Chapter 32, Dragon Slayer

We were dismissed from school early. The teacher said that it was too hot to learn anything.

 "It's above 40 degrees Celsius. It's a Hamsin," she added. "So, go home everybody, drink a lot of liquids, and stay in the shade."

I hoped that the children from the orthodox school were also dismissed early. I didn't want to play all by myself, and Avi, my brother, was still in the kindergarten, they never got dismissed early. Anyway, that's not what I wanted to tell you today. What I wanted to tell you is about what happened when I got home.

Mom was working with Dad at the diamond factory. She worked only half a day. She left the key hidden on the floor behind the propane tanks next to the door. All I had to do was to reach behind the gas tank and get the key. It was a big key. It didn't need a key chain.

 

   Like I said, I came home early, and just as usual I reached behind the tanks to get the key. But, unlike every day, I felt that the key was too smooth, too slippery, too... it moved! 

Without thinking much, I pulled it out and then dropped it on the pavement. It was a little snake, a viper, a common local poisonous snake. It was a baby, colorful and slimy, and it didn't have its venom developed yet. But how am I supposed to know, I was a young kid too! 

There were only the two of us, the dragon, and the dragon slayer. I ran quickly to the back yard, picked a pitchfork, ran back to the front of the house, and... 

"Ahhaaa!" I poked the dragon in his stomach. "Ahhaa! naa! waa!" I poked him again and again, but the dragon didn't die. He just bled a little and wiggled, probably laughing at me. What am I to do? This Dragon is too strong. I ran to the street and the first man I saw I asked, 

"How do you kill a dragon? I mean a snake." 

"Oh, that's simple. You crush his head," the man said.

"With what?" I asked. 

"With a rock or a brick like this one, Why are you ass..ki..ng?"

I didn't have time to answer him. I had an important fight to finish. I dropped the pitchfork, picked up the heavy rock and dragged my feet to the fighting ground. 

"There you are," I struggled "I'm back. Don't think that I was afraid of you." Without another word I dumped the rock on the snake's head, incidentally, covering practically its whole body.

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I put my leg on the dead dragon, I mean the big rock, and waited proudly for Mom to come back.

 

***

 

Ramen Noodle Cups

 I am not sure why, but, during collage days everyone likes ramen noodles, even me. It is easy to prepare and takes very little effort or time. It seems to be the most popular food among young people. Maybe the fact that it is also very cheap, and you can stack a bunch of them in your room and just add hot water. 

Well, for me it was never enough. I always doctored it, and many times didn’t even use the “bullion that comes with it.

Ingredients:

1 Pack Ramen Noodle

½ Onion 

¼ Cabbage

1 Cup Chopped Mushroom

1 Grated Carrot

1 TBSP Soy Sauce

½ tsp Crushed Ginger 

1 TBSP Sesame

1 Crushed Garlic Clove 

½ tsp Salt

½ Cup Edamame (fresh or frozen soybeans)

 

Preparation:

Slice the onion to strips and sauté to soften. Cut up the mushrooms and add them to the pan with the onions. Add the crushed garlic and ginger. 

Boil water with ½ tsp salt, then drop in the noodles for 2 minutes. Scoop the noodles and put aside but keep the water.

Blanch shredded cabbage and carrot in the same hot water for a minute and scoop them out of the water. Drop the soybeans in the same water, cook for 5 minutes and drain

 Mix all in a bowl, add soy sauce and sesame. Serve warm or cold in cups.

 

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