Peter Carrot-top

by Yolanda Jackson

  Chapter 2

  Meeting the Oracle

  As the rooster sounded his alarm, Peter was the first

  one up and making breakfast for the entire family. He was

  so excited to meet with the Oracle, but his parents

  weren't. They never let Peter see the fear on their faces,

  and went about their morning as usual.

  Sam was out in the plantation talking to the workers,

  letting them know that they might be gone for a long time.

  He told them he would sign his will over to one of his

  trusted workers and his family. He and the worker he picked

  began to debate back and forth about taking over his land.

  The worker told him that he was a poor Negro, and no

  colored man had ever owned anything this successful without

  being hung. Still, Sam insisted.

  He gave his worker, Mr. Jones, a bag of magical seeds

  and told him to spread them along the property line and he

  would be protected. Sam let Mr. Jones know that he chose

  him because he was one of the workers who was always

  truthful, fair and honest with everyone. Though Mr. Jones

  was afraid, he took the bag of seeds and hid them in his

  pocket.

  Sam patted Mr. Jones on the shoulder and let him know

  that everything would be all right, and that he would be

  watching. As Sam finished his business affairs, he went

  into the house where his wife and Peter were waiting on him

  to eat breakfast.

  No one said a word. Reality was finally setting in on

  what they were about to do. Everyone took deep breaths and

  began to eat very slowly. Finally, Peter started a

  conversation and asked his parents what to say to the

  Oracle.

  Sam replied, "Don't say anything until you're asked."

  As breakfast finished, Sam began moving things around

  the house telepathically. Socks were flying through the

  air, and even Jane's underwear got caught on the lamp

  shade! She was so embarrassed; she jumped up and snatched

  them off the shade with a smirky grin at her husband.

  Once Sam got everything packed, they walked around the

  house touching and feeling everything they would miss, but

  Peter didn't. He was so excited that he could hardly wait

  to leave. He began to pull his parents by the hand urging

  them to leave, but they were filled with so much emotion,

  they had to take a seat.

  As they were saying their goodbyes, Peter was already

  in the wagon ready to go. After a long time of waiting, he

  yelled from the wagon, "Come on!"

  Then the door slowly opened and his parents walked

  out. Peter could tell Jane had been crying. Her eyes were

  puffy and swollen; her nose was red and her face was

  disheveled.

  They jumped into the wagon and said goodbye to their

  workers. Sam pulled Mr. Jones aside and told him to never

  let anyone know that he had gone, and if anyone asked, to

  tell them that he had some business in Paris he was taking

  care of. Mr. Jones nodded, and they were on their way.

  They made sure not to look back at the home and

  friends they were leaving behind to go to an uncertain

  place where they might no longer be welcome. The carriage

  ride was long and hot. Everyone was sweating.

  "Are we there yet?" Peter asked.

  "Soon, son," his father replied.

  As the Carrot-Tops left their plantation, they were

  hailed and greeted by all the people of the town. Sam was

  sad to leave his home, but what he was doing was for his

  family, not for himself. Suddenly the carriage turned off a

  dark road.

  It was so pitch black Peter became afraid and yelled

  out for his father, "Father!"

  "It's okay," Sam replied, letting his son know that he

  was right there with him.

  Then there was light again, a big burst of brightness.

  It was so bright they could hardly keep their eyes open.

  Then it went dim, and Sam told Peter and Jane to get out of

  the wagon, and to follow him closely, out of the bright

  light.

  There was a beautiful forest like nothing Peter had

  ever seen before -- the plants were moving and talking.

  Peter was startled for a minute but then regained his

  composure.

  "Good day!" yelled the plants.

  Peter stopped to inquire about the plants, but his

  mother pulled his hands away telling Peter that they had

  important work to do. Even the animals in the forest were

  glad to see visitors.

  Then a rabbit the size of a wagon came up to Sam and

  shouted, "Well, well, well! The traitor is back!" with a

  smirk on his face.

  "You're gonna get it now!" a squirrel replied.

  Sam did not let it bother him. He kept walking to his

  destination, but Peter was amazed at the beauty and wonder

  of the forest.

  "Pay them no mind, Peter. They all were once our

  friends," Jane said, but Peter was not listening. He was

  too in tune with the singing waterfall.

  He watched as the waterfall turned into different

  shapes, from a woman, to a dog, to a big roaring lion. This

  was all exciting to him.

  "Where are we?" Peter asked his father.

  "This is the portal to Baja" Sam replied.

  "We're moving on," said Jane.

  Peter replied, "I am so excited to see home, somewhere

  that I fit in."

  As they walked the long forest pathway, there was a

  cottage made of golden bricks and rubies, and birds flapped

  their wings vigorously when they saw Peter and his family

  coming. The tension in Sam's eyes showed fear as he came to

  the gate of the cottage. He hesitated to knock.

  His hands began to sweat and shake out of control, so

  Peter walked in front of him and knocked on the door.

  Suddenly, the door opened, but there was no one to greet

  them! They walked in quietly and stood in the middle of the

  hallway.

  "Oracle, it is I, Sam. I have brought my son to you

  with a gift so powerful; it must be a sign from the elders."

  Suddenly a burst of fire came from the chimney, and

  swirled across the room knocking down Peter and his father.

  "Why have you come back? You have brought nothing but shame

  on our kind."

  As Sam began to answer, a woman appeared in the form

  of a snake with eight arms. Her fingers were covered with

  gold and diamond rings that glistened in the light. She had

  a crown on her head that was 9 feet tall, and in that crown

  were souls crying to be free. They were in a wax-like

  bubble.

  The crown was made of gold and silver with

  hieroglyphic writings on the top and sides. The oracle was

  a 12-foot snake, dressed in the finest of linens. Her upper

  body was human, and the lower body a snake with a huge tail

  and a long rattler. Her fingernails were long and made of

  ivory like an elephant's tusk, but the most irritating

  thing was that she made this hissing noise that pierced

  their eardrums.

  But, oh, what a beautiful creature! Her skin was like

  white flour
. Her lips were like rose petals, and she had

  the most adorable face they had ever seen.

  Sam quickly bowed down to the Oracle, asking her to

  hear him out. Jane did not bow down. She refused; telling

  the Oracle that she knew Sam was set up and did nothing to

  stop it, and now wanted to treat them like peasants.

  The Oracle quickly threw a small fireball at Jane. She

  quickly ducked her head and the fireball missed her face by

  an inch! Peter quickly defended his mother and created a

  massive hole in the center of the house where the Oracle

  was standing.

  Suddenly the Oracle fell down the hole, letting out a

  hideous scream as she fell.

  "Peter, what have you done? That was the Oracle!" said

  Peter's father.

  "Served her right!" shouted Jane.

  Suddenly a hand came out of the darkness and the

  Oracle crawled back to the top of the hole.

  "What a powerful boy! I must speak with him," said the

  Oracle.

  "No! Only if you get us back into Baja," Jane replied.

  The Oracle hesitated and said, "Very well, but you are

  on your own once in Baja. You and your husband are hated by

  many. They blame both of you for the fall and destruction

  of Baja."

  Then the Oracle went to Peter and told him to rise up

  and say nothing. Suddenly he levitated off the ground and

  floated toward the Oracle. As she placed Peter in her

  oversized hands, she closed her eyes and saw into the

  future. In her vision, Peter had a crown on his head. His

  father and mother were old and gray, but they also had

  crowns on their heads. The Oracle saw a great battle were

  Peter defeated the evils that plagued Baja.

  Suddenly, she opened her eyes and told the Carrot-Tops

  that they must head straight to Baja right away.

  "What is it?" Sam asked.

  The Oracle told Sam that his child, Peter, was the

  savior of Baja. Sam and Jane were in disbelief and began to

  laugh and cry with joy.

  "Our son has saved us!" They cried, and threw Peter in

  the air and twirled him around in circles.

  "Go now," said the Oracle. "I will make a way for you

  to travel. Tell no one of this secret or his life will be

  in danger." The Oracle repeated it to Sam and Jane over and

  over, until they got it in their heads. "Trust no one until

  they have earned your trust!" shouted the Oracle and off

  they went.

  As they were leaving, the Oracle pointed the Carrot-

  Tops toward the kitchen, where hot food was waiting for

  them to carry on their long journey. The Oracle let them

  know that they must walk on foot and only use the resources

  of the forest. "Hurry along, Baja awaits you," the Oracle

  replied over and over again until her voice slowly

  disappeared.

  Peter was very excited to go on an adventure. His feet

  began to swing back and forth, and his eyes lit up with

  excitement. Peter asked his father why was he so special.

  Sam explained that after the eighth key was lost and

  the elders could no longer stay awake, no child born would

  be blessed with a gift, and in Baja everyone had gifts.

  After the evil curse, no child born in Baja was blessed

  with a gift or talent, and therefore Baja was at the mercy

  of the evil dwellers.

  "But then you came along, Peter." Sam looked loving in

  his son's eyes, "and all our fears and defeat seem to have

  dissolved away."

  Sam went on to say that years had passed without a

  child developing powers in Baja, and therefore there was no

  one to fight the evil spirits that came upon the land. He

  explained that Baja needed a new generation of fighters.

  "So, yes, son; you are special," Peter's father said,

  as the Carrot-Tops walked through the forest.

  It was a magnificent experience. The birds began to

  fly overhead with their 10-foot wingspans and they sang,

  "The prince is coming, the prince is coming."

  Peter was in awe of the birds' beauty. Their wings

  were so long that he could see no end. Their tails curled

  up like the locks in a Southern belle's hair. Their

  feathers were like a rainbow, every section of the birds

  were a different color. They flew in lines of five, giving

  shade to the Carrot-Tops.

  On the ground, the flowers protruded out of the Earth

  at least 20 feet tall. They dropped down big petals

  covering the Carrot-Tops. Peter and his family just laughed

  and indulged in all the attention. Sam looked at his wife

  and told her how good it felt to be adored again, and how

  great it felt to be going back home.

  The flowers danced in a synchronized routine. One by

  one they waltzed and turned. Their petals were so huge,

  they looked like ballroom gowns. The flowers were so tall

  that from way, way up above, they looked like humans

  dancing.

  "What a wonderful sight to see!" Jane said.

  The forest animals now were so much more welcoming of

  the Carrot-Tops than the first encounter, and they took

  great care of the Carrot-Tops. Suddenly a turtle came by

  and asked the Carrot-Tops if they wanted a ride. Peter

  jumped up and said yes, and they climbed in.

  The turtle shell was so big it was the size of a

  wagon. The inside had carved-out windows; the seats were

  made of the finest gold threads, and the floor was padded

  with the softest cushions. It was like heaven. On the wall

  of the shell was a picture of a young prince with bright

  orange hair. Peter and his parents stared at it.

  Rabbits came offering the family honey tea and

  crumpets. Oh! The rabbits were so excited that they could

  barely keep still to take the Carrot-Tops' orders! Each one

  kept asking, "Could this really be the boy king?"

  They zipped back and forth, running with the highest

  speed, bringing the family everything that they could

  possibly cook. First were the tea and crumpets, then sweet

  honey rolls. Next came roasted pig. Then they brought pork

  chops, steak, shrimp, fish and so forth until Sam told them

  lovingly to stop.

  The poor rabbits were so out of breath that they

  collapsed on the floor. The Carrot-Tops laughed

  hysterically, until milk came out of their noses. Then the

  rabbits joined in on the fun.

  "Oh, yes! This is our royal family," one rabbit said

  to another.

  Peter looked out of the window and saw little elves

  waving and getting their first sneak peek at the boy prince.

  "I see the word has spread," Jane said to Sam.

  "Yes, indeed, my dear. The word has spread," Sam said.

  One of the elves came to the window and took out a

  mirror device that glistened in the sun and captured a

  picture of the family, and then he ran off. The device

  mystified Peter. The handle was made of pure gold. It lit

  up with secret codes and had writing Peter had never seen

  before.

  Peter could see himself in the image, but it was of

  something or someone he did not k
now. The image showed a

  young boy with a crown on his head, clothed in the finest

  attire. Then it was gone.

  "Oh, don't worry, Peter. You will get to see them

  again," his mother said.

  Peter was so mystified by the elves that he kept

  looking for them out of the window, but they were gone. Sam

  told his son that the forest of Baja was so mystical there

  wasn't enough time in death to discover it all.

  "Why are we dead?" Peter asked his parents.

  His parents said that everyone dies, and moves on to

  other worlds, according to their deeds on Earth. They said

  no one knows how many levels there are to death, but to be

  on a good aura, you must do good things before you move on.

  Sam went on to tell Peter that sometimes worlds collide

  causing a clash of auras; sometimes it's good and sometimes

  it's bad.

  "Is that what happened to you, Father?"

  "Yes," replied Sam, "I got caught up in the power of

  self and all the finer things that came with it. Because of

  this, I was sent back to the living, never to see Baja

  again."

  Sam began to get teary-eyed, and Jane held his hand

  tightly and rubbed his shoulders, letting him know it was

  okay and they were on their way back home.

  "Whatever you do, Peter, be a good person," said his

  mother.

  "I will," Peter replied.

  Suddenly the turtle made an announcement that he would

  be stopping for a rest, and Peter and his family could have

  a stretch. When the ride came to a complete stop, Peter

  jumped off, and his parents quickly followed.

  There was a river made of dark chocolate next to them.

  Peter began to drink and drink until he saw a tree that

  produced strawberry cupcakes. He ran and plucked a few off,

  until the tree began to talk and it startled Peter.

  "Wellllllll hello," said the tree in a deep voice.

  Peter was too afraid to talk. He clutched his cupcakes

  and crawled back.

  "Ha, ha, ha!" said the tree.

  "Who are you?" Peter asked.

  The tree told Peter he was just a tree, and it was his

  pleasure to serve him. Suddenly the branches on the tree

  turned into a face, one that was happy and jolly.

  "I am so happy to be the first to serve the prince,"

  the tree said in his husky voice.

  Peter was amazed of all the wonders of the land great

  and small, from the tiny ants that lined the dirt path

  wearing their golden shoes on each leg, to the gigantic

  pelicans in the sky that flew people from destination to

  destination. It was such a wonderful sight to see a land of

  milk and honey that dripped from the leaves of the trees.

  Peter started to appreciate the world he was in. He really

  felt like he belonged, there were no regrets in him going

  there.

  "Mother, Father! Come quick!" he called out.

  Hs parents came running. Peter showed them the talking

  tree and the ants with golden shoes.

  They cracked wide grins. "Yes, son, we know all about

  them. They are your family. Baja is your family," they both

  said together.

  The tree just let out a big laugh, "Ha! Ha! Ha!

  Welcome to Baja, my Prince!"

  Suddenly a horn sounded and the turtle let the Carrot-

  Tops know that he was almost ready to get back on the road

  again. Peter and his parents watched as the turtle got his

  shell washed by two octopuses, and then polished and shined

  by a herd of small spider monkeys.

  "Oh, that feels good!" laughed the turtle, as the

  monkeys polished under his belly.

  Rats and rabbits brought fresh food. One by one, the

  animals catered to the Carrot-Tops. Clean clothing and

  sheets for the long trip were hauled back and forth. There

  were five old lady rabbits taking the measurements of Peter

  and his family. They measured the Carrot-Tops from head to

  toe, back and forth. They went on, not saying a word; they

  were busy in their duties.