Chaos in Diamond Valley
By Serenity
Fire raged over the land. Vampires flew though the air. Guts went swirling through the sandbox and you could hear the cries of a child and the growl of something eating its own kind.
Ashley sat on a bench in Diamond Park, eating a sandwich. She didn’t notice the sky but she could smell the smoke. A figure swooped down in front of her. She dropped her sandwich. She felt pressure on her collarbones. Blood saturated her wool scarf.
“Ashley!” Danny said.
“She’s dead, Danny,” Admiral Smiley said.
“Why do they do this?”
“I don’t know.”
Dead bodies lay on the ground. Houses burned. The air smelled like souls of the living dead. Only four people remained in all of Diamond Valley. Two little heads popped out of the clouds. They belonged to Tiffany and Amber, Ashley’s twin sisters.
“Tiffany, what are you up doing here?” Danny said, ducking from a pigeon. “Aren’t you supposed to be shopping with Amber?”
“Yeah but we need twenty more dollars,” Tiffany said. “Amber wants a Justin Bieber doll.”
“Well he plays all of the classics. Here,” Amber said, handing over a magazine.
Ashley flew to the ground in a crash landing. Her pin curls corkscrewed into the sand. Her eyes widened and then closed.
Amber flew back up into the gray sky. “How come you didn’t tell me or at lease alert me about her death?”
“I wanted to tell you but it didn’t seem to be the right time,” her father said swooping down from the clouds.
“You don’t have to tell me anything liar.”
“Just shake it off, sis. She’s in a better place now.”
The girls got in the car and drove off.
“Why are we going over there?” Ashley said.
“Because we need Hades to give our sister back,” Tiffany said.
They were far away from Diamond Valley. They stopped in front of a 90 foot tall gate.
“I guess this the place,” Amber said.
Suddenly, the gates flew wide open, and out stepped a tiny old man. “I am Hades, Ruler of the Underworld, if you don’t already know it. Want to come inside?”
“Sure.”
They strolled into the castle. Bottles stuffed with spider eyes fill the empty rooms.
“I need you to get a bunch of things,” Hades said. “Flour, baking powder, white sugar, salt, Crisco shortening, sweet potatoes, and milk.”
“Why?”
“To get your sister back. Just in case you get too tired you can take my space shuttle.”
“How can those things bring her back?” Tiffany said.
“You’ll see.”
“OK.”
Ashley and Tiffany looked out the window of the shuttle. They had landed on reddish brown dirt. A figure moon-walked to the window. The girls stepped out and wandered off.
“Why are we going to the desert?” Amber asked.
“Because it has good nutrients.”
“I thought we were coming here to die.”
The moon-walker danced around to the girls from the other side of the shuttle. Smoke rose up and covered their faces. Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough!
They looked down at the ground. A woman walked toward them. Her red dress camouflaged her body against the sand.
“Hello my name is Ming,” the woman said. “Who are you?”
“My name is Tiffany and this my sister Amber.”
“Well it’s nice to meet both of you. Do you want to see my house?”
“Sure.”
As they stepped, their feet made hollow thumps. Finally they came to house. Rose bushes rustled in front of the porch, and golden poppies clung to the facade. The front porch light shooed the girls through the door. Inside, the house smelled old and musty.
“Ming?”
“Yes?”
“Can we borrow those sweet potatoes?”
“Sure.”
“Do you know anyone that has sugar and salt?”
“I do happen to someone who can help you.”
“Do you know where we can him or her?”
“You can find Nancy at the tall purple building.”
“Ok, thanks again, Ming.”
“No problem.”
The girls crossed the street and entered the building. Inside, there were crystal chandeliers, and the menus said, “Exquis.” A waiter walked over to their table.
“Welcome to the Exquis. May I take your order?”
“Do you know someone named Nancy?”
“This is she.”
“Can we borrow the salt and the sugar?”
“Sure, but you have to buy something first.”
“Do you know where a lunch menu is?”
“Here,” said Amber.
“Were going to have the chocolate croissant.”
“Ok. Anything else?”
“No thanks.”
“The sugar and salt’s on the table.”
“I hope it doesn’t spill in my bag,” said Tiffany.
“Before you go, Nancy, do you know a super market that has Crisco shortening and milk?”
“Yes I do. Just around the corner.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
They left the restaurant and passed by a jewelry shop. The diamond ring in the display case shined. Tears filled the girls’ eyes but they kept walking.
About the Author
Hi! My name is Serenity. I am eleven years old. I live with my mom in San Francisco. If I were a plant I would be lemon grass because I am healthy and bitter. I want to get better at handling my inner emotions. When I grow up I want to be a brain surgeon. My favorite book is Charlotte’s Web because it’s a about love connection between a spider and a pig. The scariest moment in my life was when my uncle dropped me because he was having a stroke. I am also author of That’s the Way Life Works and Morris Waters. This my third published book.
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