LEADER 

Let's begin with a few questions (just to test whether you remember anything about dragons).

1. Where in the world can you find Komodo dragons?
2. How big can Komodo dragons grow?
3. What do Komodo dragons like to eat?

Well done. Komodo dragons are one of the many wonderful creatures which live in the world, but whose existence is threatened by human activity. Many other marvellous animals haven't been so lucky and they are now extinct. One of the most famous of these is the Dodo. Has anyone ever heard of it? Can you think of any other creatures that are in danger of being wiped out?

Anyway, back to dragons. Here's another story set in the time when such fantastic creatures roamed the earth.

GEORGE 

Hello - the name's George - Saint George... the Lord Almighty's Number One, ice-cool, shaken-but-never-stirred bad guy whacker and dragon smacker. I'm armed with a plutonium carbide BMW MG shield and Mark III sidewinder-tornado triple-edged sword. So... are there any wyverns, worms, hydras, Japanese, Chinese or ancient Norse DRAGONS anywhere around here? Because if there are, then they'd better watch out!

MAIDEN 

Help, help, HELP!

GEORGE 

Hello there, fair maiden. My name's George - Saint George... the Lord Almighty's Number One, ice-cool, shaken-but-never-stirred...

MAIDEN 

Stop it! I need help - or are you just a pretty face? Quick, untie me before the dragon comes back and gobbles me up!

DRAGON 

Too late!!! I'm going to gobble her up - starting with her head!

GEORGE 

Tally ho! Etc. (They fight. The dragon falls to the ground. George holds his sword over the dragon.) Prepare to die!

NARRATOR 

Stop! You aren't going to kill the dragon are you? Perhaps it's an endangered species! What does the audience think? (Gathers opinions)

GEORGE 

I don't care about public opinion - this dragon has to die! (Stabs dragon and then unties the distressed maiden). OK baby, let's ride off into the sunset!

LEADER 

Oh dear - he's killed the dragon. I wonder if it was an endangered Komodo dragon... or perhaps it was a much more common kind? (Consults large book labelled 'Dragon Identification Guide') Actually, according to this book, the dragon is a 'Symbolic Dragon'. It isn't really a REAL dragon at all. A symbol is something that stands for something else. In this case the dragon is really a symbol - a picture - of selfishness and greed.

[optional paragraph: The story of St George and the Dragon is well known. For hundreds of years little plays like this, which tell the story of St George's fight against the dragon, have been acted all across Britain. But the story is not really about a human being killing a dragon - it's more about a person fighting against a beast that lives inside each of us. Dragons are often used as a symbol of human greed. This is because dragons are often associated with hoards of gold and jewels. Perhaps some of you have read J R R Tolkein's The Hobbit. There's a fierce dragon in that book - Smaug - who lives in a cave, on top of a pile of gold and jewels.]

So don't feel too sorry for this particular dragon! We've been thinking about Komodo dragons - the real dragons that are threatened by human beings greedily destroying their land. Dragons have never lived in Britain (unless the Loch Ness monster really does exist!), though once there were beavers, bears, wolves, all of which have been driven to extinction because they were thought to threaten human well-being. Perhaps if we can conquer the dragon of greediness that lives inside us then more of these creatures will have space to live.