Chapter 14 - The Next Morning
The sun is shining, heralding the start of a beautiful summers day, but for Ewan, Dylan and Anna it just means that someone's about to turn up the heat
Welcome to chapter 14 of this epic exclusive YA urban fantasy saga. Feel free to reach out or comment if you like this story. Your feedback is what keeps the magic flowing.
Ewan woke early the next day the sunlight from the bright summer day streaming through his bedroom window. The previous night’s storm had relieved the high pressure and it looked to be the start of a nice day.
Still groggy from the night before, his first thought was something was off, he couldn’t quite put his finger on it but something was different.
He looked over to where his friend Dylan was snoring happily to himself on the spare bed and then the realisation hit him.
His dream!
For the first time in an age Ewan had not woken to the lament of his mum’s voice in his ear or to the memory of an epic battle being waged throughout the heavens.
No, Ewan had woken normally although he did have a strange feeling that something else had happened last night.
Ewan was about to throw a pillow at Dylan to wake him up but before he could he heard noises coming from downstairs.
He stopped, he had heard noises last night during the storm just before, before the… Before the break-in.
Ewan sat bolt upright, how could he forget. Someone had broken in last night and trashed the front room, Ewan and Dylan had heard the window breaking and had eventually plucked up the courage to go downstairs only to find the aftermath of what must have been an epic fight and the house empty.
“Breakfast’s ready.”
Ewan jumped as he heard the voice from downstairs. Dad? Was dad finally back? No that wasn’t dad’s voice it sounded like his cousin Anna.
Ewan hurriedly grabbed his dressing gown and pulled it on as he headed downstairs.
Anna was sat in the kitchen nursing a cup of coffee and a plate of toast, “The kettle’s just boiled if you want a cup of tea, how are you feeling this morning?” She asked.
“I… I dunno, a bit weird I think. I couldn’t remember, I thought I’d been dreaming that dad didn’t come home last night and someone tried to break in during the storm and then Dylan and I came downstairs and found the place trashed.” Ewan looked round, everything in the kitchen seemed to be in it’s correct place, the only thing different was that Anna was sat here.
“It did happen right? We did get broken into last night, I wasn’t dreaming,” he asked.
“No it definitely happened all right, and now we have to clean up the mess! I take it you still haven’t heard from your dad yet?” Anna asked.
“No, this is not like him, what with last night I’m really starting to get worried.”
“Me to, are you sure there’s no other way to get in touch with him?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Ok, well we’d better get started with the clean up then, you go and get dressed and I’ll let granddad know what’s happening, he’ll be worried sick.”
Ewan was halfway up the stairs when he heard Dylan shout out, “Hey Ewan, get up here now, quick!”
Encouraged by the urgency in his friends voice Ewan took the rest of the stairs two at a time, he burst in to his room and looked questioningly at Dylan, “What’s the matter? What’s happened?”
“It’s that box thing.”
Ewan slapped his palm to his head, he couldn’t believe he’d forgotten all about it. The key had got stuck, “you haven’t broken it have you?” Ewan asked Dylan.
Dylan just shook his head and pointed at Ewan’s desk, on it sat the strange box that they had found last night.
Ewan had forgotten all about it after falling asleep. However the box wasn’t as Ewan had left it, the key was still in the lock but the lid was now open. Ewan moved forward to look in the box and was surprised to find it empty, he turned to his friend, “How did you open it? What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything, I woke up and heard you and Anna downstairs,” Dylan said, “then I remembered about the box and as soon as I looked at it the key started to turn all by itself, the next thing I know the lid just popped open and something flew out.”
“What do you mean, something flew out, like what?”
“I don’t know, it was too quick, it was like some lizard or bird or something, there was just this bright flash of colour and bang it was gone.”
“Gone where?” Ewan asked.
“I dunno, the door was open and it just flew out, I thought you might have seen it on the stairs.”
Anna’s scream split the air and Ewan and Dylan both turned and bolted down the stairs.
They found Anna standing in the kitchen, back to the wall brandishing a spatula, pointing at the worktop, “What the Hell is THAT!”
Ewan looked to where Anna was pointing, sitting on the worktop was a small creature, it looked like a medium sized iguana about eighteen inches long but more brightly coloured. It was just sitting there, it's eyes moving back and forth taking everything in.
“That's it, that's it,” Dylan jumped up and down and pointed at the creature, “that's what flew out of the box!”
“Is it some kind of lizard? Ewan why are you keeping a lizard in a box? What the heck is going on?” Anna asked still desperately waving the spatula in front of her.
Ewan continued to protest his innocence and deny all knowledge of the creature or the box. He tried to explain that he'd only seen the box for the first time last night before everything had gone crazy but the appearance of a colourful lizard in the kitchen must have been the final straw for Anna and she continued to freak out.
All the time the lizard just sat on the worktop, watching them with a quizzical look on its face. The only time it moved, was when Dylan approached and tried to poke at it. The lizard turned its head to snap at Dylan’s finger.
Dylan pulled his finger back quickly, “Whoah, hang on, I know this is going to sound weird but I think I know what this is,” and with that he fled out of the room and bolted back upstairs, his feet echoing on the stairs.
He was back in a few seconds panting hard and he held out the mystery box for the others to see, “Look at the top, it's the same.” Dylan was right the inlaid image on the top of the box bore a striking resemblance to the creature that was sat on the worktop.
“Just now, when it tried to bite me, as it moved it's head I recognised it. It’s a bloody dragon!”
A dragon?! Whoa!
I sure wish his dad would show up. But maybe he’s got to go find his dad.
What does the tiny dragon have to do with it?
Can’t wait to find out!