Skyward

By Ella Wong

The sky was pitch black. Twinkling white stars, like flecks of paint, dotted the night sky. The cool night air blew through the trees. I sat perched on the tree, hidden among the leaves. Somewhere in the forest, an owl hooted. 

The leaves rustled as birds took flight. A streak of white flashed across the sky. Then another, and another. Like stones in water, bright, shining stars dropped in a graceful arc to the ground. 

“It’s starting,” I whispered. The chittering of more birds was my reply. 

Come on, I thought. Beautiful as they were, the shooting stars weren’t what I had come here for. The forest was lit by cascading moonlight. Everything fell silent. Tonight was the magical night.

And then there it came!

A dragon, with silver scales glinting in the moonlight, swooping and flying past the stars, it's pupil-less eyes glowing. Slicing through the black darkness, illuminating the night. A slow, gradual milky glow radiated from the dragon, following it like the tail of a comet. It dove, swooped so close to me I could feel the crisp air racing out of its way. Never before had I seen such a sleek, beautiful thing. 

Before I knew it I’d leapt from the tree, reaching for the dragon. This is once in a lifetime.

I grabbed the end of its tail, and the creature craned its neck back and smiled. The graceful horns on its head seemed to beckon to me before it looked ahead once more, and flew for the moon.

I’d never felt this delighted before. Ecstatic, I started to climb, holding on to the scales for dear life, until I was holding on to the dragon’s neck, sitting on its back, and its mystic scent filled my nostrils. There I was, soaring through the clouds. Towards the bright full moon. Skyward.