Prompt: Planes, Trains and Flying Horses

[Prof. Sky Alton]

Ah, travel. It’s an unavoidable part of many stories as you get your characters from one fascinating setting to another. But it doesn’t have to be a dull slog between A and B. Whether your characters hop aboard an airship or catch a lift from a fantastical creature, there are plenty of ways to make transportation a thrilling part of your tale.

For this prompt, we’d like you to write a story or scene (200 words or more) about an unusual mode of transportation. It could be magical, futuristic, steampunk or just a bizarre example from the real world (did you know they have cars shaped like fruit?). Providing it’s something unexpected that helps your characters get somewhere, it’s fair game.

You’ll earn 20 beans for completing this prompt as well as it counting towards the chance to snag our shiny Quill and Ink award.

There is no deadline as such for these prompts but if you’d like it to count towards your chance of earning the award for a specific year, we’ll need it by the end of that school year. If you’re comfortable sharing, then post below. If not, email your story to us via hol.bookclub @ gmail.com (without the spaces). Oh and remember it’s a good idea to check through your piece carefully for spelling and grammatical errors as they make it harder for people to properly enjoy your work.

[Aura Nightmoon]

The dreamer's glen was glimmering with moonlight and fairy dust as it would on any night when the moon was full. The stars danced in the skies, and I marveled as they twinkled their greetings of hello. However, I was on a mission, and not one that gave me time to stand around and enjoy the scene as I might have had the urgent news not come. Whistling, my giant moth friend swooped down beside me, tickling my skin as the breeze from her arrival caressed it. I climbed up to the center of her wings and clenched my thighs tight as she flew off, my stomach receiving a jolt from the sudden movement upwards.

Moth riding was never something one got used to, but around here, it was the fastest way to travel. Afterall, moths had the ability to become near invisible to the naked eye and blend in like camouflage to their surroundings. Yet to the rider, their silken, neon blue and fluorescent purple wings were as vivid and vibrant as the turning leaves of the autumnal forests. The cool air stung my face, waking me up from the sleepy mists that befell these parts as we flew higher and higher, faster and faster. The beating of the moths wings rang in my ears, ba-dum, ba-dum, as they shifted through the force pushing against them. It was music as the drumming turned into the whisperings of a flute in the night. We swirled through the sky until finally we reached the grove.

I hopped off my moth friend, running my hand over the soft fuzz that covered her. I thanked her for delivering me safely. Once I gave word from the Queen to our allies, it would be time to depart again. Where I would go, I did not know. Wherever I was needed the most I imagined. For now, I would revel in the magic that was the Misty Wood as my moth friend disappeared into the vast, shimmering sky.

[Hiya Debnath]

I needed to get to my grandfather's house. I had missed the train that morning. I couldn't think what to say when I got back home because my parents would be upset, they had paid to buy me the ticket. There was only one train that left to my grandfather's village every week, and my grandfather would be so upset. I had only two weeks of vacation and if I went next week, one week would already be lost. I was so sad. I went straight to the beach, rather than home, and stared at the horizon with a sad and dejected expression on my face. Over the horizon, a black speck appeared. I wondered what it was. I even stared for a while. It was magnificent black and shiny because I could see it like a diamond among stones from such a long distance and I kept staring, mesmerized until it hurt my eyes. It was hypnotizingly beautiful. As it drew closer and closer, I could see it more clearly and realised that it was a dragon, with glistening black scales, and it grew bigger and bigger until it closed the distance between us. I was terrified. It had shiny black scales all over its body like an armor. I expected it to breathe out fire at any time and I was ready to run but my legs shook and wobbled and felt like jelly. "Why are you crying, my little child?", the dragon asked gently. I was surprised. I looked at the dragon's face again to confirm whether it had spoken. It had, because it spoke again, asking me to sit on it's back, "Come, my child. Let me take you to your grandpa's house.". A dragon ride? I couldn't believe my eyes and ears. Confused and dazed, I simply watched as the dragon lowered its back to let me climb on. I held on to its scales and got on its broad scale-covered back. It wasn't very comfortable because the scales were hard but its back was broad and there was enough space to sit, even sleep. The dragon asked me to hold tight, and I held whatever I could, which was a set of spikes on its back. The dragon soared into the sky. Up above the hills it flew and I could see the sights below him like one would see from an aeroplane. It took me across forests and valleys and I could see the familiar sights, only from high up in the sky. It looked weird from up here, but it was exhilarating. Finally, we reached my grandpa's village. The dragon couldn't land near the railway station as he would scare the beasts, animals, and the people, so he dropped me off at a nearby forest and pointed me towards my grandpa's village, saying that I would only have to walk a kilometre straight ahead to emerge into my grandpa's tea garden where I played in my childhood. He said that this part of the forest was relatively safe and I believed him because I knew. I looked at the friendly dragon and smiled. I said, "Thank you", and it just disappeared into thin air. I couldn't believe my eyes. Where had it just gone? But I was still standing in the forest and I must have definitely ridden the dragon because how else did I reach here? I had missed the train. I looked up at the sky and saw a black speck getting smaller and smaller over time, and disappearing in the distance. "That would have to be a swift take-off to disappear like that", I thought to myself. Then, I ran towards my grandpa's village. I emerged in his tea garden and grandpa was there plucking tea leaves with the other workers. He welcomed me and asked, "Ohh dear, how did you come an hour early?". "I rode a dragon", I said. : )