"Tap." "Tap." "Tap."
Claire's mother grumbled. This continuous tapping of the keys was beginning to annoy her. Claire was writing her story for a competition she was entering. So far her story had been going well, but she was finding it difficult to continue. Her story was about a far away land called Tongard, and was set in medieval times.

Emily looked around her. She identified the field as being the Small Field behind the castle. Suddenly-

And there Claire was stuck. She couldn't decide what should happen next. She lay back, closed her eyes, and...

Claire's eyes snapped open. She looked around her in wonder. She appeared to be in a small field, with a few cows grazing nearby. She turned around, and was astonished to see a gigantic castle towering above her. The castle was huge, with turrets and battlements, just like in a story. In fact, just like her story. The castle that stood before her looked just like the one she had described in her story. And there was the great forest, and there was the gigantic dragon that guarded the castle gate. She had been transported into her very own story!

"Well," she said to herself. "I should really be trying to find a way out of here and home, but before that, I'm going to see if I can find more things to add to my story."

So she took a step forward and-

Landed flat on her face. She looked down, and saw that she was wearing a ridiculously pink, ruffled dress, just like the main character in her story. She groaned. How was she going to explore like this. Then she remembered that, in her story, Emily had stolen a magic wand off a powerful wizard and hidden it in her dress. Claire hunted among the ruffles in her dress until she found a plain-looking stick of hazel. She closed her eyes and waved the stick around, while saying:

"I need better clothes, I need better clothes, I need better clothes!"

Claire opened her eyes and looked down. Now, instead of the dress she had been wearing only moments ago, she was wearing a simple brown tunic.

"That's better," she said, and began to walk forward again. Suddenly, her feet weren't touching the ground any more, and she was rising steadily upwards towards the clouds. She felt a sharp pain in her shoulders, and looked over, to see gigantic claws digging into her skin. She looked upwards, and was astonished to see a huge bird-like creature above her, carrying her away into the distance. It had vast, black wings, and a scaly black body. The body was long, and she could see glimpses of the head between the flapping of the wings. The creature looked like a gigantic dragon with feathery wings. Claire looked ahead of her, and saw that she was being taken to a formidable black castle. As they got closer she could see that there were masked soldiers at every window and all along the battlements. She couldn't remember this ever being in her story.

The dragon-bird creature dropped Claire heavily into a courtyard lined with flagstones. She heard footsteps, and looked up to see a tall man wearing a crown striding towards her. He had long, black hair and startlingly blue eyes. He wore a grand tunic of purple and gold. As he walked towards her all the soldiers bowed before him. When he reached Claire, he stopped and looked down at her.

"Welcome," he said. His voice was deep and throaty. "I see my drakon has dropped you here against your will. Do you have any idea why he may have chosen you over any of the other commoners wandering around those fields?" He leaned closer, and she could smell his recent snack of gorgonzola on his breath.

"Um, n-no sir!" stammered Claire, who by now was shaking with fear.

"It's because you're the commoner who suddenly appeared in the small field, took out a stick, and whose clothes immediately changed. I want that magic wand!" shouted the man, shaking Claire by the scruff of the neck. Then he dropped her and stepped away, pressing his hand to his forehead.

"But I am forgetting my manners. I am Elroy, King of the Castle Nara. Please come inside." He held out his hand. Claire took it, and his attitude changed entirely. He turned on his heel and dragged her inside the castle. He led her down many flights of stairs until they reached the very bottom dungeon. He threw her into one, locked the door, and stormed away. Claire was stunned. She couldn't move, was rooted to the spot. All of a sudden, she heard a rustling sound behind her, and a voice said

"who'se there? Is it you, Elroy?"

Claire turned, and replied.

"No, my name is Claire. I just arrived, have no idea what is going on, and wouldn't mind having someone to talk to."

She walked towards the voice until she could see the source. Sitting on the bed in the corner was a frail old man with snowy white hair and deep green eyes. She could hardly see him because of the piles and piles of books sitting around him. He looked up at her.

"Can I help you?"

She sat beside him.

"I hope so."

Then she told him the whole story, starting with her being transported into this world, which was so different to her own. She was surprised when he didn't immediately burst out laughing and tell her that she was mad, crazy. Instead he looked at her with eyes full of understanding, and said,

"you will have to look in the books for your answer."

He then handed her a pile of books. She decided to do what he said and picked up a book. She looked at the back and read that it was 'a tale of mystery and wonder.' Not what she was looking for. The next one looked a bit more promising. The back read 'Roxy was a normal girl, living a normal life in 21st Century London, until something happened that changed her life forever.' Claire thought this looked a bit better and began to read. Luckily, she had always been a fast reader, devouring at least one book in a day, so she was able to read the first chapter in just a few minutes. The girl in the book's life was a lot like Claire's, so she put down the book as memories came rushing back to her. Her mother groaning as Claire's fingers tapped the keyboard, her cat curled up on her knee. She closed her eyes and lay back on the bed, remembering the scene at home. Then...

Claire's eyes snapped open. She looked around her, and sighed in relief. There was her mum, there was her cat, and there was her unfinished story lying in front of her. She put fingers to keys and completed it.

Emily and Darkin built a beautiful little house in the middle of the forest, and lived there happily with their books until the end of their days.

The End.