Chapter 1
The boat skimmed across shiny, smooth pebbles. As the island grew nearer it’s beauty stunned me. The Island of Fear, a mystical island no one had ever returned from alive
When the emerald treetops finally loomed above my head fear had begun to trickle down my spine, causing worry and uneasiness to enter my mind. What was I doing, sailing out to an island where death plainly lived? I had a sudden urge to go back. No! Gripping all the courage I had, I neared a jagged cliff where I hoped a small calm cove could be hidden. As the scarlet, opaque birds sang their sad, wailing tune, I knew that I had no idea what was going to happen, and what I was going to go through. I was ready to turn the boat around when I remembered what I was meant to be doing.
I was not like anyone else, I might seem pretty normal but I wasn’t. I am an orphan, and I go to Dacabre school of fire. We learn about dragons, how to find them, and in some cases, kill them. We learn spells and chants, about dangerous dragons and harmless ones. The children at my school don’t really like dragons; they want to kill them, to see them in a cage. I don’t want that. Their lives are as important as ours; we should share our world, not rule over it. They all hate me, because I don’t think the same as them. And another reason. The one I’ve been trying to tell you. I can fly. Yes I am a freak, but it’s fun, soaring above the clouds, being with the birds and all the magnificent colours.
So, at school I am rejected, never spoken to. I feel an emptiness in my stomach, that I need a friend in the air, who understands my needs, and the first person I look for is my ancestor, the frost dragon.
I only fly when I can, sometimes I can’t do it, sometimes I can, I don’t even know how I do it, I just get a tingling feeling and the next moment I’m up there, soaring with the birds.
So now you now the secret, my
secret , Emma’s secret.
Chapter 2
When the little boat rounded the cliff the small cove was anything but calm, the merciless waves crashed against the side of the cove, and rolled out far off into the sea. When the waves hit the boat, my body started to tremble in fright, as the boat rocked this way and that. When at last the throbbing stopped I tried to catch my bearings, but I couldn’t - until then. Until it hit me. This was the home of the Asian Lung dragon.
The Asian Lung lived in a hidden underwater lair, and cleverly planned surprise attacks for its prey. Here I was I the middle of a death scene wishing I could be back in my warm cosy bed. Hopeless! I was going to die! Slowly, I steered the boat to the other side of the cove, words chasing themselves round my head, ‘dragons can sense fear’, ‘nearly there’, ‘where was the Asian Lung anyway?’- ‘Ahhhh!’
Then I saw her, the huge figure lying down at the edge of the cove. The massive, terrifying great head lolled over to one side. But the worst thing of all was the eye, a royal blue colour, but it was open – watching me.
Thinking on my feet, I blinked my eyes in the swift movement only a dragon can understand
“I mean you no harm”
I was expecting to be eaten on the spot but that obviously wasn’t her plan, for she answered
“Come to me”
Taking a deep breath I considered the consequences, I could always go back, but then all this would have been for nothing. Something in my heart was nagging me, trying to tell me something. I needed to go on, face my fears. I had never been very brave, Emma the scaredy–cat, Emma the cry- baby. But I needed to do this.
I steered the boat towards the Asian Lung, until the boat started to grind along the sand. I got out and as quietly as possible crept along the sand towards the Asian Lung. It seemed to be going quite well, until my foot stepped on a sharp rock, which made a sly crunching sound on the sand.
Immediately the Asian Lung got up, slowly shook herself free from her trance and growled menacingly. I found myself shaking from head to toe as she prowled towards me.
I racked my brains as to what to do. Then I remembered the music teacher’s words, after she taught us how to make spells and chants, the words echoed round my head,
“Only use these chants when you’re in fear of death”
I remembered the proud look on her face as I finished the last lines of my chant and I also remembered the snigger that rippled through the listening class. I took one look at the huge Asian Lung, and, defeating any pessimistic words, I started to recite my chant.
The first lines of my song shocked the Asian Lung, and she took a step backward in surprise, and stopped prowling towards me. When I looked at her after I had finished my sorrowful melodic tune, she was fast asleep on the golden sand, so I turned around and fled.
Chapter 3
My next predator was far more terrifying that the Asian Lung.
As I walked onto a grassy plain, I ate blueberries from a nearby bush and a sandwich from my rucksack. As my feet covered the soft earth on the next part of my journey, as I squelched through some marshy hillside, and as I came to a glistening, soothing, sparkling lake. As all this happened, I had no idea that I was being watched-and it was almost too late.
Suddenly, there was a flurry of wind and as I spun around I caught a glimpse of a murky green tail, and then it was gone. I don’t know what happened but the next thing was that he was attacking me- unsuccessfully. I ran ahead, loosening myself from his grip, only to find that a tingling feeling had started and the next minute I was up in the air!
I caught sight of my predator and my heart sank- the Ampithere, full of ferocity and personality, this time I was definitely going to die, no wonder no one had returned from this island alive.
I dodged a sharp flick of his tail and went head-over-heels as he hurled himself at me. He tore furiously upwards and dived head first on top of me, I sprang away, recovering quickly. This carried on for a few minutes, fighting, arguing together. I tried to speak to him in dragon language but he wouldn’t listen.
I started to tire and at the exact moment that my mind started to wander, he hurled himself at me, gripping onto my shoulders. Taken by surprise, I bit down into his furry tail, and we fell away, both in agony.
Only then did I realise that gravity was appearing and I was falling, tumbling closer and closer to the ground.
I fell, gaining speed as I went, falling into a mossy dent in a cliff, surrounded by a gooseberry bush. Luckily, the dent was well hidden and the moss cushioned my fall quite well. I had no idea how bad I was hurt, but my first instinct was to know where the Ampithere was. As I peeked out of a small gap in the hedge I got a shock. The Ampithere was only a few metres away, but luckily he hadn’t noticed me. It seemed that he was in a worse state that me, his tail was bleeding badly, so, tail drooping between his legs, he flew away, heading the way I had come
Chapter 4
I travelled on - through wind, almost blowing me off my feet, through sun, so hot it was like I was slowly being cooked in an oven. I stumbled through snow, heavily deepening with every step and I almost swam through rain nearly strangling me with such force. Everywhere I walked was different, either a sharp and rocky landscape, a grassy meadow or a dark wood, each had a different personality but never a welcome one.
I don’t know how I found him - whether it was by pure luck or chance, or that I was cleverly being drawn to him. Him…………., no, I wasn’t sure if it was a him or her this time. Oh, no it wasn’t a dragon. It was the skeleton of a human. I think it was a fellow traveller that had maybe famished miserably, I searched through his belongings and found nothing – except a folded piece of paper.
But before I could think another thought, I heard a sound that made my blood run cold. It was the sound of small baby Ampithere. I grabbed the piece of paper, and ran towards a small selection of trees grouped together. I hid behind a huge bolder in the centre, panting.
I couldn’t fight another Ampithere , I couldn’t. I was almost killed the last time, let alone badly injured. Then I had an idea - the folded piece of paper, maybe it had a spell or a chant on it! I couldn’t hide my disappointment when I opened it, it was just a squiggly picture with a few words on it- wait, no, when I looked more closely at the words I managed to identify the individual words: European, Wyvern, Tibetan, Asian Lung and Ampithere I think that this traveller wrote Ampithere when he was badly hurt.
Then in the corner I saw something that made a light flick on in my head- it was a compass sign- this was a map. I then spent a few minutes tracing my path, starting with the Asian Lung, and ending with the Ampithere. It was then that I realised that the frost dragon was no where to be seen on the map and the only empty space was a small cosy looking lair -with a question mark in it. And in my heart I knew it, that this was the home of the Frost Dragon.
I picked up my belongings, heading out of the small wood and onward. I then realised something that made my heart skip
a beat. I realised how close to that cosy looking lair on the map I actually was, and how, when I looked up, I could see, standing next to her crystallised icy lair, was the Frost Dragon.
Chapter 5
I steadily walked towards her, not wanting to scare the magnificent creature. Before I knew it she was coming towards me too, and I knew that it would not be hard to befriend her.
When we met, words tumbled out of my mouth without me giving any thought to what I was saying,
“Hello Sheila” I breathed, gazing at her marvellous scales and loving eyes in front of me,
“Hello Emma” she whispered and I had a sudden urge to fly up into the starry sky, lit by sparkling moonlight, with my new friend.
My wish came true and up there we were, flying, soaring up in the sky, and suddenly I felt like a part of me had been found, a part of me that would live forever in Sheila.
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Island of Fear
Por Liliana, 11 años
Londres, 2 de mayo de 2013
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