Page 42 - Solstice Art & Literary Magazine 2021

THE
MONSTER
ANALISE BUDZIAK
The flying serpent un- coiled from where it had lounged in the
corner, rising to its full height and dwarfing the courtyard in its shadow. Its black scales gleamed in the afternoon sun- light, throwing beads of light every which way as it flicked its tail and unfurled its great wings. Fiery eyes were shad- owed by heavy lids, fixed on Ozzy no matter which way its head turned. Its talons shred- ded any treetop that dared stand in its way. It stretched its mouth wide, a sonorous roar booming across the sky.
Ozzy couldn’t begin to fathom how long the serpent was, how many times its body could wrap around one of the
Academy’s towers, but he could tell from where he stood that its
pearly fangs were as long as he was tall, if not longer.
It was glorious. A feat of engineering, really.
He turned to his in- structor, who stood off to the side, notebook in hand to as- sess his performance. “Do I have to kill it?”
His instructor sighed, glancing up at him over the rim of his glasses. “Edegar, this is a monster-fighting exam. What do you think?”
“I don’t know for sure that it’s hostile.”
His classmates were lined up on the other side of the window wall, watching the scene unfold. Borum, one of his more obnoxious peers, shouted, “Go to the Monster- lands if you love them so much!” His face burned. Ignore them.
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A SLIGHTLY SINISTER COMPANION • SNAPPY SHIEVITZ
Pen, Marker • 8.5”x5.75” • Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: Silver Key