Sam and Two-Toes’ Adventure

By Stacie Eirich

Sam sighed. It was another summer day, and he was bored.

“Why don’t you work on your new Lego set?” his Mom suggested.

For his birthday he’d gotten a pirate ship set. Sam loved ships. His Dad worked as a civil engineer in the city, helping to plan and build things.  A bank, roads, water pipes, even a skyscraper!

Sam wanted to be an engineer too. But he wanted to build ships.

“Hey, watch it!  You almost took my scales off!” Sam heard a voice cry from inside his bedroom as he approached the door. He had put a big sign on it that read:

SAM’S ROOM: ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!

Who was in his room?

He opened the door cautiously and peered in. At first, all he saw were the usual things in their usual order: his half-made bed, desk cluttered with books, papers, toys, and dresser bulging with clothes. But at the window was something he had never seen before, and it was looking at him.

“Hello!” it said. “You must be Sam.  I’m Two-Toe.” He held up one green-webbed foot to show his two fat toes, their shiny yellow toenails sticking out.  “Supposed to be three.”

” Wh-What are you?” Sam stammered, surprised.

“I’m a dragon of course! You sent for me, didn’t you?” Two-Two dug one claw under his thick, scaly wing and pulled out an envelope. He turned it upside down, pulling out a thin piece of paper. Sam stared at it. It was one of his drawings.

“Yes, you did!” he held the paper towards Sam, his claw only a few inches from Sam’s face.

Trembling, Sam took the drawing. It was his favourite drawing, the one his Dad had helped him make, of a ship. How had Two-Toe gotten it? He stared, puzzled.

“Shall we go?” Two-Toe pointed his claw out the window towards the sky.

“Go where?” Sam asked.

“On an adventure, of course!” Two-Toe exclaimed. His eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“Can you take me to see my Dad’s building?”  Sam forgot his fears in his excitement.  “All the way to the top?” he peered over Two-Toe towards the city, pointing out the silver skyscraper in the distance.

“Climb on and see for yourself,” Two-Toe said.

Shutting his eyes tight, Sam climbed onto Two-Toe’s scaly back.

When he opened his eyes a moment later, they were gliding through the air above the treetops.

“Whoa!” Sam exclaimed. He pinched himself, squeezing his eyes shut and popping them open again. They were moving fast, zooming over Sam’s neighbourhood and then the ones beyond it!

“That’s it! My Dad’s building!” Sam pointed to the silver skyscraper. “Hey, do you think my he can see us?”

“Not likely!” shouted Two-Toe. “Dragons – are – only seen – by those who – call them!”  The wind rushed against Sam’s ears. “Hold on tight!”  Two-Toe dove.

Sam shut his eyes.

When he opened them again, he felt sturdy ground beneath his feet.  They were on the skyscraper’s roof.  Sam jumped gleefully across it.

“Two-Toe, look!”  He pointed beyond the roof’s edge. “There’s something down there.”  He crept closer to it, heart pounding in his chest.  “There!”

“Want to go take a closer look?”  Two-Toe winked.

Sam and Two-Toe zoomed with lightning speed, halting in mid-air.

In front of them hung a fuzzy object. It glowed. Sam reached out to touch it. But as soon as he did, the object vanished.

“Magic!”  Sam exclaimed, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

Two-Toe spoke softly.  “Look closer.”

Sam looked closer and saw a new shape form. One with a tall mast and billowing sails.

Sam gasped.  It was the ship he had drawn. His ship. And it was glowing!

“I-I don’t understand,”  Sam said, a bit scared.  “How-?”  He clutched tight to Two-Toe.

Two-Toe smiled at him.  “Don’t be afraid.”

Sam reached out, the glow around the ship warming his fingers. It sailed right into his palm!  Sam raised it to his eyes, peering at it. He could see tiny sails with ropes being propelled by even tinier figures – people!  Sam was astonished.  His ship was alive!

“Someday you will build a ship as great as your Dad’s skyscraper.  He’ll be proud, standing next to you on it.”  Two-Toe pronounced sagely.

“And you, Two-Toe?  Where will you be?”  Sam asked.

“I’ll be with you too, of course.  But I’ll need a job to do.”

Sam smiled.  “You can be my first mate.”  He held his hand high in the air, releasing the ship to float above them. There was a flash, and it vanished again, leaving behind a trail of smoky waves.

“What an adventure!” Sam exclaimed.  And the two friends soared through the clouds.

- Total nr. of readings: 4,145 Copyright © The author [2020] All Rights Reserved. This story may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author except for personal use.