The Snow Dragon

Chapter 1

Crunch! Crunch! I trudge through the cold, icy snow in the mountain forest. “It sure is cold…” I say. “Good thing I’m wearing my snow boots!” After a gust of wind flows along my face, I say, “I didn’t bring any face protection! Oh, wait, the mask’s in my backpack.”

You see, today, I’m hiking in the mountain forest not as Carla! Today, I’m Carla Adventures, adventurer and heroine! (Insert applauding noises!)

Okay, so I fibbed about my last name being Adventures. But wouldn’t it be SO COOL if it was?! And highly suitable. Seriously. Having my last name as Johnson is NOT adequate.

I walk further and…oof! I bump into a furry creature. I look up and see a frosty dragon with magical wings and snow and ice breath! Awww! It looks soooo adorbs! “Hi big, furry giant!” I shout. It replies with a delightful, “Meow!” Huh? Snow dragons go, “Meow!” Didn’t see that coming.

Wow! I see the snow dragon forming a snowman with his/her/its breath! The snowman has a top hat and a carrot as well! Aw! The dragon then adds 3 cute buttons! “That’s adorable!” I exclaim. “You have such magical skills!” The dragon grunts with a feminine voice. I guess it’s a “she”.

“Hey, I’ll come back tomorrow! K?” I tell the dragon. The snowy creature nods, and I race back home, despite the coldness and frostbite on my fingers.

Chapter 2

I get back home and open the door. Mom welcomes me in, asking me about my hike. “It was a blast! Except for getting frostbite!” I reply. Mom giggles, runs into the kitchen, pours some hot cocoa with marshmallows into a mug, and hands it to me. “Here you go!” “Thanks a million!” I say, sipping the cocoa.

Mom disappears into the kitchen again hearing, “Hey! You give that back!” Ha, it’s my two younger siblings, Ivy and Alex! I walk into the kitchen and see Ivy and Alex fighting over a toy car! Mom snatches the car. “No more fighting!” she exclaims, handing the car back to Alex. “Fiiine!” Ivy whines. Ivy and Alex go into the living room, and I follow them, finishing my hot cocoa.

I look at them for a moment, and then I go back into the kitchen, washing the mug and putting it in the dishwasher. I run into my room and read my book. Mom serves dinner in a few hours, and that’s when Dad comes home. My siblings and I hug him. We eat our salads and drink our glasses of water. I go into the bathroom first so I can get ready before my brother and sister. I brush my teeth, wash my face, put on my PJ’s, and climb to the top bed on the bunk bed stack. Ivy gets ready for bed and sleeps on the lower bed of the bunk bed stack. Alex goes into his room, gets ready, and goes to sleep.

Chapter 3

Yawn! I wake up immediately, stretching. I rush downstairs to eat breakfast. Mom is serving pancakes! Mmm! Soon, Ivy and Alex come downstairs and eat their pancakes with syrup. I finish first, then Ivy, and then Alex. We brush our teeth, bathe, get dressed, and go outside. I tell Ivy and Alex, “Follow me! I wanna show you something!” Ivy says, “Nuh-uh! I’m not following you because you’ll probably leave me stranded in the woods, like last time!” Oh yeah, the “incident”.

“Can’t you forget about that one measly mistake-” I say.

“That wasn’t a mistake! That was on purpose!”

“No!”

“Yes, it was!!!”

“Ladies, please, just calm down-” Alex breaks in.

“Shut up, Alex!” Ivy and I shout at him.

“Look, I promise you, Ivy! I won’t leave you stranded in the woods!” I say. “Pinkie promises infinity times 2!!!!” “You can’t multiply infinity! It’s already infinity!!” Alex shakes his head. “What do they teach you in school?” “You go to school too! It’s not like you’re homeschooled!” Ivy replies, crossing her arms. “Okay!!! JUST follow me!!!” I answer.

My siblings finally hush and follow me into the mountain forest. I hold on to my siblings. I know they’re not scared. I’m just doing this for fun! “Oh YEAH!!!! Like I’m sCaReD!!! MoMmYyYy, hOlD mEeE!!!” Ivy mocks. Alex giggles, and I let them go. “Here we are!” I shout.

Ivy and Alex stand there for a moment. Then they burst into laughter. “Oh my gosh, Carla, did you make an imaginary friend?? Hi, what’s YOUR name?? I’m Ivy, Carla’s sister! Can…you….speaaak….myyy…laaanguaaage?” Ivy says slowly. I whistle, and the snow dragon appears!

“What the-” Alex stares at the dragon with disbelief. “This has GOT to be a joke!” Ivy exclaims. “You said it, sister!!” Alex replies. “Meet…my snow dragon! I have a name for her! Her name is….” Oh no. I have not thought of a name yet. I say whatever comes to my mind. “Her name is Snowy!” “Huh, what a great name!” Ivy says. “It suits her very well! She is white as snow and can camouflage into her environment,” Alex adds.

Ivy and I look at each other. “Nerd,” we whisper and giggle. “Hey! That is just called knowledge!!!” Alex answers in defense. “Alright, so that’s what I wanted to show you!” I say. “Carla!!! WHY DIDN’T YOU SHOW US THIS YESTERDAY??” Ivy and Alex shout. “Shh!! You’ll startle her!” I say.

Suddenly, an idea pops into mind. “Snowy, can you become invisible?” I ask. “Whatcha thinking?” Ivy asks. I don’t respond spontaneously. Ivy forces me to tell her what I’m thinking by bribing me with a Hershey bar and 30 bucks. You gotta admit, she makes the puppy eyes work.

“What I’m thinking is,” I say. “Maybe we can bring Snowy into town!” “Won’t people become a bit suspicious if we carry around a floating leash? They’ll know something’s up.” Alex points out. “True, true,” I agree. “Oh! Maybe we can bring her to the scary woods!” Ivy suggests. “You know, the one where you left me stranded. In the cold, bitter darkness-” “It was nighttime!!!” I reply fiercely. “You know, nevermind! Snowy, can you turn invisible?” Snowy gives a nod. “Awesome!!!” Ivy exclaims excitedly. “Yes, this moment is very special and exciting for everyone for some reason,” Alex mutters.

Suddenly, Snowy is gone. “Uh oh! We lost Snowy!” Ivy whimpers. “If we DID lose Snowy, and if it’s YOUR fault, I’ll KILL you!!” I yell. I don’t hear any meow or noise from Snowy. I run towards Ivy, but Alex surprisingly holds me back, pushing me away from my sister. “No! Snowy is right here!” Alex says, pointing to a collar and leash. “Alright, let’s ride on Snowy!” I direct. “Everyone, climb up on her legs, one by one, single file!”

“Talk about bossy,” Ivy murmurs. “She’s bossier than my fourth grade math teacher, and Mrs. Wilson always told us what to do.” “It’s not called being bossy! It’s called being responsible!” I point out. Ivy, however, acts like she didn’t hear what I said. Alex doesn’t act. He didn’t even hear what I said. He’s like that. Ugh. Little brothers always block you out. Well, not always. But most of the time.

I then climb on once Alex and Ivy are on Snowy. “Go to Windwaker Woods!” I order Snowy gently, and she flies out of the mountain forest, going up toward the sky.

Chapter 4

Woohoo!!! This is amazing!!! It’s like you’re a bird who’s flapping its wings for the first time! “Wheeeeeeee!!!” Ivy screams with delight. “Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!!” Alex repeats. I attempt to grasp a cloud, but my hand just passes through the cloud. “Clouds are nothing but water droplets and air! You can’t grab them like in the movies!” Alex laughs. “Aw, man!” I say.

I look at a large rainbow. “Ooh, look at that pretty rainbow!” I try to sing “Over the Rainbow”, but Ivy cuts me off just when I start the song. “Nope! Nuh-uh!” she says. “No singing on this dragon ride! I want to enjoy this ride, not die of disgust!” “If you would’ve heard me…” I roll my eyes. “I’m not as bad as you think I am!” “Please, sister! Give Carla a chance!” Alex agrees.

“Thank you, Alex!! I’m buying you that awesome math video game you ask for every year on Christmas!” I say, patting Alex on the back. “Anyways, let me continue! And hear me, Ivy! Don’t you block your ears! I promise, I’ll sound good!” “What if you sing beautifully?” Ivy asks. “You have to give me 100 dollars and an Oreo!” I reply happily.

“Uh, okay! What if you lose and don’t sing beautifully?! What if you sound like a screeching bird with an injury?” Ivy asks. “Then…I’ll give you 30 dollars, a 2 dollar bill, and 2 Oreos!” I answer. “Deal!” Ivy shakes my hand. “Alright! Three, two, one, GO!!!”

I start singing the song. My voice sounds angelic, and it ebbs and flows. I conclude the song, and Ivy is already near to tears. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry for doubting you! Uhhh, so now I don’t have to give any money or anything or-” “Oh no, I’m taking the money and treats!” I say, grabbing the 100 dollars and Oreo.

Snowy suddenly lands in the woods with a big THUMP!!! Well, here we are: the spooky woods.

Chapter 5

Alex whimpers. “Why did we have to go here?” he asks, holding Snowy’s leash. I hear a noise. Crack!

What was that? “Huh?” I ask. Snowy’s status is now visible. That could mean she could become killed by anything! Three hunters jump out of their hiding spots. One hunter grabs Alex, another grabs Ivy, and the biggest one holds me. “Hey, we finally got our hands on that dragon!” the biggest one says. The three men cheer.

“Why are you here? Are you here to take Snowy away?” I ask. “Of course, now don’t worry about your ‘Snowy!’ She’ll be fine!” the biggest one replies. “In the cell,” he quietly says. The men throw us down onto the ground. “Ouch!!! That hurt!” Alex says. One ties Alex and Ivy to a tree, while another ties me to a tree. The biggest one, who I guess is the leader, holds Snowy’s leash firmly. We see a helicopter, and it soon lands on the ground. A woman comes out, asking, “Do you have the animal? The one we’ve been looking for for two years?”

“Yes,” the biggest one replies. Okay, so the woman is the leader! “Let Snowy go!” I shout. “Now, now, child, we need her for termination! She is dangerous to this world if we leave her in the hands of an irresponsible child! Or children!” the woman answers. The biggest one and the other men drag Snowy into the helicopter. “Noo!!” I screech.

“And, my friend should be coming in three…two…one…now!!!” Alex says. Suddenly, a girl appears. She has freckles and a cute face. “Hey Layla!” Alex greets. “Hey, Alex! I brought my knife, just like you asked!” Layla says. “Alex, what is all this?” I ask.

“Well, it all started when you showed me the dragon. I knew I had seen the dragon in a flyer somewhere! And that’s when it occurred to me that Snowy was trying to be found. She was captured once, but she escaped! She deserves to roam freely in the wild, however. Not belonging to someone! It said in the flyer that her home was possibly in the mountain forest,” Alex explains. “I knew that they would come after us. After all, who doesn’t want a snow dragon?? Anyways, I told Layla to come here at about 7:45, and that’s the time right now!”

Layla uses her knife to cut the rope open. “Thanks!” I say. Ivy and Alex also thank her. “No prob! When you have a feisty mother, you can learn from her!” “Okay, so I also remember that their station is near this spooky wood!” Alex says. He directs us to follow him, and we do.

We finally see a huge building with 3 stories! The bad news? There are two guards guarding the door. “Alright, so let’s sneak up-” I say, but then Layla cartwheels and kicks the two guards. “Well, that was unexpected,” Ivy comments. “Come on, let’s go!” We walk into the building. I’m surprised they don’t lock their doors for extra security.

There’s a map of the whole building. I examine it quickly, and then I realize we have to go upstairs to rescue Snowy! “Come on, guys. We have to go upstairs to find Snowy’s cage!” I say. We rush upstairs quietly and look at several cages with animals inside of them. I see keys on a hook on the wall. I do a cartwheel and reach the keys, grabbing them. Then I walk back to the others. “Here are the keys! There are names for each animal on the key and on the signs on the cages, so make sure you match the names! And hurry!!” I order. Everyone immediately goes to work. I get Snowy and Lava’s keys, Layla gets to be on guard, Ivy gets Per and Stevie’s keys, and Alex receives Tom, Tam, and Tim’s keys.

We all unlock the animals from their cages, and nothing has happened. Yet. However, I then hear a buzzing sound. “Oh no!” I say. The animals have been released, so the technology around this building must have sensed our presence and the creatures’ escape! “Guys, run! Animals, run! EVERYONE, RUN!!!” I shout. But no need for that. Snowy bursts through the ceiling, forming a hole that’s big enough for everyone to fly or climb out through!

First, the humans, which are my siblings, Alex’s friend, and me. Then the monsters help each other out. Aww, even though they’re wild, they’re also moral! At least, I think? Layla, my siblings, and I climb onto Snowy’s back, and she brings us to our houses while being invisible. First, we stop at Layla’s house. “Bye, Layla!” we shout. “Bye!!!” Layla waves and disappears into her house.

Next stop is our house! Snowy lands in front of our house. I pat Snowy on the nose. “It was a pleasure to have an adventure with you, Snowy!” I say. I hug her, and so does everyone else. “Bye, Snowy!!! We love you!!!” we all exclaim. At least, from what I can feel, I know that Snowy’s not gone. She’s still here, in the heart. On the inside, where it truly matters.

Written by Kruti Patel