The Castle

I sighed as I peered into the endless ravine down below. Trust me; I’d seen my fair share of moats around
castles, but this was absurd. Were there any thorny bushes, dangerous animals, or even water? No, this castle
was surrounded by molten, iridescent lava, which flowed like cement, every so often spitting sparks at me,
clearly showing that I was not welcome.

“Okay,” I told myself, “you can do this. There has to be a way across.”

Sweat began to race down my face as the sweltering heat made it hard to focus. With a frown, I narrowed my
eyes at the tall spires of the dark castle. I had to get inside to complete my mission.

Then, I cast my eyes from left to right; finally, I saw glimmer of hope. A pathway of rocky steps had caught my
attention with each pillar stretching over what seemed like miles across from each other. My only option was
to jump across, with the burning, fiery liquid ready to engulf me at all times.

“Lovely,” I muttered.

But I knew I had no time to waste, so just as fast as my heartbeat had become, I ran and, after taking in a
lungful of the hot, putrid air, I made my first jump.

“There we go,” I said when I landed on the top of the first pillar. “Simple as pie.”

I desperately tried not to look down but how does one avoid looking at a glowing red floor? There wasn’t
enough room on the pillar for a running jump. So, I’d have to be very careful.

Another jump. I landed, but the momentum almost carried me over the edge of the pillar. I screamed and
managed to stop myself just in time. Then the third jump. And the fourth. The fifth.

It felt like it was getting hotter and hotter. Harder to breathe. My lungs were starting to burn and my body
started to ache, longing for me to stop and have a rest, but that didn’t matter; I had to make it across.

The sixth jump. The seventh… I needed to focus, but a knot started to tug and pull in my stomach, like a
warning that my time had come.

“Focus, Anya!” I scolded. “Just jump.”

And so, I made my way. The red-hot lava below looked hungry for my flesh; calmly waiting for me to fall in its
clutches with the patience of a Venus flytrap.

“Focus!”

But evidently, that wasn’t enough. I landed right in the centre of the next pillar, relieved, for there were just a
handful left before solid ground, but I had overshot my jump.

Down, down, down; falling and falling towards the source of the already overwhelming heat. The red got closer
and closer, mocking me, ready to consume me in one ghastly swallow. I had failed my mission.

Laughter filled the air, directed at me; the worst punishment of all.

But like my knight in shining armour, Miss Stone run up to me and knelt beside me. “Children, you know better
than that. We don’t laugh at people for falling. Isabelle? Are you alright?” The other children quietened down;
there was no wrath more deadly than a teacher’s.
“Yes,” I answered. “I’m fine. Just jumped too far that time.” I got to my feet, brushing the dirt off my clothes,
still feeling the fiery warmth. “I was just playing. Trying to make it to the castle.”

This was my favourite part of the entire playground. It was just a little obstacle course of bicycle tires fastened
to the ground, but I loved to hop through it. At the very end was a set of monkey bars designed to resemble a
castle.

“Well, you can still make it,” Miss Stone said, placing a hand on my head. “There’s still enough time before you
have to go back to class.”

I grinned up at her. And, with that, I ran back to the beginning to start again. This time I would make it all the
way to the castle; I was sure of it!