The Castle by The Sea

By Joshua Morgan

The castle still stood despite wave after wave of ghastly monsters foaming at the mouth trying to destroy it. An army of noble knights stood behind the outer wall, and a green dragon perched on the top of the tallest tower, ready to torch any evil that broke through the wall. Oliver glowed with pride watching the monsters fail to penetrate the unbreakable wall of his castle. But then, a volleyball slammed into the castle’s highest tower. He watched the grains and the dragon crumble to the ground as Noah and his friends advanced on the castle. Noah kicked down the other towers when he came to collect the ball.

“Stop!” Oliver exclaimed.

“What are you going to do about it, nerd?”

Oliver couldn’t speak. Fear boiled in him as it always did at school when Noah would torment him. He bowed his head and started collecting his toy knights.

“That’s what I thought.” Noah said as he and his cackling band of warlocks left the nearby volleyball court for the evening.

When the warlocks returned to the court the next morning, their jaws dropped and Noah’s eyes beamed as if he saw a fortune. On the court was a kingdom. Each castle had its own unique towers, windows, and ramparts, and knights marched on the roads connecting the ten castles. Noah examined every nook and cranny of the kingdom. He tiptoed around and avoided touching anything as if his hand would disintegrate upon contact.

“It’s incredible. I wonder who…” but then he saw the name “Oliver” sketched in the sand.

When Oliver arrived at the beach, he fully expected Noah to be playing on the court again. However, his stature became tall and proud like a king on coronation day when he saw that the Kingdom still stood.