Half spun tales

Chatterbox: Pudding's Place

Half spun tales

Half spun tales and spoiler sentences~

Post your halfway formed short (or long!) stories, unfinished poetry, and single sentences or paragraphs taken out of finished (or unfinished) stories! I recently typed out a short conversation between characters in one of my stories that will most likely appear much later in the book, and it looked really cool to me, like a little spoiler you'd find on the back of a book. I'll post it when this goes up! As well as other things :) 

I'd love to see what you all have too!

submitted by Hawkstar, age Explosion , Always fly, Neverland
(January 23, 2025 - 12:50 pm)

Here's the beginning of a story I never finished:

My heart pounded as I watched thick tendrils of dark smoke fill the village in the valley. I heard panicking voices and screams of distress as I stood there, frozen, unable to move nor do anything about it. One thought throbbed in my head: I did this. 

Ever since I manifested my magical ability, I knew that only trouble and wrath would come out of me. While other children received gifts of healing, growth, and elemental control, including my sister, Avalyn, who could bring forth life from her bare fingers, I received a gift of destruction. A curse. It was like an uncontrollable beast within me, causing disasters which started small from flowers dying to raging storms taking over the whole land. What I did just now was just another thing to add to my list of destruction.

I continued to stare as the smoke receded, leaving a decimated village as if a tornado had crashed through. People were beginning to come out, and I knew I needed to escape—before they realized it was me, the cursed one, who did this to their precious homes.

I ran, escaping to the forest nearby, panting as I caught my breath. Tears stung the corner of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall—how could I deserve to cry if I was the one who caused the disaster? If I was the villain? But still, I could not keep them from falling, as I thought about the simplest mistake I made, the slightest wrong gesture, and calamities would rain down upon whomever or whatever I happened to point to at that time. Thus, I was always on the run, unable to settle anywhere for long before tragedies were brought upon those around me. The ruination of my family, the reason why I was alone in the first place—that was all my fault. 

I remembered the times when Avalyn had saved many more accidents from happening with her gift of life. But after the king had recognized her talent, she was off living the best life she could ever hope for—without the burden of a cursed sibling weighing her down.

After some time, I went over to a distant town, because although I knew I should avoid anything that could be subject to my destruction, I yearned to know how Avalyn was faring. She was certainly doing better than I was, right? She was probably saving lives at this very moment.

Carefully hiding myself beneath a cloak and especially my hands to keep from any more misfortunes, I walked through town, eavesdropping on conversations amidst the lively bustle of a waking town, the complete opposite of the village I had just decimated.

“Didja hear about the new musicians comin’ to town-?”

“That old inn’s ‘bout to close any day now…”

“There goes that angel again, saving lives in the city over ‘yonder.”

I whipped my head around to face the source of the voice, a man with a mustache chatting with another with pale blue eyes, holding a freshly printed newspaper. The “angel” was what many people referred to Avalyn as, which seemed accurate, being the complete opposite of me. I lingered nearby to pick up more lines of their conversation.

“Indeed, Vlan, she is quite the heroine. You know, I have been informed that the king is sending her to Pyrithe.” I could tell from his clipped and superior voice that the man with the blue eyes was from the capital, someone who easily gained valuable information about whatever was happening currently related to Avalyn and the kingdom as a whole.

“Pyrithe!?” Vlan exclaimed, sounding shocked. “Now tell me, Kenek, why’d the king send his most beloved and gifted sorceress to someplace as dangerous as Pyrithe!?”

“I am certain you have heard about the withered state of that land, how it is filled with foul beasts with pure evil intent,” Kenek said. “And so far, no magic user has been able to lift the curse of that land, to let plants and life flourish upon its barren grounds. But Avalyn may be powerful enough to do so.”

“Might as well take the chance while ya have it,” Vlan mused. “I pity the angel, though. She coulda gone on doin’ so much more, but if she’s assigned to Pyrithe…it’s well-nigh impossible for her to make it out alive.”

“That unfortunately, seems to be the case,” Kenek replied. “The king, however, has many more spares to replace her, if it does go awry, as it appears it will. We can only hope for the best.”

My eyes widened as I listened to these words. I had always told myself to stay away from Avalyn—it was best for her and her own safety—but hearing this, I knew I had to do something. I could never forgive myself if Avalyn…

Unable to bring myself to think those words, I decided I would go over to Pyrithe and somehow save her. Although I knew this plan would likely lead to failure, I had to at least try. Using a map I found left on an abandoned crate, I made my way to Pyrithe, traveling by foot, and what kept me from collapsing in exhaustion was the sheer determination to try to save Avalyn. 

I stopped, wiped out as I stared into the edge of a dark forest—Pyrithe, the land of beasts and doom. It was said to once be a prosperous and fertile land, but a curse upon it caused everything to wither away, and it would remain that way until the curse was lifted. 

I took a deep breath, and I entered Pyrithe. Immediately, I felt like shadows consumed my surroundings, and an eerie silence hung in the air. I continued walking deeper and deeper, until I suddenly heard a roar. I turned around, face to face with a giant beast with coarse black fur and ram-like horns. I backed off slowly, before darting away into the forest once I was out of the beast’s view. 

I felt more worried than ever about Avalyn. She had a gift for life, but no means of defeating any Pyrithian beasts.  

submitted by Moon Wolf, age lunars, A Celestial Sky
(January 23, 2025 - 8:08 pm)
submitted by topsicle
(January 23, 2025 - 9:28 pm)

This is what I’m fighting for.  The only thing that kept her alive. That kept her going. That pushed air into her slowly closing lungs. That made her body keep climbing. That kept her essence, that claimed her soul. Kahara’s feet were sore and muddy and bare. Her hands were scraped and bleeding. Her legs were bruised, battered beyond repair from the sharpest rocks, rocks that's points were more like jagged daggers, sharpened to a deadly tapered point. . She tugged herself up the rocks. She was restless. She couldn’t rest. She would fall. She was never going to let go.

 Never.

  She weakley licked her dry lips, hoping for just small drops of perspiration, and if she was really lucky, water. But Kahara never was lucky. The higher you go, the worse the fall. She was focused, zoned in on only the bland rocks, those slabs of gray that were somehow  her nightmare.. Her ears were numb to hearing her heart hammering on her rib cage. Her feet were oblivious to the scratches that scarred and burned her. Kahara’s mind was only the slightest echo of importance. All her eyes could see were shades of gray. For days now,-or was it weeks?- she could hear a gushing, rushing, waterfall on the other side of rocks, these rocks that only went up, never seemed to stop, and would never, ever, go down, no matter how hard you-or anyone else- tried. The lush rushing and flowing of water had tempted her, reminding her slightly of life, manipulating and toying with her mind for hours, digging in her mind, her mind that thought of nothing, that wasn’t important, but she knew, in her heart she craved water more than anything. Needed it. 

At night, Kahara was the strongest, where her limbs would relax slightly, helping her remember a little bit about home, about water, about a little girl with black hair flowing like glossy ravens in flight, a mini image of Kahara herself, anything in fact, that would keep her, well…herself, the person even she didn’t know. 

But she was also the most vulnerable, with the dark encasing around her.

 She gritted her teeth weakly, as the horizon glinted with an edge of brilliant scarlet light wickedly, threatening only  mere minutes of dark.  And then she somehow managed to see it: a single ruby pomegranate hanging on a branch near her, its ruby coat glinting a soft vermilion from the now ever-present glare of the sun. This surprised her. She had sensed nor seen nothing but rocks for days. And even now, the rocks were damp and slippery from the waterfall. She was alive from licking the stale water and holding on, because no matter how strong you are, even if you were Kahara, the fighter, the climber, the survivor, there will always be fate. 

So she almost missed it.

 The sun was beating on her, whipping light brutally on her burned arms, and seeing the pomegranate, well, how could she resist. Kahara was so delirious from lack of food and proper water, and just from trying to keep her mind. She didn’t even wonder how it got there. She carefully climbed down, reaching out…. And then somehow, her numb, tired feet slipped out from under her, and she fell, plummeting

  Down, 

    Down,

        Down.


submitted by KatanaLuna
(January 24, 2025 - 8:20 am)

Here's a little something. And I liked your stories, @Moon Wolf and KatanaLuna! They were really intriguing 

The girl coughed weakly. “I’m… Oheni.” she said slowly.

“O-N-E?” Daniel asked, confused. “As in the number one?”

A ghost of a smile flickered across the girl’s face. “No. But in a way, yes. Just spell out the number one fast, and it sounds like my name.”

“O-N-E,” Daniel tried. “Oheni.”

“I guess your parents think you’re number one,” Belle joked.

A look of sadness crossed Oheni’s face. “I wouldn’t know. They’re dead.”

submitted by Hawkstar
(January 26, 2025 - 7:06 pm)

In her dreams, Ansa is running from the sky.

submitted by Ellesmere
(January 27, 2025 - 4:27 pm)

This was inspired by a little stuffie of mine exploring the kitchen. 

 

An intrepid explorer sets off into the great unknown. Some call it the Land Beyond, though she never knew it by that name. The little one walks, dust staining her weary paws. She climbs, the smooth white ledges almost insurmountable obstacles to her, higher and higher, until the off-white sky rises to meet her at the top. She watches, pondering. The sun sets over the plum tree, bathing the field in a smooth gold light, and still she watches. Tired, she lies down, asleep almost as soon as her head hits the ground, and rests. The day dawns, bringing with it a new purpose. She walks into the sunrise, the pink and orange light framing her tiny silhouette as the journey begins anew.

submitted by Sempreverde
(January 30, 2025 - 10:10 pm)
 A man with unruly brown curls strolled aimlessly down the dark downtown streets, pausing only to look in dim store windows prepared for the Christmas season ahead. He finally entered a bookstore, his favorite of all the surrounding area.

The shopkeeper with a graying beard and a slight stoop was setting books on a shelf. He stopped and looked up from his task to greet the man. He smiled.

"Hello," the shopkeeper said in his thick Irish accent, "What're you lookin' for today, friend?"

The man shrugged and trudged in with his farm boots.

"How about a cup of cocoa, hmm?" The Irish shopkeeper said, heading towards the back of the store.

The curly-haired man took a seat in one of the red armchairs beside a bookcase. He sighed and looked around at the familiar interior. He rubbed his tired face, taking a long-awaited, calming breath. When the Irishman stepped in with a metal tray of two steaming mugs, he spoke.

"He's dead, Doyle." The man lowered his head. "My dad's dead."

Doyle set the tray carefully on the table between the two armchairs.

"I know." He said quietly, handing his friend a mug, then sitting adjacent to him.

The man absent-mindedly took the it and warmed his chilled hands around it. He smiled ruefully.

"That last thing he told me was not to forget who I was, that I would always be someone important." The man stared into the hot chocolate. Then he looked up at the shopkeeper. "Who am I?" he asked urgently. Doyle sighed and took a slow sip of the hot drink.

"Well," he said finally. "You're your da's son. Why," he took another sip. "You're Timothy Wild! One of the best vets around this town." Timothy nodded and took a drink out of his mug.

"I know that." He sniffed and looked around the room again. Then he whispered, "But who was I to him?"  

submitted by Nyxie, writing
(February 6, 2025 - 2:02 pm)

I meant to say that this is such a good idea! I'm going to be using this thread so much lol

--

(the Irish is in italics)

 

I don't remember much of my young childhood. Mostly the wandering, the longing for sight, the Irish lullabies, my mother holding me, and the faraway, spicy smell of Easter Lilies. She always had those flowers near her, a symbol of comfort for her, I suppose. The last memory I have of her begins the rest of my story.

~~~

She had me on her hip, hugging me close; everything was bustling with urgency. I think it was a market, because I remember the smells of fish, animals and earthy vegetables. And the flowers. Several I knew and more I couldn't place. I could pick apart the different smells because of my blindness. Then she set me down on some sort of wooden box, hugged my neck, and said to me, "I'll see you soon, Tallulah."

Then she was gone. Disappeared, missing. I was only three or four when it happened. Then I was waiting for her by the flowers. The same Easter lilies she always had were close to me. I had asked for her, called for her. "Ma?" Suddenly I felt strong hands on my arms. A rich voice hit my ears.

"Are you lost, lassie?" I felt for the speaker's face. It was a man, but his chin was clean-shaven and I could feel him smiling at my curiosity. He didn't pull away, which was unusual for a stranger. I felt for his hair. Smooth, short locks brushed my fingertips. He grabbed my hands, and repeated the question. I shook my head.

"Not lost, just looking."

submitted by Nyxie, age pencil, still writing!
(February 7, 2025 - 7:21 pm)

This is my book,but I just don't know whether it needs more chapters

Kitty
and the
Mysterious
Shadow

Written by Violet S.
Table of Contents

Preface
Characters
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter one
Chapter two
Chapter three
Chapter four
Chapter five
Chapter six
Epilogue
Take a Sneak Peek at our next book!
acknowledgement
About the Author
The other books on the go!

Characters:
Kitty: Kitty is a bright fifth grade girl with short,curly gold hair and a pair of beautiful green eyes. She is 10 and likes hanging out with friends. Kitty is also the top of the class. Kitty has two elder sisters, Kenna and Amber. Her elder brother is Andy. Birthday on 18th August.
Kenna: Kenna is 13, and is blonde haired and green eyed like her little sister, Kitty, and a seventh grade teen who prefers speaking in peace rather than fighting and violence. She is always top of her class. Kenna's twin sister is Amber, and her elder brother is Andy. Birthday on December 17th.
Amber: An energetic girl who, despite being twin sisters with Kenna, has red hair instead of gold. She has trouble learning even though she is competitive. Amber is 13,too. Birthday on December 17th.
Andy: Andy is handsome and has red hair and green eyes. He is now studying at a top college. Andy is easy on girls and is a girl magnet. He is 17, and is in his in his first year at the college. Birthday on April 28th.
Sara: Sara is Kitty, Kenna, Amber, and Andy's mother, and is really caring. She has blonde hair and green eyes. She is currently 38. Birthday on May 4th.
Gabriel: Sara's wife and the father of Kitty, Kenna, Amber and Andy. He is mild, always easy on his kids, though his work always prevented him from coming home. Gabriel has red hair and green eyes, and is currently 37. Birthday on August 24th.
Duffy: Kitty's pet kitten. She is a she-cat, and is a silver tabby with sleek fur and amber eyes. She is only three months old currently. She also has a birthday, and it is May 1st.

Author’s note:
This character list above only lists the main characters.
To my beloved mother, father, and annoying elder brother. Also to my two cats, Duffy and Shelly.

Prologue
A big and mysterious shadow loomed at the tiny village below at dawn. It's jaws watered at the smell of freshly cooked meat in the villager's houses, but he couldn't bring himself to take the meat away.''They'd get hungry, and it won't be of any use to me, either. I can't eat now.'' it thought. So the Shadow thundered away into the center of the gloomy forest, not noticing a pair of amber eyes tracking his every movement stealthily in the bushes and a little girl staring up at him in horror.

Chapter One
Kitty swung on her schoolbag, rushed out of school, and onto the familiar path that leads to her home, humming as she went. She's starving and she knew that her mom would have dinner ready by now.    
''I'm home!''Kitty cried. She didn't get an answer.''Mom?''she threw her schoolbag aside and walked into the kitchen. There's no dinner on the table,and mom is nowhere to be seen."Mom must have gone out.We didn't find her either."Suddenly, a voice rang out. It was kenna’s. She and Amber had appeared."She must have gone shopping or something.”Amber added helpfully.
''But what should we do now?"asked Kitty, desperate."You two wait for mom and I'll cook dinner."Kenna said matter-of-factly. Not wanting to waste time, Kitty rushed out of the kitchen and plopped herself onto the soft dark-green sofa, glancing at the door.
"Clank!"The door opened and closed. Sara was home.''Sorry for being late, girls," she said,"but I have a surprise for you,Kitty."Sara took out a cage,opened it and revealed a little kitten, which seemed to be only six months old. "A cat!"Kitty squealed in delight."Is it really mine?""Of course.You must keep her in your room, though." Kitty was thrilled. She now owned a cat! Kitty hugged the cat close to her chest. The cat purred in delight and nuzzled her affectionately, which was quite surprising, as cats are not usually so close to their owners when they are on their first day. "Come on,"Amber said excitedly, "let's see how it fits in your room."
After dinner, Kitty went upstairs to her cozy bedroom.When she peered through the crack of the door she'd opened, she saw the kitten already curled up in her bed, fast asleep. Kitty tip-toed quietly into the room, not wanting to awake the kitten, and closed the door behind her. She sat on her chair beside her desk, opening her iPad, she just couldn't help but grin. She had a kitten sleeping on her bed right now, and it wasn't a dream!Kitty searched in her phone and found out that the kitten is only six months old, is a silver tabby, and a she-cat, meaning that it is a female. Found out exactly what she had hoped for, Kitty rushed through her homework, though not forgetting to do it carefully amd neatly, changed into her pajamas, cuddled beside her kitten, and feel into a deep slumber, the grin still lingering on her face.

Chapter Two
The next day is Saturday. Kitty and her elder sisters went to hang out in the woods beside their village."The Kitten just slept on my bed!''Kitty had just finished telling the story of her kitten when the bully of the village, Leaf, came storming into the clearing. "So, it seems you've got a cat, Kitty," she snorted. "pathetic.""She isn't!"Amber retorted, red hot anger rushing to her face."How dare you speak like that to my sister!""Oh yes, if you don't shut up, when our elder brother comes home this Christmas,he'll punch you, hard!"Kenna spoke up, her voice unusually hard."He dares!"Leaf said,though Kitty sensed a small quiver in her voice. Andy is well known in their village because of his Kungfu.Then,as though nothing had happened, she stomped out of the woods, nose held high in the air.
On the way home,Kitty and her elder sisters discussed what their kitten's name should be."It should be unique."Kitty wondered out loud."What if we give her a boy's name?That will be unique alright."Amber suggested."You are absolutely correct! Kenna,can you brainstorm some names? You're the smartest of us all, you know."Kitty exclaimed. A moment later, Kenna spoke slowly"There's loads of boy's names,but I think I've met a boy called Duffy before. It's quite unique, and I searched it on my iPad later that day."Perfect!"Kitty nodded and reached for the doorknob of the big house they lived as the neatly trimmed grass in their tidy garden swished slightly and the butterflies in their backyard flew around merrily.
"We're already home!Lets break the news to Duffy. Also, now that Duffy has a name, I suppose we should all start calling it 'her' instead of 'it'.' Everybody agreed, even Sara agreed after she heard it.

Chapter Three
Sunday passed rather quickly. Before long,Kitty is in her clean school uniform, hugging Duffy goodbye. Her hug nearly squishing the poor cat."Bye, my darling."She said. Duffy purred and pressed herself against Kitty, making the latter coated in fur.Kitty didn't care.She knew that Duffy wasn't aware of her fur falling. She just wanted to show her affection to Kitty. Sara wasn't so keen on that,though."Look at your uniform!"She shouted in exasperation as Kitty climbed downstairs."I washed it just last night!And now it's covered in fur yet again!" While Kitty made an attempted to clean her uniform,her mother, suddenly beaming,said:"You know, your cat shouldn't be in the house everyday,she can go out to play. I searched in my phone, and it said that if you train your cat properly, you might be able to take her wherever you go and have it to learn useful tricks such as sitting at a mere command! As you're the top of the class, you can finish your homework at school,right? I mean,you'll have time to train your cat." Sara said all this at a great speed, and Kitty had to let Sara repeat what she said. When she had repeated, Kenna and Amber finally came down the staircase.''We heard what you two said,and we want to help you."They said in perfect unison."Not you, Amber,you'll be studying at home.And don't agrue with me!"Their mom said in a decisive tone. Amber sighed and turned to her breakfast cereal.

Monday at school wasn't great.They had one of their class learning a text about common myths in the village. After the class, their teacher, Ms. Lavinsky, assigned them with a project about a myth they had heard with a partner.The project needed to be handed in by Friday. Kitty partnered up with her best friend, Flo, as usual."We need to decide what to write in the project, of course.I think it should be the one with the Big Shadow in it. It made me feel angry, but it sure left some deep impression in me."Flo babbled as soon as they begin to discuss at lunch."Of Course.We need to by a copy of the myth. It isn't thick,so it can be quite cheap."Kitty replied,munching on her carrot.Flo suddenly stood up, with a look of mixed anger and regret."Sorry, but we are having some financial problems,"She said, with a quiver in her voice""Amy wants me to join her, bye." And another word, she marched away."Wait!Flo!I can buy the book for us!It's okay!" But Flo had already disappeared from the lunch room.
Kitty came back home that evening and without even a word with any of her sisters and mother,she locked herself in her bedroom. There,she counted her money over and over. But only a small amount remains. Her vision blurred as tears welled up in them as she tried to fight them back.She might have lost a friend.On her way home from school she spotted Flo. The latter apologized and after that their conversation was all friendly, but she only spoke to Kitty in a rather restrained manner. She agreed to be partners with Kitty as long as the latter one pays the money to buy the book. However,even as Kitty searched her room for any sign of money she stored away somewhere else,she knew there's no point.
The front door made a clanking noise, and after some noise on the stairs, their was a soft knock on the door.Duffy sprang up and unlocked the door, which was quite astonishing, as she was a cat. It slid open and a red headed figure came in. "Andy!"Kitty was suddenly beaming with joy. Closing the door behind him,Andy stepped into the room. He was tall and paler than usual, his messy red hair standing up, like a.bush. He was wearing a grin that spread out on his handsome face."Are you okay?"he asked."I saw you on your way home. You looked depressed. Is this your kitten?How cute!"he added and bent down to examine Duffy."And guess what?I've brought you a gift!Here."Andy pulled a parcel and give it to Kitty."Thanks."Kitty replied.the latter opened the parcel and give a yell of joy.The parcel was full of money.After counting it,she found that the money is just enough to by the book she and Flo needed. Kitty had a slight impression that Andy had been listening the two friends conversation, but she cleared that thought from her head, as Andy said:"Lets train the Kitty together!I'll call Kenna."

Chapter four
Kitty took Duffy down to the garden that day. Duffy didn't seem to be pleased at the sensation of being  by the howling winds, so Kitty had to nudge her to go to a corner where the wind couldn't reach. Andy took out a book that read "All About Cat Training'' and opened it to Chapter 7. He handed it to Kenna, who read out loud"If you want your cat to obey you, give it a pet or a treat when it does something good."With help from Andy, they successfully trained Duffy to sprint around the garden and go back to the house when commanded, not forgetting to give her a treat of bits of salmon and cod--which she liked--every time she did something right. The sky is darkening, so the siblings called Amber to come out, put Duffy back onto to Kitty's soft warm bed, took the money Kitty received from Andy, and went to a bookshop to buy some books. Kitty brought a nicely binded book,with a dark-green cover and huge golden letters written on it that read'The Collection Of Myths In Rainbow Village'. She also brought two books for studying, and being loaded with heavy books, they walked back. It was fairly late when they finally got back to the house, seeing that the shops are far from their house. They ate dinner, which was extremely delicious, as usual, and went back to their rooms. Kitty had already finished all her homework at school, so after a quick shower in her private bathroom, she changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth and lied down on the bed, taking the book with her.She had always been curious about that book, and want some background reading. So,she turn a page and read.

Chapter Four
Once upon a time,there was a poor but conscientious boy. Nobody knew his name. He was so poor that even if he worked hard, he couldn't get his stomach filled for even one day. Every one of the villagers pitied him. Many years later, long after he was of age,he found himself a wife. Not knowing what the girl's characteristic is, he married her. She was beautiful, with long, curly waist-length brown hair and a pair of hazel eyes. She is a bit taller than her age, but she is also fatter, as the boy discovered later.The girl was really lazy, he also found, and always depended on him to for money for food. The boy's money couldn't afford two people using it, so, the two never got a day's full stomach.The girl became thinner, and her temper became shorter. On the first day of the New-Year they spent together, the girl expected dishes of fish and other delicious cuisines, but waiting for her on the table was just half a plate of carrots. Fury rose up in her at the sight of the boy, so she lunged at him, and punched him in every place she can reach.The boy meant no harm, but he was injured badly. He grabbed a knife to defend himself. Tragically,the knife stabbed the girl by the heart by mistake and the girl died instantly. Not believing what he was seeing, the boy put aside the knife, buried the girl, while grief engulfed him. One day,a horrible monster came from hell, saw the boy,and thought"Why don't I take over him?'' So the monster sneaked into the boy's mind, and took over. From that day on,the boy became a big,vmisty shadow, and can change into different  shapes, but it hid in the center of the forest and nobody was brave enough to go into the forest to search for him. Hundreds of years passed, but still, people feared going to the center of the forest.

Chapter Five
Overwelmed by the story, Kitty didn't listen to a word her teacher said next day. By lunchbreak, Kitty sit beside Flo,taking notes. She just didn't understand why the boy have not thought about what will happen if he have the knife. It must have killed the girl.Thankfully, Flo didn't babble about the book, which is just as well as Kitty won't concentrate on her even if she did. But deep down,Kitty know Flo was thinking it was weird, too. But no time for that now,as the project suggests that they all be silent, or they couldn't get things right. After lunch break and the afternoon classes, a very much exhausted Kitty went back to find Andy talking to their mother."I decided to go home this holiday, mom. I just want to help out.I'll wait till the end of the winter holidays, as Christmas is coming and I don't want to separate with the girls.""Okay,then,"Sara sighed."I'd love you to help me care for the little ones, though.They make such a mess! At least Amber does,"she added quickly when Kitty gave her a fierce look."Anyway, today I need to be on duty for some days-one of my colleague is sick, so you take care of the girls."Sara said and walked out of the house, closing the door behind her."What should we do now? I want to do something exciting!"Kitty exclaimed just a second after the door had closed."Why don't we train Duffy first?Then we'll decide with the others."

Duffy was really obdient that day. She ran straight out of the garden, and when Kitty commanded her to go back home herself,she did! Kitty and Andy cheered.Even the twins,.who didn't see the scene,celebrated with them. The dark sky began to snow,so they took Duffy and went back to the house, where they ate a delicious meal and drank some delicious and creamy hot coco.
Sleep came to Kitty as soon as her head touched the pillow,and had a strange dream.She saw the scenes in the myth again and again, and woke up at morning, sweating. But she didn't remember the dream at all, as suddenly she screamed:"Duffy!She's gone!"
Hearing the sound, others quickly joined her. Kitty was sobbing ,and Kenna's face was dark with anxiety. Even Amber, who never became sad, was not smiling anymore."It's okay. She must have gone out, but she had learned to come home, right?She'll be sure to get home not after a long time."But as the the clock go ticking on and still no sign of Duffy, Kitty wasn't going to wait anymore."I'll find her!"she said decisively, pulling on her warm clothes and boots.Andy,Kenna and Amber all stood up. "We're going too."they said. So the four went out of the garden and onto the path.The snow was falling heavily,so they couldn't see where the kitten's footprints are. They wondered to the edge of the forest, when Amber suddenly cried:''Over here' Take a look at the footprints! They seem to be a kitten's!" And sure enough, there was definitely cat footprints in the snow. They followed the footprints deeper and deeper into the forest."You don't think there's the Big Shadow in here,do you?"Kenna suddenly broke the silence,her eyes darting towards every inch she can see."No way!"Trying to be brave, Andy and Amber said together."It's just a myth, isn’t it!"but everyone can sense the tension as they tread nearer to the center of the forest.
"Ah!"Kenna screamed in fear and fled to the back of the group.The others looked into the clearing Kenna was a second before and quivered with horror.

Chapter Six
It was the shadow.It looked as if it's made of mist and smoke, but as dark as the night sky.It sat,.with its legs tugged under him,inspecting the newcomers. On it's lap, was-"Duffy!"Kitty screeched in a mixture of anger, terror and relief as she run towards the Shadow and punched it. All of a sudden,she was rising, and looking down, she saw that she was being picked up by the Shadow.Also,she saw a nine years old girl with fair skin and brown hair lying under a tree.It's Leaf! "No! Put her down!" the siblings cried and, with Andy in the lead, charged towards the thing, which put down Kitty in surprise."Sorry if I made you scared," he said gruffly."I want to play a joke,that's all.""You killed that girl!"Kitty,believing the myth entirely, shouted and charged at the shadow again, The Shadow replied gravely" That girl I didn't kill her,but I did kill my wife, though it was never what the myth said. I was lazy,so I don’t really want to work. After I married a hard-working woman,I killed her in order to defend myself. So,a good spirit came to me, took over me, and that's that.Your little cat is no normal cat, you know, so it will be great use to you in the future."he added. "But you must have thought about the things that will happen after you kill the girl!You must have!"Kitty and Kenna exclaimed. Kitty had asked Kenna just last night about the thing that is troubling her."No. I was a sad man at that period,so the death made me feel worse. I'm sorry to take your cat. It jumped on my tail and followed me here."It changed the topic quickly, as if scared of the subject."You're my first visiters! What do you all want?''The Shadow asked out loud in a cheerful voice."Tell me.I won't let you down!""I want to change into a winged cat if I want to,and I want to do magic. But, no need if you don't want to  or can't. "Kitty,thinking for some moments, spoke up politely."Okay, no problem at all. And you?"It asked Kenna and Amber. "We want to be unicorns."The sisters said."We're twins, so we are the same.""I want to be a seagull and speak all the creature's languages, since I do not like unicorns or winged cats or whatever,"last spoke Andy."Here you go."the Shadow hold up both his hands, palms facing the sky. Suddenly, all the children were high up in the sky, and something like five stars are shooting towards them, one for each.The stars circled around the children and went into them. They felt a tingling feeling and a rush of warmth. Kitty turned into a winged cat,which is golden and has emerald-green eyes. Kenna was a violet unicorn with green eyes and Amber a orange one with hazel eyes. Andy turned into a seagull,his wingtips blue. they dropped down gently from the sky, and they all fell asleep. But all of them heard, when they were sleeping, a voice that said"Beware, a friend will turn on you." .

Epilogue
"My name is Sandstorm, Kenna is Luna, Amber is Ember and Andy is still Jaysky. One thing is worrying us all,when we fell asleep,we all heard him say that a friend of ours will turn on us. Who can it possibly mean?"Kitty wrote in her diary afterwards. It was two days after they found out about the shadow and they have sorted things all out. She'd always wonder what would happen next time. She was only ten,so anything can happen, right?

The End

submitted by Kitty S., age 10, China
(February 8, 2025 - 3:01 am)