Muse Magic

Paul had always been told not to play near the swamp. Those who did, were never heard from again. He never listened, though. Almost every day he frolicked through the soggy ground without anything happening to him. Then, he saw it.

Paul froze in his tracks. He thought those stories of a nine-foot creature were made up. It walked up-right like a human but looked to be a combination between an alligator and a lizard. The tongue kept coming out of its mouth like a snake.

Backing away quietly, Paul stepped on a tree root, and fell back.

“Ow,” he yelled, after hitting his head.

He sat up rubbing his head, and looked around not seeing the creature. Before getting to his feet, something tickled the back of his neck. He spun around to see the creature look down at him.

The creature picked the boy up and licked Paul’s head where he hit it. It set Paul down on his feet, and Paul watched as the creature disappeared into the swamp.