Tell me if it's bad, if it's good, and if you actually read it all!!!! I wrote this a few months ago for my reading class. It reached about 8 pages origonally, but I cut it down to five. It is almost based around the book, "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien. That because at the time I wrote this we had just finished that book and it gave me this idea.
Please give some constructive critism!!! But please don't make your comments mean or rude, and I know this is probably considered a long short story!!!
Please give some constructive critism!!! But please don't make your comments mean or rude, and I know this is probably considered a long short story!!!
The Little Blue Book
By: Nikki
By: Nikki
“SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Mrs. Fiore’s class shouted. She laughed happily then announced to the class that our reading period would be a free period, for us to just talk. Everyone cheered and went to haul chairs over in to the middle of the classroom. I, on the other hand, was tossing a little blue book back and forth in my hands. It was only the size of an 8 x 10 picture frame, but just over an inch and a three inches thick. I had found it on Mrs. Fiore’s book shelf, but surprisingly, it didn’t have a title. I gave a little shrug and went to open the book, searching for its title. The next thing I knew my whole body is being stretched to its max, and then shrunk in to an invisible portal. I tried to scream for help, but no one could hear me. My voice was seemingly stuck to the wind stretching me in to this book.*Why can’t they hear me?* I thought frantically. The next thing I know I’m falling through a blinding light, barley able to breathe. I felt the odd sensation of falling, and when I opened my eyes a blurred blue was all around me, the same color of the book I was tossing around in my palms. I continued to fall, but the loss of breathe was making me dizzy. So much to the point I quickly passed out.
I woke up and shielded my eyes from a tall, bright sun almost directly over my head. I was laying in the middle of a plain, under the shade of one giant, lone oak tree. There wasn’t another tree for miles. There was nothing but tall brown grass. The little blue book was in my hands, and I was in a position that made it seem like I had fallen asleep reading it. “Where am I?” I said to myself quietly. I looked down at the book and went to open it again, praying for it to bring me back home.
But when I opened the book, all I saw was aged yellow paper. It was blank. I turned the page again, but this time the page had big black cursive words written on it. It read, “The Book of 499 Short Stories. Death-defying tails of real predicaments and real people.” I turned to the next page and found the book’s first short-story. “James, King of the Almighty Eighth Sea!.” I turned seven pages more to find the start of a second short story. “The Queen of Pixie’s herself, Queen Leah!” I turned a few more pages, and found a short story titled “The Elf City Battle and it’s Hero, Chris!” There were short stories of all sorts, but all the titles had someone’s first name in it. I began to read the first short story, hoping for some idea of what happened to me. To my dismay, I only got through a paragraph before, “Hello!”
I jumped up, gasping for air, scared half to death. A friendly chuckle came from behind the tree. “You’re a bit jumpy aren’t you my dear?” A little man with white hair and a big brown pipe emerged from behind the tree. “I’m sorry to scare you, I was only poking a bit of fun.” I simply nodded while taking in the short, chubby mans appearance. He had no shoes and very hairy feet. He was half my size, and he had pudgy features all around, including his fingers, cheeks, feet, and of course his stomach. He chuckled again, “You know how hobbits can be as sly as foxes! I got myself in a lot of trouble because of it once. It’s a daring tail about a dragon, and Elves, and diamonds. I love to tell of adventures. I plan on making a book, you know.” He nodded to himself and went on, “But let’s not talk about me, what about you? Where are you from?” He looked at my clothes then said, “Your clothes are very outlandish, but I have no doubt you are of men. Am I right?” I nodded my head not sure of what to say. A hobbit? “Has something got your tongue my dear? Your awfully quiet.” “Er….” is all I could say.
“Well, where are you from?” he said taking a huff of his pipe.
“I’m from New York.” I said quietly, not being able to find any other words.
“Well, I’ve never heard of that place, it must be very far.”
“I would think so…” I said looking around.
“Why are you traveling?”
“I’m not sure actually. I think I’m lost.” I stuttered.
“Well, that’s not good!” the hobbit exclaimed. “How about you stay in my hole for a while until your refreshed and we can get you to your destination. It’s nearly tea time!”
I thought back to a book my reading class and I had recently read called The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. This was exactly how Tolkien had described hobbits.
“Come on let’s go!” he said after I had been day dreaming for a few minutes.
“What is your name by the way, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“Nicole, may I ask your name?” I said politely, getting a hold of myself.
“It’s no problem at all. My name is Bilbo Baggins!” *The main character in The Hobbit is Bilbo Baggins!* I thought. “Well, to my hole we go, it’s about a half an hour walk from here.”
And so we were off to Bilbo Baggins house.
I was in his little hobbit hole for one week and grew very fond of Mr. Baggins. Although, each day I was getting more and more homesick. Was everyone worried about? What were my parents doing right now? When was I going to go home? Soon, Mr. Baggins noticed how jumpy I was and sat me down at his little table for a very productive conversation…
“I want to go home!!!!” I mumbled to the wood. My head was face down on the table.
“I figured that was the case. How did you happen to become so lost anyway?”
“I don’t know!” I shouted in annoyance. (not at Mr. Baggins though, I was more upset about the hopelessness of the situation) “I opened this little blue book, and … POOF! … I’m in a place I have no clue about. All I ever did was read about this place, the Shire, in a book titled, The Hobbit.”
“Really?” he said, both his eyebrows raised. I nodded my head. ”Well then I think it’s time we visited an old friend of mine named Gandalf. We’ll leave in an hour, at 1:00 p.m.”
And with that we were off to see the wizard! The wonderful wizard of allllll!
“He’s very hard to get a hold of,” Mr. Baggins said, “But I think I know where he’s going to be tonight. It’s called the Prancing Pony, a little pub in one of the smaller villages around here.” I nodded and we continued to walk. It wasn’t until around 6:00 we finally came to the village. “Were here!” I shouted in relief. My feet were so sore.
“What is your business here?” a gruff voice came from behind a giant oak door, which was entrance to the village. “Were here to meet someone at the Prancing Pony.” The door opened and we were let in. A few minutes later we walked in to the prancing pony. We looked around the crowded room full of jumping people, loud singing, and music. I spotted a man near the back corner a man moving side to side with the music. He had a big pointy gray hat, a long wooden staff, a long gray cloak, and of course, the long gray beard. Their was no doubting it was Gandalf.
“GANDALF!” Mr. Baggins shouted happily while jumping to the table.
“Bilbo?” He smiled bright and said, “How wonderful it is to see you after such a long time! How did you find me?”
“Haha, I just know you well, that’s all. I guessed and remembered how you said you’d be visiting your cousin in this village.”
“Well, how very right you are! What would you like?”
“Well, I need your help bringing someone back home. Nikki come here!” he yelled. I walked over to the table and took a seat looking at my surroundings.
“She’s lost and we have no clue how to get her back home.” he said, turning to me.
“Where are you from?” Gandalf questioned.
“I don’t think you’d know where it is, but I’m from New York.” Gandalf thought for a few minutes, me and Mr. Baggins staying completely silent while he thought. Finally, he said, “I don’t think I know where that is.”
“What about this?” I took out the little blue book and placed it on the table, “Would this help?” I asked hopefully.
He took the book and opened it carefully. I held my breathe, but he didn’t disappear. “Hmmm, I have heard of a book that looks much like this, but it is red, not blue. Have you read any of the stories in this book?”
“No, I haven’t.” I said.
“Well, in the red book, the short stories are always exciting, and they always end with the hero finding a blue book to reunite with the red book. But, you see, whenever someone reads from the red book they are sucked in to the book and placed in another persons realm. Maybe, that is what happened to you… except with the blue book from all the stories I know.”
“I WAS sucked in to the book!” I almost shouted.
Gandalf nodded and said, “In that case, I know exactly what you need to do to get home.”
He gave us both a serious look and began, “In each of the stories, in both of these books,” he nodded to the blue book on the table, “you find short stories about someone who had to do something AMZING to get both books, and end his or her story. They are actually very good stories, but to read them, you must be on an adventure of your own in another’s realm. I had the misfortune of being sucked in to my own story. You would find my story in that blue book. It is reverse with our red book. I would find YOUR story in the red book. Your story of retrieving the red book.” He slumped a little in his chair, “But I hid the red book, with a giant creature, that will protect the book at all costs.”
“So, you created a creature that you can’t easily defeat?”
“Precisely,” he nodded slowly. “And not just any creature, a fearsome dragon!” Suddenly a hopeful smile appeared on his face. “But.. I can tell you coming to this world gained you knew skills.” He smiled and put his brown colored drink in front of me. “Put your hand over it and concentrate on making it as cold as you can?”
“Why?” I questioned.
“You’ll see.” He smiled.
I did as he said and hovered my hand over the drink and concentrated as hard as I could. I even held my eyes closed tight. I opened my eyes and gasped to see, in the cup, a block of brown ice. “It’s a special skill that allows you to turn things in to ice! I got my own skill when I was sucked in to the red book. Your happens to be the power to turn things to ice. It will help you immensely!” he thought a moment then widened his smile, “That will be your story! ‘Nikki, the Mighty DRAGON SLAYER’!”
Also, after some more conversation I learned that everything would be the same when I reached my universe. Almost no time would have passed. That made me feel a lot better, but I was still desperately homesick.
So after gathering provisions and training with my awesome power, Gandalf, Mr. Baggins, and I set off to the Lonely Mountains. In The Hobbit, the Lonely Mountains was where the evil dragon Smaug lived. Smaug was a terrible dragon who hoarded treasure. That’s where we were headed, but instead of traveling to the top of the mountain, we were going under the mountain. Because Gandalf and Mr. Baggins had traveled there previous times before, goblins weren’t seen very often, and there was no dragon around anymore, and so we got to the mountains quickly. But it wasn’t until I was standing at the foot of the mountain, did I realize how tall it was. I was relieved we wouldn’t have to climb it. We walked to the left side of the mountain until we were at a shallow bay facing a flat, smooth rock wall. I cocked my head and stared at the wall, how was this going to work?
“Were here!” shouted Mr. Baggins happily. Gandalf went to the flat wall and put it his staff on to the flat wall. “Now all we must say are the magic words.” He said a few things in, Elvish I assumed, and a bright pale light seemed to cut through the stone. The outline of a door became visible until all the stone disappeared entirely creating an open door. I peered through, but all I could see was pitch black. I shivered at the cold air coming from the door. “This is where you hid the book?” I asked. “Yes, I only thought the book was dangerous.” He admitted with a sigh, “but I know if we all work together we can defeat my dragon. Just remember to try and hit it’s weak point. Right in the middle of it’s eyes.” He gave a serious look and said a final, “Are you both ready?” Mr. Baggins and I both nodded our heads and braced ourselves. Bilbo was in charge of getting to the dragons weak spot, I was just going to go around and fight, and Gandalf was to us magic. We had all trained a lot over the journey, and I knew I was ready.
We walked into the pitch black, our footsteps echoed. I guessed we were walking on a marble floor. I heard soft breathing from a certain corner of the room. Then a RUMPH!, and a few clicks of someone’s (or something’s) tongue. “Get ready…” Gandalf whispered. Suddenly a giant RAWR!!!! echoed through the room and bounced off the floor and walls. “NOW!” I heard Gandalf shout.
I saw Gandalf’s staff light up, and the whole room (which we were standing) light up in a bright yellow light. The dragon was over 12 ft tall, big, scaly, and a oak green. His fangs were a huge pearly white and frightening. His claws were the size of one persons body. And so the fighting began. Bilbo inched behind the creature, waiting for the right moment. Gandalf moved forward with his staff and shot off a firework to distract the dragon. That was my cue to go for the dragons tail. It felt myself grab on to him, and I held on the dragons swinging tail for my life. Gandalf jumped high in the air and shot a blue blast from his staff. I shut my eyes tight, and then climbed up the dragons wildly swinging tail. Mr. Baggins then grabbed the dragons right leg. “GANDALF!” he shouted, climbing up the dragons leg, but before he could do anything else was stuck in the dragons claws. “GANDALF HELP!” Gandalf shot a vibrant orange light from his staff, at the same time the dragon almost ate Bilbo as his snack.
The orange light hit the dragon right in his head, and in effect, the dragon yelped in pain, dropping poor Mr. Baggins to the floor. I was almost on the dragons shoulder, gripping on to the dragons shiny scales, praying the dragon was too distracted to feel me climbing up its back. The dragon flung it’s right arm at Gandalf who then hit his head hard to the ground. I had just reached the dragons shoulder, and was working my way on it’s head, by using the horns on it’s head. I gasped as Gandalf didn’t get up, and Mr. Baggins was looking at him.
Then dragon gave a loud RAWWRRR!!!! and went to lunge at them both. I knew this would be my last chance. I dropped down from one the dragons eyes, right on to it’s long nose. Then, I put my hands on it’s nose, right in-between it’s eyes, and summoned the ice powers I was given when sucked in to the book. I closed my eyes, and concentrated on seeing the dragon as a huge ice sculpture. It took a lot of strength I didn’t know I had. I waited a few moments after using all my strength and opened my eyes to see clear ice surrounding the giant green dragon. I did it, I HAD splayed the dragon! I guess things were different in books, I had done things I knew I couldn’t do in my own realm. Obviously slaying a dragon was one of them.
I gave a bright smile and went to turn around when I realized I was over 10 feet in the air, balancing on slippery ice. *Great… now how do I get down?* I wandered. But before I could do anything, I noticed a red book was melting through the ice in-between the dragons now frozen eyes. It dropped on to the dragons iced nose, and landed with a loud CLUNTH! I picked it up and almost cried. I COULD GO HOME!
I opened the book on impulse and before I knew it I saw that same blinding light and was back sitting in Mrs. Fiore’s classroom, tossing the red book around in my palms. Then I thought of Gandalf and Mr. Baggins on the floor. I flipped through the red books pages and skipped to the last short story entry, “Nikki, the Might Dragon Slayer!” I skipped to the end of the story. It turns out Mr. Baggins and Gandalf are just fine and return to the Shire, happy to have helped a friend. I smiled to myself and looked around the classroom, happy to see familiar faces.
They were still hauling chairs in to the middle of the room. I looked at the book, and thought, *Maybe I should keep this my own little secret … * I smiled and put the book in my back-pack and went to join the rest of the class, unaware I had been gone at all. I had had an adventure all right, and it was one I would never forget.
