The Yellow Bird

 

            Beth let out a sigh of relief as soon as she was outside in the cool night air. She’d successfully made it outside without waking anyone up. Pulling her cloak tighter around her, she headed straight into the forest. Tonight was the night that she was going to prove everyone wrong.

            As soon as she reached the shelter of the trees, she threw back her hood and shook out her long, golden hair. “Hector, any sign of it yet?”

            The striped cat seemed to materialize next to her. “Not yet, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find, right?”

            Beth thought about the upper class’ failed attempt to find and catch the rare yellow bird. It should have been easy for them to just use their advanced magic, but they had been unsuccessful and returned empty-handed. Beth might not be in the upper class, but she was sure that she had more magic than all of them put together. The familiar hum in her veins announced that Hector had found something.

            Delighted by her quick success, Beth quickly darted closer to Hector. The cat’s eyes were riveted on the fluttering bird that moved through the trees, twenty yards away. “Good work, Hector,” she whispered as she quietly set down her supplies. It should have been easy to use her magic to bring the bird to her, but she didn’t know how to do that yet. If she tried, she’d probably light the woods on fire or something.

            No, she was going to do this the old-fashioned way. Pulling out the box that she had made earlier that day, she set it on the ground and then poured a neon-green liquid into it. Trying not to breathe in the horrid stench of the liquid goo, she set the spring that would close the box on the bird as soon as it was inside.

            Once the trap was set, Beth stood up with satisfaction. She might not be great at using her magic yet, but she was a true wizard when it came to making potions and concoctions. Her best friend, Katie, loved to tell the rest of the class about how rad Beth was at potion-making.

            A smile appeared on Beth’s face as she thought about Katie. Only Katie ever used old words like “rad.” She couldn’t wait to go back and show her friend what she’d done. She might not quite be a true wizard yet, but maybe she could be wiz’rad.’

            All Beth had to do now was wait for the bird to come in and trigger the trap. The special goo inside was designed to lure the magical bird. It was an incredibly difficult potion to make, but if it was done right, the bird would smell it from miles away and come to investigate.

            Hector wound himself around Beth’s legs as she waited. Scooping him up into her arms, she felt the purrs radiating from his chest. If Katie was her best friend, then Hector was her family. The two were magical partners for life.

            A fluttering of wings announced the approach of the bird. It headed straight for the box and dove inside. The lid snapped shut with a little click. “Gotcha!” Beth carefully put the wiggling box back into her backpack as Hector watched.

            “Well, that was easy. Now take me back where it’s warm.” Hector stretched and arched his back before he sprang up onto Beth’s shoulders.

            Beth chuckled as she rubbed Hector’s ears. “Yes, your majesty.” They started back the way they’d come, moving silently through the darkness, except for the rattling of the box in Beth’s backpack. They had nearly reached home when a great rustling sounded behind them and Beth whipped around to see what it was. Her eyes widened with fear and she ran pell-mell down the path.

            A huge swarm of yellow birds caught up to Beth easily. Hector darted away with a yowl, and Beth tried to protect her head from the birds’ sharp beaks. She soon found herself sprawled on the ground while her backpack was torn away. All she could see were yellow feathers as more than a hundred of the birds quickly tore the backpack apart. An unpleasant smell filled the air and she knew the birds had found the vial of the potion that Beth had used to lure and trap the bird earlier. In a matter of seconds, the potion was gone and the crowd of birds went to work on the box. They easily opened it and finished off the potion inside before the whole flock disappeared back into the forest.

            With her mouth hanging open, Beth could only stare as she realized that her plan had failed. “Looks like your potion was stronger than you thought,” Hector said as he padded back over to Beth’s side.

            A stern voice rang out from the open door behind Beth. “Young lady!”

            A feeling of dread settled over Beth as she stood up to face her teacher. Ms. Markham glared furiously back at her. She knew she was in trouble now. She didn’t even have the bird to justify why she had been outside at night. With slumped shoulders, Beth picked up the ruined remains of the box and her backpack, and she and Hector followed Ms. Markham inside.

            As they walked through the open doorway, Hector said loud enough for only Beth to hear, “I guess you won’t be wiz’rad’ today.”

Dragon Birding

 

            Ted clutched his binoculars as he waited breathlessly for another hoot of an owl. He had to make sure that he had really heard it the first time. Yes! There it was! He hurried over a small stream as he drew closer to the sound and searched the trees above him.

            Finally! Hours of stumbling around in the dark had paid off! A large, snowy owl was perched on a branch high above the ground. Looking through the binoculars, he made certain that it was indeed a snowy owl before logging it in his bird book. Maybe he could even capture a picture of it before it flew away.

            He carefully took his camera out of his backpack and searched for the owl through the lens. As soon as he snapped the picture, the great bird took off through the forest. What a beautiful bird!

            Glancing at his watch, he was startled to discover that it was almost midnight. Ted was familiar with these woods, so he wasn’t worried about getting lost, but he hadn’t expected it to take him so long to find the owl. Quickly packing up his backpack, he started back through the forest.

            He had just reached the trail that would take him back to his car, when he spotted an orange glow that seemed to be coming from the treetops to his right. Curious, he brought up his binoculars to see what it was.

            What he saw nearly took his breath away and made him wonder if he was even more tired than he thought. Was that… a lizard of some kind? Fiddling with the knob on his binoculars, he brought the creature into focus. It was like a dragon the size of a bird. It was perched calmly on a branch, just like the owl had been.

            As Ted watched, the creature opened up its orange wings and flew off into the night. Its scales were glowing and looked like a beacon, calling back to Ted.

            Forgetting how late it was, Ted immediately started after it. If this was real, he had to get a picture of it. No one would believe him when he said he had seen a dragon in the forest. Heedless of branches tearing at his clothes, he ran as fast as he could, trying to catch up to the orange light.

            The forest grew closer around him, and the glow grew fainter. He willed his legs to move faster as he forced himself past dense bushes. He realized he would have to give up when the glow completely disappeared. Bitter disappointment threatened to overtake him until he spotted a clearing just ahead.

            With one final effort, he exploded out of the bushes that were holding him captive. Breathing deeply, he looked up and saw… a dragon. This wasn’t the small bird-sized dragon that he had seen through his binoculars. This dragon was at least ten feet tall and staring right at him.

            Ted nearly collapsed when the dragon spoke. “Why are you following me?” There was anger in his voice and in his eyes.

            Ted gulped. “I-I-I thought you were…something else.”

            “What exactly did you think I was?” Menace filled the clearing as the dragon waited for Ted’s answer.

            Ted could feel the blood leave his face. “A f-f-flying lizard of some kind?”

            A low growl sounded deep within the dragon’s chest and turned into a scornful chuckle. “You see a glowing dragon, and you think I’m a lizard?”

            “Well, you were smaller back there!” Ted felt panicked. Had he upset the dragon? How was he going to get out of here?

            The dragon continued to chuckle and laugh, and the feeling of menace disappeared, replaced by the dragon’s good mood. Ted looked back behind him, wondering if he could safely escape while the dragon continued to laugh. His legs felt like lead, however, and he stayed where he was, unable to move.

            Finally, the dragon’s laughter subsided. The look he gave Ted was still full of merriment as he said, “My name is Keef, and you know what I am now, right?” Ted nodded mutely, unable to say anything else. Keef continued, “Well, what’s your name then?”

            Finding his voice again, Ted said softly, “Ted.”

            “Ted, consider yourself lucky. No one else has been able to see me in over 500 years. It looks like you have the gift of dragon sight.”

            “What’s that?” Ted asked curiously.

            “It means you and I are destined to work together, because you’ve been born with magic. It appears that I am meant to be your teacher.”

            There was so much in this statement that Ted didn’t even know how to respond. He just stared at Keef in disbelief.

            Keef didn’t seem to be bothered by this. He spread his great wings as he prepared for flight. “When you are ready to accept your destiny, come and find me.”

            “How?”

Keef drew closer and touched a great claw to Ted’s chest. Ted couldn’t move because he was frozen with fear. Thinking that he was about to suffer death by dragon, he didn’t notice what was actually happening to him. A warmth spread through his chest that radiated outward to the rest of his body. When Keef stepped back, Ted was amazed at how alive he felt. His entire life now felt as though he’d been asleep through it all.

            Keef’s eyes glowed red as he said, “At the start of your magical journey, I give you an awakening of your talents. When you are ready to continue on this road, use these talents to summon me, and I will come.”

            With those final words, the great orange dragon lifted himself up into the sky with his powerful wings. He headed off to the east where Ted could see that it was nearly sunrise. Had he been here all night?

            Exhausted, Ted stumbled his way back through the woods to his car. It didn’t seem to take nearly as long as it should have. He barely remembered driving home, or throwing himself on his bed. He had a lot on his mind as he decided what on earth he was going to do. His last thought before he fell asleep was, “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to learn magic from a dragon. I bet magic would help me find more birds.” With that thought, his mind was made up—he would go seek Keef again in the forest.

A Harrowing Ride

 

            Anna’s mind was on autopilot as she drove to the store. Mom wanted her to pick up a few things for dinner and Anna agreed. She had homework to do, but she needed a break and the store wasn’t far.

            It was as she came up to the stoplight that it happened. The grocery store was down the street to the right, but she couldn’t slow the car down to turn. Alarmed, she frantically pushed on the brake, but nothing happened. The steering wheel wasn’t responding either.

            Throwing herself onto the passenger seat, she grabbed her phone out of her purse. All of a sudden, the car swerved to the right, and she was pushed back into the driver’s seat. Looking around wildly, she realized that she had turned onto a different deserted street. Trying the steering wheel again, the car didn’t respond. Then, it turned left without slowing down. In shock, Anna realized that the car was driving itself.

            Finally reaching her phone, she couldn’t believe it when she saw that she didn’t have any service. How could this happen? She was on the best cell phone network, and she always had service. She tried to roll the windows down to shout for help, but they wouldn’t budge. As she racked her brain for anything else she could do, she realized that she had left the city and was now bumping along a dirt road. When had that happened?

            The road disappeared, and the car was swerving through a forest of trees. Anna held on for dear life, just praying that it would be over soon. She looked ahead, and her heart nearly stopped. The car was heading straight for a rock wall.

            Anna braced herself and shut her eyes, waiting for the crash. But it didn’t come. The car continued to hurtle along, and when she opened her eyes again, she was in some kind of tunnel. Had she gone through the rock wall? Glittering diamonds and gems winked at her as she sped past toward some unknown destination.

            It got brighter and brighter as the number of gems on either side of her increased. Something else changed, too. At last, she was slowing down as she left the confined tunnel and a huge cavern opened up in front of her. The car finally came to a stop at the edge of a vast, underground lake. While Anna sat, staring and terrified, the door opened on its own and she felt the seat tilt sideways as her seatbelt unbuckled.

            The next thing she knew, she was on the rocky ground outside the car. With her eyes as wide as saucers, she wasn’t sure if she should get up and run or not. The cavern was silent, but brightly lit by the priceless gems that glowed with some strange inner light. The lake water was still, but then it started to ripple.

            Small waves reached the shore where Anna sat as she watched something rise up out of the middle of the lake. Spires and turrets appeared first, bringing up a castle beneath them. It was immense, but it continued to get larger until it nearly filled the whole lake. Waterfalls rained down from roofs covered in moss and algae. A great gate stood facing the shore. There was the sound of wood scraping along stone, and the gate opened.

            Anna nearly cried with relief when she saw a figure walking toward her. She picked herself up and ran toward the boy with the smile she knew so well. “James!” She threw her arms around her best friend. “What happened? Where are we?”

            After returning Anna’s grateful hug, James pulled back and studied her with concern. “Are you all right? I know how terrifying the first trip here can be.”

            Anna launched into the story of her harrowing journey while James listened patiently. When she finished, she asked again, “What is this place?”

            James’s eyes twinkled with excitement as he said, “It’s a place of magic.”

            “What, you mean like Hogwarts, or something?” She looked curiously at James, waiting for a joke.

            James just shrugged. “If you want to think about it that way, sure. Only people with magic are brought here. Those who have true magic manifest it around the age of 16 or 17. They are then brought here to learn how to control it. For the next few years, you can expect to come here every day to hone your new skills.”

            Anna took this all in with wide eyes. “How long have you been coming here?”

            “Just a few months.”

            Anna was confused. “But, how? I see you at school every day. When do you have time?”

            His eyes continued to shine and sparkle. “You have all the time you need here to finish today’s lessons. When you go home, you’ll discover that no time at all has passed.”

            Anna’s brain felt like mush. “Are you serious?”

            James gave her his best smile as he put his arm around her. “Come on, I’ll show you around.” Together, they walked into the still dripping castle.

            That day marked the beginning of Anna’s education as a true magician.

Waterskiing

 

            Bree stared out at the water as she sat comfortably in the passenger seat of the boat. She loved the water, but this was a dangerous idea. She knew Mara wanted to do something to celebrate with their friends, but all Bree could think about was what she needed to keep secret.

            As Mara drove the boat out into the lake, Bree did her best to decline any offers from the other girls for her to water ski. “No, thanks,” was her standard answer every time one of them asked if she wanted a turn.

            “Oh, come on,” Tracy teased. “This is your bachelorette party—one last day out with just the girls.”

            Bree smiled. “I’ve never liked water skiing. It’s fun to just be out here on the boat with you guys.”

            Bree watched as her friends took turns water skiing. She longed to feel the water on her skin, but she couldn’t let that happen today. Mara was a great boat driver. She expertly turned the boat at the best moments for the skiers, but it caused a bumpy ride for anyone inside. Bree kept a firm grip on her seat as the boat attempted to spill her out into the water.

            At the end of each run, Bree would go help the skiers climb back into the boat. She was helping Tracy when it happened. One minute, Bree was pulling Tracy out of the water; the next, Tracy flashed a smirk, and Bree found herself pulled in.

            The first thing that Bree felt was relief. The water was where she truly belonged. The next feeling that came was panic. She couldn’t let her friends see her like this. While she was still submerged, she removed the scrunchie holding up her ponytail to allow her hair to float freely around her neck and face. She took a moment to make sure that her secret was covered before she allowed her head to bob back up.

            Seeing Tracy’s grinning face, she immediately sent a huge splash toward her friends. “I said I didn’t want to get in the water,” she teased playfully.

            “Oh, well, I guess you’re already wet.” Tracy’s eyes danced mischievously. “Are you ready to waterski now?”

            “No, thank you. I’m good. Hand me a towel, would you?” Bree’s wet hair draped around her neck as she pulled herself up to sit on the boat’s edge. Mara threw her a towel, and she wrapped it around herself like a hooded cloak. No one noticed the tell-tale sign that she might not be completely human. She vigorously rubbed her skin dry until the gills on her neck disappeared. Wow, that was a close one.

            Bree managed to stay out of the water for the rest of the day as she laughed and joked with her friends. The secret of who she truly was remained a secret—for now. No one knew that she was actually a creature of the water, living her life on the land.