Maddie Shirkoff: World of Odds Read online

  Maddie needed to come to terms that the end was near. But at that very moment, the deepest and loudest roar swept through the land. The dragon dropped Maddie and Sparky out of his paw, causing the two to take a nice BIG fall (not a very pleasant one, might I add). He proceeded to whisper to himself, “No. We have to leave. It’s coming.” The dragons flapped away, leaving Maddie and Sparky alone and terrified.

  Chapter 3

  The Monster

  Maddie looked at the creature. It was drooling from hunger and anger. Its teeth were so pointy that they could’ve been knives for giants. Why? Because the creature was gigantic. Its color was so dark black that anyone could have mistaken it as the first sign of night. The creature was so tall, it loomed over the land as if this world was nothing more than a miniaturized doll house. It made the dragons look like little ants.

  It seemed to be at LEAST twenty feet tall and was plenty terrifying. It had about one-hundred sharp and pointy teeth that would have easily pierced through Maddie as if she was as soft as a scoop of ice cream. Sparky took one look at the horrific monster and took off running towards it.

  “NOOOOOOOO!” Maddie cried. But it was too late. The creature had noticed Maddie and Sparky. It would be a matter of a moment until Sparky reached the monster.

  Maddie realized that the best option was to chase after Sparky since she couldn’t return home without her brown bundle of joy. There would definitely be tons of questions as to why she returned empty handed, if she ever returned.

  And when her sister would find out, there would be non-stop screaming and crying for the rest of her life (that is until they chose to buy a new pet). When their goldfish died, (and it was a beautiful goldfish with strikingly gold colors), her sister didn’t stop crying until they had purchased Sparky. Her mother had been in a foul mood for two weeks straight. Maddie knew her mother would NOT want to discover that Sparky was gone, let alone deal with any time of crying and screaming from Avery.

  Maddie was already scared to death. Knowing her little dog was about to get eaten by a giant monster that she had never heard of before (not to mention in this new and strange land) was too much of a harsh thought to bear. She felt as though the emotions growing inside her would make her combust. She felt scared and lonely. As she watched Sparky run, she felt a burst of anger toward the monster. NO. She thought. Its gonna have to go through me.

  Maddie ran, unaware of her surroundings. “Sparky!” she yelled. She had to draw that puppy’s attention.

  Apparently, the dog was smarter than he looked. Sparky ran straight for the monster and as he ran, he aimed for its legs. That can’t be possible, Maddie thought as she watched Sparky go. She figured he was going in for the bite. A bold move, for sure, but not enough to release them from this situation. She knew what she had to do to support his efforts. She ran, just a little bit more to the monster’s legs, catching up to Sparky. That’s when she realized, the dog wasn’t going to bite the monster. He was aiming for the ditch.

  The two of them ran towards the ditch and as they went to jump inside, the monster’s large hand came crashing down in an attempt to grab one of them. Sparky leaped in hope to protect his beloved owner. This caused the giant hand to miss Maddie and head for Sparky instead. Sparky, not wanting to be the monster’s food of the day, sprang up and bit the monster, leaving a one-inch gash through his raging hand.

  Turned out the monster didn't like people (much less small sized animals with sharp canines) biting through his hand. The monster grabbed Sparky with his unbitten hand and squeezed intensely. Maddie attempted to save Sparky by rushing up to the monster. But, before she could land a punch, slap, bite, or anything that might suitably annoy a monster of this size, he, with a great swipe of his hand, threw Maddie straight at a rock, leaving her knocked out cold and bleeding. Sparky whined as he felt himself getting crushed, no hope left.

  After a few minutes, Maddie regained consciousness. She felt dizzy and nauseous. But after seeing what the monster was doing to Sparky, she regained her energy to fight. The adrenaline pulsed in her veins. She grabbed a sharp rock and ran towards the monster. Sparky barked, distracting the monster from Maddie.

  Maddie took advantage of the confusion and ran towards the monster’s legs. She stabbed him hard behind his ankle. The monster yelled in pain and dropped Sparky. Maddie was relieved to see her dog breathing normally but was horrified at what she saw next. Sparky was on the ground whining in pain. He was bleeding and all curled up. He had many cuts on his face, along with multiple bruises. A purplish goo emitted itself from all the cuts and bites. It seemed to be turning black around them.

  “Come on, Sparks,” Maddie said through tears. “I know someone who will help you, and that someone will be me.”

  Maddie stared at the monster, who had passed out from pain. “I have a feeling that we are going to face harder problems than what we have just dealt with,” Maddie said, looking at the ditch. She scooped up the inconsolable puppy into her arms. The poor thing was shivering and shaking uncontrollably. To see her dog act in this manner made her feel like she was a bad owner and couldn’t keep her pup from getting hurt. She cradled the puppy who was sitting in her arms. Maddie kissed Sparky on his snout and headed with him straight towards the ditch and didn’t look back.

  Chapter 4

  The Goblins

  The ditch led straight to an underground cave. Maddie was absolutely shocked at how she could not have noticed a large gaping hole in the ditch. The cave was covered in goo, one that reminded her of the slime she made back at home with Avery. The lack of light made the walls appear almost black, and the squeaks of the giant bats made her want to turn around and dash out through the nearest exit. Maddie could hear eerie sounds like the dripping of water or weird splashing noises and howls. Was she nervous? Yes. But that didn't stop her.

  She felt terrible for Sparky so she continued to hold him tightly and sobbed the entire time. And it didn't help that Sparky was in pain too. Poor Maddie needed a break. She collapsed tiredly. Sparky, acknowledging Maddie’s exhaustion, stopped whining for a moment to let her rest. But, just as that moment came and went, a growl rose from outside.

  It was the monster. A mean and cold voice filled the cave. It was so loud that Maddie jumped up.

  “Great! Look what those idiots did! Now, that stupid beast will wait here until it’s dinner time! I say we make peace with that beast by feeding those idiotic things to it!”

  “Samara! Calm down! There is no need to get angry.” Just then, a light shone enough for Maddie to see who was talking: Three scaly green creatures that had walked out of the dark. Maddie stifled a scream. The creatures were very gooey and seemed very scaly, almost like a frog. Their long, pointy nails were yellow and brown, as if never cleaned, and their sharp, pointy ears were sticking up, listening intently to the world around them.

  They were so ugly that every time they spoke any person would gladly look away. The green goo was also dripping off their fingers. There was one female and two male things. The female seemed to have dirty blond strands of hair streaming down from her balding head. She walked with slightly more grace and posture than the other two. One of the males had two hoop earrings pierced onto his pointy ears, and the other one wore a beaten and tattered work shirt. What were they exactly? Maddie didn't need to know. Because whatever they were, they were too scary. After a second, the strange creatures turned towards her. Their faces were dripping with goo as well. “Santa's elves!” Maddie shrieked.

  “Um, no! We aren’t Santa’s elves! Every Enchanted Elf lives further North. How dare you mix me with their lousy kind?! Next time you offend us like that, you'll be missing a few fingers, girl,” said the similar female voice.

  “Now, now, Samara, don’t get too angry. It’s so tiny!” Another one said. It was the voice of a male.

  “It?!” Maddie asked, seemingly offended.

  The male spoke up once again, “By the way, we’re goblins. You should've seen it in the pointy ears and green sk
in but sure. My name is Brido. This is my sister, Samara and brother, Ragon.” Maddie was still really nervous but did not want to show any signs of disrespect. After all, Samara didn't seem so happy with her.

  “Please help us!” Maddie begged. Maddie gestured to the whining and bleeding Sparky who was still curled up in her arms.

  “That’s bad! He might not survive! Here, dogs are heroes! Have you ever heard of the Great Doobi? The best hero ever! Born a hero and died a hero,” Brido said dreamily.

  “Well, what happened to him?” Maddie asked, now intrigued.

  “Well, Doobi won every battle he fought. Not even kidding. Even the last one was a winner. But a tragedy struck. Shortly after he won, Doobi died of heart cancer. Oh, he died a hero all right. He united all four kingdoms of Enchanted,” Brido said as he wiped a happy tear off his face.

  “He also ended up being given a giant palace in honor of his memory. His palace is huge! Doobi was free all right! If you can find the correct magic, you can call his spirit. He can help. Sadly, the area is watched over by an enchantress. And you need a specific potion to be able to see Doobi’s spirit,” Ragon continued.

  “So that’s what this place is called? Enchanted?” they nodded. Maddie continued, “Seems like a kind of iconic and stereotypical name for a fairy tale world,” Maddie stated, staring at the goblin.

  “Fairy tale?” Samara asked, looking offended, however, she continued speaking, “Enchanted is a place where what your people call the SUPERNATURAL,” Samara added as she took a seat. She seemed much calmer now. “Or what you said: fairy tale characters. I take you to know what Doobi’s legacy was if you are so fond of these stories?”

  “Was it to be a warrior? Not to show too many signs of weakness?” Maddie asked.

  “Tell me you are JOKING,” Samara sputtered angrily. Maddie sighed. Doobi was so heroic and important, and she couldn't even figure out his legacy.

  “It’s fine,” Maddie began, “I’m new here,” she added a glare at the end to show she meant business. But, Samara dismissed it, showing she didn’t care.

  “That’s alright,” Brido said. “But, for your information, his legacy was peace and harmony. If you and that dog received the training, you and your dog might almost be as great as Doobi,” Brido said happily.

  A small voice filled the room, “I’m Ragon. Well, if you want to save Sparky you—” Maddie interrupted before Ragon could finish.

  “You know his name?!” Maddie screeched.

  “Are you aware that your dog has a collar,” Ragon sighed, “anyway, as I was saying, if you want to save Sparky, you're going to need magic. The cuts are way too deep to heal. Plus, whatever attacked him was deadly. I can see poison marks. That’s not good. Depending on what attacked, only certain kinds of magic can heal it,” Ragon said. Something about the goblin told Maddie that he was typically good with animals.

  “He is really good with animals,” Samara confirmed, reading Maddie’s mind.

  “Ok. If you are so good with animals, tell me what that monster was. The giant one. The one that tried to eat me alive.”

  “You are gonna have to be just a little more specific than that. There are plenty of monsters here that would happily eat you alive. Many more,” Samara started; eyes filled with a hunger to inform Maddie.

  “What do you mean more?!” Maddie yelled. When she had seen whatever THAT was, she had been certain there had only been 1 of them.

  “There are tens of thousands of monsters like that in this world so it would be helpful to give an accurate description. ‘It was big, black, and teethy’ is an example of something that definitely won’t make the cut,” Samara responded.

  “Um, ok,” Maddie stared at the hard face Samara put on, “It was about twenty, maybe even twenty-one feet tall. The color was a black that looked like the night sky, but all his darker parts seemed to be an oil black. His teeth were humongous. They were completely white except for the dried blood from his prey. His eyes,” Maddie paused for a second, for she was looking for the right words to describe the chilling eyes that had pierced her soul like a dagger when he had stared into her. She picked up again, “glowing red…like a-” she had not gotten the chance to finish for she had been interrupted by Ragon.

  “Darkness Fangs,” he said knowledgeably. “They secrete a poison from their fangs and claws. It slowly kills the creature it touches.”

  “You couldn’t have let me answer?!” Samara said, pouting.

  “He’s the smart one,” Brido said, grinning an ugly and toothy grin.

  “Like genius smart?” asked Maddie.

  “Oh yeah! Way smart!” Brido said, once again.

  “Ahem,” Ragon began again, “Darkness Fangs. They have dangerous poison on their nails, so when they attack and scratch, the prey gets injected with a deadly poison which we don’t really know how to heal without a very powerful magic. Even I don’t know where to find it.”

  “What? I mean, I know you are a genius and all now, but that made no sense,” Maddie said, her face scrunched up in concentration.

  “That is as simple as the information becomes,” Ragon sighed.

  “How many more of these Darkness Fangs are there?” Maddie asked, shuddering at the possibility of more of them.

  “Tens of thousands in Enchanted. But millions and millions around the world.”

  “No way. How are you guys alive?! Those things are dangerous!”

  “Out of everything you can run into here, those are the equivalent of a puppy dog,” Samara added, glancing at Sparky.

  “Yeah! Ever heard of Soul Suckers?” Brido asked with a mischievous grin. The group turned towards Brido.

  “Remind me why you started talking?” Samara asked, annoyed.

  “You guys were making me feel left out. That’s why,” Brido said grumpily.

  “Um…hello? I need to know what Soul Suckers are.” Maddie tried to get everyone’s attention.

  “Take a guess, bozo. SOUL SUCKERS. THEY SUCK YOUR SOUL!” Samara shouted.

  “Everyone, if I may,” Ragon began, “We should get back on track.”

  “Yes! Thank you! I will do anything to try and save Sparky. Please help me!” Maddie pleaded.

  “Here’s the deal. The only way we’ll help you is if you help us. We need you to find us the magic to speak to the spirit of Doobi. Doobi can give us tips to become better and more powerful goblins. We can’t live in this cold cave much longer,” Brido said.

  “Why do you need me? I know nothing about this world,” Maddie asked, playing with her hands.

  “Simple. We could use a fourth person on the trip,” Ragon answered, “you never know what you are capable of. Also, you could help us in the villages.”

  “Why would we be going to the villages?” Maddie asked.

  “Getting supplies. It is the best way for us to get blankets, food, and any other necessities,” Brido said, glowing with excitement.

  “Well, as nice as you are, I don’t know how much I can trust you. You don’t understand. I just got here, what more can I get out of a trip to Doobi? And I still don’t see why you can’t get supplies on your own,” said Maddie, wondering how she could pose as any help.

  “This is your best chance to save your dog,” said Brido.

  “As of right now, we’re all you’ve got. You can always go…and spend the night next to that monster,” Samara said, glaring at Maddie.

  “What do you say? Help us?” Ragon asked.

  “Well… all right. But only if you help me save Sparky,” Maddie confirmed.

  “Deal!” all three goblins said at once.

  Maddie knew it would be time to soon leave for the trip. Even with all the help, Maddie felt uncomfortable because she wasn't sure if the goblins were either lying or telling the truth. She would have to carry Sparky all the way as well, which would make the quest so much harder.

  “Here’s the deal,” Maddie said, “we save Sparky first and you go later. Okay?”

  “Ummm…. nope.” Sa
mara stood up from where she was sitting on the cold, hard, and dusty floor.

  “What do you mean, no? This dog is about to die!”

  “If he dies on the way to finish OUR quest, then we will pay for his funeral,” Brido said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “Look, you guys seem nice enough, but I’m not going to stand here and watch my dog die,” Maddie said angrily.

  “She does have a point…” Ragon began.

  “Not a good one,” Samara huffed, “you need to have a bigger reason.”

  “Well, what if I am a good omen?”

  “Bah!” Samara grumped, “how could you and your scrawny dog be a good omen?!”

  “Mind you. He is NOT scrawny…I walk him a lot,” Maddie began with her nose turned, “you have been trying to get out of this place for a while…have you not?” Maddie pointed out. The goblins mumbled in agreement. “And maybe I am just what you need to get out of this dump,” she said, trying to sound more convincing than she felt. She HAD to convince the goblins she needed Sparky’s quest done first.

  “Well, I guess we could give you a shot…and if we follow you first…we could get a better life?” Samara asked, calmly.

  “Promise,” Maddie held up her pinky.

  “Yeahhh…I don’t do that,” Samara said, looking at Maddie’s pinky like it was something that came out of her nose. Maddie put her pinky down, blushing furiously. After a lot of persuading, Maddie won the argument! It was all worth it!

  “And Maddie?” said Brido.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I recommend you watch out for Medusa or you are TOAST!” Brido chuckled at his own joke.

  “Medusa?! Nobody told me about Medusa! Are you serious?!” Maddie screamed.

  “So serious indeed!” Brido was still half laughing. After all Maddie had been through, this is what she needed to also be afraid of?! Maddie only wanted to lie down and take a nap.

  “Maddie, you get some rest. In the morning, we go,” Ragon whispered. Maddie was going to need to get used to their ability to read her mind-or figure out how to keep them out of it! Even though it had been the afternoon back at home, it seemed to be night here! Maddie was exhausted and heavily influenced by her surroundings.