by Marika Perlmutter, 8th grade
ACSI Creative Writing Regionals, Superior Rating
Glittering brightly, my emerald scales gleamed in the patches of sunlight. My body undulated and rippled with each twist and turn in the path. Determined and cunning, my shining eyes glinted with malice. While my appearance was magnificent, my heart was an ugly vessel of hate. I was an outcast, forever in exile simply because I strove for greatness. Fortunately, my story of woe is not so extensive that it cannot easily be recounted.
My home was with many other of my brethren in a rainforest facility I considered a paradise. Foolishly, at first I contented myself with sitting in a cage and being the lowly pet of the Master and his goody-goody son, Daniel, who resided there with us. Being serpentine does not mean that I could not have the same power as the Master. When I tried to be like him, they faithlessly cast me out into the wild. Enraged, I hatched a scheme, vowing to take revenge on Daniel and the Master even if it cost me my life.
In the facility was a young woman named Maggie whom the Master loved like a daughter. Incredibly sweet, kind, and naïve, she was a perfect target. Knowing that the Master would most likely warn her about me, I would have to be crafty. After many days of waiting, I caught her alone and off guard. Slinking up to her, I casually stated, “Hello.” Frightened, she briefly shrieked before backing up and eyeing me warily.
“Are you that escaped snake they told me to watch out for?”
“Yes, but…” my eyes drooped pleadingly. “I haven’t done anything wrong. They sent me away so I wouldn’t be able to help you.”
“Why do I need helping?” she obstinately questioned.
“Don’t you wish that you could provide for yourself? Daniel and the Master do everything for you. They clothe you, feed you, and care for you like you were a child!” I exclaimed, putting special emphasis on they. “I can make you self-sufficient. You won’t have to rely on anyone anymore.”
“Well…” My plan dropped into place when she finally replied, “Okay.”
Enthusiastically, I plunged my fangs into a plump, scarlet berry. “Eat this. My saliva has strengthening properties.”
As soon as Maggie popped the berry into her mouth, I darted into the bushes, leaving her to cope with my acidic venom. “Strengthening properties”…ha! Twisting one’s morality, my poison corrupts the soul and warps goodness into evil. Once the victim succumbs to these symptoms, the toxin begins killing them slowly. Eagerly awaiting the transformation that would soon come over Maggie, I nonetheless did not want to stick around too long. Delighted, I hissed triumphantly. My vengeance upon Daniel and the Master had been served.
*
Back in the present, my joy was demolished. Idiotically, I had not considered the possibility of there being an antidote to my poison. I had no time for self-pity, however. Daniel and Maggie were searching for the cure. Thinking quickly, I decided to follow them in hopes of preventing their success. After I combed through the vast rainforest, I at last perceived a faint voice that I knew belonged to Maggie…or the whiny, selfish person she had become.
*
“My feet hurt! This stupid walk is taking forever! Why did you drag me out here to get the stupid ‘antidote’ when I don’t even feel sick?” whined Maggie as she swatted a droning bug. Frustrated, she kicked a leaf, skewering it on the tip of her high heel.
Daniel wished Maggie could understand how serious the situation was. “The Bloodblossom flower is the only way to reverse the serpent’s poison. Without the cure, you’ll die a horrible, agonizing death!” he fervently exclaimed as they hiked through the rainforest.
“I feel fine. This whole thing is stupid. Besides, why do you care?”
“I care about you, Maggie.”
“Yeah, right.”
Arguing incessantly, Maggie continued tramping alongside Daniel for hours on end. Finally, the pair arrived at a barren, blackened clearing. In the center was a slimy pit of quicksand.
“Why are we stopping?” demanded Maggie as Daniel came to a halt.
“This is where the Bloodblossom solely grows—beneath quicksand pits.”
“Well, grab a stick and dig one out. I’m sure not sticking my hand into that disgusting glop.”
“The Bloodblossom needs a special type of nourishment to work properly. I’ll get it for you, Maggie.” Daniel’s face suddenly seemed cheerless. Taking a deep breath, he dove into the muck. Maggie rolled her eyes. Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Thirty.
“Daniel?” Maggie called. “Are you there?”
Forty. Fifty. Sixty.
Her impatient hollers quickly turned into shrieks of fear. “Daniel! Please answer me!”
Seventy. Eighty. Ninety.
“DANIEL!”
Without warning, Daniel’s head and arms shot up from the goop, tightly clutching a flower dripping ruby-red drops. Maggie greedily grabbed it and sighed in relief. Then she noticed the deep, jagged gash partially hidden by Daniel’s muddy sleeve. “Your arm’s bleeding!”
“For the cure to work…the Bloodblossom’s petals…require blood. The antidote… demands a sacrifice.” Daniel gasped weakly.
Maggie was suddenly struck by his compassion and her own unkindness. “Daniel, I’m sorry I…” She left the sentence hanging.
Grasping hold of Daniel’s arms, she tried to pull him from the quicksand, only to feel it dragging him farther into the muck. “Daniel! It’s pulling you in! Is there a rope or something?” Frantically, Maggie glanced around, attempting to find something that would free Daniel from the quicksand’s clutch.
Daniel was now up to his neck. “Don’t try to…save me, Maggie. You can’t.”
“What? No! You can’t die!”
“I love you, Maggie. Never…forget that.” Daniel gave her one last melancholy smile before he disappeared beneath the surface. His plan for sacrifice now became painfully clear. At that moment, the sun slipped behind a cloud, shrouding the clearing in darkness. Maggie collapsed, weeping bitterly. Choking back tears, she ingested the Bloodblossom Daniel had died giving her. Gently, she placed the final petal in the center of the quicksand, in memory of him.
*
Three hours later, Maggie miserably arose and began to shuffle gloomily back to the facility.
A kind voice stopped her. “Wait.”
Whipping around, and hardly daring to trust her eyes, Maggie’s spirit sprang from despair to jubilation. Joyfully, she cried, “Daniel! I thought you were dead!” She eagerly embraced her returning savior.
“Not anymore,” he chuckled, beaming.
*
I should have known Daniel had a trick up his sleeve. Those three hours were the happiest of my life, and he ruined it. Obviously, my work was not done.
After his disgusting display of emotion, Daniel turned to the bushes where I thought I was cleverly hidden. “It’s over. I won,” he intoned sternly at me.
Cursing, I slipped away. He may have won a battle, but the war was definitely not over.