The Magical World of Zog

Chapter 1

 

Uhhh, how  I hate the orphanage. I've lived here my whole life, since my so-called parents abandoned me in a picnic basket near an old creek. It was mid April, and in our town, Plainview, spring is the windiest season. My basket could’ve been blown right into the creek and I could’ve drowned then and there. When I look back at how awful my life has been for the past 15 years, sometimes I wish I did. But, no. A 13 year old girl named Ellen Crosby found me asleep and took me to the Bardridge Orphanage. It was an old building, and it was owned by an ugly old hag named Helen Crosby, who was Ellen’s mother. She hated the orphanage, and the only reason she never quit was because the government apparently paid her a lot. I hate the government. Helen didn’t care what our names were, she called everyone “boy or “girl”, so Ellen thought of everyone’s names. She decided to call me Brooke, because she found me by the creek. As I grew up, Ellen always told me that I should pick a last name for myself, but I don’t want to. A last name represents belonging to a family, and I don’t. I hope I never figure out who my birth parents are, and if I do, I won’t have anything to do with them. They didn’t want me, so I don’t want them. It doesn’t seem like anybody wants me though. The babies in the nursery get adopted the most, but little kids get adopted too. But no one in the world wants a teenager, especially one like me. I have red hair that is too frizzy, so I have to put it in a ponytail. My eyes are jade green, and that with my hair makes me look like a fox.

    Sometimes I feel that I complain too much, but really I don’t! My life is terrible and the only thing I love to do is run. A nice long run always clears my mind. Well I hope someone will adopt me soon. I walk down to dinner, but first I have to gather all the smaller kids. I grab Nessie, Carla, Bob, and Steward and all of us go down to dinner. Today is a piece of weird meat and some potatoes and peas. I snarf everything down except the peas. I hate peas. I ask to be excused and grab my jacket to go for a run. I walk out the door and feel something that you don’t normally feel .I felt freedom. I started running and I heard my heart pounding.

    After about half an hour, I sit down by the creek I was found. I look for a while and then close my eyes. I keep them closed for about 2 minutes and then open them again. I look at the creek again, but this time I see a girl. No older than 13.  Just standing in the water as if the autumn cold isn’t bothering her at all. She curls her lips into a smile and gestures for me to come closer. I’m definitely hallucinating. I wonder what Mrs. Crosby put in that meat. I close my eyes again but before I get to open them someone says, “ I’m not going to disappear, you know?” I open my eyes and right next to me the same girl from the creek is sitting right next to me. I don’t say anything but the girl speaks again, “Why? Why do I have to have this stupid job and every time I have like wait days before they believe me?” I stand up and just walk away. I close my eyes again telling myself I must be dreaming. “No, you're not dreaming. I really should get some type of believe me potion or something because this is just getting ridiculous! I should really inform the Queen of Zog about this.”

    I finally speak, “Who are you?”

    “Finally! You’re a little faster than the others”

    “Others?”

    “Yes, grab my hand” I grab her hand and suddenly we appear in this giant castle. The creek is replaced by a giant waterfall with...what? Hot pink water!!! I look around and see the other strange things surrounding this land. There is a tree with fruit that have faces that talk and blink and smile. There are flowers that morph into butterflies, then squirrels, then back into flowers. There are rainbows that fly across the land picking up unsuspecting pedestrians and flinging them miles away.

    “Wha..what is this place?”

    “Why does everyone ask that? Is it not obvious?” She laughs. “Anyway, we’re lucky we made it! This transmitter never seems to work anymore!” she pulled out a rectangular block thing from nowhere. “Once, I specifically put in the right coordinates, and it took Polly and I to Hawaii! Man those hula maniacs were annoying!” The girl talks on and on.  Suddenly, a girl about 15 or 16 walks in. She has black hair and a purple dress. She has very formal clothes, but if you look closely she is wearing worn down sneakers on her feet and has rainbow loom bracelets on her wrist.