Fairytale Style

• Peter Miljak, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2015

“Mum, can I go to Jack’s house now.”
“Okay Sammy.” Sammy walked to her friend Jack’s house. She was halfway there when she heard the clip clop sound of soldier’s boots; Sammy looked up and saw a party of soldiers marching down the lane. Their scarlet uniforms were conspicuous against the grey town around them. She hid in the bushes on the roadside. The king’s army didn’t always ‘tolerate’ children. Then she realised... “Taxes, Taxes.” Soldiers were shouting. Sammy sprinted back to her home only to be late and see her mother being dragged away by guards “I’ll get the money I’ll have it, just give me time.
Sammy’s mum stared at her. She had to run away, she had to get out. Amongst the chaos Sammy lost her sense of direction and now she was in unknown territory. The open plains turned to lush dark forest. Sammy was exhausted. She sat down next to a nearby tree and drifted off to sleep.
“Wake up Sammy.”
“What… Jack why are you here, where are we?”
“Sammy, were in the forest, don’t you remember anything.” I had to run away because my dad got arrested, then I found you lying here.” Jack was starting to blab on about taxes until he was caught by surprise and Sammy gave him a warm hug.
Jack and Sammy walked around for a while. “You know we can’t go back to the village, right.” announced Jack.
“Yeah.” muttered Sammy. They kept walking… Finally they reached a clearing with emerald coloured grass and in the middle there was a neat hut.
The pair tip-toed to the tiny window of the hut and in there they saw an ugly witch brewing in cauldron. The witch turned he head and stared at them. The witch’s gaze was piercing and time seemed to slow down while her eyes were fixed on theirs. Suddenly the witch looked away and went back to her cauldron. They snuck away from the hut, but suddenly… BANG (the pair were ensnared in the witches trap.)
“Jack where are we?”
“YUCK, it smells.” Exclaimed Jack. The pair were chained up with a heavy iron rope; they could move no more than a metre from the damp mouldy corner of what seemed to be a cellar. They could barely see. Suddenly the room illuminated when some barrels in the other corner caught fire and they saw the shadow of a lumbering creature. It appeared to have a pair of huge wings stretching out from its back.
It was a dragon. The witch’s pet approached Sammy and Jack and they saw its rows of pointy yellow teeth. Its cold dark eyes were glaring at them. They saw its jaw move up and they smelt its horrible breath. The teeth were millimetres away from slicing their heads when Sammy yelled STOP!!! The dragon backed away and seemed to do a bow. ”You just tamed a dragon.” Whispered Jack. And so at least for now the pair were safe.