Authors: Songbird is a fictional story written by GGAL participants, Ayan Omar, Sumaya Farah, Fenet Aman, Phoenix Vang, Ililli Ali, and Halima Adam.
Creative Writing Method: The story was written using a “pass the story” creative writing technique! Each GGAL participant had the opportunity to contribute to the story and then passed it on to another participant.
The original writing and style is preserved.
Chapter 1
Once upon a time there was a girl named Songbird. She grew up alone in a small village called “Dragon Kiss!” The village of “Dragon Kiss” was known for many dragons surrounding the area. Songbird lived all alone with the dragons as all the people left to venture out on their own. She was only 10 years old, not old enough to go on her adventure yet.
Years went by and finally being 13 years old, she was finally old enough to venture. She already had her backpack packed with clothes, food, and a small fire extinguisher. Being able to fend for herself for 10 years led her to be very independent and strong willed. Time struck 10 and she opened the door with a big whoosh. A cool and a calming wind blew in and moved her hair as she smelled the fresh, flowery, and forest scent.
Songbird ventures out and starts walking. As she continues on her journey, without any goal or vision ahead, she continues. She comes across a dark and gloomy forest, hesitant, she stopped and questioned if she should enter the forest. Suddenly, a huge and terrified scream came from within. Without any thinking, she rushed into the forest. She ran as fast as she could and continued to follow the loud scream. As soon as the scream got to her ear, she knew she was there. She stopped to look and saw three horrible, stinking, creatures (MEN) poking and hurting a baby dragon. She picks up anything she could find to throw at those horrible creatures. With her fire extinguisher, she tossed it as hard as she could at the closest man near her. Perfect hit, he knocked out unconscious. She quickly hid and started throwing rocks and sticks. Those horrible creatures stopped and rushed to her area to find what was or who was throwing stuff at them. Because Songbird was so small, she was able to hide and be stealth as well as duck under big leaves. With her quick mind, she started throwing sticks and rocks at other areas to lure those evil creatures away. As the men disappeared, she quickly ran to the baby dragon to cut it loose. As soon as she was in front of the baby dragon, she was mesmerized at it’s beautiful color of blue emerald and shiny scales.
Chapter 2
As Songbird cut the baby loose, she noticed the baby dragon had an injured wing and could not fly away. She grabbed one of her t-shirts and ripped it to bind the baby dragon’s wing. She quickly carried the baby dragon away. She ran as fast as she could to the nearest cave that she could find. Within minutes, there was a small cave. Suddenly, she heard those horrible creatures scrambling back and forth. She and the baby dragon ran inside the cave and covered the cave with a big broken wooden door. She hushed the baby dragon as she slowly soothed the dragon and whispered “It’s ok baby, I won’t hurt you!” Baby dragon looked at Songbird and nozzled her cheeks and licked it. Songbird said, “I think I’m going to call you BabyBlue.” Babyblue hummed a happy noise and continued to lick Songbird’s cheeks.
Songbird told Babyblue that they needed to find a place to live. They will rest in the cave for the night and will venture in the morning to find a home. Songbird remembered dragons breathe fire, she asked Babyblue if he was old enough to breathe fire. Babyblue looked at Songbird in confusion and let out a huge puff of sigh which turned into fire. Songbird jumped for joy as she quickly looked out for any wood to burn. She waited for the quiet before removing the broken wooden door. She told Babyblue that she will be right back and gave Babyblue twinkies to snack on. She quickly grabbed big sticks and any wood that was visible. She brought them back and asked Babyblue about fire again. With confusion, Babyblue tilted its head and nozzled her cheeks. Songbird thought, “How can I make him breathe fire again?” She shouted “Oh, tickling!” She started tickling Babyblue and went towards it’s nose. Babyblue got frustrated and started moving away. She continued to tickle Babyblue. Babyblue got mad but knew that he would not hurt her, so he blew his fire at the pile of sticks. He figured he was so mad at her that he can make her mad by burning what she had just gathered. Instead of being mad, Songbird jumped for joy and made Babyblue more confused. She said, “We are going to need to learn how to communicate with each other!”
Chapter 3
Morning hits the horizon as Songbird wakes to a warm and minty breathing Babyblue. She hugs Babyblue and whispers, “It’s time to go!” They gathered their things and moved the wooden door. As they walked out they felt the warm sun on their skin. They continue on a path that leads to the ocean. As they reached the ocean, Songbird realized that Babyblue was not able to fly yet. Babyblue pointed his nose towards a very old wooden boat. Songbird thought this was perfect as she quickly ran towards it. She checked for holes and cracks and noticed there weren't any. It was just a very, very old boat. Babyblue helped her move the boat into the water. They grabbed all of their belongings and tossed them into the boat. Luckily the boat was big enough to fit Babyblue and Songbird.
They sailed for days until they came to a deserted island. With many fishes and other sea creatures in the ocean, they were fed and were able to survive. Finally arriving at the island, Songbird scouted the area, there was no one to be seen. Songbird and Babyblue went deeper into the forest and saw this beautiful field of hibiscus flowers with a lovely shiny stream of clean fresh water. Songbird immediately knew she wanted to make this place her home for a very long time.
Days passed as Songbird and Babyblue made this beautiful island their home. Babyblue’s wing has healed and he learned how to fly. With very little food left, Songbird asked Babyblue to gather fruits and coconuts for the next couple of days. As Babyblue flew out to gather food, suddenly a long arrow was shot and hit Babyblue’s wing. Songbird quickly rushed to Babyblue’s aid and grabbed his wing gently to break the arrow off. Suddenly a creature came by. She saw that it was a young teenage boy. She screamed out, “Why???? Why did you shoot my Babyblue?” The creature was shocked and dumbfounded that there was another person on the island. He was so shocked, he couldn’t speak and rushed to help Songbird. Songbird shouted, “Don’t you dare touch my Babyblue!” The creature finally spoke and said, “I’m truly sorry, I did not know he belonged to someone. I wanted to make him mine. Forgive me, my name is Christopher, but my family calls me Chris!” Songbird gave him a dirty stare and pushed him away. Chris said, “Please, let me help, it was my fault!” He quickly grabbed Babyblue’s other wing and they both carried Babyblue back to Songbird’s hut. Songbird was not thrilled about Chris, nor did she care to offer him any drinks or food. Instead, she grabbed her bow staff and nudged him away. He gave her a stare and said, “Look, I’m really sorry!” Songbird said, “I don’t care, now leave us!” She kept shooing him. So, Chris finally decided to go because he knew she wasn’t going to give in and accept his apology.
Chapter 4
Chris left back to his home. As he arrived, he met with his father, Chief Colton. Chris told his father that he saw the most beautiful baby dragon of all time. As he described Babyblue to his father, his father knew exactly what it was. His father was actually one of the men who had tried to capture Babyblue weeks ago. Without telling Chris anything, Chief Colton plotted a scheme to capture Babyblue. He forced Chris to go away and demanded a meeting with the other men. They plotted the proposition and the plan came into play that evening.
As night falls, Chief Colton and his men gather their tools and ropes and head for Songbird’s home. As they arrived, they noticed Babyblue sleeping by the fire. Chief Colton shot a poisoned arrow filled with sleeping potion. It hit directly at Babyblue and with a big scream, Songbird awoke. She rushed down from her hut to see Babyblue in agony. Within minutes, Babyblue fell unconscious. One of the men rushed to Songbird to cover her face and knocked her out unconscious. She fell to the ground and with ropes, the men tied Babyblue and captured him.
Morning came and Songbird woke up to excruciating pain on her head. When she came to, she remembered what had happened. Babyblue was gone and she was lost in thought and her heart felt pain she has never felt before. She ran into her hut to think of a plan to get Babyblue back. Although she was only 13 years old, she felt so strong, she knew she could take a whole village down. Babyblue was hers and no one else would love him as much as she does. With her mind so quick, she made mini bombs from dirt and sticks. She gathered as much rocks as she could and with her bow staff. She was ready to save Babyblue.
Chapter 5
Without any idea of where Babyblue has been taken, Songbird started looking for clues. While she was walking, she saw many different footprints. She followed the footprints. After twenty minutes following the footprints, she came to a clearing of a small village. She heard loud rumbling noises and noticed Babyblue in the middle of the chaos. With rage filled inside of her, she immediately paused to think of a plan instead of going straight into it. She figured it would be good to grab the villager’s attention, by distracting them with a huge fire. She tossed one of her mini bombs at the closest hut. Instantly, the hut was in flames. She noticed people running towards the hut as well as people running out of the hut. Immediately, Chief Colton asked one of his men to watch Babyblue as they examined the situation of the burning hut.
Songbird noticed the guard, guarding Babyblue. She threw a rock at the guard and pow, with a perfect hit, it knocked him to the ground. She rushed to his side and used her bow staff to hit him on the head to knock him out. Songbird quickly untied Babyblue and offered Babyblue some medical berries to heal him. The berries had worked and Babyblue was up and energized. Both Songbird and Babyblue were filled with rage, so Songbird requested Babyblue to burn the village. “Burn the village! But do not hurt the women and children. You can burn the men, Babyblue!” shouted Songbird. With all of his might, he blew a large string of flames at the huts and men. He was careful not to hurt any women or children. As soon as he finished, he lifted Songbird onto his back and flew away.
Chapter 6
Eight years past and Songbird is now 21 years old. Babyblue has grown into a mighty dragon and has learned to protect Songbird. Songbird awoke that morning to the dream of when Babyblue and Songbird burned the village. She and Babyblue have relocated to a different side of the island, more quiet and closer to the ocean. No one has disturbed them or even dared to bother them because Babyblue has become the strongest dragon known to men. Songbird has also become a strong warrior island princess. Stories rumored that she was gifted with magical powers and she can turn men into stone while looking at them. Whether the rumors were true or not, she became a strong woman. Her life has revolved around Babyblue and the island. There have been no stories of what has happened to the village but that the village has turned into a ghost town. Women and children fled the island and the men were all gone. The island now belonged to Songbird and Babyblue. The day started with a regular coconut porridge for Songbird and huge blossom berry for Babyblue. Songbird looked at Babyblue and said, “How about a nice and long flight around the island to see if there is anything new we can play with.” Babyblue blew out a big flame of happiness. Songbird had learned his types of flames related to his emotions. This one was, of course, happiness.
After eating, Songbird grabbed her number one bow staff, and hopped onto Babyblue’s back. As they launched into the air, Songbird noticed a big ship on the ocean. She took her binoculars to look to see who or what was on the ship. She didn’t see any movement. She leaned down to Babyblue’s ears and said, “Baby, take me to that ship!” Babyblue turned its course and headed to the ship. Finally arriving, Songbird jumped down from Babyblue’s back and landed on her feet on top of the ship. She noticed cracked barrels, lots of wooden boxes, and empty liquor bottles. No one to be seen. She walked around, listening for any sounds or movements. No one to be heard. She pushed down on the floor door and before jumping down, she found a wooden torch and asked Babyblue to blow on it. The torch lit up and she quickly jumped down. Dark and gloomy, she saw no one. However, at the corner, there was a body covered with a huge blanket. She went towards the body and moved the blanket away.
Immediately, she felt her eyes widen and her heart start pumping faster. “What a beautiful creature,” she thought. She noticed the creature was having difficulty breathing and asked Babyblue to lower his tail to lift the creature out from the bottom floor. As Babyblue did so, Songbird jumped back up to the main floor of the ship and quickly checked the creature’s temperature. The creature was hot and burning. Songbird was hesitant but wanted to save the beautiful creature’s life. She put him on Babyblue’s back and also hopped on. She said, “Baby, let’s go home now, I need to save this creature’s life!” Babyblue quickly flew back.
As they arrived, they laid the creature on Songbird’s bed and with a cold cloth, Songbird nestled the cloth on it’s forehead. Quickly mashing coconut milk with medicine berries, Songbird made him drink it. Within minutes, the creature’s temperature went down and he fell asleep. Songbird and Babyblue left him alone to heal.
Chapter 7
The next morning…
Chris awoke to a warm and cozy blanket. He sat up and looked around to see where he was. He tried to remember what had happened and the only thing he remembered was drinking the last bottle of vodka on his dead dad’s ship. He sat up and realized his energy was fully restored. He walked around and looked outside. As he looked down, he saw the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, laying on the biggest and shiniest blue/emerald dragon. He immediately remembered eight years ago about a young girl who was poking and shoo-ing him, who also owned a baby blue/emerald dragon. He thought, “It can’t be her, no it cannot!” He climbed down and went closer to her. Babyblue awoke and saw Chris. Immediately Babyblue went into protection mode and pushed him away. Chris whispered, “I’m sorry, thank you for saving me!” Babyblue led out a huge puff and roar. Songbird awoke from his roar and said, “Baby, what’s wrong?” She turned to see the beautiful creature standing six feet away from them. She quickly stood up and said, “Oh my, you’re awake! How do you feel?” Chris, didn’t respond right away, because he didn’t want to be shooed away again. He wanted to get to know her. He then said, “Are you the one who saved me from that awful ship? If you are, I am truly thankful! What can I do for you to show you my appreciation?” Songbird said, “No need to thank me, but I am glad you are alive! What were you doing on that empty ship?” Chris decided to lie to her about his dead dad’s ship and said, “I was one of the slaves on the ship. We had it with the captain and we went against him and his men. We came together and decided to take over the ship! War broke out and I lost many of my friends, I killed the captain. His men fled on a smaller ship and I was left by myself with a few other comrades!”
Side note: In reality, what had happened was true about the slaves and his dad’s crew, but Chris was neither slave nor part of his dad’s crew. He was neutral and didn’t want the war, he ended it by fighting his dad in a duel. He won because his dad cheated by tricking him. So he ended up murdering his dad in defense. He forced his dad’s men off the ship. His dad was evil and he never agreed to his dad’s way of life. He hated his dad ever since eight years ago when they stole Babyblue and took him home. The slaves and Chris took over the ship. They became close friends but his friends got ill and they all started dying. One by one he tossed the corpse overboard and by the time he knew it, he was all alone with little water and food!
Songbird said, “Oh my, that’s horrific, I came onboard and only saw you. Where are your comrades?” Chris said, “They all became ill and died one by one, so I had to toss them overboard.” Songbird said, “I’m sorry you had to experience such a tragedy. I won’t ask anymore, I don’t want you to remember it. By the way, I am Songbird and this, dragon here, is my Babyblue!” Chris' eyes widened, and thought, “That concludes it, it is her! I finally found her!!!”
To be continued.