My Happy Ever After
based on a soon-to-be true story
The bell rang and I shut my locker like everyone else. The hallways echoed with rushing footsteps as I hurried to class. It was early morning of yet another typical school day at Richmond High; I, reluctantly forcing myself to endure the next several hours as always.
My name is Brady. Brady Parker. I’m basically your typical teenaged guy: quiet, shy, gets mediocre grades, occasionally picked on – you get the picture. I really can’t think of anything else worth telling you... You see, nothing ever happens – literally. I mean, every single day of my life has been the same boring pattern over and over again. Well, that was, at least, until what was about to happen.
I walked into my first English class that day and took a seat behind her. Christella. You see, she’s my girlfriend– she just... doesn’t know it yet...
Well anyways, we were told to write a story. “Anything”, said our more-than-just-a-little of a weirdo teacher – anything that was on our minds. But there has always been only one thing on my mind, I thought. And that was to take a chance. Take a chance on her. Take a chance in life. I stared out the window contemplating at the ruffling leaves and I just knew. Yes, I knew exactly what I was gonna write right then and there. But as it turns out, I wasn’t just about to write a story. No. It was something much more. I was about to rewrite my very own destiny.
I took my pen in my hand and the ink barely even stained the blank pages of my notebook when I suddenly felt different. VERY different. I was no longer in Mr. Edmunds’ class. In fact, I wasn’t anywhere close.
The place looked as if it was ripped out of a fairytale book. Golden sunlight lit up the green fields that stretched out in every direction bordered by magnificent hills and a crystal blue sea. Not too far from where I stood, I spotted a little village surrounding a medieval castle built from sturdy grey stones with mesmerizing towers reaching high up into the skies. I took a deep breath of fresh flower-scented air before I looked back down to find that I no longer had a pen in my hand; I had a sword.
The t-shirt and jeans I wore that morning had magically transformed into a heavy suit of shining armor as I stood next to a golden stallion. I stared over the horizon and it all seemed like fantasy. It was too enchanting to be real yet at the same time, too real to be a dream. I just couldn’t make sense of it all. Where am I? And... how did I get here?
I rode towards the village on that ridiculously bumpy ride on my horse, Aries, whom I’ve named along the way. I headed to the castle because well... you know, I thought it’d be cool. I was about to enter through its gates when I stopped abruptly on my tracks. A beautiful princess – or so I’ve assumed – sprang out on her elegant white horse adorned with brightly colored flowers. I was able to catch a glimpse of her face. That unmistakable face of an angel I’ve stared at from the other end of the classroom for so many years. It was definitely her.
I jumped on Aries without a second thought and chased after her. The wind gushed into my face until I finally caught up when she stopped by a creek running through the hills. “Christella!” I shouted, as she turned and gleamed with that breathtaking smile. I approached her nervously, my heart pounding, but rather heroically – if I do say so myself. A million things raced through my mind when I caught on a rock that I could’ve sworn appeared out of nowhere and tripped falling face down on mushy ground. “Seriously?” I thought. “I tripped. I just had to trip. Great! Now I just blew my one and only chance”. But I rose flimsily on my legs unaccustomed to these senselessly heavy metal pants to find her giggling, her eyes sparkling with glee. “I am Sir Brady of uhmm Canada...?” I managed to let out, trying to play the part that came with this ridiculous armor to her amusement.
And from that moment on, everything was perfect. Days went along like flipping through the pages of some happy ever after novel my mom used to read. But of course, every time life starts to feel perfect, something has to go wrong... And so there we were, sitting by the shore when a loud screech terrified the kingdom. I looked around to the sight of rough scales on 10 feet wide wings flying directly towards us. A dragon – a fire breathing dragon – snatched the princess away as I was trying to untangle my sword from my unreasonably taut leather belt.
But it was too late. Christella cried for help as I stood there, powerless for the moment; my eyes following the beast to a dark and obscure evil looking silhouette of a tower not too far away. There was no time to lose. I had to save the princess. This was my chance – my chance to prove that I’m not going to give in to the whims of fate that has for so long locked away my dreams.
So there I was, a Knight in shining armor, speeding through the land on my trusty steed towards the heart of evil, to slay the dragon, and rescue the princess. Cliché huh?
I eventually found my way and climbed up the steps of this murky abandoned tower. I reached the top, on the verge of hyperventilating after climbing all those flights of stairs, when I saw the dragon. Problem is, it saw me too. It breathed fire straight towards me but I managed to roll over behind some haystacks – for whose reason for being there I could not make sense of. I drew my sword and stared at the beast through a tiny aperture as it searched for me. It finally got close enough for me to launch myself on to it and in that split second, I jabbed my blade right down its heart.
I then quickly ran off and unchained the princess; her eyes teared up with overwhelming emotions that looked straight into mine. No words were necessary; that moment, that place, that feeling was beyond description. She grabbed my face; I closed my eyes and well, let’s just say that my lips found their way to hers.
The bell rings and I opened my eyes finding myself startled and trying to comprehend my situation. I was standing in the middle of that busy hallway surrounded by the familiar sound of fluttering footsteps and banging lockers. Everything was back the way it was – everything except one thing. There she was... standing right in front of me. Christella. The real Christella. She looked up back into my eyes with that heart stopping smile as she pulled back from that kiss.
Now I know what you’re about to ask because people ask me this all the time. Was this all real?
Truth be told, I don’t know either.
Erwin Lee, June 2013
