Creak, creak
the crusty hinges of my locker swing open
as I peer inside and grab my books
Crunch, crunch
the leaves underneath my feet crunch like those
salty potato chips,
creating a magical world of fire:
red, orange, yellow, and the brown of the wood
that the fire burns on
I reach home
and is greeted by the warm smell of salty chicken broth
“How was your day sweetie?” asks my mom
“Fine, but I have lots of homework.” I reply
“Take this snack.” she says as she hands me
a plate of oranges
the fruit slices gleam
like a slice of topaz on a table of white
I walk into my messy but lovable room
and plop down on my favorite worn down chair
Buttercup, my cat is curled into a loaf
on my bed
As I search through my bag,
I find a letter that was never there before
I open it
Written on fine paper that browned on the
edges, in fine handwriting,
was a mystery.
A chance, perhaps
It asked me to come to the attic
at midnight
I shivered, just thinking about it
my attic was creepy and dusty,
filled with boxes
Nobody ever went up there
It said, “Bring blankets and snacks.”
-Luna the dwarf
I tried throwing the thought away
as I sketched out the plate of oranges,
but it stayed on my mind like a
fly stuck on a spider’s deadly net
The thought would not go away
So, I pulled out
a warm, furry blanket
from my closet
I also got a bag of
gummies from my secret stash.
At dinner, my mind wandered
The chicken broth seemed to swirl
The bok choy seemed to question me
The teriyaki chicken seemed to ask, “Will
you go to the attic tonight?”
As the clock struck 10,
my mother called, “Honey,
it’s time for bed!”
However, I had different plans
I watched in my cozy, lit up room as
my clock struck 11
Should I go?
My lights twinkled, as if
cheering me on,
little violet faces peering at me
I stood up
Took a deep breath
I grabbed the blanket
and gummies
and headed up to the attic
As I arrived in the attic,
a warm smell greeted me
It smelled like…
Hot chocolate?
A campfire?
Marshmallows?
Candy?
Lots of little dwarfs
sat on the floor, turning the
dusty floor into a
rainbow
When they saw me, their eyes
lit up like gentle stars
on a field of black velvet.
“Welcome!” they
chorused in unison
Before I knew it,
I was knocked out
the last thing I could remember
was the devilish grins
the once-kind dwarves
wore on their faces.
And the story
stops there.