The Monstrous Finale

“This is your last chance, annoying cat,” Princess Terrett said menacingly. “If you fail, all your hard work will be wasted. But since I am a good person, I will let your friends fight the SA monster alongside you. But if you lose this challenge, you lose your life.”

Princess Terrett turned to Lemon’s friends. “You two, I admire your dedication to this dead weight. But if you help him, and he fails the challenge, you suffer the same fate as he does. I am giving you a way out though, you can choose not to support your feline idiot and when he dies, escape unscathed.”

Froggy shook her head. “It wouldn’t be the same without Lemon, and we can’t just abandon him when he needs us most! We’re a trio, and you can’t split us up!”

”All this for a ripped skirt,” Nightshade muttered.

Lemon could not have agreed more.

Princess Terrett grabbed Lemon by the collar and plonked him near one goal of the school football pitch. In front of the other football goal, snarling, was the dreaded Monster of the Summative Assessments.

Its eyes were as red as a broken red pen that bled ink all over a piece of red card and its armour was hard, made of years and years of summative work papier-mâchéd together.

The beast stretched its neck to the sky and roared deafeningly. Princess Terrett announced the rules:

”If you can leave the school, you win and your debt is officially paid off. If not, well… my SA monster will have some fun with you.”

”The way she said that feels very ominous!” Froggy squeaked.

Suddenly and without warning, the monster charged. The heroes (plus Lemon) dodged, and the monster rammed into the football goal with such force its horns got stuck in the net. The heroes (plus Lemon) took this opportunity to run for the school gate.

Then, they heard a primal roar from behind them. The Summative Assessment monster had broken loose and was chasing them again!

”I’ll go distract it!” Froggy screams as she hops toward the monster. “It’s the only way we can escape!”

She kicks gravel at the SA monster, enraging it. The monster charges at her full-pelt as she quickly hops towards a building labeled ‘Natatorium’.

Meanwhile, Lemon and Nightshade had, to their dismay, found Princess Terrett had put barbed wire on top of the fence and the metal gate had been welded together. It would not budge.

Nightshade kicked it. “Nasty cheating woman,” she commented angrily. She thought back at the force when the SA monster collided with the football net.

”I have an idea, but you won’t like it.”

Froggy had just managed to get into the middle of the swimming pool and decided to take a breather.

”After all, the monster’s armour is made of paper,” she thought. “It will melt in the water.”

Then, to her horror, the monster started wading into the pool after her! Froggy regretted making it so angry. She swam to the far end of the pool, cornered. She did, however, notice the beast’s armour was melting off it. She was hopeful her sacrifice would help her friends escape, when a pool noodle came flying through the air and bonked the SA monster’s head.

”Lemon!” Froggy gasped. Subconsciously, she was wondering how Lemon had thrown so perfectly when usually, he could try and throw a basketball on the ground and miss.

The SA monster, so enraged it was practically boiling, tried to charge at Lemon. The effect was rather spoiled by how the dissolved paper in the water was slowing it down, but that bought Froggy and Lemon enough time to exit the Natatorium and try to find Nightshade.

”So, why didn’t you leave?” Froggy asked.

”The gates were closed.” Lemon replied.

They ran quickly to the gate where Nightshade was. She had moved to a part of the fence.

”Lemon! Froggy!” She yelled. “Stand in front of the fence and wait for the monster to charge! Move at the last second!”

The others moved into place. Lemon was silently questioning the safety of the situation, but reminded himself it was his fault anyway so he shouldn’t complain about Nightshade’s plan.

With a crash and a roar (and a splat from wet papier-mâché) the SA monster came into view. It stopped and stared at them, seething with fury.

It moved back a few meters, scraped its hind legs and charged.

”NOW!” Nightshade screamed, jumping out of the way.

The others did the same. The part of the fence they had been standing in front of was a weak spot. The SA monster burst straight through and got stuck in the barbed wire. Without its armour, the barbed wire cut deep wounds in the monster’s flesh. It howled and lay down, defeated.

It then only took a minute to climb over the wreckage and escape Princess Terrett’s school. They didn’t wait for Princess Terrett, they just went back to their home.

Lemon lay down on the sofa. “I’m not moving in forty years!” He declared.