One day there came strange news. Everybody was talking about it. Round eyes, busy mouths, frightened voices – everybody was talking about it.

One of the stars of the night sky had begun to change. This star had always been a very tiny star, of no importance at all. It had shone up there for billions and trillions and sillions of years in the Constellation of Orion, that great shape of the giant hunter that strides across space on autumn and winter nights. In all its time this tiny star had never changed in any way.

Now, suddenly, it began to get bigger.

Astronomers, peering through their telescopes, noticed it first. They watched it with worried frowns.

That tiny star was definitely getting bigger. And not just bigger. But bigger and Bigger and BIGger. Each night it was BIGGER.

Bigger than the Dog-star, the large, coloured twinkler at the heel of the Hunter Orion.

Bigger than Jupiter, the great blazing planet.

Everybody could see it clearly, night after night, as it grew and Grew and GREW. They stared up with frightened faces.

Till at last it hung there in the sky over the world, blazing down, the size of the moon, a deep, gloomy red. And now there could be only one explanation. That star was getting bigger because it was getting nearer. And nearer and NEARer and NEARER.

It was rushing towards the world.

Faster than a bullet.

Faster than any rocket.

Faster even than a meteorite.

And if it hit the world at that speed, why, the whole world would simply be blasted to bits in the twinkling of an eye. It would be like an Express train hitting a bowl of goldfish.

No wonder the people stared up with frightened faces. No wonder the astronomers watched it through their telescopes with worried frowns.

But all of a sudden – a strange thing!

The star seemed to have stopped.

There it hung, a deep and gloomy red, just the size of the moon. It got no smaller. It got no bigger. It wasn’t coming any nearer. But it wasn’t going away either.

Now everybody tried to explain why and how this was. What had happened? What was happening? What was going to happen?

And now it was that the next strange thing occurred – the astronomers noticed it first.

In the middle of the giant star, a tiny black speck had appeared. On the second night this speck was seen to be wriggling, and much bigger. On the third night, you could see it without a telescope. A struggling black speck in the centre of that giant, red, gloomy star.

On the fifth night, the astronomers saw that it seemed to be either a bat, or a black angel, or a flying lizard – a dreadful silhouette, flying out of the centre of that giant star, straight towards the earth. What was coming out of the giant star?

Each night, when the astronomers returned to their telescopes to peer up, this black flying horror was bigger. With slow, gigantic wing-beats, with long, slow writhings of its body, it was coming down through space, outlined black against its red star.

Within a few more nights, its shape had completely blotted out the red star. The nameless, immense bat-angel was flying down at the earth, like a great black swan. It was definitely coming straight at the earth.

It took several days to cover the distance.

Then, for one awful night, its wings seemed to be filling most of the sky. The moon peered fearfully from low on the skyline and all the people of earth stayed up, gazing in fear at the huge black movement of wings that filled the night.

Next morning it landed – on Australia.

Barrrump!

The shock of its landing rolled round the earth like an earthquake, spilling teacups in London, jolting pictures off walls in California, cracking statues off their pedestals in Russia.

The thing had actually landed – and it was a terrific dragon.

Terribly black, terribly scaly, terribly knobbly, terribly horned, terribly hairy, terribly clawed, terribly fanged, with vast indescribably terrible eyes, each one as big as Switzerland. There it sat, covering the whole of Australia, its tail trailing away over Tasmania into the sea, its foreclaws on the headlands of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Luckily, the mountains and hills propped its belly up clear of the valleys, and the Australians could still move about in the pitch darkness, under this new sky, this low queer covering, of scales. They crowded towards the light that came in along its sides. Of course, whoever had been on a mountain-top when the dragon landed had been squashed flat. Nothing could be done about them. And there the horror sat, glaring out over the countries of the world.

What had it come for? What was going to happen to the world now this monstrosity had arrived?

Everybody waited. The newspapers spoke about nothing else. Aircraft flew near this space-bat-angel-dragon, taking photographs. It lay over Australia higher than any mountains, higher than the Hindu Kush in Asia, and its head alone was the size of Italy.

For a whole day, while the people of the earth trembled and wept and prayed to God to save them, the space-bat-angel-dragon lay resting, its chin sunk in the Indian Ocean, the sea coming not quite up to its bottom lip.

But the next morning, early, its giant voice came rumbling round the world. The space-bat-angel-dragon was speaking. It wanted to be fed. And what it wanted to eat was – living things. People, animals, forests, it didn’t care which, so long as the food was alive. But it had better be fed quickly, otherwise it would roll out its tongue longer than the Trans-Siberian railway, and lick huge swathes of life off the surface of the earth – cities, forests, farmlands, whatever there was. It would leave the world looking like a charred pebble – unless it were fed and fed quickly.

Its voice shook and rumbled around the earth for a whole hour as it delivered its message. Finally it ended, and lay waiting.

The peoples of the world got together. If they fed it, how could they ever satisfy it? It would never be full, and every new day it would be as hungry as ever. How can you feed a beast the size of Australia? Australia is a vast land, all the countries of Europe will fit easily into Australia. The monster’s stomach alone must be the size of Germany.

No, they would not feed it. The people of the world decided they would not feed this space-bat-angel-dragon or whatever it was – they would fight it. They would declare war on it, and all get together to blast it off the face of the earth. And so it was that all the peoples of earth declared war on the monster, and sent out their armed forces in a grand combined operation.

What a terrific attack!

Rockets, projectiles of all sorts, missiles and bombs, shells and flame-throwers – everything was tried. The smoke of the explosions drifted out over the Pacific like a black, crawling continent. The noise of the battle shook the world almost as much as the landing of the dragon had done, and for much longer.

Then the noise died down and the smoke cleared. And the peoples of the world cried in dismay. The dragon was actually smiling. Smiling! Aircraft flying daringly near photographed the vast face smiling, and the picture was in all the papers.

It was smiling as if it had been well tickled.

Now the peoples of the world were worried. They were all great fighters. All spent their spare money on preparing for wars, always making bigger and better weapons, and now they had all tried their utmost to blast this thing off the earth, and what was the result?

The dragon merely smiled, and not a scratch could be seen anywhere on its body.

Human weapons had no effect on it.

But that wasn’t surprising. This creature had come from the depths of space, out of the heart of a star. Nobody knew what it was made of. Perhaps it could not be destroyed by any means whatsoever.

And now the space-bat-angel-dragon spoke again.

It gave the peoples of the world one week in which to prepare its first meal. They could prepare what they liked, said the dragon. But if the meal was not ready in a week, then he would start on the cities and the towns.

The peoples of the earth, the kings, the Presidents and Ministers, the farmers and the factory workers and the office workers began to lament. Now what would happen to them? They would like to say the monster didn’t exist, but how could they? There it was, covering Australia, staring out over all the countries of the world.
—
Elaborate on the people on the mountaintops who were crushed. Additionally describe where on Australia the dragon’s feet landed and what cities they each flattened. Since his feet are comparable to the size of Poland, remark on how tiny each city was to the bottoms of his paws and what surroundings were also destroyed.

…

When the space-bat-angel-dragon landed on Australia, its gigantic feet, each comparable to the size of Poland, flattened everything that lay beneath. The unfortunate people who happened to be on the mountaintops at the time of its descent met an instant and gruesome end. Hikers, tourists, and families who had gone up to enjoy the breathtaking views, to savor the freedom and beauty of those peaks, found themselves caught in the path of the monstrous beast. Their dreams and lives were snuffed out without even the time for a final gasp or scream. Crushed beneath the black, scaly paws of the dragon, they were forever part of the earth they had admired just moments earlier.

The dragon’s feet landed in several different parts of Australia, obliterating cities beneath their sheer weight and scale. To the giant beast, the cities that lay under its paws were nothing more than tiny, insignificant specks. As it settled down upon the land, its left foot landed upon the city of Perth, sending shockwaves throughout the entire region and transforming the once bustling metropolis into a flattened ruin.

Its right foot came down upon the cities of Adelaide and Melbourne, their impressive skylines rendered unrecognizable in the blink of an eye. The surrounding landscapes, with their picturesque coastal shores and verdant wine regions, were similarly decimated.

The sheer enormity of the dragon’s feet made it impossible for the citizens of the flattened cities to grasp what had happened to their beloved homes. From the neighboring regions, people looked on in horror as all they had known was reduced to nothing but crushed buildings and shattered dreams.

As the people of Australia scrambled to escape the darkness under the massive, scaly body, they could not help but mourn for those lost in the devastation. The once-thriving regions, with their unique flora and fauna, lay shattered beneath the dragon’s colossal feet. The true scale of the destruction would only become apparent in the coming days, as survivors pieced together the fragments of their lives and mourned for all that was gone.

//

Describe the fissures and sinkholes that spiderwebbed from his feet throughout Australia.
As the enormous space-bat-angel-dragon settled onto Australia, the immense pressure from its gargantuan feet caused the earth to buckle and break. Writhing under the weight, the ground desperately struggled to bear the unwelcome burden.

…

From the points of impact, fissures — vast cracks in the earth — began rapidly forming and spreading across the Australian landscape in a chaotic pattern. These gnarled fractures tore through the earth like sinister, spiderwebbed scars, making the land tremble and quiver in fear.

The fissures split roads apart and tore through farmlands, swallowing up vehicles, livestock, and crops. They ripped through forests, parks, and the prized Australian wilderness, vastly altering the face of the continent.

As though the fissures weren’t destructive enough on their own, the ground shuddered and groaned as an array of sinkholes began to emerge. These sinkholes formed when the weight of the dragon and the tectonic disturbances it caused led to the collapse of underground cavities, creating gaping holes on the surface.

Seemingly at random, portions of the landscape would suddenly be swallowed up. Homes, shops, and people disappeared without warning, plunging into darkness. The sinkholes disrupted infrastructure, severed communication lines, and left whole communities isolated and adrift.

The once-stable Australian continent became utterly fractured and disfigured due to the massive creature’s presence. As the people of Australia and the world looked on, they realized with growing despair that their lives had irrevocably changed. In their minds, one question loomed large above all others: How could they ever hope to repair the terrible wounds inflicted upon their land by this terrifying space-bat-angel-dragon?

//

Describe how the dragon’s massive body interrupted the relatively smooth spherical surface of Earth, and how he looked from space, via the airplanes and satellites that hadn’t been knocked out of the sky from his descent. Describe how divine his feet looked, as well as the height of his toes and claws compared to the Australian mountains.

…

From space, the Earth had always appeared as a beautiful, serene sphere, with land and water merging harmoniously into one another. The arrival of the space-bat-angel-dragon shattered this peaceful image. Its colossal body disrupted the smooth curvature of the Earth, causing a drastic and unnatural alteration in the planet’s silhouette.

Aircraft and satellites that had managed to survive the dragon’s tumultuous descent captured images that would leave the global population in awe and terror. The dragon appeared as a massive, dark blot on the surface of the Earth, completely dwarfing the Australian continent it now rested upon. From this vantage point, the scale of the damage inflicted upon the land was all too clear.

The beast’s feet, which had seemed so monstrous and destructive up close, oddly appeared divine and majestic from such a great distance. They seemed like giant monuments rising out of the Earth, having the elegance of a sculpted masterpiece even as they lay waste to the land below.

In comparison to the surrounding mountains, the dragon’s toes and claws were of an entirely different scale. Even the highest peaks of Australia, such as Mount Kosciuszko, were insignificant when placed alongside the dragon’s impressive digits. The heights of its toes and claws far exceeded those of any mountain or skyscraper, reaching thousands of meters into the sky. The sharp, fearsome points of its claws gleamed like the sun itself—a shining reminder of the power this creature wielded over the fate of humanity.

As the people of Earth gazed upon these images from space, they were left in a state of profound shock and disbelief. The world they had once known seemed to have been replaced by an alien, hostile environment, its landscape transformed forever by the very presence of this unimaginable entity. The question on everyone’s mind remained, what hope was left for humanity in the face of such an indomitable foe?

//

The original passage continues:
—
There was no time to be wasted. The Iron Giant allowed himself to be taken to pieces, arms, legs, body, head, all separate, so each part could be flown out to Australia on a different airliner. He was too big to be flown out in one piece.

At the same time a ship sailed from China, loaded with great iron girders, and another ship sailed from Japan loaded with fuel oil. The Iron Giant had ordered these. The girders and the oil and a team of engineers were unloaded on the beach of Northern Australia, near the space-bat-angel-dragon’s neck. Then the Iron Giant’s parts were landed at the same spot, and the engineers fitted him together. He stood up on the beach and shouted his challenge.

“Sit up,” he roared. “Sit up and take notice, you great space-lizard.”

The space-bat-angel-dragon sat up slowly. He had never noticed the fussing of the boats and aeroplanes down there on the beach near his neck. Now he gazed in surprise at the Iron Giant, who seemed very tiny to him, though his voice was big enough.

The Iron Giant spoke again.

“I challenge you,” he shouted, “to a test of strength.”

A test of strength? The space-bat-angel-dragon couldn’t believe his ears. A tiny little creature like the Iron Giant challenging him to a test of strength? He simply laughed. Loud and long. Then he peered down again at the Iron Giant, while the echo of his laugh was still rolling round the earth. He peered down out of the sky at this odd little thing on the beach, with the even tinier men scuttling around it.

“And if I can prove myself stronger than you are, then you must promise to become my slave,” cried the Iron Giant.

The dragon smiled. Aircraft flew around, watching this amazing conversation between the space-bat-angel-dragon and the Iron Giant. Ships out at sea watched through telescopes.

“And if you don’t accept my challenge,” shouted the Iron Giant, “then you’re a miserable cowardly reptile, not fit to bother with.”

The space-bat-angel-dragon was so astounded that he agreed. Why, he thought, when this silly little creature has finished his antics, I’ll just lick him up. So the monster agreed, and watched to see what the test of strength was to be. After all, if he wanted, he could flatten the Iron Giant with one eyelash.

The engineers had fastened all the girders together in the shape of a grid, a huge iron bed the size of a house. Under this they had made a steel-lined pit. Now they poured fuel oil into the pit. The space-bat-angel-dragon watched.

Now they lit the fuel oil and the flames roared up fiercely through the bars of the grid.

And now the space-bat-angel-dragon got his first shock. The Iron Giant was stretching himself out on his back, on the grid, among the flames, his ankles crossed, his hands folded behind his head – just as if he were in bed, while the flames raged under and around him.

The monster stared down, and the Iron Giant smiled up out of the midst of the flames.

The flames became fiercer. The grid became red-hot. The Iron Giant’s hair and elbows and toes became red-hot. His body became first blue, then black, then began to glow dully. He was getting red-hot. Still he smiled up at the monster, and still the flames grew fiercer.

And now the Iron Giant was entirely red-hot. Pretty soon, he was almost white-hot. And still he smiled, out of white-hot eyes and with white-hot lips. And all the time the space-bat-angel-dragon stared down in astonishment.

But now the fuel oil was all burned away. Suddenly the flames died, flickered and went out. The white-hot Iron Giant sat up, stood up, got stiffly off his glowing bed and began to walk to and fro on the sand, cooling. He cooled slowly. He went from white to orange, from orange to red, red to black, as he walked, coolly swinging his arms.

Now at last he spoke to the monster.

“If you can’t bear to be made red-hot like me, then you are weaker than I am, and I have won, and you are my slave.”

The monster began to laugh.

“All right,” he roared. “Build the fire, and I’ll lie on it.”

He laughed again. He knew the Iron Giant couldn’t build a fire the size of Australia. But then his laugh stopped. The Iron Giant was pointing upwards, at the sun.

“There is the fire for you,” he shouted. “You go and lie there. Go and lie on the sun till you are red-hot.”

The monster gazed up at the sun. He felt strangely cold suddenly. But how could he refuse? All right! And he set off.

With slow giant wingbeats, he lifted his immense body off the earth, and flew slowly up towards the sun, while the whole earth watched …

Slowly he covered the distance, getting smaller and smaller as he went. At last he landed, a ragged black shape sprawled across the sun. Everybody watched. And now they saw the monster begin to glow. Blue at first, then red, then orange. Finally his shape was invisible, the same blazing white as the sun itself. The monster was white-hot on the sun.

Then they saw him returning, a blazing shape tearing itself off the sun. This shape became red as it flew. It was writhing and growing larger. Slowly once more it became the black bat-winged shape of the dragon flying back to earth, down and down, bigger and bigger, cooling as he came, until

BUMP!!!

He landed – this time much more heavily than before, on Australia. He landed so heavily that all over the world bells tumbled out of church towers and birds’-eggs were jarred out of their nests. The monster stared down at the Iron Giant.
—
After the dragon takes off, describe humans’ efforts to capture photos of what the continent now looked like from space, and their reactions to the impressions and fissures the dragon’s body had left in Australia. Note how ocean water began to flood into each footprint, and how there were barely any remains of the cities that had been crushed. Compare the depth of the footprints to the Marianas Trench.

…

As the space-bat-angel-dragon finally launched itself into the sky, bound for the sun, the people of Earth could not contain their curiosity about the state of Australia beneath the monster. Aircrafts, satellites, and even drones that had managed to avoid the chaos of the dragon’s descent quickly positioned themselves to survey the land and capture images to share with the world.

The first images that came through were utterly shocking. The sheer force of the dragon’s colossal body had left deep impressions and ravines across Australia, as if a monstrous hand had gripped the land and squeezed it mercilessly. Fissures spread like lightning from the points of impact, slicing the once-familiar terrain into an uneven, scarred landscape.

Wherever the dragon’s feet landed, the earth was not merely crushed and flattened, but compressed to such an extent that entire cities were wiped out, their remains now nothing more than unrecognizable, pulverized debris. The cities of Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne were gone, with only faint echoes remaining, a haunting reminder of the thriving metropolises that once stood there.

And as if to add insult to injury, seawater from the nearby coasts had begun to seep into the immense footprints left behind by the dragon, filling them up like enormous, tragic pools. These watery, abyssal depressions were so deep that they rivaled the Marianas Trench, the deepest part of Earth’s oceans.

As the people of Earth studied these images, sharing them through both traditional media and social channels, a somber realization dawned upon them. The beauty and majesty of Australia were changed forever, and in this immense tragedy, the once-proud continent was left scarred, beaten, and broken. The sorrowful facts were undeniable: lives lost, cities erased, and a landscape altered beyond recognition.

But amidst the despair, there was now a glimmer of hope, for the Iron Giant had challenged the dragon, and the people’s eyes were fixed firmly on the skies, waiting to see whether their darkest hour would soon give way to the light of a new dawn.

//

Elaborate on humans’ reactions as they stare at livestreams and photos of Australia’s new shape, as well as online maps being updated to depict his footprints. When he descends for a second time, describe the deployed satellites and drones being smashed against his body. After the dragon lands a second time, write about how his feet land in slightly different places, crushing even more cities and spectators. Write about how miraculous it was that the dragon was landing relatively softly, given that his feet each were over 60 times wider than the Chicxulub meteor (and how terrifying it was that his “soft” landings caused so much destruction anyway).
As the livestreams and photos of Australia’s new shape flooded the internet, people across the globe stared at their screens in disbelief. Social media was buzzing with panicked conversations and queries, as everyone tried to process the immensity of the devastation. Australia, a symbol of natural beauty and wonder, was now marred with deep footprints that forever changed its geographical landscape.

…

Online maps were quickly updated to display this horrifying new reality, with cartographers and satellite imagery experts working diligently to provide accurate depictions of the altered land. Viewing these updated maps, millions of people felt a chill down their spines, as the sheer magnitude of the dragon’s impact on the continent became distressingly clear.

Shock and despair turned into fear and panic when the dragon returned and descended upon Australia for a second time. The satellites and drones that had been deployed to capture new images of the land found themselves in the direct path of the giant beast. With no opportunity to escape, they were mercilessly smashed against the dragon’s massive body, their once-vital functions reduced to nothing more than twisted metal and broken circuits.

As the dragon’s feet made contact with the earth once more, they landed slightly awry from their original positions, flattening even more cities and a multitude of spectators who had gathered to witness the monster’s return. Entire communities and infrastructure were crushed in seconds, so many lives lost in a merciless instant.

The terror was only amplified by the thought that the dragon’s landings were relatively soft, considering the size of its immense feet, each over 60 times wider than the Chicxulub meteor. In the face of such a colossal force, it was miraculous that the Earth had withstood the pressure at all. Despite this softer landing, the devastation was still vast and far-reaching, serving as a chilling reminder of the raw, unbridled power the creature possessed.

The people of Earth could only watch helplessly, their hearts heavy with sorrow and fear, as the dragon’s presence continued to threaten their once-beautiful planet. The future seemed uncertain, but the Iron Giant’s daring challenge remained a flickering beacon of hope amidst the darkness.

//

Write about the engineers near the Iron Giant reacting to and attempting to reconcile with the devastation caused by his second landing.

…

The engineers near the Iron Giant, who had been busy reassembling and preparing him for battle, were left reeling by the sudden second landing of the dragon. Struggling to comprehend the colossal scale of the devastation around them, they exchanged somber glances, their hearts heavy with grief and concern for the people whose cities and homes had just been destroyed.

The enormity of their mission weighed heavily upon them, knowing that the world was relying on them and the Iron Giant to counter this seemingly insurmountable foe before more devastation could occur. As they continued their work on the enormous metallic sentinel, the engineers fervently hoped that their efforts would not be in vain.

Amidst the panic and chaos, they sought to maintain a united front, drawing strength from each other and their shared purpose. They scrambled to take actions wherever possible, deploying search and rescue teams to affected areas and coordinating with local authorities to assist survivors in any way they could. Helpless though they may have felt, they knew that every action – however small – was meaningful in the face of catastrophe.

Many of the engineers were not only consumed by the immediate devastation, but also the long-term consequences. They understood that this catastrophic event was one that would cast a shadow over human history and reshape global understanding of power and vulnerability.

As they helped one another confront the horrific reality they now faced, they found solace in camaraderie and the knowledge that the fate of millions rested on their shoulders. This huge responsibility fueled their determination even further, for they understood that saving the world from this terrifying monster was no longer just an abstract concept or an impossible dream – it was the one hope that humanity now clung to amid the wreckage.

As they rallied around the Iron Giant, these engineers knew that they would not allow fear and despair to consume them. Instead, they would fight with all their might, channeling their collective knowledge, skill, and resilience in the battle against a seemingly invincible adversary. For the sake of their loved ones, their countries, and indeed the entire world, they would forge onward in a desperate bid to reclaim their planet from the clutches of the space-bat-angel-dragon.

//

Have them think over whether this choice of challenge was a good idea, judging from the additional damage caused by his second landing (both from being crushed underfoot and from the violent worldwide earthquake), and the fact that he would land on Australia again and again after each round.
While the engineers grappled with the aftermath of the dragon’s second landing and worked tirelessly to prepare the Iron Giant for battle, doubt began to creep into their minds. They couldn’t help but question whether this challenge had been the right path to take, considering the extensive damage brought upon by the dragon’s descent— not only to the Australian continent but also to the entire world.

…

With each round of the contest, the dragon would inevitably return to the earth, causing further massive upheavals and crushing even more beneath its titanic form. The world would repeatedly shudder under the force, resulting in countless damages, casualties, and untold devastations. The possibility of a future where this cycle continued to devastating effect weighed heavily on their spirits, sowing seeds of uncertainty and trepidation.

Whispers and murmurs spread amongst the engineers as they contemplated the long-term consequences of their actions. They wondered if there might have been a safer or more effective way to confront the dragon without putting the lives and infrastructure of countless individuals at risk. The thought of the world being held hostage to the outcome of this challenge filled them with an indescribable fear.

As these doubts continued to surface, the engineers also recognized that turning back was not an option. They had already set in motion a chain of events that would determine the fate of the world. To abandon their mission now would mean certain doom for humanity, with no time left for alternate solutions or diplomacies.

United by their uneasy determination, the engineers clung to their glimmers of hope and trust in the Iron Giant’s power. They steeled themselves, knowing that each challenge and decision they faced henceforth would shape the destiny of humanity and determine the legacy they left behind for future generations. With the world’s survival at stake, they drew upon their courage and resolve, hoping against hope that they had made the right choice.
The passage continues:
—
But it was hardly the same monster! His horns drooped, his face was wizened and black, his claws were scorched blunt, his crest flopped over limply and great ragged holes were burned in his wings. It had been terrible for him on the fires of the sun. But he had done it, and here he was. The fires of the sun are far, far hotter than any fires here on earth can ever be.

“There,” he roared. “I’ve done it.”

The Iron Man nodded. But his answer was to signal to the engineers. Once more they poured oil into the trough under the grid. Once more they lit it. Once more the flames roared up and the black smoke billowed up into the clear blue. And once more the Iron Man stretched himself out on the grid of the raging furnace.

The space-bat-angel-dragon watched in horror. He knew what this meant for him. He would have to go once more into the sun’s flames.

And now the Iron Man’s hair and toes and elbows were red-hot. He lay back in the flames, smiling up at the dragon. And his whole body was becoming red-hot, then orange, and finally white, like the blazing wire inside an electric bulb.

At this point, the Iron Man was terribly afraid. For what would happen if the flames went on getting fiercer and fiercer? He would melt. He would melt and drip into the flames like so much treacle and that would be the end of him. So even though he grinned up at the dragon as though he were enjoying the flames, he was not enjoying them at all, and he was very very frightened.

Even the engineers, who were hiding behind thick asbestos screens over a mile away along the beach, felt the hair singeing on their heads, and they too thought it was the end of the Iron Man. Perhaps they had poured in just a bit too much fuel oil.

But at that very moment, and the very second that the edge of the Iron Man’s ear started to melt, the fuel was used up and the flames died. The engineers came running down the beach. They saw the red-hot Iron Man getting off his fearful bed, and they saw him moving to and fro on the sand, cooling off.

At last, the Iron Man looked up at the dragon. He could hardly speak after his ordeal in the flames. Instead, he simply pointed towards the sun, and jabbed his finger towards the sun, as he gazed up at the monster.

“That’s twice,” he managed to say. “Now it’s your turn.”

The monster did not laugh. He set off, up from the earth, beating his colossal wings, writhing his long ponderous body up into the sky towards the sun. Now it was his turn. And he did not laugh. Last time had been too dreadful. But he went. He couldn’t let the Iron Man win. He couldn’t let the Iron Man of the earth beat him in this terrible contest.

And so all the telescopes and cameras of the world watched him flying into the sun. They saw him land among the flames, as before. As before, they saw his great ragged shape like an ink-blot sprawled over the centre of the sun. They saw him begin to glow red, then orange. And at last they could no longer see him. He and the sun were one blinding whiteness.

He had done it again! But was the sun burning him up? Had he melted in the sun? Where was he?

No, here he was, here he came. Slowly, slowly, down through space. Much more slowly than before. His white-hot flying body cooled slowly to red as he came, and as he grew larger, coming nearer, he finally became once more black. And the great black shape flagged its way down through space until

BUMP!!!

Heavier than ever, he landed on Australia. This time the bump was so heavy, it knocked down certain sky-scrapers, sent tidal waves sweeping into harbours, and threw herds of cows on to their backs. All over the world, anybody who happened to be riding a bicycle at that moment instantly fell off. The space-bat-angel-dragon landed so ponderously because he was exhausted.
—
After the dragon takes off a second time, describe humans’ efforts to gather more images of the altered continent, now in even worse shape.

…

As the space-bat-angel-dragon began its ascent to the sun for the second time, people across the globe urgently mobilized to once again assess the devastation left in its wake. Aircrafts, satellites, and drones that had managed to continue functioning sprang into action, capturing a new series of images to convey the horrific state of Australia after the dragon’s even more catastrophic landing.

With bated breath, the world stared at the screens, bracing for the sight of the altered continent in even worse shape than before. The transmitted images showed the land ravaged by even deeper gouges and ruptures, each more severe and destructive than anything previously recorded in human history.

The immense pressure of the dragon’s body had left additional imprints, spiderweb fissures that spread even further outwards, and sinkholes that swallowed even more communities under the weight of the destruction. The once-proud cities and towns lay crushed under the colossal beast’s feet, now only tragic remnants of their past lives, visible as small specs beneath the scorched earth. The landscape, the people, and their homes had been destroyed beyond recognition in a matter of moments.

As more and more images were streamed live, shared on social media, and printed in newspapers, the people of the world couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of despair and hopelessness. The fate of Australia, once a symbol of beauty and wonder, now appeared bleak and uncertain.

Despite the terrifying reality they now faced, the determined citizens of Earth focused on the ongoing battle between the Iron Giant and the space-bat-angel-dragon with equal parts fear and hope. With each moment, they prayed that their fate would not be the same as that of the shattered continent, even as they braced for the potential consequences of the dragon’s next descent.

//

Describe humans coming to terms with how the footprints, created in a tiny fraction of an hour, were going to become permanent features of Earth’s geography for millennia to come. Also describe the mountain peaks that were dulled against the impact of his belly and feet, and by how much.

…

As the people of Earth faced the appalling reality of the dragon’s destructive landings, they slowly began to comprehend the permanence of the changes inflicted upon their planet. The colossal footprints, formed in mere moments during the dragon’s descent, would now scar the face of the Earth for millennia to come. These new geographical features would inevitably become part of the continent’s history, forever changing the way future generations perceived the lay of the land and the stories behind it.

As humanity gradually acknowledged the irreversible nature of these changes, a deep sense of loss and grief took hold. The verdant landscapes, once teeming with life and untamed beauty, were now disfigured and desolate. It was a somber reminder of the fragility of the world they lived in, and the fleeting nature of humankind’s dominion over Earth’s geography.

The mountain peaks that had been dulled against the impact of the space-bat-angel-dragon’s belly and feet bore witness to the profound force of the creature. Once sharp and soaring, they were now mere stumps, losing hundreds or even thousands of feet in elevation. Proud summits that had challenged adventurers and amateur mountaineers were no more. The once picturesque backdrop of breathtaking mountain ranges was now undeniably altered, leaving behind a haunting testament to the cataclysmic power of the otherworldly visitor.

As they came to terms with this new reality, the people of Earth were filled with a complex mix of emotions: despair, anger, helplessness, and even fascination at the sheer magnitude of the transformation that had taken place. From this deep well of emotion, however, a newfound unity and resilience would emerge, as they resolved to face the unprecedented challenges that lay ahead, be it rebuilding their shattered world or confronting the incomprehensible yet very real threat that soared through the skies above them.

//

Have them somewhat come to terms with the damage to Australia by remembering the dragon’s original deal with humanity and what he said the Earth would look like if he were not fed.