The Escape From Toishu Castle

• Michaela Curtis, Grade 8
• Poetry
• 2007

In the year of our Lord in 1702, the wind howled through the night when Wei Wei was born. Ten years later her mum and dad caught a rare and deadly disease called ‘smallpox’. They were taken to the nearest hospital which was in Tokyo City, and on the way they died. Wei Wei is now going to live with her grandma and she lives in Toishu which is south of Japan.
On her journey she met up with her grandma half way. They thought that they were being followed; it was the king’s army. Just when they reached the castle, one of the men put grandma in the dungeons. Wei Wei’s grandma is called Roseanne; she comes from Australia because she married a Japanese man in Australia. They got married and he found a new job to work with the Trading Company.
Roseanne is going to be hung tomorrow and Wei Wei is really scared and really sad. The King wanted Wei Wei because he thought she was special and unique and different from everybody else. He gave her a nice room; he also gave her food and water. At night she went looking around the castle, she went to the kitchen and she saw a boy and he said “you should not be here,, the king will just use you and he makes you a slave, well that’s what he did to me, run away while you can” said the young boy. Wei Wei said “before I go what is your name,” my name is Ping.” So Wei Wei hurried back up the stairs and out the door, running down the corridor and out the main door.
So Wei Wei went to the dark forest for the night. She was scared because she keeps on hearing strange noises; she found a nice cave to sleep in for the night. The next morning Wei Wei went to the main street that was in town with her grandma to get executed. People were chucking fruit and vegetables at Roseanne. I thought that was not nice. Leave her alone but I did not want to say that because everybody will turn around I will be embarrassed. After her grandma got executed she was really upset and miserable and she had no family left to look after her that are close or that lives in Japan.
So Wei Wei just went back to her cave in the dark forest when she noticed something big, with scaly skin and it had a spiky tale. She went a bit closer and realized that it is a DRAGON. Wei Wei went up to the dragon and said “hello” the dragon turned around and said “hello” back. Wei Wei asked “what is your name” said Wei Wei. “My name is Maia” said the dragon. She has blue, green and purple scaly skin mixed together, has blue eyes, has huge silky bluey green wings, and has four stompy feet and a long swishy pointy tail. She can also breathe fire. Every afternoon Maia would take Wei Wei for rides on her back. But one afternoon the king sent out his army again because he realized that she had escaped from his castle. He said “do not harm the girl and collect your horses, hurry!” Said the king. When the army came back with Wei Wei she then became a slave.
The next day she was making a map of the castle so she could escape from the castle. That night she dodged all the guards and now she is free. Wei Wei went back into the dark forest to visit her dragon friend Maia in the cave. Maia showed Wei Wei around the forest and her friends are Lily the fairy, Rainbow the gnome, Willow the elf and Shadow the unicorn. Wei Wei is the only person who knows about the mystical creatures. Dragon has not told anyone and Wei Wei must not tell anyone.
Just then Maia thought that since that they are really good friends they should go on an adventure to save all the dragons that have turned into stones by the Dark Lord Dragon, he used to be a good chief but he turned bad since. Meanwhile back in the king’s kingdom his army are still trying to capture Wei Wei. They go all around the world to capture her, and even the dark dragon is trying to capture them. But they can never catch them with Maia’s friends and the good dragon chiefs on their side, they can out smart them with their magic.
So from this day forward Maia and Wei Wei live nicely and happily together and with their great adventures.