(preface: I am not really a writer, I'm a retired computer consultant who wrote this as a "task" for an evening class on creative writing I attended a few years ago. I also wrote a few poems in different styles, so if anyone is interested I will put them up too)
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There I was, a 9 year old boy, surrounded by all these trees - I had never seen so many trees in my life before, having grown up in a large town. I come from a large family, being the middle child of seven, and I had nearly always been within at least earshot of my brothers and sisters, so I found it very scary to
be on my own.
All I remember is getting up in the middle of the night, and climbing out through the bedroom window, climbing down the drainpipe, and walking for a long time, until no houses were around me. Why I did this I do not know, I just had this feeling that I needed to be away from people, especially my family. That
alone surprised me as we were a happy bunch, and I had no bad feelings towards my parents or any of my brothers and sisters.
As I wandered through the forest, having by now guessed that is where I must be, I could hear the birds chirping sleepily in the trees, and the animals rustling through the layers of leaves on the ground. Leaves on the ground in spring? - What was happening? What was going on? Where had the time flown? In fact, where on earth was I?
I wandered on, along what seemed to be a path - the moon was shining brightly, so I could just about see my way. Then I heard a loud noise, as if a huge animal was pushing its way through the undergrowth, and then I could hear a snorting sound, and I saw a faint glow. As if this was not enough to scare me I saw faint tendrils of smoke coming from behind a bush up ahead.
Rooted to the spot in fear I watched as a long head peered around the bush, with small flames coming out of a very large snout, and big green eyes that looked at me suspiciously. All of a sudden I heard a voice in my mind - "Little human, who are you and what are you doing in my territory?". I said "My
name is Edward, and I do not even know where I am, let alone that it was anyone's territory!". "Well, I am the dragon Grignor, and this is my wood, and I am not used to seeing people wandering around here. Animals, yes, and they are usually delicious, but I have rarely come across a being like you, and then only from a distance. I wonder what you taste like?"
With that, the dragon came closer and I could feel the heat of its breath - I could not move, as if hypnotised, and the dragon opened its big mouth to eat me - I was so scared I wet myself, I could feel the hot stream running down my leg.
Then I woke up and found the hot water bottle had sprung a leak.

The Eclectic Pen - A Hot Night in the Woods

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