By Marley Krishnan
I’ve always marvelled at my pet. But my pet is not a cat or a dog, it’s a red belly black snake. I love how it slithers along the gravel in the cage, winding around anything in its path.
I was just looking at the scaly slitherer when the doorbell rang. As always, I jumped up and rushed through the house. The door grew bigger as I ran toward it. Outside the door, there lay a cardboard box labelled: Extreme magic. I opened the box, and what was inside changed our lives forever.
Two amulets glittered in the box. One was a shimmering green colour, the other was sparkling blue. I put the green one on, not realising what would happen next. Everything went black. The darkness lasted for what seemed like forever, and then suddenly my vision returned and I could see my surroundings.
Still at home, that’s a start. Everything looked the same, everything felt the same, but I was way too low to the ground. That’s when I noticed it. I had black fur all over me! I also had four legs, and behind me was a tail … I quickly found a mirror.
I was a panther!
I panicked. I was shocked by what I was seeing, but I didn’t have long to think about it. A screech suddenly pierced the air. I ran to my brother’s room, much faster than my usual self. When I got there, my brother Luke wasn’t there. I saw a large golden-brown eagle, perched on the bed. I looked closer, and I noticed that an amulet, just like the blue amulet I found in the box, was tied to its leg.
The eagle must be Luke!
The amulets are responsible for this!
I was shaking. My paws were sweating. I wanted to turn back into a human but before I knew it, the darkness returned. This time it only lasted a minute or so, and when I my vision returned, I waved my hands in front of my face to see if I was a panther or a human. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw hands, not paws. I was on my bed, in my room. I saw my bookshelf, my desk and my open window. Then I noticed something shining in the sunshine on my desk. It was the amulet, sitting right there on my desk.
I raced over to the desk and grabbed hold of the amulet and closed my eyes, wondering what had just happened, and if it would happen again.
That night I couldn’t sleep, all I could wonder was why the amulet was delivered to my house, and what it could mean. The cars driving past were scribbling patterns on my walls with their headlights.
I was trying to sleep when I heard the unmistakable cry of ‘Help!’ I leapt out of bed and ran to the door. I was holding the amulet and seemed to be running quite fast. I slammed the door open and stood outside, watching the road.
A car zoomed down the road, its tyres screaming against the tar. As the car got closer, I clutched the amulet and closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes, I was on the road with the car hurtling toward me. I plunged my hands forwards. When I noticed the silky black fur on them, I realised they were paws again. But I couldn’t think about that too much, I had to focus on stopping the car.
It stopped inches from me, the silence eerie after the earlier noise. The car door opened, and a small figure stepped out. The figure was wearing a cloak and had a cane. I couldn’t see the face as the headlights were shining directly at me. I was squinting against them and my heart was racing. Then, in the silence, I heard a little voice.
“Thank you,” said the old lady.
She went on to explain that her brakes had stopped working and she couldn’t stop the car. She had been screaming for help but no-one had come to her aid, until she looked up and saw a black creature appear. The creature she had seen was me, as a panther, but once the car had stopped, I noticed I was human again. She had noticed it too.
“What is happening?” she asked.
“I have no idea. All I know is that I heard you and I knew that I could help,” I replied.