Devastated, Kari slumped to the ground, putting her head in her hands. Why did I ever come here, she wondered, was it really because of annoying kids? Then, Kari realized something. She could find the north star, and go the opposite way of it! That way, she would be going south, toward Spring's Wonder and safety.
Kari jumped to her feet. This was the way she was going to find her way home! She wasn't going to be lost after all!
As Kari scanned the night sky, looking for the Big Dipper and the north star that went with it.
Then she heard a rustle in the bare bushes behind her. Kari whirled around. A dark figure flitted out of view. She screamed, sprinting toward the House of Ice.
Kari slammed the door behind her. What was I thinking, she thought, frantic. Why did I run towards the house? That's the dumbest thing ever! She scolded herself.
After standing in the entrance hallway for a few minutes, Kari worked up the guts to go deeper into the house. There must be another way out, she reasoned.
Kari put on her brave face and strode into the doorway on her left. It was a dark room and shafts of moonlight poured through the frost-coated windows. An old-fashioned armchair dominated the room. A fireplace filled with ancient coals long dead. Kari shivered. If polar bears were here, she thought, they would be wearing winter coats and scarves, it's so cold!
The house seemed to radiate frozen air.
Then a shadow flitted out of the corner of Kari's eye. She whirled around. This time she saw who it was. A tall man with a blue blazer and trousers, all coated in ice and frost.
"Who are YOU!" Kari shrieked, louder than she intended, wide-eyed.
"I am the Man of Frost. I keep this town and this forest in ever-present winter. I live here. You are inside my house. I should be the one asking the questions." he replied.
"WELL," Kari said, defiant. "You have been making my town REALLY COLD and I don't LIKE IT," she continued. "My family has lived in that town for YEARS, and everyone blames US for the Cold! So what do you say to THAT!"
The Man of Frost sighed. "I suppose we can work something out," he said somberly.
YOU ARE READING
The Curse of Spring's Wonder
FantasyHi there, this is a story I wrote for my ELA class, but it's good enough to put here. NOTES: Kari (Car-ee) uses she/her pronouns and is an 11 y/o kid. Spring's Wonder is entirely fictional.
