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The graveyard that night was dark and cold. Snow fell down in heavy clumps, covering everything in a thick layer of white, and the wind flew violently through the trees, brushing small pockets of powdery snow from their perches. The graveyard was cold, dark, and uninviting on that cold winters night. Not even the local wildlife stirred, and the graveyard was silent. Under a spindly, dead tree lay a new addition to the graveyard. As white as the other markers, this grave was decorated with snow covered flowers and ornaments, small tokens left behind by grieving loved ones. There also sat a small girl, not even metres away from the grave. She huddled gloomily in the snow, bundled up in a thick winter coat and bright red scarf. She stared down at the grave sadly, making no indication of moving any time soon, toying with a small red flower picked from the numerous bouquets adorning the headstone.
The snow danced around her, and she glanced up, pulling her arms around her as she did so, accidentally letting go of the flower, which was quickly captured by the wind. Looking up in alarm, she spun around to chase it with her eyes, stopping suddenly, and looking up in undisguised awe. Upon the hill, with the flower resting at his feet, stood a dog. Tall and majestic and as white as the snow that surrounded it, the dog stared down at her in a commanding manner. The girl got up carefully, smiling at the dog, and shuffling nearer to the flower, keeping wary eyes on the large dog. The dog stood still, almost as if it was a statue, and the girl edged nearer. The little girl reached out to the dog hesitantly, soon smiling as she touched him lightly. Quite suddenly, the dog turned, staring at her expectantly, before indicating his back. The girl started at the dog in confusion, before the dog turned and nudged her towards its back impatiently. Stumbling forward, the girl returned to staring at the dog, turning to look down at the grave briefly, before scrambling onto the dogs back.
Once she was sat comfortably, the dog set off at a fast pace, the girl holding on tightly to keep herself from falling off. With a mighty leap the dog flew over a tall hedge separating the graveyard from the rest of the world, and the girl looked around in awe. The pair soon came to a river, and the dog paused, sniffing the ground. A sudden movement caused the girl to look around quickly, but after finding nothing, she turned to gaze at the river, bubbling violently in front of them. She watched the water swirl about warily, but she was given no time to protest before the dog was off, leaping over a group of stepping stones effortlessly as the girl clung to the dog in fear. They reached the other side in no time, and the dog moved confidently towards a dark forest, trees looming ahead intimidatingly. The little girl stared up at them, clutching the dogs neck tightly as she took note of the strangely shaped trees. The dog picked his way delicately through the forest path, thick with branches and dead leaves. There was no snow here, the trees ahead forming a thick barrier that the snow couldn't penetrate. As the girl glanced around, she caught small movements, black blurs that seemed to run with them for a while, and once again she began to get scared. A noise behind her made her look back, and on their tail ran more dogs, more menacing than her own, and snarling angrily. She watched in horror as they ran about them, looking ahead and seeing more dogs up ahead, waiting for them in a clearing. She looked around for an escape, and almost as if reading her mind, one dog came closer, snapping at her heals. Yanking sharply on her dogs neck, they came to a sudden stop, and the girl jumped off the dogs back, sinking to the ground and curling up defensively. The other dogs came in closer, growling angrily, and she stared at them in fear.
Her own dog suddenly flattened his own ears, moving in front of the girl protectively and staring down the other dogs. The other dogs soon slunk backwards, reluctant to provoke the bigger dog, and when the girl looked up, the clearing was empty, only leaving the little girl and her dog behind. The dog turned for her, and stared down at her, dropping his ears in confusion when she made no attempt to move from her spot. Creeping forward, the dog nosed at her gently, and the little girl caught him in a tight hug, clinging to his powerful neck tightly, as the dog wagged its tail and licked her comfortingly. When the pair finally parted, the dog trotted over to a strange tree. It was unlike the others, in that it was a pale colour, almost white. Sitting by it expectantly, the girl moved over to the tree, only to stare down at a small opening in the trunk that seemed to go on forever.
She stared down at the opening hesitantly, and then back at the dog, who nudged her encouragingly, before pushing past her and moving down the hole confidently, pausing for a moment to look back at her, wagging his tail happily before moving on. After a slight pause, the girl took a deep breath and started slowly down the passage, crawling delicately as it became darker and darker. However, despite how dark it became, the dog was always right in front of her, leading the way confidently. A strong wind suddenly blew in her face, and the girl watched as a bright white light displayed an end to the tunnel. With a grin on her face, she made her way to the exit, pulling herself up out of a tree hollow similar to the one she had just entered. However, the sight before her was nothing like the scene she had left behind.
In front of her was a field of flowers, bright and cheerful, blowing gently in the breeze. Standing up, she watched the sight in undisguised awe, and her dog came up from behind her, nudging her forward. At the silent signal, the girl smiled in delight, and began to run through the field, turning in circles before flopping down and playing with the flowers in contentment. The dog flopped down peacefully under the tree, watching after her silently as she played. Throwing a bunch of flowers into the air, the girl gave another smile as the petals flew about her.
Back in a dark snowy graveyard, the sun began to rise reluctantly, and a flower blew about wildly in the wind. It soon came to rest on a grave, fresh with flowers and trinkets and a single photo frame containing a picture of a single little girl.
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I think that the new story makes a lot more sense than the old version, and will hopefully end up being easier for the audience to understand on screen!
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