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Sarah and the Broccoli Dragon 

Aidan Cooper '22

 “Okay, time for bed. You’ve got another big day tomorrow.”

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“I don’t wanna.”

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“Sarah, how many times...”

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“Please, just one story. I promise I’ll sleep after that.”

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“...”

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“Please?”

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“Fine, fine. But you promise you’ll go to bed right after?”

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“Double pinky promise.”

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“Wow, a double. You’re desperate.”

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“I want my story!”

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“Okay, okay. Quiet down or you’ll wake up the others. What story would you like, dear?”

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“Surprise me.”

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“How about Chicka Chicka Boom Boom? We haven’t read that one in a while”

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“I know how that one goes.”

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“Honey, you know how all of them go.”

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“Then make one for me right now!”

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“Shouldn’t there be a please in there?”

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“...Yes, sorry. Could you please make me a story?”

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“That’s better. Let me pull up a chair. Y’know, I used to write books.”

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“Really?!”

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“None that you would like. They didn’t have stories or main characters. They’re about how you work inside.”

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“Me?"

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“Not exactly. How we all work inside, like how our brains work.”

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“Well I want to be the main character in this one!”

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“I’ll try, okay?”

 

“Okay.”

 

“Thank you. Ahem.”

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“...”

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“Okay, once upon a time, there was a kingdom named... Willborough.”

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“That’s where we are!”

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“Ah, but this magical kingdom isn’t like here. They don’t have any nurses or big pokey needles. There, they have chocolate and pretzels and ice cream everywhere.”

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“Whoa…”

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“That’s right. In fact, it was the queen’s rule that all the people of Willborough had to carry around lollipops the size of basketballs. Everyone was happy and cheery all the time due to all of the sugar.”

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“Where did they get so much sugar?”

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“They had... unicorns, and these unicorns could shoot rainbows of sugar out of their horns.”

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“How does that work?”

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“Sarah. My story, remember?”

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“Hmph.”

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“As I was saying, Willborough was very cheery. And, in this wonderful place, there lived a little girl named Sarah.”

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“I knew it!”

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“Sarah was a peculiar young girl. She was a character—you ought to put her in a book of your own. She had the most beautiful bald head, a pair of sky-blue eyes, and a love for all things pink and sugary.”

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“And a pet rabbit!”

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“A pet rabbit? Oh, yes, of course, she also had a pet rabbit, who was named…”

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“Sprinkles!”

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“Yes, Sprinkles! How could I forget Sprinkles?”

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“I love this story.”

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“Now, one day, the school was closed—”

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“Wait, they have school here?”

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“Yes, they do.”

 

“Willborough isn’t cheery at all.”

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“But it was a school where you learned all about the candy-making world.”

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“Like...like how a unicorn horn works?”

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“We’re getting there, hun. Please, be patient. On this day, school was closed early because dark clouds were coming. Nobody had seen these clouds for a very long time, and no one knew where exactly they came from. But people knew they were bad news.”

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“Uh oh…”

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“Then, out of the clouds came a huge green monster with sharp teeth and tree-shaped wings. Whoosh! It soared over the kingdom and landed right in the market square with a boom. Sarah, from her gingerbread house, could see that the monster... was a dragon!”

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“A dragon!?”

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“Yes, but not just any dragon. When the dragon opened its mouth, scary broccoli warriors jumped out!”

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“Ewwwww!”

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“The mean little broccolis then ransacked the town!”

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“Ransacked?”

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“That means to attack and steal really fast. Y’know how in Moana, the coconut people attack Moana and Maui’s ship?”

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“Yeah!”

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“Kinda like that, except with more stealing.”

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“Oh.”

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“But, thankfully, Sarah was out of danger. That is, until Sprinkles had an idea!”

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“Go Sprinkles!”

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“Sprinkles jumped off of Sarah’s shoulder and started to hop really fast into the town. Sarah had no idea where Sprinkles was going, but, because Sarah was so brave, she started to run after him!”

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“Her. Sprinkles is a her.”

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“You’re right. Sorry, I misspoke. Anyways, Sprinkles ran through town, avoiding all the broccolis. Each one had an asparagus sword, but all their attacks missed! Sarah was even able to smack a few with her lollipop!”

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“Take that!”

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“Haha, yes, you got them good. Finally, our two heroes arrived at their destination: the unicorn house. Sarah, as smart as ever, remembered a lesson that her teacher had taught her earlier that week—”

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“What was it?”

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“That unicorns eat broccoli to create sugar!”

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“So that’s how they work! But I thought broccolis hadn’t showed up in a long time?”

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“It’s shown, but very close! Your English is getting so much better.”

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“Oh! Thanks!”

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“So Sarah and Sprinkles started rescuing all the unicorns from their stables.”

 

“Yes, we did!”

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“After freeing them all, Sarah rode a unicorn into battle, carrying her giant lollipop! The unicorns jumped on the broccolis and started shooting sugar at them!”

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“My unicorn’s name is Frosty.”

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“Before long, all that was left was the big broccoli dragon. He was tired, but he was ready to fight. He said, ‘Sarah, Willborough will be mine! Stay back!’”

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 “Wait wait wait! I want to say, ‘Dragon! Leave my home!’ Can I say that?”

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“Yes, you can! The evil broccoli dragon, scared not only of Sarah’s unicorn friends but also of her bravery, said, ‘Drats!’ and flew away quickly, not looking back even once.”

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“Yay!”

 

“Afterwards, Sarah became the next princess of Willborough, and she lived happily ever after with Sprinkles and Frosty.”

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“That was great.”

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“Haha! Don’t think about it too much... there may be a few plot holes.”

 

“What’s a plot hole?”

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“Never mind, sunshine. Get to bed, all right? It’s late.”

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“Okay... thank you, Dr. Green."

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“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow, broccoli-slayer.”

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“Goodnight. See you tomorrow.”

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*          *          *

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The door handle clicked into place, Sarah drifted off into an outlandish but comforting dream, lost in a fantasy, and Dr. Green sauntered down Willborough Hospital’s third-floor corridor with tears of joy brimming her eyes, embracing whatever fantasy her adult soul could hold onto.

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