My Pinecone

The wind rushed through the trees like a tornado. The girl grabbed a tree so

she didn't tumble through the pine forest. "That's odd," she thought. Winds

don't usually blow in the forest like that. The girl loved being outdoors.

Anywhere in nature would do-the beach, the mountains, or like today-the

forest.

As the wind ceased, she let go of the tree. She glanced around to see what

damage had been done. She didn't notice anything except a huge pinecone on

the ground. Even taking into consideration its size, it looked strange.

Evidently, it hadn't matured, yet since it was still green. But, it also had

a bluish tint, and the scales seemed to be fused in a way that you couldn't

peel them apart. The bottom was sort of flat, so it was standing on end like

an egg. She surveyed the treetops to see if there were any similar pinecones

above her. However, this appeared to be the only one.

The girl hesitantly picked it up to examine it. It felt warm, and not only

were the scales fused, the covering was one solid piece. Since the sun was

setting, she took the pinecone home for a closer look.

Once she got home, she went in the garage and tried to peel the scales with

a knife, then with a hammer and chisel. Finally, she just hit it with the

hammer. Sparks flew, and the object skittered across the room. She picked it

up. It was getting hotter. She set it on the table and left it alone while

she decided what to do next while she went to supper.

After she ate, she returned to the garage. The pinecone-or whatever it was

had a crack down the side and was vibrating. She grabbed some safety goggles

from the shelf, back up, and hid behind a cabinet door. The object vibrated

wildly which increased in intensity. All of a sudden-BOOM! The shell blew

off. "Whoa!" she exclaimed. When the smoke settled, the girl moved slowly

toward the table. She could not believe what she saw-an adorable little

dragon. She picked it up and ran into the house yelling, "Mom, look what I

followed me home. Can I keep him?"