Bubble Trouble!

"Gold!" one man exclaimed. "And a dragon! Today is our lucky day!" The men looked like experienced thieves.
The city looked different. There were no soldiers watching over them, and they could finally breathe the air of freedom.
Janushi Raichura
T he worst thing a dragon could find in a library was bubblegum.
Trippy, Princess of Sunshine Land, and Skippy, Prince of Sunshine Land, had finally figured out their next adventure: battling pirates.
It sounded cool to Skippy, and Trippy agreed on one condition-that they would also visit the mermaids through another magical book. They had a magical library whose books could transport them to enchanted lands. One such book would take them to a world of pirates!
But before they could open the book, Puffy burped, and an enormous bubble floated out of his mouth, courtesy of the bubblegum he had been chewing. Within seconds, all three of them were trapped inside the giant bubble.
Things got worse.
The next minute, they were floating in the air. Soon, as if it had a mind of its own, the bubble squeezed through the library window, sending them soaring over the city. Skippy screamed as they began to gain altitude.
"We are going to die!" he announced with the utmost certainty.
"Relax," Trippy said, though she was frightened herself.
Puffy leapt up and tried to burst the bubble with his claws.
"Stop, stop!" Trippy yelled. "If this bubble bursts, we'll fall to our deaths!"
Puffy stopped and stared at her as though it were somehow her fault that they were so high up in the sky.
Through the pink-tinted bubble, the city looked different. There were no soldiers watching over them, and they could finally breathe the air of freedom.
"What now?" Skippy whispered, awestruck by the beautiful view.
"We find a safe place to land," Trippy replied, equally enchanted by the scenery. Being born into the royal family, they rarely had the freedom to explore the world on their own. Guards followed them everywhere, so, for once, it felt wonderful to simply relax.
Their happiness was short-lived. Soon, the bubble began to descend. The moment it touched the ground, it burst, leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere.
There was nothing but rocky, barren land all around them, with no sign of life. Skippy and Trippy exchanged a glance before turning to Puffy. Puffy had grown quite large now-almost twice their height-and if he wanted, he could easily have flown them back to the castle.
Puffy shook his head. He was still too afraid to use his wings.
The twins sighed together before looking at the castle's tallest tower, barely visible beyond the mountains. With no other choice, they began walking towards it.
The first few hundred metres were easy, but soon their feet began to ache. Exhausted, they sat down to rest against a massive rock.
"I feel like I'm dying," Skippy wheezed, clutching his chest. "I can't walk another step."
"Neither can I," Trippy admitted.
Puffy looked as though he agreed.
Soon, Skippy and Trippy were staring hopefully at Puffy's wings, trying their best to guilt him into at least attempting to fly. But Puffy simply turned around, closed his eyes, and ignored them.
"You know, Puffy, the sun's about to set," Skippy said in a spooky voice. "Soon, ghosts will be wandering around this place."
Puffy's eyes flew open, and he stared at Skippy in alarm.
"I've heard that every night, ghosts roam these hills… and they love to eat baby dragons," Skippy added dramatically.
Puffy frantically flapped his wings, but he could barely lift himself a few inches off the ground before dropping back down.
By the time they resumed walking, the sun was hanging low in the sky. Trippy suggested that they should simply wait for help. Surely people had noticed they were missing, and the palace guards would soon find them.
But Skippy was now terrified by his own made-up story, and Puffy shared the same fear.
Trippy had no choice but to keep walking with them.
Soon, darkness fell. Even Trippy began to feel uneasy. Every rustling leaf made them nervous, and every owl's hoot made them jump. Within minutes, the three of them were tightly holding hands-and claws.
Then they heard human voices.
"I heard the prince and princess have gone missing," one man said.
"Yes! If we capture them, the king will pay us a fortune!" another replied.
Skippy let out a frightened squeal.
Trippy quickly covered his mouth, but it was too late. The men had already heard him.
Moments later, two burly men stood before them, studying their royal clothes. It was obvious they had found the missing prince and princess.
"Gold!" one man exclaimed. "And a dragon! Today is our lucky day!"
The men looked like experienced thieves.
But Puffy stepped bravely in front of his friends. He opened his mouth and-
…a pink bubble floated out.
The thieves stared at him in disbelief for a second before bursting into laughter.
Clearly offended, Puffy took a deep breath and blew again. This time, an enormous bubble shot out and trapped both thieves inside it.
But the thieves pulled out their knives and began stabbing the bubble. It was only a matter of time before they escaped.
Trippy and Skippy lost all hope.
Then, like a true hero, Puffy spread his wings and gave them one mighty flap.
To everyone's surprise-including his own-he lifted off the ground.
"Whoa!" Skippy gasped, marvelling at the sight.
Puffy grabbed both children by their clothes with his claws and soared high into the sky.
As they flew away, Skippy looked back and stuck out his tongue at the angry thieves.
Puffy landed safely on the castle roof, and soon they were back inside.
Of course, the moment she entered her room, Trippy tripped and landed in a sticky pile of bubblegum.
Puffy and Skippy laughed so hard that the room soon filled with floating bubbles.