S H O RT S TO R I E S F R O M T H E G LO B A L C LA S S R O O M |
2014
‘Nooooo!’ I dove into the water and was numbed by the freezing icy cold as I shot through the river.
One of the baby’s fingers slipped … I raced frantically toward it … another finger … I was almost there … My arms and
legs felt on fire, yet I swam on … Then I grabbed the baby just as it plunged into the water!
Struggling against the current, I brought the baby onto the island, small but just high enough so the water only
lapped against its shores. As I placed it there, I felt my life slipping away. The swim had exhausted me. I thought,
‘I saved a life,’ and then the world turned black …
***
When I dazedly fluttered open my eyes, my first thought was, ‘Blue.’ Blue everywhere: a rich, beautiful, never-ending
arch of sky-blue. I felt curiously light and buoyant. Puzzled, I peered down at myself and my jaw dropped.
Gone were my old, weatherworn scales, and stubby legs. In their place was a dazzling array of shimmering, turquoise
scales and long, graceful feet that were clutching a pearly sphere! I could not see my head, but I knew what it
would be.
The noble, wise, and whiskered face of a true dragon!!
I righted myself and spiraled upwards into the heavens, a brilliant turquoise stripe against the afternoon sky.
With a feeling of great ecstasy, I let out a joyful roar like ten thousand bells ringing and, far below, heard many
voices cheering.
And, quietly but distinctly, I heard the happy, gurgling sound of a baby laughing.
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