Anthology

The screen door slammed shut with a loud crack. Bare feet ran down the porch, each child-sized footstep thudded noisily against the back porch. A loud thunk soon followed as Travis bounded off the porch steps with reckless abandon and infinite invincibility. Without hesitation, he jumped down into the dry creek bed that lay between his house and Dalton’s. His dirt-covered feet danced nimbly down the old, familiar pathway as he dodged invisible monsters and fought with make-believe dragons. What kind of dangerous and thrilling adventures lay waiting under the dark canopy of trees?

Across the way, another screen door cracked shut and Dalton, as lively and imaginative as Travis, joined in the fight to save the beautiful princess who existed only in their minds. With two over- active imaginations at work, every shadow was a villain, and every tree trunk was a gangway to a ship.

Soon the little boys were high in the tree tops. Their suntanned arms were agile and wrapped around the limbs, and their small toes grasped the rough bark like monkeys. They became pirates voyaging across the mighty sea. Each gust of wind that rustled the leaves was a powerful wave with the potential to be a tempest. They plundered and pillaged, all the while talking pirate lingo and wearing eye patches.

After all the buried treasures were found, the two boys climbed higher and higher into the leaves, and when they finally reached the top of the tree, they sprouted wings and began to fly about in the sky. Their eagle wings flew them high over the earth; their houses sailed below them as small as dust specks. The tall tree that had been their ship just moments before was barely visible.

“Look at me!” Travis yelled as he flew on the wind and turned in circles.

“Oh yeah? Well, look at me!” Dalton yelled backed as he spun in a circle. The little boy eagle laughed merrily, but suddenly his laughter caught in his throat and he began a downward spiral back to Earth.

Thud! Dalton tumbled out of the tree and landed hard on the ground. But being the fearless and mighty warrior that he was, he quickly sat up and held back his tears. Travis jumped down beside him, and soon the little boys were beginning a new imaginary game.

With sticks clanging and singing like swords, Dalton and Travis began dueling, medieval style. Their war cries were loud, and the startled birds darted away in a flutter of wings. Travis had almost defeated Dalton when all of a sudden a large wolf with rows and rows of sharp teeth crouched slowly out of the trees. Ominous clouds began to cover the sun, and Dalton and Travis stood very still. Immediately their swords turned into guns, and they began shooting at the creature. The wolf, however, was unfazed by their attempts to stop him, and he came closer and closer to where the two little boys stood. With a leap from his powerful hind legs, he attacked them and knocked them to the ground.

Gleeful laughter sprang up from the boys as the yellow lab lathered them with slobbery kisses.

“Dixie! Get off, Dixie! We shot you!” Travis laughed, trying to push his loyal friend off his chest. They rolled away from the soft-hearted creature and soon began a new game. Dixie was allowed to play with them, and she became the monster that had to suffer the blows of their swords, but for the attention and chance to guard her owner, she gladly joined in and even let out a growl and a few barks.

“C’mon, Travis, we’ve got to save the princess. She’s locked in a castle dungeon in a far away land.”

The two boys ran over the rocks and made their way to the railroad tracks where a cart was waiting, just for them. “All aboard!” Travis yelled. The sound of thunder rumbled across the sky, and the boys’ courage grew. “We’ve got to hurry; the evil dragon is growling!”

They dove into the railway cart, and a large sail flapped in the wind over their heads to guide them. As soon as the boys were seated, the railway car sped off, riding down the tracks and over the sea. Before long, the boys came upon a man and woman carrying a suitcase waiting beside the tracks.

“Excuse me!” the man called out. “Are you going to the castle?” “Yes sir!” Dalton replied. “We are going to save the princess!”
“Do you think we could have a ride on your magical car? We must reach the castle before dark.”

“Climb aboard. It would honor us to have your company,” Travis responded.