Peter Carrot-top

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Peter Carrot-top Page 9

by Yolanda Jackson


  Chapter 9

  New Friends

  The first day of school was going quite well for

  Peter. He had met his new friends and some associates that

  were very much the opposite of him, but he was having a

  great day.

  Mr. Hunter gave his class their first assignment by

  cutting open a sea pig. Each student had their own pig; the

  creature was bright pink with white polka dots, bitty ears,

  no feet or arms, just a body that looks like a big balloon;

  and small little eyes that sunk into the back of its head.

  Of course Jamyra was in the corner squirming and

  screaming; begging Mr. Hunter to let her dissect something

  else, but she could not pull her charm on Mr. Hunter. She

  had to dissect the sea pig or do extra hours of moon

  cleaning. Jamyra was not happy with this and threatened to

  tell her parents. That did not faze Mr. Hunter, and she had

  to dissect the sea pig. The entire classroom began to laugh

  at her weakness until it came to order with Mr. Hunter

  slapping the ruler on the desk.

  "Quiet, and I mean it!" said Mr. Hunter.

  It was the first day in his class, and everything was

  going fine. But Mr. Hunter forgot to tell the children that

  the sea creature held inside its belly green slime. The

  minute each child cut into their sea pig, the slime was all

  over them; from head to toe. It was nasty and stinky, and

  the slime was soon all over the walls and desks. Some

  students, like Peter and his friends, thought it was cool,

  while other students like Jamyra were upset and did not see

  the humor in it.

  Jamyra began to cry and ran out of the classroom

  complaining about her hair. Millie went after her to calm

  her down, but Peter and his friends stayed and finished

  their dissection. Mr. Hunter got great joy in seeing some

  of the students upset, but he was also pleased to see the

  many that stayed and finished their assignment. He gave all

  the students time to go and wash up for their next class.

  The children ran out of the classroom; many couldn't wait

  to get the stench off of them. The boys ran to their

  restroom and the girls did the same. It took forever for

  the girls to get cleaned and dressed.

  Meanwhile in the boys' restroom, Sam Salmon the bully

  began to pick on Peter by calling him names like "Peter

  Flop-a-Lot, dumb," and many other stupid comments. Peter

  just ignored him, until Sam started shooting green slimy

  fart balls at him.

  The restroom was so smelly that kids ran out holding

  their noses. Sam let out a big fart ball and it engulfed

  Peter and took him straight into the air. The odor was so

  horrific that Peter could not breathe. He knew he had to

  get out of the fart ball, and quick. He saw the edge of the

  door open and pushed the bubble on the door's tip to burst

  it. As it burst, down came the slime from the fart ball.

  Sam thought that it was hilarious and couldn't stop

  laughing. Peter was very angry and ran to his backpack and

  pulled out his magical book calling on Merseft.

  "Master, what can I do for you?" asked Merseft.

  Peter commanded Merseft to sew Sam's mouth shut, and

  with a blink of an eye, Merseft made Sam's mouth disappear.

  He couldn't talk and was afraid of Merseft and his powers.

  Sam ran to the mirror and found he had no mouth. It was

  gone; more like it disappeared into his skin. Peter quickly

  put his magic book away as Sam ran out of the restroom and

  through the school wildly. By then, a crowd had gathered,

  and the teachers were called in to handle the situation.

  Peter tried to explain to the teachers that were

  gathered around him what really happened, but Mrs. Maryanne

  LaFloor, a math teacher, grabbed him by his collar and sent

  him to the headmaster's office.

  Peter was a little bit upset. It was his first day of

  school, and he was getting called to the headmaster's

  office. As he walked along; Sam was caught running and

  crying by one of the teachers who saw that his mouth was

  missing. The teacher also began to scream and sent Sam to

  the nurses' station.

  After this excitement, the school guards ushered all

  the children back to their regular classes. Peter meanwhile

  sat patiently as he waited in Mr. Stewart's office. Peter

  had been to his office before and hated it. Mr. Stewart's

  office was just too spooky.

  As Peter was waiting, another student came running and

  crying out of the headmaster's office. Peter was shocked to

  see this student cry because he was a big green giant with

  four arms. Peter wondered what Mr. Stewart would do to him,

  if he'd made a giant cry.

  Then the secretary came over and said; "Peter Carrot-

  Top, Mr. Stewart will see you now."

  Peter was very much afraid. He gulped, and his legs

  began to shake as he walked into Mr. Stewart's office. As

  he entered, he quickly began to explain to Mr. Stewart what

  had happened. But Mr. Stewart was furious, and told Peter

  that he did not want to hear it.

  Just as Peter was getting his sentence out, Mrs.

  LaFloor brought Sam into the office. Peter saw that Sam was

  uncomfortable and he began to feel sorry and apologized to

  Sam for closing his mouth.

  "Now, if you promise not to pick on me, I will release

  your mouth," said Peter.

  Sam quickly agreed and Peter pulled out his magical

  book. When Mr. Stewart saw the book, his eyes glowed and

  were fixed on it. Peter called to Merseft to release the

  spell. When Merseft appeared, the people in the room were

  amazed. Merseft quickly looked around and began to get an

  eerie feeling.

  "Hey, Peter, can I talk to you for one minute?" asked

  Merseft.

  Peter looked confused as he followed Merseft into the

  corner where the genie told him that this office had an

  evil aura. Peter agreed with Merseft. He quickly removed

  the spell off of Sam and returned his mouth to normal.

  Before Peter could close his magical book, Sam was up to

  his old tricks again.

  "I am going to get you, Peter Carrot-Top," said Sam as

  Mrs. LaFloor dragged him out of the room.

  But before everything was said and done, Mr. Stewart

  told Sam and Peter they had extra hours of moon duty. Sam

  was very upset and wanted to hit Peter, but he saw the

  headmaster looking at him. Peter was fine about the extra

  hours of moon duties because he didn't know what lay ahead

  of him.

  As Sam left the office kicking and screaming, Mr.

  Stewart wanted Peter to stay around and show him more about

  his magical book. Peter was not too sure, and asked to

  leave as he hugged his school bag. Mr. Stewart was not

  giving up. He wanted that magic book for some reason. But

  Peter was no fool; he knew something was not right and ran

  out the door with his magical book clinging to him. The

  minute Peter left Mr. Stewart's office; the walls opened

 
; and out walked the hooded figure, breathing very rapidly.

  "That is the magical book of the elders. How did a

  child get the book I have ordered you to get?" the hooded

  figure asked.

  "Good question, I have no idea," said Mr. Stewart.

  "Well, we must get it in my possession," the figure

  explained to Mr. Stewart.

  Then it went back into the walls and disappeared. Mr.

  Stewart was pacing his office and pondering how a young lad

  could have the book of the elders. He was cautious not to

  make any sudden moves that would cause suspicions. Mr.

  Stewart kept a close eye on Peter through his looking

  glass, which was a silver mirror that could see all around

  the entire school and Baja. He just had to say the person's

  name and the mirror found them, no matter where they were.

  Mr. Stewart repeated Peter's name twice and the mirror

  immediately found Peter in his classroom. Mr. Stewart

  watched through the looking glass every move Peter made. He

  wanted to know where the magical book was, but Peter never

  displayed it again.

  Back in his math classroom, Peter was very quiet. This

  was not the first impression that he wanted to make. Mrs.

  Dragon was Peter's math teacher. She had three heads that

  constantly argued with each other. The three heads seemed

  to weigh Mrs. Dragon down. She walked with a hump in her

  back and her spine protruded out, pushing out of her body.

  Each of the three heads was different. One looked like a

  witch with a mole by her lip, the second was a very

  beautiful young woman, and the third one had no face, only

  a mouth and tiny ears that stuck out on the sides. There

  were a few strands of hair on its head, but when the heads

  got to fussing with each other, they pulled on the little

  strands of hair until there was no more.

  The students found this amusing and hardly got any

  work done in Mrs. Dragon's class. This was amazing to

  Peter. He had never seen a sight like this. He was shellshocked.

  When the heads asked Peter a question, he could

  not respond because his mind was more focused on the three

  heads.

  "Well, Mr. Carrot-Top, if you can not concentrate,

  maybe we will have to move you to Mrs. LaFloor's math

  class," said head one.

  "Oh! No, Mrs. Dragon! I love this class," said Peter

  as the children began to laugh at him.

  Finally, it was break time and the children met in

  "The Center". Peter told Clara how spooky Mr. Stewart was,

  and Clara agreed with him, stating that most of the people

  in Baja said he had gone mad, but she never finished

  telling Peter why Mr. Stewart had gone mad, she quickly

  changed the subject and asked Peter how he'd made Sam's

  mouth disappear. Peter told Clara the secret along with

  their other friends. Ben wanted Peter to use the genie to

  make their moon cleaning time fast forward, but Peter was a

  little leery about using the genie to cheat. Nevertheless,

  he wanted to make friends, and told Ben that he would think

  about it.

  "Great," said Ben.

  "But you can't tell anyone," said Peter.

  Ben agreed and told Peter that he would see him later.

  Peter and Clara watched as Robert entertained the crowd

  with his skinny tall body by stretching into anything from

  balls to long poles and acting as if he was a plastic man.

  The children whom he was entertaining seemed to be

  impressed and cheered, but when the cheering got too loud,

  immediately the guards came. Robert disappeared behind a

  pole where the guards could not see him; he was so skinny

  he could hide behind a vine and not be seen, and the other

  children scattered and disappeared into the crowds.

  Robert was behind the pole making fun of the guards as

  they patrolled the area, but they could not see him. Some

  of the other children could, and they began to laugh as

  Robert constantly made funny faces behind the guards' backs.

  "What are you guys laughing at?" on guard asked.

  "Oh, nothing," said Clara, and the guards went on

  their way giving Robert an opportunity to come out and join

  his friends.

  They all began to laugh at the guards; this was the

  beginning of a beautiful friendship.

  Peter and his friends had Mrs. Laura Dean next on

  their class schedule. They were not happy about that, Mrs.

  Dean was a tough teacher and did not fool around. The

  children hurried off to class and quietly sat in their

  assigned seats.

  "Peter, I will like you to sit in the front, since you

  have been starting so much trouble on your first day of

  school," said Mrs. Dean.

  Peter quickly moved, obeying his teacher, but looked

  back at his friends. Mrs. Dean was teaching history, and

  today they would go on a field trip. The class began to

  cheer, but Mrs. Dean quickly put an end to that. As the

  class was waiting on their assigned world to explore, Mrs.

  Dean was having trouble keeping her form. She was over 200

  years old, but tried to pass herself off as a twenty-five

  year old. Sometimes she can not hold form and the spell

  wears off, and when it did; she became the ugliest creature

  you have ever seen! Her face turned into a mummy, dried

  bones and flesh fell from her body, she had no teeth or

  hairs, just a few strands; and every once in a while her

  bones would crack and break.

  She then quickly called for the beauty fairies by

  looking into the huge mirror on the wall and summoned them.

  The mirror had codes that Peter quickly jotted down on his

  piece of paper. Meanwhile, the fairies came flying into the

  classroom in packs, with magical oils and misty sprays.

  Then Mrs. Dean was all better again. Not only did she look

  younger, but much meaner.

  After that small mishap, Mrs. Dean pretended as if

  nothing took place, and went on with her teaching as usual.

  She took out a huge magical clock that was covered in gold,

  with diamond encrusted numbers and hands that told the

  time. The base was like a stairway that allowed a person to

  climb up it to set it. The clock began to glow with the

  symbols of Baja.

  Mrs. Dean chose Peter to be the one to set the clock,

  but he did not know what to do. She informed Peter that he

  needed to know the history of Baja and be prepared for

  class. But, nevertheless, she taught Peter how to use the

  clock, which entitled a person to freeze time; because

  where they will be going, time needed to stand still. Peter

  ran up the stairs of the clock and manually moved the hands

  of time. The clock began to glow, and then a huge bright

  light shot out of it, and suddenly everything in the

  classroom was frozen in time.

  Peter only noticed this when the classroom became very

  eerie and quiet. As he looked over his shoulder, everything

  was lifeless, and suspended in time. Robert playing with

  his ten watches was motionless, Jamyra combing her hair was

 
suspended in time, but the grosses were Zack slinging snot

  boogers into the air. The only people who were not affected

  were Mrs. Dean, because she was as old as time, and the

  person setting the clock, Peter.

  Mrs. Dean came over to him and held his hands as he

  slowly turned the dials of the clock. Suddenly, everything

  was back to normal and the students did not know what had

  happened.

  "Wooow," said Peter.

  Mrs. Dean informed him that the dial is only to be set

  once the time is established for the field trip to begin.

  Then it was time to pick the destination, and Mrs. Dean

  called on Millie; she was so shy and nervous that she

  disappeared into thin air. Jamyra constantly held up her

  hands for Mrs. Dean to pick her, but instead, she picked

  Michael. He flew up to the front of the class with his

  powerful wings, brushed his hair forward to make it spike

  into the air, and then took time looking at himself in the

  mirror.

  "Oh, would you get on with it?" said Mrs. Dean.

  Michael walked up to the chalkboard and put his palm

  print on it. The board began to glow, and then out came a

  golden map. It flew out like a flying carpet, and was made

  of pure gold. All the drawings on it were outlined in

  sliver; anyone would think that this map would be heavy,

  but it was as light as a feather.

  Peter's eyes became enlarged when he saw the

  spectacular map. Michael reached up with his hands, and as

  he was going to spin the compass, Robert stretched his

  Beanpole of a hand all the way to the front of the class

  and spun it. Michael was very upset, and began to get

  angry. The compass spun and spun until it finally landed on

  Sliver Bridge.

  Michael ran across the classroom and began to jump on

  Robert, when Mrs. Dean stopped them and gave each child

  more hours of moon duties. They were both unhappy, and the

  entire class began to laugh. Mrs. Dean made them hush.

  Peter quickly raised his hands and asked. "What is

  Sliver Bridge?"

  Mrs. Dean explained to Peter that no one knew; the map

  picked somewhere special to go every day, and no one had

  explored these worlds. Peter and his classmates thought

  that it was very cool, and began to jump for joy, until

  Mrs. Dean had a headache.

  "Settle down, children, you're acting like a bunch of

  savages," she said as she hit her ruler harshly on the desk.

  Now that the golden clock was set and the map had

  picked its destination, it was time to leave. Mrs. Dean

  offered the children a few snacks that they could take with

  them; cotton candy worms, mac-A-doodles, and crackling eggs.

  "What is mac-a-doodles?" said Peter to Clara.

  She responded by telling Peter that mac-a-doodles were

  macaroni baked inside a hot dog, and covered with melted

  cheese.

  "Wow! That sounds good," said Peter.

  Then Clara went on to explained that crackling eggs

  were scramble eggs that crackled and popped while you're

  eating them, and they can only come from one bird in Baja,

  the cherry blue bird. Peter thought that all of this was

  very fascinating. Then Sam ran in front of the line and

  grabbed all the crackling eggs before anyone else could get

  any.

  "You pig," said Jamyra.

  Then Steve came forward and let his feet out and his

  toe jam filled the entire classroom.

  "You are so gross," said Ben.

  The scent was so overwhelming that Millie once again

  disappeared. Mrs. Dean was called in and gave Steve more

  moon time, and told the children that they needed to be on

  their best behavior. She let the children know that they

  were going to an unknown part of Baja, and they needed to

  show respect.

  "We will, Mrs. Dean," said the children.

  She decided to take another teacher with her and chose

  Mr. Oliver McPhee, who was second in command at Waldorf

  Academy. Mr. McPhee was very strict, and wore his glasses

  on the bridge of his nose. Yet he had no eyes or mouth; he

  was pale and skinny in color, his skin looked as if it was

  stretched and tight on his body. Even though Mr. McPhee had

  all of these afflictions, he could see, hear, and move

  normally. There was no getting passed this teacher with

  anything; many had tired, and got harsher sentences of moon

  duties.

  All the children knew of Mr. McPhee and his

  strictness, and knew how far to go with him. Clara made

  sure Peter was informed on what he could and couldn't get

  away with. After everyone got their snacks together, it was

  time to leave. With a secret press of the codes on the map

  by Mrs. Dean, a bright light flashed through the classroom,

  and then an archway appeared. The children were excited,

  but also nervous.

  The golden clock was set and it was time to walk into

  the unknown. With a deep breath, the children and teachers

  walked through the arch; Peter and Clara were the first to

  go in, and the sight was amazing. Everything was still, the

  clock had paused time, and now it was time for the children

  and their teachers to explore the world they had enter.

  Peter was excited; this was the most amazing thing that he

  had ever experience.

  There were a number of sliver arches in this land, as

  far as the eyes could see. The doorway that they entered

  from led to a long silver bridge; it glowed with the

  symbols of Baja. Michael, with his cocky attitude, demanded

  that he put the first step on the bridge. As he did so, he

  began to run back; something had frightened him badly. The

  children began to laugh, but deep down inside they were

  afraid too.

  Peter went forward and looked around; the place was so

  beautiful and magnificent. There were trees that produced

  golden apples; the skies were bright blue and white, large

  birds flew in the skies, and there were tiny little

  mushroom houses that held fairies. What frightened Michael

  so badly was that the silver bridge was built many miles

  up, and the only thing one can see when looking down was

  clouds and hilltops, and cannons filled with large snakes

  and dragons.

  As Peter got closer and pushed the clouds out of his

  way, it was a sight to see. There was a huge troll giant

  guarding the bridge. The giant was chained to a rock, but

  had enough room to move around. Peter was frozen by the

  size of the creature, and in came the entire class to look.

  "Oh, that is so beautiful," said Mr. McPhee.

  The giant was filthy and muddy; he carried a big long

  club in his hands, and saliva dripped from his mouth. It

  was a good thing everything was frozen in time, because the

  size of the saliva would hurt someone! Sam went over and

  stuck his hands through the glob of saliva, and played in

  it.

  "Oh! Don't you ever touch me," said Jamyra.

  "Now, children, no fighting," said Mrs. Dean.

  Everyone was impressed by th
e size of this creature;

  it must have been thousands of feet tall. As the classmates

  and their teachers crossed the bridge, it began to glow,

  and the glow became brighter and brighter. Suddenly, an

  angelic woman appeared with a glow around here; the most

  gorgeous beauty one could lay their eyes on. She was

  covered in all white clothing, wings that expanded eight

  feet in length, and skin so pale it was almost white. She

  never said a word; just smiled and watched as the children

  and their teachers crossed the bridge.

  "How come she is not still in time?" said Millie.

  Everyone was in shock as this was the first time they

  had heard Millie speak.

  "You can talk?" said Mr. McPhee.

  But to answer Millie's question, no one knew why the

  woman could move. Maybe it was a force stronger than the

  clock, which was able to un-pause itself. As the group

  finally came to the end of the bridge, they were greeted by

  even more beautiful surroundings. The children's eyes grew

  large with excitement as they saw huge stone caves that

  were made into homes, and out the windows, the students saw

  small people. They had human features, but their bodies

  were covered in dust balls that came in all different

  colors. There were white, red, blue, pink, black, and many

  more colors. Because their bodies were made of the dust

  balls, this made their bodies light, and some of them were

  flying into the air. It seemed like they used the wind and

  the breeze to get around; even the tiny babies were having

  fun.

  To Peter and his friends, this was truly an adventure;

  as they looked around, the place featured cannons that

  swept millions of miles down, and there were people flying

  large birds with saddles on their backs. This seemed to be

  the way of transportation, and because everything was

  frozen in time, the children got a closer look at the

  cannon flyers. All the riders seemed to be wearing the same

  uniforms; some had jackets with the Baja symbols that

  glowed, and others just had jackets with no symbols. Maybe

  these were the ones in training. The birds were huge, with

  large wingspans and long beaks; their bodies were short

  like a pig, but with just enough room for the riders. Over

  in one corner, it seemed like the riders were either

  attacking or confronting another unknown rider. This rider

  was different from the rest; his bird was black, with red

  glowing symbols, and the rider was all in black with a hood

  that covers his entire body.

  For a minute, Peter was startled; it seemed like the

  figure on the black bird was staring at him, and his eyes

  were moving. Peter blinked for a minute, and the rider and

  his black bird were gone. Peter tried to tell his friends,

  but no one had seen the rider but him; everyone was

  admiring something else.

  Deep down in his guts, Peter knew something was wrong,

  but continued to observe. As the students walked even

  farther, there was a big castle made of glass, but yet no

  one could see inside. The children ran toward the castle,

  but were cautioned by their teachers to take it slow and be

  careful. Then, before they could get to the bride of the

  castle, out of the corner of their eyes they noticed huge

  giants tending the land, cleaning the castle walls, and

  toting stacks of hay on their backs. The giants seemed to

  be workers for the castle. They looked like the ones Peter

  first saw when he was coming to Baja. They were large and

  green, some had large ears and some had horns; they all had

  the glowing Baja symbols, and their clothing seemed to be

  made of fine cotton that had been woven with golden thread.

  Everyone was afraid; these creatures were huge and

  they had no expressions on their faces. Peter went up to

  one and measured his feet against the giant's feet. The

  other children played around the giant because, for the

  most part, they were told to stay away from the giants of

  Baja. So, this was like a daredevil stunt, and they were

  the stars.

  The children were having the time of their lives,

  seeing things they only imagined and dreamt about. Peter

  could not help but admire the castle with its glass domes

  and doors, and the bridge was made out of thin glass. He

  looked, and he saw fairies blowing sand and turning it into

  glass to repair the bridge; it seems like everything

  surrounding this castle was made of glass. But, this glass

  was magical. As the children got closer and looked through

  it, they saw the words "make a wish". The children pointed

  at the words, and the teachers came over to see what the

  fuss was all about.

  "Now, be careful what you wish for," said Mr. McPhee.

  Each child pushed their faces up to the glass, and

  wished for something. Jamyra wished for a diamond crown; it

  was so beautiful, it glowed with the symbols of Baja, and

  it was crystal clear; an envy to the eye. Inside was

  inscribed, "If you tell a lie, the crown will be stuck to

  your head, and grow out of control until the truth is told".

  Steve wished for some cool sneakers for his stinky

  feet. The sneakers were red and white with angel wings that

  made them fly. Steve began to test them out in the magical

  land, and up, up, and away he went. Millie was very shy,

  and wanted dark shades to cover her eyes. Getting her to

  the glass was a chore. Finally, the kids got her to say her

  wish again with confidence.

  "Come on, Millie, you can do it," said Clara.

  Millie closed here eyes and her wish was granted; the

  shades where white with tinted lens, with Baja symbols on

  the edges and the rim. Millie was so cool; she started to

  have a little more confidence. But, the shades were not for

  confidence or protection; she could see through walls and

  any objects, once the shades were on her. These shades were

  made only for her eyes.

  "Way to go, Millie," said Mrs. Dean.

  Michael wished for armor to protect his wings, and it

  was granted. The armor glittered in the sun's rays; it was

  blue with Baja symbols, and was made of the finest steel

  metal. The children helped him put his wing armor on; and

  when they did, the sight was breathtaking, it was very

  beautiful. Michael began to fly around faster and faster

  than ever, he loved his new wing armor. Sam quickly jumped

  in and asked for a lifetime supply of slim gum.

  "There is no such thing as slim gum," said Peter.

  But before he could get the words out of his mouth,

  the slim gum appeared. Sam began to chew the gum

  immediately, and blew slim all over the children. Mrs. Dean

  took him by the ear and pulled him off into a corner. Sam

  went yelling and screaming while the rest of the children

  laughed as they were covered in gooey slim.

  "Well, it's much better than fart balls," said Millie.

  Robert asked for another watch, only this one he

  wanted to make it s
now. Suddenly, a golden watch appeared

  on his arm.

  "Not another watch," said Jamyra.

  The watch was made of the finest jewels: rubies,

  diamonds, emeralds, and other gems. The band was made of

  the finest leather, which was red in color. Robert then set

  the hands of the watch to snow and snow appeared in the

  air! But, because it was natural, it was frozen in time

  like everything throughout this enchanted land.

  Zack then asked for seven golden tickets that would

  last a lifetime to enter the largest carnival park in Baja.

  They would be for him and all his new friends. Everyone was

  so touched and moved; the tickets appeared in a magical

  box, inlaid with velvet, and they shone in the sunlight. On

  the tickets were lifetime memberships, and all of his

  friends' faces were chiseled in gold and silver; yet the

  tickets were flexible and soft. Zack then passed out the

  tickets to his friends, which were Robert, Peter, Clara,

  Ben, Nicholas, Millie, and one for himself. The children

  accepted the gift with honor.

  It was then Clara's turn. She held onto the glass wall

  and wished for a golden sword that shot fire. A moment

  later, it appeared! The sword was so pretty, as it shone

  with the purest of silver and edges of gold. The Baja codes

  and symbols glowed on the sword and then, before Clara

  could test it out, a magical glove appeared, to match the

  sword. It had the same Baja symbols and codes.

  Clara slipped her right hand into the glove, held the

  sword in the air and shouted, "Fire come forth!"

  It did so; but because fire was part of nature, it was

  also frozen in time until the children returned to the

  classroom and took the magical clock off of pause. As Clara

  called forth the fire, it was in the form of a large dragon

  that many could see from miles away. She was so happy, like

  a kid in a candy store.

  Then it was Nicholas' turned. He asked for an art

  pencil that would never run out of lead, as he was an

  artist. A golden pencil appeared in his hands; it was just

  like an ordinary pencil, but the rubber was protected by a

  golden cap, and the pencil was made of hard steel that

  could never break. There was even a golden case for the

  pencil. Nicholas began to draw a flower in the air, and

  within a few seconds a real flower appeared. Once again,

  because it was part of this world, and time was paused

  here; it just stayed suspended in the air.

  "This is way cool," said Nicholas as the children

  admired his drawing.

  The flower was so beautiful; the colors were so bright

  and lovely.

  "This may be your calling," said Mr. McPhee.

  Ben then rushed to the wall and wished for a super

  cape; he was very specific, he wanted it red, with a big B

  on the back. At first, the wish took a while to produce.

  Ben began to get sad as he though his wish was

  unattainable, but as in life, all good things take time. A

  black box appeared with the Baja symbols; Ben watched as

  the symbols glowed. He followed the codes with his eyes and

  then opened the box. The cape jumped out and tied itself to

  Ben's clothing. It began to blow as if a strong breeze was

  passing through it. The cape had everything Ben asked for,

  the big B was black and it also glowed with the codes of

  Baja.

  "Up, and away," said Ben. The cape picked him up and

  flew him around. "Woooooooo, I love it," he said.

  Then, last but not least, it was Peter's turn.

  Everyone wondered what the boy king would ask for. Out of

  the corner of his eyes, Peter saw Mr. McPhee writing down

  everything that was going on.

  "What is that you're writing?" said Peter.

  "Oh! Nothing," Mr. McPhee replied.

  But indeed, it was something. Peter went up to the

  wall, paused for a second, and said his wish. He wished for

  a box of one thousand little army soldiers that would be

  under his command and his command only. He also added that

  the little soldiers would only fight for good and not evil.

  A short smile came across Mrs. Dean's face; she was proud

  of his choice. A trunk-sized box appeared; it was also

  black, with the Baja codes and symbols, and it only opened

  to Peter's thumbprint. When it did, it was a great

  surprise; the tiny little soldiers stood about six inches.

  They were all dressed in armor, equipped with swords and

  helmets, and the army had girls and boys whose skin glowed

  with the Baja symbols.

  The soldiers were all different colors, they could

  fight in all different positions, and they were stacked in

  the box like dominos, all nice and neat. Peter commanded

  them to come out, and the soldiers jumped out of the box

  one by one; they truly looked like a miniature version of

  an army force.

  They all saluted Peter and asked, "Who do we attack,

  in the name of good?"

  "No one yet, this was just a drill," said Peter.

  This was too much for Ben, and he fainted into Mrs.

  Bean's arms.

  "Peter, that is so awesome," said Clara.

  Peter then commanded the army back into their box;

  each member of the little army knew their spot, they jumped

  back into the box, and it magically closed.

  "I lived for this day," said Peter.

  "Ben, you are too heavy, get off of me," said Mrs.

  Dean.

  All the children were happy with their gifts. They

  played around for a while, but it was time to move on and

  explore the land even more, but the children were hungry

  and asked to pull out their snacks. The classmates and

  their teachers rested for a while. As they sat and ate

  lunch, Peter was still impressed with his cotton candy

  worm; Steve ate his crackling eggs, some of the children

  ate lunch, while others fidgeted and played around with

  their new toys. Peter could not take his eyes off of his

  box of one thousand toy soldiers.

  "Can you believe this, Clara?" said Peter.

  "This is so amazing," said Clara.

  But Mr. McPhee wanted the children to eat up so they

  could go exploring before time ran out. The children

  gobbled up all their fizz pop, mac-a-doodles and crackling

  eggs, and were ready to go again.

  Once again, the classmates walked in a group, leaving

  the teachers behind to watch. The children talked amongst

  themselves of how great it was to have come on this trip,

  and their new gifts, but Peter's senses were telling him

  something else; his red Carrot-Top hair began to stand up

  on his head.

  As Mrs. Dean and Mr. McPhee continued to talk in

  private, whatever they were saying was very secretive,

  because when one of the children looked back, the teachers

  pretended like they were not talking at all. They began to

  act strange, twisting their thumbs, or pointing to the air,

  and there was nothing there. So, Peter kept a closer eye on

  them, but wanted to enjoy his trip. After walking for a few
/>   minutes, the children and their teachers came across a

  jungle filled with wild birds, monkeys, snakes, and other

  unidentified creatures.

  "What in the hell is that?" said Steve.

  Millie quickly pulled off her shades, and Peter and

  his friends' eyes bugged out. This was a one-of-a-kind

  specimen.

  "You watch your mouth, Steve," said Mrs. Dean.

  But, they were surprised. It was about eight feet

  tall, green in color with black polka dots, and it had to

  weigh at least a thousand pounds. Its features were like an

  earthworm, but a million times bigger; it was spewing some

  type of green foam from its mouth, and it seemed to be

  trying to get away from something.

  As the children and their teachers examined the

  creature, they noticed that the big worm was being attacked

  by small little Zulu tribe people. They were the size of

  ants, and they attacked the creature by the millions. The

  people had spears, ropes, fire, and knives. They were on

  this thing like flies on a carcass, but everyone noticed

  that the creature had no glowing symbols of Baja.

  So, they discussed amongst themselves that this

  creature was created just for food. Peter got on his hands

  and knees to see the Zulu-like people up close; then all

  the other children followed suit. The tribe was so

  beautiful; they wore their warrior hats, and golden shields

  and breastplates. Their arrows were made from red ruby;

  their skin was dark in color, and they all had blue eyes.

  Their hair was jet black and braided into one, with the tip

  of the braids covered in a golden latch or bow.

  Their sandals were made of tough hide and dyed to the

  color of their choice. Peter was up so close that he could

  even see the sweat on the brows of the Zulu-like people. He

  wanted to touch them, but was stopped by his teachers, in

  fear that with one wrong move, Peter could probably kill

  one of the people because they were so tiny. They looked

  like a colony of ants.

  "Something is wrong," said Clara.

  "And what is wrong now?" said Sam sarcastically.

  Clara explained to the group that the Zulu-like people

  looked like they were harvesting for a long hibernation.

  Why else would a colony of people go after a meal that

  could last them for years? Sam dismissed it by calling

  Clara a do-gooder. But Clara and Peter noticed the

  difference. Peter now knew in his heart that something was

  wrong and maybe, just maybe, he was the one that would have

  to save Baja.

  Peter wiped the look of worry off of his face, and

  pretended as if nothing was wrong. The children quickly

  followed the line of the Zulu-like people to find out where

  they came from. A few feet down through a small passageway

  cut in the jungle lay a huge mound. It was made of thick

  black dirt; there were thousands of mounds as far as the

  eye could see. This black dirt was made up of sparkling

  gold dust and diamond chunks. It looked as if the Zulu-like

  people were storing energy; the diamonds were a powerful

  source of energy and light. On the right and left side of

  the mounds stood two larger-sized Zulu people; they were a

  little taller and bigger, at least two feet tall, and much

  larger in size, but had all the same characteristics of the

  smaller Zulu-like people. The larger ones seemed to be

  guarding the homes of the smaller tribe members, and in

  return they got food and half of the harvest. The taller

  Zulu-like people stood at attention, guarding the mounds

  with persistence and honor. To the human eye they were

  small, but to the tiny eyes of the Zulu tribe people, they

  were giants.

  Peter and his classmates were please with their

  findings, and suddenly the loud clock began to chime, it

  was the clock Peter had set at school; it was letting the

  children and their teachers know that it was soon time to

  be heading back.

  "Oh! Just a couple more hours," said Jamyra.

  "No, because if we do not make it out in time, we will

  get caught up in a time warp," said Mr. McPhee.

  Jamyra was none to happy; she walked off like a spoil

  brat stomping and kicking. The two teachers just shook

  their heads in disgust with Jamyra's attitude.

  "Just a few more minutes and it will be time to go,"

  said Mrs. Dean.

  The children broke free and started looking around as

  quickly as they could; they wanted to get in all the sights

  they could see. Mrs. Dean sat on the grass while Mr. McPhee

  went over by a large tree and started acting strangely, as

  if he was talking to himself. Peter and Robert saw this

  commotion and immediately went over secretly. They hid

  behind a big tree and watched the conversation between Mr.

  McPhee and himself. Some of the words that Mr. McPhee was

  saying became a little distorted to Peter and Robert; they

  could only make out a few of them, which were: "the seven

  chosen have picked out their gifts".

  Peter and Robert looked at each other in amazement,

  and began to questions in their minds whether or not they

  had made the right choices. Robert used his long slender

  body to quickly move closer, without being seen by Mr.

  McPhee. As he came into view, he saw Mr. McPhee talking to

  a hooded stranger. Robert could not see a face for this

  person; all he could see was that this person was dressed

  in all black and carried a scary walking stick. Mr. McPhee

  continued to talk to this person.

  Robert slipped back to Peter and whispered to him what

  he had seen. Peter then remembered that he too had seen

  this hooded person more than once, and it was becoming very

  strange. As he and Robert started to leave, Peter stepped

  on a branch that made a loud crunching noise, and Mr.

  McPhee quickly came around the tree and began to look

  around. Peter was saved by Robert's quick thinking and

  elastic arms that grabbed Peter out of the shrub area and

  back with all the children. When Mr. McPhee came out, he

  was still looking around, wondering if anyone had heard him.

  "What's wrong, Peter? You look like you have seen a

  ghost," said Ben.

  "Hush, and act normally," said Peter to Ben.

  The children played it as if nothing had happened, and

  Mr. McPhee was left wondering what was the noise he'd

  heard, and where it came from. He glanced the children over

  to see if he could spot the one who made the noise; he had

  become so paranoid, but none of the children gave him what

  he wanted, and he looked very disturbed and confused.

  "Children, it's time to head out," said Mrs. Dean.

  The children got up, and formed a line and started

  walking back in the direction that they had come from.

  Robert began playing with his now eleven watches, speeding

  the hands around and around. He did it so much and so long,

  the watch let off a bright glow that knocked the children

  to their feet. Mrs. Dean and Mr. McPhee co
uld not believe

  their eyes, it was as if the sun landed and burst in front

  of their eyes, the rays were so bright. Millie's shades

  came in handy to protect her eyes. Then suddenly, it was

  dark and then light again.

  The children jumped up in wonder and amazement at what

  had just taken place. Robert looked at his arm and his

  watches were glowing in order, up to down, and so forth;

  the faces of the watches became brighter, and he tried to

  take them off, but the latches could not come off. Once

  Robert put a watch on his wrist they remained for the rest

  of his life!

  As the children and their teachers looked around, they

  noticed that time had been disturbed and everything was

  beginning to move slowly. The huge giants were moving

  toward the children and their teachers.

  "Run, run!" said Mrs. Dean.

  All the children began to run, faster and faster,

  until Sam couldn't keep up, his weight was holding him back.

  "We are putting you on a diet, once we get back," said

  Mrs. Dean.

  Sam smirked it off, and kept on looking back. When he

  saw that the giants were getting closer, he then mustered

  up the strength and began to run as fast as he could.

  Millie and Jamyra were the first to cross the bridge, but

  the big monster troll was now coming alive, and he began to

  raise his huge club in the air to hit the children and

  their teachers. Yet, because time was still moving slowly,

  it gave the children and their teachers enough time to miss

  being hit. But, one person was stuck behind, and that was

  Steve, always the last one. He even let Sam beat him across

  the bride. As Steve was coming across, his shirt got hooked

  by the troll's club, and up in the air he went. Peter

  immediately jumped into the air and held onto Steve's legs.

  Then Clara jumped onto Peter's leg and they managed to

  break Steve loose by tearing his shirt from the spikes on

  the club. But, they did not notice that they were very high

  in the air, and down they came, falling.

  Sam quickly began to chew on his slim gum and blow a

  big bubble of slime to catch his falling classmates.

  Suddenly, the children fell into the slime bubble gum and

  began to bounce around; slime was everywhere, and the

  children were covered from head to toe, but they were safe.

  Sam loved the fact that he had a real chance to use his

  slime gum; it was so cool to him. He was very proud of

  himself that he had saved the day, and not Mr. goodie-twoshoes

  Peter.

  Yet, Peter was happy they didn't get hurt, and let Sam

  take all the credit. But, they had to hurry; time was now

  moving really fast, and the magical door they came through

  was closing very quickly.

  "Run, children," said Mr. McPhee.

  The children ran faster and faster, constantly looking

  back; time was speeding up, and they were far away from the

  magical door entrance. But, the children and their teachers

  continued to run. Peter was the last in line, to keep his

  friends and classmates from lagging behind. Suddenly, he

  got an eerie feeling to look back, and when he did, he saw

  the hooded figure coming his way!

  Time was speeding up so fast, Peter could see the

  figure moving, for some reason this thing also knew how to

  manipulate time, even though everything was in slow motion;

  Peter could still see the figure moving, and making evil

  facial gestures. The large black bird it was riding on

  began to scream and everyone heard the piercing sound and

  quickly turned around.

  "Keep moving," said Mrs. Dean.

  The children ran faster and faster. Peter noticed some

  of the symbols coming off of the bird and he kept them in

  his mind. They were not like the symbols of Baja, and they

  glowed bright red as if they were on fire. As the children

  ran, they could see the passageway into their classroom.

  One by one, they ran through the magical door, and as Peter

  was the last to enter, the hooded figure latched onto his

  shirt.

  As Peter turned around to look, he saw the figure up

  close. He began to scream; the figure was so ugly and

  hideous. Peter began to scratch and kick until he was

  loose. He ran through the door and fell onto the classroom

  floor. There was still a second left on the clock, and the

  hooded figure managed to push his hands in and grab Peter's

  leg. He and his friends began to fight the hooded figure

  off until the time ran out, and the magical door closed.

  Because the hooded figure's hand was still in the door at

  the time of closing, it was sliced off! The cut was so

  clean, as if a sharp laser had cut it. The hand fell on the

  floor; the children began to scream, and as they screamed,

  the hand began to move and chase them all through the

  classroom, until Clara got a chair and smashed it. Black

  and green guts oozed out of the hand, then fumes filled the

  rooms; then from the door they'd entered came a loud cry.

  The children covered their ears and ran out of the

  classroom.

  "Whoa, that was the coolest day I have ever had," said

  Michael.

  "Oh! Shut up," said Mrs. Dean.

  The children were shaken up, and it was a good excuse

  to take a short recess.

 

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