Page 95 - NS 2024

“You’re just going to leave?” She demanded.
A uick glimpse at Owen’s letter told me that his said the same thing, just with the names switched. I held back tears. e letters weren’t even personalized.
“I’m not playing this stupid game,” Owen muttered.
“Stupid game? It’s a task from your mother!” Sienna exclaimed.
“What do you know about our mother?” Owen demanded. “It makes no sense for you to be
included in this. I don’t even know what she’s talking about with these magical seas and dragons. You guys can have fun going on your little fairy tale uest, but I have to go back to work.” “Okay, come on. You can’t just entertain it for one day?” I asked, looking back at the
letter. “No. I can’t. I only took one day o of work for the funeral.”
I was on summer break from college, so I was forced to stay at the house and keep our dad
company. I thought that Owen might stay with us for a while, but he was making it seem like one night in his childhood bedroom would kill him.
“ere might be some sort of magic treasure on this island. I don’t know how we’re going to get through the magical sea, but we can nd a way. Maybe your mom knows something about this dragon!” Sienna started brainstorming.
Owen banged his hand against the wall. “You’re deranged, Sienna. ere is no magic treasure, there are no dragons, there are no magical seas. Get out of here and grow up. Frame our mother’s letter. Burn it. Put it in the trash. I don’t care. Just leave all of this behind.”
is was how it was when we were kids. Sienna was the driving creative force behind our imaginative stories. Owen was the one who kept us grounded to reality. I tried to learn from both of them.
“Just give us one day, Owen,” I pleaded.
He looked at me and cocked his head. “ere better be some money or something at the end of this game.”
I ignored Owen and stared at the letter. “When I was in rst grade Mom took us to an island, and she claimed dragons lived there. It’s near here. Owen, do you remember?” “What?” He asked.
“Do you remember what island it was?” I repeated.
He sighed. “Yes.”
“Can you take us there?” I asked.
“No,” He replied. “No, I can not. I need to change out of this suit. It’s so uncomfortable.” at got a nervous laugh out of both me and Sienna.
“Alright,” I relented. “We’ll change out of these funeral outts, and then you’ll take us to the island.”
“I am not wasting my gas on this,” Owen said. “I’ll drive,” Sienna volunteered.