text: [Themes: fan fiction, fantasy]
  
  Beep. Beep. Beeeep. Beeeeeep. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!! Ugh...Shut up! I just want to sleep for five more minutes. Sigh...I open my eyes to see light streaming in from my window. Do I have to get up? My bed is so warm and fuzzy with this extra soft blanket. The pillow feels like I'm laying on a cotton candy cloud. Well, at least it's a Friday. I just need to get through today and then I can sleep as late as I want tomorrow. Wait. My alarm isn't normally that loud. I snatch up my red numbered clock and look at the time. 7:15! I have ten minutes to get to school! I frantically pull on my jeans and sweater, which I had set out last night. I grab bread to eat, brush my teeth, pull my gym shoes on, and grab my backpack. Slinging it across my shoulders, I practically trip in my hurry to get out the door. Luckily, or unluckily, my dad is still waiting to drive my brother and I to school. I rush to the door as quickly as I can and slam it behind me.
  
  "Wow, Liz is late for once! Miss Goodie Goodie Two Shoes is late! Hahahaa! Have fun getting a tardy!" My brother Alex has always been this annoying, why would I expect him to change now? I click the seatbelt into place.
  
  "Lizzie, why did it take you so long to get ready? Usually, he's the one who's late."
  
  "Hey!"
  
  "I slept through my alarm. Normally, I wake up on time, but not today. Sorry I made you guys wait."
  
  "You should be sorry!" Shut up, Lex.
  
  "Hey, everyone makes mistakes. This is the first time you've been late, so I'll let it slide." Good thing Dad's on my side, at least. I gaze out the window for the rest of the car ride and ignore my brother constantly trying to get my attention. Eventually, we pull up to the school...at 7:30. I'm late. Great, just great. I hope this doesn't jeopardize my college scholarship. Don't be ridiculous, I tell myself; of course it wouldn't. Alex, of course, doesn't care that he's five minutes late as well. I do though, and I speed walk to my first class.
  
  > Speed walk to class
  I rush into my first class, and everyone turns to stare at me as I enter the classroom. They don't seem annoyed, more shocked that I of all people am late. I guess I am a goodie goodie two shoes. My teacher even decides to not give me a tardy because I'd never been late before! Whew! That makes me feel a bit better. I sit down at my desk in the front row and take extra diligent notes on my favorite class: Psychology! The class is over in a blink of an eye, and my other classes go by just as fast.
  
  At lunch, I sit with my friends as we exchange notes and discuss what we're going to do over the weekend.
  
  "I'm going to see that new action movie! Y'know the one with the team of superheroes." Max does love her superhero movies; almost as much as she loves her high GPA.
  
  "I'm going to finish reading The Hunger Games!"
  
  "Wait! You haven't read them all yet? You need to. They are so awesome!" Max fawns over the series as Sam pleads for her not to spoil anything. I eat my lunch and solve some math problems. They're pretty tricky problems; math was never my best subject.
  
  "Hey! Lizzie! What are you doing over the weekend?" Sam suddenly asks me.
  
  "Well, I'm going to sleep in, relax, and study for some tests I have next week. It's psychology, so I'll probably be fine."
  
  "Don't you have to take care of your bratty brother while your parents are out?"
  
  "Yes, but he's a freshman. He can take care of himself. My parents are only going to be gone for the weekend. It's not that long. He won't leave the house, and we have plenty of food. So, I'm sure we'll be fine." Sam and Max nod in agreement, and they go back to talking about The Hunger Games.
  
  The rest of the day passes by fairly quickly and I'm home before I know it.
  
  > Home sweet home
  I made it home. Home sweet home. My home filled with wood floors, creaky doors, and my cute Shibishan dog, Ruby. "Hey, Ruby." I say, petting her adorable head "Where's Alex?" She gives me a quizzical look and wanders to her dog bed. She's the only dog I know that loves to sleep more than play. I hang up my jacket and put away my boots. It's odd that Alex hasn't annoyed me yet. Oh! That's right! Alex must've stayed after for football practice! Sometimes I wonder why he plays football, of all sports. He isn't physically imposing, but I suppose he is fast and determined.
  
  "Hi Lizzie, how was school?" My mom asks.
  
  "It was good!" I say cheerfully. The smell of fresh baked potatoes fills the room. My mouth waters as I sit down at the dinner table.
  
  "Lizzie, about the weekend..."
  
  "Yeah?" I ask, through a mouthful of potatoes.
  
  "Neither you nor your brother should leave the house. Make sure to eat something other than junk food. Do your homework. Make sure your brother does his as well because he has a math test next week and-"
  
  "I got it, Mom. Make sure we both eat, study, and don't leave the house. I got it." I say, mildly annoyed.
  
  Creeeeeeeaaaaak.
  
  I guess Alex is home. He stomps into the house and throws his backpack on the ground. What's his deal? He then slinks over to his bedroom and slams the door loudly.
  
  "What happened to him?" I ask my mom.
  
  Frowning, she whispers, "He didn't make the varsity team."
  
  "Varsity? He's a freshman. I don't even think that's possible."
  
  "Well, just leave him alone on the weekend. He's really upset, and I don't want you two fighting while we're gone."
  
  "Alright. I'll leave him alone. I don't want him to bug me anyway."
  
  "Good girl! Remember dad and I are leaving at 6:00, so we'll be gone before you wake up. Also, we'll put out some extra rat poison before we leave. The vermin just keep finding ways into the house. "
  
  "Yeah, I've been seeing more of them around Alex's room lately. Hopefully, the poison will get rid of them. Well, I'll be in my room if you need me." With that I spent the rest of the evening in my room. I didn't want to have a confrontation with Alex after what happened. I curled up into bed and eventually drifted off to sleep.
  
  > Sleep
  Light gently streams through the window in my small, yet homey room. Unlike yesterday, the light is welcoming instead of harsh and foreboding. I lazily roll over to check my now alarmless alarm clock and see it is 8:00 a.m. Good. It seems I have plenty of time left in the day to do whatever I wish to do. Let's see...what do I want to do first? I think to myself, as walk toward the kitchen. I did plan on studying for that psychology exam, but I can call Max or Sam if I want. I pour myself some orange juice. I can't leave the house, of course, but we could talk. I finish my orange juice. Now that I think about it... maybe I should check on Alex. He did seem pretty beat up over what had happened yesterday. Maybe I could make him feel better.
  
  What do I want to do first?
  
  > What do you want to do?
  What do I want to do?
  
  > talk to Alex
  I doubt Alex is in a good mood, but maybe I can help him. He might be extremely annoying, but he is still my little brother. I walk up to his bedroom door and knock.
  
  Knock knock.
  
  "Alex? You up?"
  
  "I am now." He grumbles. He lazily opens his door and yawns. "What do you want?"
  
  "I was wondering how you were doing. You seemed pretty ticked off when you came home from school yesterday."
  
  "I'm fine. Now leave me alone." He clearly isn't fine. Then again, maybe I shouldn't push him. He clearly is still upset and mom told me not to talk with him. In fact, I might just make things worse if I do.[Themes: fantasy]
  
  Elliot was reading when he heard a knock at his door. Despite being drawn in to the biography of a knight who fought in the war with the gnomes, he put a leather bookmark on page 93, stood up, and answered the door. He exchanged small talk with the postman and took the singular letter delivered to him. For a moment, he was excited. He rarely got letters because he lived so far away from his family and it was expensive to send mail. The man quickly opened the letter and read the short, upsetting letter.
  
  Dearest Elliot,
  
  I regret to inform you that your aunt Rosy is gravely ill. The physician has informed me that she has about one week to live. Please get here as soon as possible.
  
  Much love,
  
  Uncle Mark
  
  Elliot couldn't believe what he was reading. Aunt Rosy had practically raised him; she was the only mother he ever knew. He imagined her, sick in bed, waiting to see her nephew one last time. He quickly did mental math. Letters are delivered once a week and if she had a week to live, he had no idea how long it had been. "For all I know, she could be dead by now." Elliot made the decision to head out that day, he didn't have a minute to waste.
  
  He wanted to take the boat across the lake to the city his aunt lived in, but it only ran on Wednesdays and it just so happened to be a Thursday. She'd be dead before he even left his town if he waited for the boat. Elliot only had one choice: take a three day walk through the forest of past voices. He shuddered at the idea, the forest was known for being haunted and had taken more lives than it had spared. Despite his fear, he quickly grabbed his coat, two loaves of bread, a jar of jam, a few bits of cheese, a pack of matches, a compass, a small bundle of gold coins, and was out the door.
  
  Elliot entered the dense forest with only mild terror and great reluctance. He walked ten minutes, jumping at every small noise. When nothing came out and ate him alive, he started to calm down, continuously telling himself, "it's going to be okay. Think of Aunt Rosy; everything is going to be okay." He walked for a few hours, stopping periodically to rest or eat. After a while, he noticed the sun was going down and he didn't have long before sunset. "I need to find somewhere to rest for the night."
  
  [Author's Note: Elliot hears news that his aunt is dying. He has to trek through a forest haunted by his own memories in order to see her before she passes. There are two paths through the forest and two true endings. They are both clearly marked as 'epilogue.' The maturity level is probably a bit of an exaggeration but there's some material that is definitely mature in one of the paths.]
  
  > find a cave to sleep in
  Elliot spotted a wide opening on the side of the cliff. Luckily, the opening was just low enough for him to jump and grab the ledge with his hands and pull himself up. He entered the cave, wishing he had something for light. He silently prayed that no bear lived in the cave. He didn't go far in, just far enough for him to be protected from the elements and hopefully any supernatural beings presiding in the forest.
  
  The tired man placed his head on a smooth rock, using it as a pillow and let himself fall into a stressed sleep. He woke up not long after, warmer than he had been since summer. Not opening his eyes, he attempted to roll over and bask in the warmth but that was when he realized, he couldn't move. His eyes snapped open. He was tightly wrapped in a womb of feathers. He let out a bloodcurdling scream, thinking he'd been tar and feathered. Elliot had seen people being tar and feathered, and it was something he hoped he would never have to endure.
  
  A deep, raspy voice replied, "what's wrong with you, human?"
  
  "Huh? Who said that?! Who's there?!"
  
  "You don't know who I am?" The voice sounded offended.
  
  Suddenly, the feathers left the man and he saw what had been happening. He saw the most vile monster he'd ever seen in front of him. "You...you're a...you...you're...YOU'RE A GIANT DUCK" Elliot yelled at the beast.
  
  "I am no duck!" Said the giant duck, "I am a fire drake." The offended beast was a pure feathered mallard and was as big as a dragon.
  
  "Oh please, a fire drake is just an old timey name for a dragon and you my friend, are no dragon."
  
  "How dare you?! I am not a dragon, I am a fire drake. Those damn dragons have all but destroyed my beautiful image and memory."
  
  "What? I'm just," Elliot gasped for breath, "what do you want from me? Also, were you...sitting on me?"
  
  "How else was I supposed to keep you warm? I like my food nice and toasty before I eat it. I also like to play with my food before I eat it, but you're annoying."
  
  "Aren't ducks vegetarians?"
  
  "I already said I'm not a duck! I'm a fire drake!" The mallard roared, or uhh quacked.
  
  > ask about fire drakes
  Elliot knew there was only one thing he could do: keep talking to the creature. "So umm tell me more about fire drakes. I'm very interested."
  
  The fire drake, not recognizing sarcasm, seemed utterly delighted to be asked such a question. "Well it all started when dragons were invented, I mean discovered, yes, discovered. They were all the rage back then! China had dragons, France had dragons, Germany had dragons, even Israel had dragons." Elliot had no idea where or what any of these places were but decided to keep his mouth shut.
  
  The duck continued, "Eventually, the idea of dragons was brought to England, and they were called fire drakes. 'Fire' because they were fire breathing and 'drake' because it was derived from the Latin word 'draco' meaning serpent. The only problem was that England already had a definition for the word 'drake.' Drake means male duck. This led to much confusion and my birth." He gave a wistful expression. "Once upon a time, I was a funny punchline, a great pun. People would say duck and think dragon or say dragon and think duck. People who read Beowulf would laugh while they thought of me saying, 'what if Beowulf actually fought a giant duck? Oh how funny that would be.'"
  
  His tone changed, "But then, little by little, people started referring to fire drakes as dragons. No longer would they think of a duck as a giant serpent. Then, the word drake fell out of fashion entirely. All that is left of me is in this forest. For oh, for oh, the fire drake is forgot."
  
  Elliot had never been so bored or so confused by a speech in his entire life, but he clapped anyways, trying to spare his life. "Poor fire drake, I'm sure it must have been very hard for you, for people to stop making puns at your expense."
  
  The duck somehow produced a tear from his giant eye. "It was so hard. Now I have to live in this forest of the dead."
  
  "For-forest of the dead?" The man's heart pounded in his chest and a shiver worked its way down his spine.
  
  "Well duh! I'm dead, you idiot! I just told you that whole story about how I faded from existence and you didn't even know that? You're probably the only living creature in this forest! Even the trees are ghosts of trees who were cut down or died in some other way."
  
  Elliot's heart almost stopped. His eyes went wide and his feet started itching. Itching to get the hell out of this forest, that is.
  
  The mallard almost seemed to feel sorry for him. "Hey, it's okay. I'll have you know that I'm the only fire drake pun in the whole forest. Then again, I'm the only one to ever exist. Point is, not everything's going to try to burn you and eat you. There are nice ghosts out there."
  
  Elliot sniffled, there was something he just didn't like about the undead. A fire drake was one thing, but the GHOST of a fire drake was totally different. The more he thought about it, the more tears sprang to his eyes. He didn't want to be here with all these ghosts.
  
  He had to get out of here. If nothing else, Elliot knew he had to get out of this forest. But first, he had to get past that pesky duck. An idea suddenly struck him. He knew the fire drake was stupid, but would it be stupid enough to fall for...? "I got it!" Thought the man to himself. He grabbed his pack of matches, struck one and put it in his mouth. "Hey look, I can breathe fire, too!"
  
  The fire drake opened his beak in shock. "Oh. My. Gosh. I see you have mastered this beautiful art, just as I did as a small duckling."
  
  Elliot took the match out of his mouth and blew it out. The duck continued, "I'll tell you what. I'll let you live. No buts, I insist. Also, for a fellow fire master, I'll even give you one of my feathers, they have the power to cure any illness. You can give it to your aunt when you see her."
  
  "How did you know about Rosy?"
  
  "I'm the punchline of a joke, a creature that never really existed. And you're here questioning how I know about your dying aunt? Here, take a feather; the green ones are the best."
  
  > ask him again how he knows about Rosy
  Elliot asked the duck again, "how did you know about aunt Rosy?"
  
  "It doesn't matter."
  
  "I must know."
  
  The fire drake seemed annoyed. "Don't you know that dragons can read minds? You think I'm different just because I'm a duck?! You damn racist! Maybe I will eat you, idiot! You're so stupid, calling you stupid would be an insult to stupid people." Before Elliot could even scream, he was roasted. After his thorough frying, he was gobbled up by a duck.