leg. I survived. When my broken bones healed, I carved myself an artificial leg out of the mast of the ship.”
    Wiglaf was awed. Don Donn was tough!
    Janice had been listening so hard, she forgot to chew.
    â€œIs this true?” she asked.
    â€œSí!” Don Donn rolled down the top of his left boot. Under it was a sturdy wooden leg. “Made of the finest teak.” He knocked on his leg for luck.
    â€œI still don’t understand how you ended up here,” said Angus.
    â€œA passing ship rescued us,” said Don Donn. “And brought us here. I’d had enough of sailing the seas and decided to stay. I had my fortune sent to me. After all I had been through, I wanted to use my training talents help those who need it most—old, battle-scarred knights. So I bought this castle. I put in a state-of-the-art Uno! Dos! Tres! gym. And I opened Ye Olde Home for Aged Knights.”
    â€œâ€™Tis a fine home, sir,” said Wiglaf.
    â€œSí,” said Don Donn. “But there is uno problemo —one problem. The aged knights like to talk of their glory days. But they think those days are behind them. So they have no reason to shape up. Try as I might, I have not