My Dragon - - By: Danna Gilbertson, 10th Grade

In history, there were people who tamed and rode dragons. People who would swoop in and save the innocent from evil. They were real heroes and ever since my father read me stories about them, I’ve wanted to be one too. Sometimes, when I was little, my dad would pretend to be a wild dragon and I would tame him, climb on his back, and soar through the sky with him. My dad was my best friend and always believed in me. He would always say to me, “Someday Lily, you’re going to find your own dragon and be one of the best Dragon Riders ever.”
A year ago, my father was arrested by the new king that took the throne. He’s a horrible leader that everyone says has a brain the size of a walnut. He’s been taking innocent people and locking them up in the dungeons for reasons only a mad man would understand. Forester, the new king’s father, knew how to run a kingdom and everyone felt safe and protected. Now all that is changed. People are afraid to leave their homes in fright that a military guard will be waiting out that door to take them away. Who could blame them? Once someone is taken they aren’t seen ever again and that’s something to be afraid of.
All this is ridiculous to me though. People shouldn’t be greeted with fear when they wake up in the morning, but comfort, and peace. I want to bring that feeling back to the kingdom. No one else is going to try so I figured that this was my chance to be a hero. It was time for me to embark into the forest and find my dragon. However, my mother doubts me and my dreams. “You’re just another normal girl in a normal kingdom.” She would say. I understand that she’s scared. Scared that her little girl whose hair she used to braid everyday is going to leave and never come back. I’ll come back, I ensured her. She still doesn’t have confidence in me. She even claims that the Dragon Riders never even existed and that my dreams would only get crushed when I can never find a dragon and then I wouldn’t be able to save the world. I don’t listen to her of course. Even when she isn’t talking about dragons, I’m always in the fantasy of my mind where dragons were everywhere and all I needed was to pick one and then everything would be okay.
Tonight, I talk to my dad as if he’s right here in the room with me. I tell him about my day and new things that mother has said to me about Dragon Riders. I tell him that I miss him terribly and want him home. Before shutting my eyes to dream, I tell him, “Don’t worry dad. I’m going to find my dragon and then everything will be better. I promise. I’ll set you free.”
The next morning I’m caught with laundry duty. I hate doing the laundry and would rather sleep with pigs. If only someone would invent some sort of washing machine so that I don’t have to get my hands all pruny. And then maybe even some sort of drying machine so that the whole process doesn’t take so long. If only it were possible. I sigh and plunge my hands into the soapy water. Thank god the load isn’t so big today. Laundry should only take an hour at the most. After everything is washed, I carry the bin of wet clothes outside to hang them up to dry in the sun. While doing so, three houses down, military guards were taking old Mr. Farris to the dungeons. This is the last straw. Mr. Farris is the nicest man in the whole kingdom. Now the king was jailing people for sport instead of justice. It is now time to find my dragon. It can’t wait any longer.
Late into the night when I was sure my mother was deep in sleep, I was preparing for my quest. Into a small sack I put some food and my father’s book on Dragon Riders. Careful not to make a sound I left out my front door, leaving a note for my mother behind me. By only the light of the moon I snuck out the kingdom gates by slipping my skinny body through the bars. Right now, I was glad I was as thin as a stick. Worried that I would be noticed, my walk turns into a jog and then into a run, finally skidding to a stop at the edge of Druadan Forest. It seems a lot scarier at night then it does during the day. I take a nervous swallow and step by step make my way into the creature infested wood. As I trek farter in the light of the moon begins to disappear with the densing of the trees. To make matters worse I started to hear things. The sound of fury bodies running through the bushes. The calls of wild animals being carried by the wind.