Pirate Challenge by Asha Ganguly, age 10 Nessi was sleeping peacefully in bed when a dragon attacked! The dragon pulled at his leg. Out of Nessi’s pj’s came a sword and cut open the dragon’s belly, but the dragon survived and tore open Nessi’s limbs. Nessi woke up drenched in sweat. Just a nightmare. A scary, drenched in sweat nightmare about dragons. So babyish for this 150 year old man. He stared down at his blue with pink dots pj’s. He was babyish. Nessi was hungry, so he got out of bed and tugged on Bone’s tail. Bone was his annoying, barky dog. Nessi shivered in the cold room and opened the door. Bone followed Nessi out, and they went into the kitchen. Nessi opened the fridge and tossed Bone a bone. For himself, he got a cup of warm milk. Before he knew it, the warm milk was no longer there because he drank it all. Only his Muppets mug. Bone started whining, and Nessi turned to him and hissed. Bone had finished his bone and was whining for a new one. “We don’t have enough money for another bone if you want to have one everyday, you priceless dog! You cost a fortune!” Nessi yelled. Nessi’s gray, blank eyes meant nothing compared to how he used to look. His shiny, green eyes and flat, pushed back, oily hair was no more. Bone barked and ran around. Nessi stepped on his tail to keep him still. For one minute Nessi yawned and lifted his foot and Bone ran. Not only did he run, but he jumped through the doggie flap, and he was outside. Bone was outside in the streets. Nessi, the unloving, grumpy, old man felt a stab of fear for his dog. Nessi ran out of the door and breathed in the smell of the sea. Nessi slammed the door of his house by the sea and ran after his dog. “Come! Bone! You can have another bone!” Nessi called running as fast as his stubby, little legs could run. Bone stopped and started peeing against a tree, and then ran again. Soon enough, they were at the beach. “Oh, Bone. Come here,” Nessi panted. Even though the dog could be a pain, the old man needed the dog to put his anger on. Bone stopped at the sea and stared at it. Sand got in Nessi’s slippers, and he pounced at Bone. Bone scampered to the side, and Nessi ended up face down on the sand. Nessi got up and spit out all the dirt and sand in his mouth. “You old, filthy dog!” he yelled. Bone shuffled to the deck. “As much as I don’t like you, you mean a lot to me. Don’t duck!” He yelled and ran at Bone. Bone jumped, and for one, horrible moment, Nessi thought he would lose his sweet, bad Bone. Bone landed softly in a tiny boat and put two of his paws to his tiny heart. “You want to go canoeing? Was that your plan all along, Mudface dog?” Nessi yelled.
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