Mom was holding Dad’s hand. She’d pretty much been holding Dad’s hand constantly for the last three months. “All right! Be careful!” Julie saw her turn to Dad and ask him something. His face lit up in a smile. Mom called to Julie, “If we’re not here, we’ll be in the tower!”
Julie climbed on the dragon and sat near the base of his neck. Henry settled down on the dragon’s back behind Julie. He wrapped his arms around her waist to hold on. She felt her heart beat faster. The dragon began to flap his wings, churning the wind. Leaves fluttered on the trees, and the dragon lifted into the air.
As they rose above the Wild, Julie saw the swathe of green forest that now occupied the southeast corner of town, covering both Bartlett Pond and the former Juniper Hill Golf Course. She watched the trees undulating, remaking themselves. To the north, she saw a gray stone castle. A half mile south, she saw a glass hill. A beanstalk rose to the clouds.
Wow, it was all beautiful. Seeing it, she couldn’t imagine that the Wild had once been a mat of vines under her bed (though she definitely appreciated having her room back). Julie laid her cheek against an iridescent scale and listened to the thrum of the beating wings. The sun was warm on her back, and the wind streamed through her hair as they flew over the Wild.
“How far can he fly?” Henry asked.
She knew what he was asking: could the dragon fly out of the Wild? She grinned. “He can fly anywhere now.” To the dragon, she said, “Go on. You can do it.”
In answer, the dragon shot forward. They zoomed over the trees—and then suddenly, as if it weren’t momentous at all, they flew out of the Wild and over Northboro. Spreading his shimmering wings, the dragon soared over houses, rocketed above the highway, and swung around a shopping mall. Julie turned to grin at Henry. His face was inches from hers and she was suddenly conscious of how very green his eyes were.
As the dragon flew higher, Julie leaned just an inch toward Henry. And then, high above the clouds, he kissed her. It was, she thought, the perfect fairy-tale ending.
Out of the Wild Page 19
