The air smelled like pumpkin spice and fallen leaves tickled Jackson's toes as he walked home from school. It was Halloween! He held his homework folder tight. Inside was a very important paper, a story about a prince!
"What kind of prince is it, Jackson?" Sophia, his playful puppy, wagged her tail, her tongue flopping out in a doggy grin.
"A brave prince, Sophia," Jackson giggled. "But he has a problem, a big problem! He has SO much homework that he doesn't have time to play with the castle dragon!"
Suddenly, the wind whirled around them, swirling faster and faster. Leaves flew up, making a mini tornado right on their street! When the wind stopped, a sparkly path shimmered before them, leading towards a giant, colorful castle on top of a hill. It had tall towers that reached up to tickle the clouds!
"Wow!" Jackson gasped. Could this be the Enchanted Castle from his homework? He held Sophia's leash tight. "We need to be brave and see!"
The castle gates swung open as if by magic. Inside, everything shimmered with gold and jewels. Knights in shining armor practiced sword-fighting, and a friendly-looking dragon snoozed by a fountain.
"Excuse me," Jackson asked a passing knight. "Is this the castle with the prince who has a lot of homework?"
"Why yes!" The knight boomed. "He's in the library, surrounded by books!"
The library was HUGE, with shelves that touched the ceiling! Sitting at a giant table, piled high with books, was a boy wearing a crown that was slightly crooked. He looked sad.
"Hello," Jackson said. "My name is Jackson, and this is Sophia. My homework is about a prince who loves dragons, just like you!"
The prince's face brightened. "You like dragons too?" He pointed to a book filled with dragon pictures. "I have to write a report on their fire-breathing techniques, but I don't understand it!"
Jackson, who was very brave, wasn't scared of a little homework, even for a prince! He loved learning about dragons. He sat beside the prince, Sophia wagging her tail excitedly.
"See, Sophia," Jackson explained, pointing at a picture of a dragon blowing fire. "Dragons breathe fire by mixing special gases in their tummies, kind of like making a big burp, but with fire!"
The prince giggled. "That sounds funny!" He wrote diligently in his notebook.
Jackson and the prince spent the afternoon working on the homework. Sophia even helped by fetching dropped pencils in her mouth. Soon, the prince's homework was finished!
"Thank you, Jackson and Sophia!" The prince beamed. "Now I can finally play with the dragon!"
The prince grabbed a ball and raced outside. The dragon, wide awake now, happily chased after him.
As the sun began to set, casting the castle in an orange glow, Jackson knew it was time to go home. He hugged the prince goodbye.
"Homework isn't so bad when you have a friend to help," Jackson said.
The prince nodded. "And playing with a dragon is always more fun!"
Suddenly, the wind picked up again, swirling faster and faster. Jackson closed his eyes tight, holding Sophia close. When he opened them, he was back home, his front door in front of him.
"Wow, what an adventure!" Jackson said, petting Sophia's head. He still had his own homework to do, but now he knew it wouldn't be so bad. After all, even princes needed help sometimes! And he had the best helper, a playful pup named Sophia.
