The long walk
Chapter 11 - Dare me a griffin
A flash of red emerged from between the pillars. Twisting and turning its way towards the queen. It was the bird, the red finch. It did a spectacular twisting dive as it came closer. Then suddenly, it wasn’t a finch anymore, but a much larger bird. It’s feathers grew larger. Its wings swelled to enormous sizes. Its little legs became four very powerful ones, and its forelegs grew large, hooked claws. Its beak curved in a very eagle like way.
The bird was not a bird after all, but a griffin. It soared towards the queen, and she just barely jumped out of the way. But the queen’s eyes were not filled with terror, but with annoyance.
She came to her feet and put her back in a hem of her dress. The griffin stood in front of the girl, guarding her from the queen’s view. Meanwhile the girl lay there, her whole body shaking. It hurt so much. She tried to stand but fell the first time. After a few painful attempts, she managed to get on her feet.
She took ragged breaths as she breathed in the sweet air. The air filled her lungs. The griffin’s wings blocked her view of the queen. It pawed at the ground bravely. The girl looked around and saw the sword lying near a rock. She grabbed it and readied herself. Surely a griffin could defeat the queen. It was bigger and had much larger claws. And it could fly.
The queen stared at the griffin impatiently.
“Do you really have to make me do this?” she asked, annoyed.
Before the girl could think of what that meant, the queen started becoming bigger. Wings sprouted out of her back. Her eyes glowed green and her hands grew claws. A tail emerged from her backside as she grew bigger and bigger. What was left of her was no longer a person, but a dragon.
She roared in a triumphant fury, but the griffin maintained its stance. Then, she realised that while the queen was transforming, the metal crown had fallen out of her pocket. It gleamed on the floor as light hit it.
All she had to do was get it, open the box and then she could defeat her. The griffin seemed to get the same idea and moved near the piece. Blocking it from view of the dragon. The griffin kicked its feet back and the piece came to the girl’s feet. She immediately grabbed it and tried to look for a means of escape.
But the dragon was quicker and it roared humongous flames onto the pillared hallway. They ate through the pillars as the griffin dodged. The griffin picked the girl up and swooped out of the way. The dragon exhaled the flames once again, but the griffin was quick. The flames followed the griffin as it swerved around the hallway. Pillars burned and fire spread around the place. The flames were in hot pursuit of the griffin. It turned sharply up as the flames struggled to follow. They were high and ferocious. Not like any fireplace fire.
The girl looked down on this hellish landscape. If she were to fall things would end very quickly. The air was hot and she felt sweat trickling down her forehead. How much longer could the griffin keep flying? She didn’t want to die here. The flames licked her feet, sand she felt them burn.
The griffin tried to lead her to the spiral staircase, but the dragon was doing a pretty good job of guarding it. The griffin ducked and spiralled, then rose to a dizzying height. The dragon stretched its wings and followed in hot pursuit.
The griffin turned back forcing the dragon to crash into a wall. It shook its head and took a few moments to steady itself. This was the time the girl desperately needed. The griffin few straight towards the staircase, dropping her gently on the ground, before flying off.
Flames danced around her and she took a few deep breaths before running up the staircase. Where had the queen put the box? As she approached the corridor, she saw the box lying in the centre of the hallway.
It was just there. It felt too easy. Anyway, she wasn’t complaining. She rushed to the box and picked it up. As, she touched it a powerful electric shock ran up her. She fell back startled. Her hand hurt and her hair stood on end.
How was she going to get the box? Then she remembered, rubber doesn’t charge electricity. She ran to her room and picked up the rubber cleaning gloves. Never had she been so happy to see them.
Putting on the gloves she gently poked the box. Nothing happened! Triumphantly, she set the box on the windowsill and took out the metal crown. It snapped perfectly in place and some of the intricate designs started to whirl.
They were gears! They turned round and round until the box clicked. She opened it to reveal a bronze key. She excitedly picked it up and went to the locked door. Twisting the key into the keyhole she opened the door.
Inside the room, two skeletons lay hanged on opposite sides. Who were they? The smell of death filled the room, and the girl had to hold her nose. The room had not been opened for a long time by the looks of it. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. Cobwebs scattered the room’s corners.
On a little cushion between the skeletons lay a single pearl. It was round and beautiful. It was also covered in dust. She approached it. Nothing happened. She gently picked it up, bracing for something to happen. But nothing did.
If the queen had killed these people, why did she hang them up like that? What was special about them? Why did the queen not guard the pearl itself. Or maybe the queen hadn’t killed them. Maybe the queen couldn’t come here. Maybe the pearl guarded itself from the queen.
She fitted the pearl in a little crevice on her sword. The sword glowed golden and the blade glistened. This story was going to end here. She was going to defeat the queen.
A flash of red emerged from between the pillars. Twisting and turning its way towards the queen. It was the bird, the red finch. It did a spectacular twisting dive as it came closer. Then suddenly, it wasn’t a finch anymore, but a much larger bird. It’s feathers grew larger. Its wings swelled to enormous sizes. Its little legs became four very powerful ones, and its forelegs grew large, hooked claws. Its beak curved in a very eagle like way.
The bird was not a bird after all, but a griffin. It soared towards the queen, and she just barely jumped out of the way. But the queen’s eyes were not filled with terror, but with annoyance.
She came to her feet and put her back in a hem of her dress. The griffin stood in front of the girl, guarding her from the queen’s view. Meanwhile the girl lay there, her whole body shaking. It hurt so much. She tried to stand but fell the first time. After a few painful attempts, she managed to get on her feet.
She took ragged breaths as she breathed in the sweet air. The air filled her lungs. The griffin’s wings blocked her view of the queen. It pawed at the ground bravely. The girl looked around and saw the sword lying near a rock. She grabbed it and readied herself. Surely a griffin could defeat the queen. It was bigger and had much larger claws. And it could fly.
The queen stared at the griffin impatiently.
“Do you really have to make me do this?” she asked, annoyed.
Before the girl could think of what that meant, the queen started becoming bigger. Wings sprouted out of her back. Her eyes glowed green and her hands grew claws. A tail emerged from her backside as she grew bigger and bigger. What was left of her was no longer a person, but a dragon.
She roared in a triumphant fury, but the griffin maintained its stance. Then, she realised that while the queen was transforming, the metal crown had fallen out of her pocket. It gleamed on the floor as light hit it.
All she had to do was get it, open the box and then she could defeat her. The griffin seemed to get the same idea and moved near the piece. Blocking it from view of the dragon. The griffin kicked its feet back and the piece came to the girl’s feet. She immediately grabbed it and tried to look for a means of escape.
But the dragon was quicker and it roared humongous flames onto the pillared hallway. They ate through the pillars as the griffin dodged. The griffin picked the girl up and swooped out of the way. The dragon exhaled the flames once again, but the griffin was quick. The flames followed the griffin as it swerved around the hallway. Pillars burned and fire spread around the place. The flames were in hot pursuit of the griffin. It turned sharply up as the flames struggled to follow. They were high and ferocious. Not like any fireplace fire.
The girl looked down on this hellish landscape. If she were to fall things would end very quickly. The air was hot and she felt sweat trickling down her forehead. How much longer could the griffin keep flying? She didn’t want to die here. The flames licked her feet, sand she felt them burn.
The griffin tried to lead her to the spiral staircase, but the dragon was doing a pretty good job of guarding it. The griffin ducked and spiralled, then rose to a dizzying height. The dragon stretched its wings and followed in hot pursuit.
The griffin turned back forcing the dragon to crash into a wall. It shook its head and took a few moments to steady itself. This was the time the girl desperately needed. The griffin few straight towards the staircase, dropping her gently on the ground, before flying off.
Flames danced around her and she took a few deep breaths before running up the staircase. Where had the queen put the box? As she approached the corridor, she saw the box lying in the centre of the hallway.
It was just there. It felt too easy. Anyway, she wasn’t complaining. She rushed to the box and picked it up. As, she touched it a powerful electric shock ran up her. She fell back startled. Her hand hurt and her hair stood on end.
How was she going to get the box? Then she remembered, rubber doesn’t charge electricity. She ran to her room and picked up the rubber cleaning gloves. Never had she been so happy to see them.
Putting on the gloves she gently poked the box. Nothing happened! Triumphantly, she set the box on the windowsill and took out the metal crown. It snapped perfectly in place and some of the intricate designs started to whirl.
They were gears! They turned round and round until the box clicked. She opened it to reveal a bronze key. She excitedly picked it up and went to the locked door. Twisting the key into the keyhole she opened the door.
Inside the room, two skeletons lay hanged on opposite sides. Who were they? The smell of death filled the room, and the girl had to hold her nose. The room had not been opened for a long time by the looks of it. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. Cobwebs scattered the room’s corners.
On a little cushion between the skeletons lay a single pearl. It was round and beautiful. It was also covered in dust. She approached it. Nothing happened. She gently picked it up, bracing for something to happen. But nothing did.
If the queen had killed these people, why did she hang them up like that? What was special about them? Why did the queen not guard the pearl itself. Or maybe the queen hadn’t killed them. Maybe the queen couldn’t come here. Maybe the pearl guarded itself from the queen.
She fitted the pearl in a little crevice on her sword. The sword glowed golden and the blade glistened. This story was going to end here. She was going to defeat the queen.