Writing Assignment 7-- Draft 1

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Pan. Pan was just like your ordinary Maple Street kid, he loved tag, hide-and-seek, and pogo sticks. The parents of Maple Street would often sip lemonades on their front porches and relax as their children would play. Their only warning was to not bully, and to never cross the street which led to the forest. The kids had always listened to this advice, partly because they did not want to be spanked, but mostly because they feared the mysterious forest which had housed so many demonic unicorns, giants, and griffins of their past.
One day, Pan was playing an intense game of hide and seek with his best friends Will and Gabe. To make the day even better, his parents were busy inside cooking peach cobbler-- his favorite. In the eighth round, Pan found himself losing. He knew this hiding spot would be key to his chance of winning. As Will ducked his head under his mailbox to begin the long count to 300, Pan’s mind began to race. He could not just use a porch or tree this time, or even an upturned barrel. No, no, those were all far too obvious—even for Will. He needed a place no one could even dream of. While stroking his chin, as he often saw his father do, he turned and faced the forest. His heart began to beat with excitement as he pondered the possibilities. Tree trunks, ditches, creeks, ogre stomachs; the mysterious forest would be beyond exceptional. Without thinking or weighing any options, Pan began his bolt to the other side of the road. But suddenly, in the middle of the street, Pan was deafened by the blare of a car horn, and saw the bright lights of an approaching truck out of the corner of his eyes.
Pan’s last thought had been about peach cobbler.
When Pan was later retrieved from the road, a human spatula was needed to get peel him off of the asphalt. He was flat and round, and his parents chose to dispose of him in the forest, for it was too hard to see him in that state.
While it hurt Will and Gabe to speak of the misfortune of their friend, not many kids could say their playmate was eaten by giants. Rumor had it that after Pan was tossed into the forest, the giants deemed him the human cake, more commonly known as “pancake”. In pure ecstasy over their luck, they pulled maple trees up by their roots and cracked them over his body, letting the sap run across him.
If only Pan had listened to his parents and never crossed the road, he could still be playing hide and seek to this day. If only Pan had listened, the giants would be less hungry for the blood of humans-- finding themselves far too spoiled after their treat. And if only Pan had listened, their would be no confusion between the words hotcake and pancake—and the pastry world of breakfast would be a far simpler place.