by Josh Kilen
Pity crossed Mr. Davis' eyes and he glanced over at the phone, "Maybe we don't need to call you parents, this time. But if I see or hear of you getting into any more fights, I'll have no choice but to suspend you. Got it?" Billy nodded his head.
A simple nod wasn't good enough for Mr. Davis, "Billy, do you understand me?"
"Yes Mr. Davis, I understand."
Mr. Davis looked happy and began writing on the small white tablet next to his phone, "Excellent. Here's a hall pass to get back to class. Now, I don't want to see you in my office again, Okay?"
Billy took the note and shoved it in his pocket. "Yes Sir, thank you Mr. Davis." And he headed back to class.
He knew he was going to have a nasty bruise later, so Billy was thankful that the fight had only been one punch. But no matter what Mr. Davis said, Billy felt good that he stood up to the bully squad. Rick and his thug friends couldn't intimidate him, even if they had the rest of school running scared.
As he walked through the hall to his next class, English, Billy took a deep breath. Rick and all his goons were in the class too. He opened the door and the teacher was sitting at his desk while the rest of the class was busy writing. "Oh no," he thought, "I hope it's not a quiz or something."
His English teacher, Mr. Marconni looked up and Billy immediately saw disapproval on the teacher's face. He walked up and silently handed the hall pass to Mr. Marconni. The teacher looked at the note and then back up at Billy, saying out loud, "I see you've been fighting again." All the kids heads popped up and Rick smiled wickedly.
"Billy, I don't care if Mr. Davis gave you a pass, I won't condone this sort of behavior from my students. You get a zero on the quiz today, and I want you to think about how to improve your behavior. Now go sit down." Mr. Marconni pointed to the open seat in the back of the class. Billy walked past all the other kids, some snickering, some whispering, and he slumped down in his seat. Unfortunately it was just behind Rick and his posse.
Billy heard Rick whisper to him. "You're not gonna get away with what you did today. Me and the guys are comin' for you next." and Rick turned to give him an evil smile.
Billy laid his head on the desk. How could this day get any worse?
Chapter 2
The class bell rang and Billy left the classroom, his head drooping low. He walked to his locker slowly. He was dreading the last period because he knew that right after school got out he was done for.
Waiting at his locker, as always during this time of day, was his best friend Grace. She and Billy had been best friends since they were little kids and she was the kind of girl that would rather punch you in the arm then act all weird and girly. He knew Grace would be able to get him out of this predicament; she was pretty smart.
When Billy came to the locker Grace was staring at his bruised eye, "I heard something about a kid getting picked on in the halls, shoulda figured you were involved somehow." Billy saw that she was worried about him.
"I'm fine, just Rick and his goons, the were picking on Jasper and, well, you know me..." Grace just nodded her head, she knew Billy very well. In fact, his willingness to stand up for people in need was what she liked most about him.
Billy continued, "Now, they want to beat me up after school. I don't know what to do."
Grace looked up to the ceiling, thinking really hard. Then she snapped her fingers, as a huge smile came to her face. She told Billy, "I got it, meet me in the girls bathroom five minutes before the last bell. See ya there," and she ran away as the bell rang.
Billy hurried to his science class, but for the rest of class couldn't pay attention to anything the teacher said. He was distracted by thoughts of being beaten to a pulp, but he was also curious to see what Grace had in mind.
The last bell couldn't come fast enough. With ten minutes to go, Billy raised his hand and asked to go to the bathroom.
The Teacher looked surprised, "I think you can wait 10 minutes Billy, put your hand down."
Billy made his best ‘I have to pee REALLY bad’ face, "I'm sorry but I have to go really bad, like REALLY bad." Billy figured that no teacher wanted to a student to pee in their class.
He was right.
His science teacher sighed, "Fine, go, just be quick." Billy grabbed his books and raced out of the class. After a quick stop at his locker to get his bag, he made his way to the girl's bathroom. He knocked on the door softly, but didn't hear anything. Suddenly a deep voice behind him said, "What do you think you're doing?" Billy's heart sank as he turned around.
Grace giggled at his shocked expression. "I do a pretty good Mr. Davis huh?" Billy blew out a deep breath and lightly punched her in the arm, which she returned. Billy noticed that she had a pile of clothes in her arms.
"Come on in," she told him as she pushed her way into the bathroom. Stiffly, Billy walked into the girl's bathroom for the first time ever. Once inside, he noticed right away that it smelled better and was a lot cleaner than the boys bathroom. He thought it was pretty unfair that the janitors would clean the girl's bathroom but not the boys.
Grace shoved the clothes at Billy, "Here you go, put these on." Billy took the clothes and looked at them. They were kind of ratty, but clean and they didn't have stains. "What are these for?" he asked.
Grace rolled her eyes, "Disguise, duh? You gotta sneak by Rick somehow." Billy put on the pants and a hoody over his regular clothes. When he saw himself in the mirror, he looked a lot different.
"Do you think it will work?" he asked. Grace just shrugged her shoulders, "Don't know, but it's better than nothing. Don't worry, you don't look anything like yourself." Just then the last bell rang; it was time to leave school.
Both Billy and Grace took a deep breath and Billy pulled the hood over his head. As they walked out of the bathroom, they made sure no one was looking in their direction. They made it to the front door of the school and Grace tugged on Billy's arm, "OK, you walk ahead and I'll be behind you, if I whistle then it means they spotted you somehow and you need to run." Billy just nodded.
They walked casually onto the main street and Grace noticed that Billy was taking a different route home than usual. "Good job," she thought to herself. She put some distance between Billy and herself so it wouldn’t be too obvious that she was following.
Minutes later she heard footsteps behind her. Rick and his goons passed right by Grace, and she started to whistle loudly. She just hoped Billy could hear her. He did, and turned to look. When he saw Rick, Billy took off in a sprint. Rick and his buddies were not far behind. Grace yelled out, "Run Billy! Faster!" as she tried to follow. "How did Rick know where Billy was?" she thought to herself.
The Bullies were starting to gain on Billy, who was moving as quickly as he could. He knew it was only a matter of time before they caught him so he tried to lose his pursuers. At an intersection, Billy ran into the road, right in the middle of traffic. A red pick up truck came to a screeching halt right in front of Billy as the driver leaned out shouting, "What do you think you’re doing?!"
Rick and his bully friends stopped on the corner and smiled at Billy, there was no where to run now.
Just then, the red truck shot forward, as a much larger freight truck slammed into the back of it. The freight truck tipped to the side, and barrels of steaming, bubbling liquid tipped over onto the road.
Right on top of Billy.
About the Story
There are moments in life that we cherish, small seconds of bliss spent snuggling with our precious children. “Mommy, tell me a story.” “Daddy, can I have a bedtime story?” These requests offer time to pause from our hectic everyday routine, a chance to share an adventure together.
My wife and I have read to our son from the time he would listen and encouraged him to read from the moment he began recognizing letters. From “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to “The Chronicles of Narnia” we have read one book or gone through a series of chapters each night.
However, we have discovered that most books are not
designed or written for bedtime. Sometimes a chapter takes half an hour to read through. Sometimes one of us would fall asleep part way through, and not necessarily our son! Sometimes, a chapter was too short, or too boring, or so full of detail that it was difficult to get through.
I created this story as a brand new adventure, told in a serial fashion, so that your child is captivated throughout the entire tale. Each Chapter ends in a cliffhanger to help build excitement for the next installment. Whether you are reading before bed, during the day, on a long car trip, or while standing in the grocery checkout line, these stories are quick and customizable for your storytelling needs.
You, of course, are the storyteller and you know best what your audience will most enjoy. If you want to read two or three episodes at a time, then feel free to do so.
If at any point you become tired of simply reading the text as written, feel the need to add lib and insert your own characters or ideas.
Just remember, story time with your children is about having fun and making memories. You are well on your way to making some memories they’ll never forget.
Josh Kilen
Some Storytelling Advice
What is the key ingredient of a good story? It is the conflict and cliffhanger, the elements that add tension and throw our characters into precarious situations. A good story is thrilling, exciting, unpredictable; an adventure. What if we could spark imagination, transporting our child with us to another world?
Imagine the joy on their faces as you tell incredible, reality defying tales, throwing your arms about to emphasize a point or pantomiming an action sequence. Hear their giggles as you craft a ridiculously silly voice for the villain of your story. Create priceless memories and bond with your little ones through the power of shared experience.
Here are some tips to make things easier:
Make noises, sounds, and different voices – Depending on your kid, you might find they remember the sounds more than the story itself.
Don’t feel stupid – All that matters is that your kid loves it. If they think you sound awesome, then have faith and overcome your fear.
Make gestures that extend beyond 1 foot from your body - Don’t constrain your movements; make the most of your arms and legs.
Make faces - When you are in character, it is definitely okay to make your face reflect the emotions or the actions of the character.
Copyright Information
Tell Me A Story: Amazing Tales to Captivate Your Kids
The Lost Princess in Winter’s Grip
Published By Josh Kilen
Copyright © 2011 by Josh Kilen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author.
More Titles By Josh Kilen
The Tales of Big and Little: Doom of the Three Stones
Sean Ryanis & The Impossible Chase
The Superhero Chronicles: Birth of Moonlight
The Lost Princess: In the Beginning
Or get all 4 stories in one book!
