Fantastic Fictions by Roger Keyserling, Roger Keyserling (best e reader for manga txt) 📕

anxiously waiting for the wedding to begin while eating off of my parent’s wedding china.

 

The wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Dianna was magical, but spending those special moments with my parents was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I had one of the best times of my life on that day, because my parents took the time to think about what they could do to make watching the royal wedding special, and they made it happen. I know that most people think that they have the best parents in the world, but the memories they gave me from this special is just one of the ways they’ve proven that they really are.  

My Best Friend Escape

 

 Wanik was an interesting place to grow up. I used to love to explore the area outside in my free time. I was the type of person who didn't want to live in a small town. I went to the city and loved it there. 

      So I spent most of my time studying so I could find a profession that would allow me to make it out. I really didn't want to be one of those people waitressing at the only bar in town. I had a cousin that did that and all she could do after her shifts is complain her feet hurt and tell me to get an education.

       However, I couldn't study all the time. The books were good and all but I liked the outdoors too. It felt so free there. I could adventure outdoors and forget I was even in the world at all.

      Wanik was a place that had a lot of unexplored wildlife. Thankfully, it was almost hot like a desert so there were no bears. One day I decided to be really brave and explore an area I hadn't before. I was planning on making a map of it.

      So there I was lurking around and I spotted a cave. There was a smell of smoke coming from it. It wasn't a lot of smoke, but it was a little. I went in and jumped.

       I saw this dragon there. It had wings and a long neck. There it was though peacefully napping by a fire. I figured that it must be a fire breathing dragon at this rate.

       I touched the dragon and it startled. I was very tame. I started to pet it. I just felt drawn to it. It was as though it was my pet and it was here in Wanik for me.

       I had summoned this ride in my dreams almost. My dragon could fly just like in the movies. Well, I wanted to do more than just stay in the cave. The next time I went back, I brought some raw meat. This helped to lure the dragon out.

     It turns out that training dragons are just like training dogs. They really like to get treats and they'll do more if you teach them with Pavlov's conditioning. 

       My dragon had to be named. I named him Escape. For me, my dragon was my escape from reality. I didn't have a lot of friends in Wanik because they didn't think like me. They liked to gossip and exclude people. They were rude and pretty much laughed in your face.

       I never clicked with the type of people that I felt were like this. I wanted to be around docile and adventurous people, just like Escape. One day, I got on Escape and he started flying. 

      It was the most fun I'd ever had. When summer hit, I told my Mom that I was going to a friend's house for a few days. Really, I was adventuring with Escape. I wanted Escape to fly me to a large city. I wanted to look around and take pictures, so I brought my camera.

     The escape took me because I trained to Escape how to fly. I was riding the magical waves of adventure in the clouds now on my way to New York.

     When I got there, I did take a lot of pictures. I went to Central Park and even went to a Broadway show. I stayed in a hotel with some money I had saved. Escape waited patiently on the outskirts of the city at a designated location.

      I knew Escape would always help me. Later when I went to college, Escape followed me. We found him a new cave. I went to visit him often. He saved me a lot of money on airfare. 

       I think I also helped Escape get away from Wanik. He was all alone there. He had no interaction. I let Escape in and Escape let me in. We had a bond that was like that between any other owner and pet. It was just a magical connection. Escape helped me realize that the city was nice, but it was nothing without a good friend. 

The Dragons Stone

"Why don't you go ask them? You have a cooler name than me, surely they'll listen to you." Scarlet said. She looked at me and her scales glowed with the sun.

"I don't think my name will make anyone listen to me. It doesn't make me special. Besides, your name is a literal color, and mine is just random letters thrown together TRYING to sound cool." I told her. She didn't say anything, she just stared off at the guards with her wings pointed down. There were 13 of them. All training for their time guarding the fence. They learned how to do flying whirlwinds, and how to kick their hind feet into the chest of another dragon. There was only one guard at the fence a day, they had to be good. I mean if not, what types of dangers would we be exposed to? If the stone was stolen, what type of power would we still possess, if any? 

"Avok, What's happening?" Scarlet asked me. She seemed to grow frantic as she inched forward and then backward. I jumped out of my head and paid attention. The guards were yelling, point towards the fence. An alarm sounded and Scarlet shrieked, shrinking back even further. 

"Scarlet let's go!" I nudged her with my shoulder and ran. I flapped my wings, intending to tell her it'd take less time to fly home, but when I turned around she was gone. "Scarlet!" I roared. I looked around and there was no sign of her anywhere. I was worried she might've gotten lost in a crowd, or trampled by the guards. 

I flapped my wings again and brought myself into the air. People were rushing home, pushing one another. Dirt was being kicked up which fogged my view. I flew to her cave, swerving around every person that got in my way being careful not to hit them. They are panicked, pushing them would set them off I'm sure. 

    When I got to her cave, for the first time since we were younger, their rocks were piled. An entranceway was no longer visible. Scarlet's family was the most inviting family in our village. They constantly went out of their way and welcomed people into their home for dinner, or donated to other families that didn't have what they did. But there was no sign of that generosity here. Fear was radiating off of the rocks now, and the world within them was closed off.

    I roared. From within, Scarlet roared back. She was safe in her cave. I nodded even though she couldn't see me. I guess it was more to myself rather than Scarlet. I turned to fly again but stopped when I saw a light in the sky. Turquoise, bright, and round. It was a stone. Someone had stolen the stone. I couldn't make out who the dragon was from here, I could only make out the color. He was black, and his scales didn't glow as Scarlet's or mine did. The sun did not shine on him at all. The guards were flying after him, but somehow he was faster than them. 

        The stone. It held great power. Without it in its correct place, all power withers. It couldn't be the reason he was faster, could it? I watched closely as the guards tried to catch up to him, occasionally using the tactics they'd learned in training hoping it'd speed them up. I switched my gaze to the dragon that stole the stone. He held the stone in his talons, and smoke began to rise off his flesh. The stone was burning him, but he didn't care. He pushed on anyway. 

    I didn't gain my powers yet, and I always thought about what I'd be capable of when I did get them. Now my hope begins to wither just as the guards magic is, and they begin to fall. One by one, they all grew too tired. 

The rocks behind me began to move.

"Avok, thank goodness you're still here, something's wrong with my mother!" She cried.

"I know Scarlet. Something is wrong with everyone that possesses power from the stone. The stone isn't in its correct place and it's causing their powers to die out. The guards have fallen." I turn to look at her. Her eyes are shifting everywhere except for the sky. She didn't want any part of it. She just wanted her mother back, healthy, and strong. 

    "What happens now? Is everything just lost? We were fine before, everything was good and now nothing will be the same!" Her voice cracked and I looked at her. I watched her for a minute as she sobbed, and then the answer came to me. I know what needs to happen now.

    "I go up there is what happens now, Scarlet. Only people with power are growing weak. Those without powers are completely fine. I'd be able to catch up to him and get the stone, but I won't be able to do it on my own. I need you to distract him." She just looked at me. Tears streaming down her face. "Are you okay to do that?" I asked her. Her eyes, once sad, turned cold. She stood up straight with her wings out. 

    "Yes, I'm okay to do that." She said. She flew off without me. She had somehow already formulated a plan. I smiled. She was sensitive but fierce. I flew off in the opposite