Jamie Dale - The Eleven Kingdoms

Chapter 20 : The Past - Isabelle Leggett

Memories of my childhood started to flood in my mind; it was overwhelming to the point where I was smiling like an idiot.

As a five year old I wasn't really a friendly person, I mean why should I have been? Everyone was throwing dirt and mud around I didn't want to get involved. I would usually in my pre-primary class just imagine, awesome scenarios that most likely never happen. But it was still something that I loved doing. I think I met Ben that year but I didn't talk to him, I didn't talk to anyone except my parents who I told everything to.

That was the problem my teacher told my parents, I was too anti-social. Miss Leggett, was her name, my teacher who would always braid her hair in an awkward position to the left. Her hair was stupid, and so was her idea but now that I think of it I'm glad she was stupid.

Miss Leggett's idea was to get her daughter and I to have a play date, at first I was worried. How was I like pretty upset I guess I just wanted to pretend I was a dragon protecting the city of the great blue rug as I played with toys. But being told to mingle and speak to another person. No, my five-year-old mind was saying no. So having no control over the matter I was forced to go to Miss Leggett's house on Seven... my memories not that good, but it was seven something avenue. It was a two story house and being as small as I was I didn't trust it. I've seen enough PG rated movies that this was a bad idea. I got into the fairly furnished home with paintings of flowers and photo's of people on the wall. I remember my parents talking to Miss Leggett and her boyfriend as they ushered me into a room, with a little girl in it with bleach blonde hair, light hazel eyes wearing a dress the colour of white that was clearly too large for her.

"Mum..." I whispered in a frustrated tone, I didn't want to be here and I don't think this girl wanted to be here either.

"Jamie, calm down, I'll get you a cookie if you behave." My mother whispered, then left.

There was an awkward silence for a while as I stood in this room with a complete stranger. The little girl seemed to be more confused than I was. She was staring at the floor twisting her foot, hands behind her back and she was mumbling something.

After a good minute and a half I spoke.

"So my name is Jamie Dale, what..." The little girl cut me off.

"You can have some of my cookie," She whispered as she pulled out a chocolate chip cookie about the size of her head from behind her back.

"Whoa!" I yelled, running up to her almost drooling over the cookie, "Where'd you get it! It's huge, giant, supetacular!"

"Supetacular? What's that?" She whispered.

"Oh," I said confused, "I don't know just something a made up I guess,"

"Sounds awesome," the girl whispered, "Almost forgot my name is Isabelle Legget, but my mum calls me Belle,"

"You mean like beauty and the beast?" I asked.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I know a thing or two about fairy tales."

"Well Jamie, what do you want to do?" Isabelle asked.

"Well, first I want to eat that cookie with you and second have you heard if the city of the great blue rug?"

"Nope,"

"Well you've got some learning to do," I laughed.

So what we did that day was eat that giant cookie... which soon found out had raisins in it, which spoilt the entire thing but then playing the game I made up with Isabelle was fun. I played a dragon and she was the giant mongoose trying to disrupt the city's peace. It was fun and I didn't know that I could make a friend that easily, and so once a week we would always meet up. We usually talked about small things like pie or maybe even chocolate. We even ended up going to the same school, she was a year younger than I was so we weren't in the same classes but I did see her on the playground.