The Floating Shrine

• Lexie Purse, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2021

CRACK!! The gem shattering. Dragons screaming. Shadow coming for us all. I woke up like a lightning bolt had hit me. I was sweating and panting. “It’s OK” I thought, “That won’t happen”
“Sky,” Shouted my brother Leaf, “Get up lazy bones!” Sky was my name and I was a light blue dragon. I lived in the dragon world called Maysun. My siblings and I were very special. We were the keepers of the gem that our great, great, great, great grandmother had created. The sparkling blue gem kept the land, the dragons alive and kept Shadow away. Shadow was our good cousin until he turned against us. There was a war against him and his minions. We emerged victorious and called the war ‘The Battle of the Evergreen’. I shook all thoughts of him and the war away as I walked outside with the gem.

It was a beautiful day, birds chirping, plants gleaming green. Then I saw it. A dead patch in the earth spreading higher up to us every second.
“NOOOO!!” My siblings and I cried out. I looked down and to gem in my talons. It’s light was faltering. I swung my eyes back to the dead patch and then the gems weight disappeared in my talons. There was Shadow holding the gem.
“Give it back Shadow, Please,” I pleaded like my whole life depended on it… well actually it did. But then he dropped it. SHATTER. Plants were dying and Shadows army came in. We all ran and made it out but this world was gone.

50yrs later…
“Shadow must have hidden the gem pieces,” I muttered to myself while studying the map of Maysun. Then it hid me like a punch in the stomach. No not the map where it was. Where Shadow used to take me when I was small. It was a temple called The Floating Shrine. I flew there as fast as my wings would take me.

I finally got to the temple. I stepped on a tile and rolled out of the way as a net dropped down from the ceiling. “OHHH it’s booby-trapped,” I realised with a jolt. After I finally got past all the traps (a few near misses) I walked to the middle of the temple. And there it was. Well there were all the pieces at least. There’s only one thing to do. I picked up the gem pieces. 5mins later… well duck tape didn’t work now for magic. I concentrated with all my powers and…when I opened my eyes IT WAS BACK TOGETHER!! I was tired though fuelled by my happiness I flew out with the gem and green spread up the land like the sea going up the shore. My siblings flew out and tackled my to the ground shouting I was the best. “Shadow won’t be back for a long time,” I thought satisfied. Maybe every thing will be all right after all.