I am yellow and green, my claws are scarlet, and my tail is so long that it lies in a hundred coils. I live with my partner in the smoke of the Gloomy Cavern, and we guard the Fountain of Health and Beauty.

By the time you reach me, you’ll be too sad to fight me. You won’t be able to meet my fiery eyes or raise your heavy sword. Now, if you were to sprout wings and fly, that would be another matter.

The Dragon of the Gloomy Cavern in The Story of Pretty Goldilocks, Blue Fairy Book. Illustration by Warwick Goble.