“Dragon’s Breath”

in Opening Tricks

For ages 12 plus
Thistledown Press

The only thing left for us was gore — pure, offensive, physical carnage. We wanted to return the lifeblood to the way we talked. We wanted to fling contempt at whatever enslaved us. Together, we sent out a battle cry against the enemy — the adult world of authority and conformity.

In this collection of humorous short fiction for teens, “Dragon’s Breath” is a story for anyone who can envision the power of words and where they can take us. In it, three teens are playing a gross-out game with words that goes further than expected.

“Dragon’s Breath” was a finalist in Thistledown’s third national competition for young adult short stories.