Peter Carrot-top

Chapter 1

  Meet the Carrot-Tops

  A long, long time ago, in the year 1850, there was a

  man by the name of Sam Carrot-Top. He was a well educated

  man, slender in build and always wore a dusty old cap that

  covered his orange hair and broken glasses. He was an

  honest and wealthy man, but you would never guess that he

  and his family were well off; he never showed his wealth or

  bragged about it. He used his money to help the poor and

  needy.

  His wife, Jane, was oh so beautiful, with lush red

  hair, a petite figure, and smooth, creamy pale skin. She

  loved all the children in the neighborhood, always fixing a

  broken heart or a scraped knee. She was the perfect

  housewife, the kind any man could want.

  They lived in a small town in Georgia called Valdosta.

  Sam and Jane were the talk of the town; they grew the

  largest vegetables and fruits the eyes have ever seen.

  Their watermelons were the size of houses and carrots as

  long as 20 feet!

  All the neighbors began to whisper, and became jealous

  of the success of the Carrot-Tops; farmers came from near

  and far to see the great Carrot-Top plantation. Because of

  the popularity of their fruits and vegetables, they became

  a household name. Merchants came from all over the world to

  buy their fruits and vegetables.

  Some of the other farmers became extremely jealous of

  the success of the Carrot-Tops. They tried to sabotage

  their land, either by overflowing it with garbage or water,

  but it never worked. The fruits and vegetables kept on

  growing and growing. Some were so tall that their leaves

  touched the clouds. Nevertheless, Sam and Jane ignored

  their rivals and continued to be good neighbors.

  Their pride and joy was their son and only child,

  Peter Carrot-Top, a 10-year-old boy who was as skinny as a

  Beanpole with bright orange hair and deep freckles on his

  face. He wore the same old clothing over and over again,

  brown khaki pants and a rainbow-colored shirt with two

  different colored shirt sleeves.

  Peter was teased by all the kids. Not only was his

  hair funny, but his name, Peter Carrot-Top, was as well.

  The kids teased him all day. Every day it was the same

  thing, kids singing, "Peter Carrot-Top, Peter Carrot-Top,"

  in an annoying and devilish tone.

  Peter was sick of it. Unfortunately, every time he got

  upset, his head would swell up like a big orange balloon

  and his orange hair would gently stand up at attention.

  This made the kids laugh even harder.

  Peter was all alone in the world; he didn't understand

  or fit in. There was nothing the principal or the teachers

  could do. He was just a special boy. His mother and father

  were hurt the most; Peter got the orange hair from his

  father, and the freckles from his mother.

  His parents went to the school regularly to seek help

  for him. Just a poor farmer, Peter's father did not know

  what to do. He would pace the school hall as he talked to

  the Dean of the school asking for help for his son, but Mr.

  Snicker, the Dean, just walked around with his fat gut

  stuck out, and only made the Carrot-Tops feel worse by

  telling them their child needed to be placed in a special

  school.

  Peter's father slammed down his hat in frustration as

  the Dean sat back in his leather chair, and smoked his

  cigar with a smirk on his face.

  Mr. Snicker shouted at Peter's father, "Boy, calm down

  before I have you thrown out on your ears!"

  Peter's father grabbed up his hat; took his wife by

  the hand and stormed into Peter's English class. "Peter,

  get your things. We're taking you out of this school!"

  By the look on his father's face, Peter knew that his

  dad was very upset. All Peter's mother could do was cry and

  sob as they walked out the doors. The kids began to laugh,

  and once again, Peter felt distant and alone.

  Peter and his family jumped into their wagon, and off

  they went. He could see the concentration on his father's

  face, and the sadness in his mother's eyes. Peter began to

  tell his parents how very sorry he was, but a gentle touch

  on the hands from his mother let him know it was all right.

  Peter lay back in the seat of the wagon and didn't say

  another word.

  Suddenly the wagon began to lift until it started to

  fly. Peter jumped out of his seat and gazed in awe; he was

  speechless. He looked down and saw that they were above the

  world.

  He could see the cows and trees, and he even spotted

  his house. Peter was tickled to death; he began to laugh

  hysterically until his parents started laughing with him.

  Peter said, "Father, what is going on?"

  Peter's dad didn't say anything, then his mother

  jumped in and told Peter that they were from a different

  kind of generation.

  "What kind is that?" Peter asked, dumbfounded.

  Then a stronger, sterner voice jumped in; it was

  Peter's father. He went on to tell Peter the story of the

  Carrot-Tops.

  Peter listened intently, and hung onto his father's

  every word. Peter's eyes began to move back and forth as

  every word spilled from his father's lips. He waited

  patiently to hear the story of the Carrot-Tops.

  Peter's father went on to tell him that they are not

  alive, at least not on earth, and that they were from a

  world the living call "Death".

  Peter stuttered and said, "Do you mean we're dead?"

  "Yes, we're dead," Peter's father replied. He went on

  to tell Peter that they had been dead for years. He said

  they didn't belong to this world. He told Peter the world

  they belonged to was called Baja, a place of mysticism and

  power, a place so beautiful, and yet so evil.

  "Welllll, why aren't we there?" Peter asked his

  father, but his father could not do or say anything. He

  just hung his head down low and began to wipe the tears

  from his eyes.

  Suddenly Peter's father parked the wagon on a hilltop

  way above the trees, where no one could see them; then he

  began to tell Peter why they were here on Earth.

  "Well, son, many years ago I was one of the chosen

  ones to protect Baja and make sure that the city was

  preserved for all our generation, but I failed at my job."

  Peter's father told him of how he was in charge of

  leading an army of men to get the eighth key. This key

  opens the door to the eighth elder of the world. The elders

  were in hibernation. When they awoke, they protected not

  only Baja, but also Earth.

  He told Peter that he failed when he lost the key.

  Because he lost the key, the eighth elder was never

  awakened. The other seven went back into hibernation

  because
they can only function with each other; all eight

  have to be awake at the same time.

  "Well, why did you lose the key?" Peter asked.

  His father told him that the key was so powerful there

  was a rule to never touch it with your bare hands. He did

  anyway, and the key gave him so much power that he could

  not handle it. His hands began to burn and his skin began

  to rot and fall to the floor.

  When he woke up, the key was gone and Baja was at

  risk. The remaining elders were very angry, and before they

  fell back into hibernation, they exiled Peter's father and

  mother from Baja. Peter's mother jumped in and began to

  tell Peter that she loved his dad so much that she was

  willing to take banishment with him, and one day their

  names would be cleared.

  She also let Peter know that his father was being very

  modest and taking the entire blame. She said what really

  happened was that Peter's dad, Sam, was forced to touch the

  key by his brother, Marcus. Instead of Sam turning his

  brother in to the elders, he took the blame for something

  that was not his fault alone.

  Jane told her son that Sam's brother was evil and

  mean; but Sam didn't like to admit the fact that his

  brother set him up. Suddenly the wagon was quiet. No one

  made a sound.

  Peter's dad began to look back at Peter in shame, but

  Peter jumped up and gave him a big hug.

  Sam was relieved. In a trembling voice, he looked into

  Peter's eyes and asked, "So you aren't ashamed of us?"

  "No!" Peter replied.

  Peter then asked his father about the wagon flying.

  "Oooohh! Yes, son, I will tell you about the flying

  wagon."

  They all began to laugh. Sam told Peter that in Baja

  everyone has some special ability, from making objects fly

  to growing large fruits, vegetables and plants.

  Peter suddenly looked at his mother and figured out

  that she was the one growing all the fruits and vegetables

  on their plantation.

  She smiled with her cherry lips and said, "I was

  gifted with the green thumb."

  Peter laughed and told his parents he was finally

  free. His parents looked bewildered and asked him what he

  meant. He told them that he knew now why he was different

  from the other children at school. Peter also told his

  parents he had something to show them.

  "Up here?" Jane asked.

  "Yes, come out of the wagon," Peter replied.

  Peter's mom and dad looked at each other in amazement

  and shock as they jumped out of the wagon. Peter held his

  hand to the ground and began to shake. Suddenly a big hole

  appeared in the ground. The hole was so big that it

  swallowed up the trees. Peter looked at his parents with

  pride. They looked back at him in amazement.

  "Why didn't you tell us, Peter?" his parents asked.

  "Well, I did not want you to be ashamed of me. The

  kids at school were already calling me 'weird' and

  'strange'. I didn't want to disappoint you."

  "Never," said his father.

  Jane asked Peter how long had he been keeping this

  secret from them, and Peter told them, for many years. He

  did it only because he was afraid of his own powers. That

  was a great power for a little boy to handle. Peter's

  parents knew that there must be something extra special

  about their son.

  Their brains began to think of what all of this could

  mean; the wheels in their heads were turning so fast you

  could see smoke coming out of their ears. But nevertheless,

  Peter was happy that his conscious was clear, his face

  began to get some color and his eyes began to twinkle.

  The family decided it was time to go home, and as soon

  as the rooster crowed in the morning, it would be time to

  see the Oracle. Off the hilltop they went, swaying through

  trees and mountains. Everyone had had a rough day, but now

  it seemed to be a day of joy and happiness.

  Peter hung his head out of the wagon and began to feel

  the breeze on his face.

  "Be careful," said Peter's mother.

  "I will," he replied.

  All that afternoon, they went flying over rivers,

  lakes and streams. They even passed a drunk sleeping under

  a tree. The man jumped up and began to scream, "The sky is

  falling!" He ran through the village telling the people,

  but no one believed him since he was the town drunk.

  Peter and his family continued to ride the high hills

  and mountains until it got dark so they could return home

  without being seen. He was so excited that he had finally

  figured out why he was so different than the other children.

  As for his parents, they were relieved that they were

  not hated by their son, but they were also worried about

  his tremendous gift. It was a gift that no child should

  have, but they did not ruin the moment by being sad. They

  remained happy and upbeat all the way home.

  As nightfall grew, Peter and his parents arrived home.

  Nothing was the same anymore; their house began to look old

  and rotten. They could see the tiniest imperfections, and

  they knew in their hearts that it was time to leave.

  Peter was so excited he could not sleep, but his

  parents forced him into bed with the hopes of seeing a land

  the living only dreamed about. Peter asked question after

  question as he drifted off to sleep. His parents only

  smiled as they rubbed his orange hair and tucked him

  tightly into bed.

  But as midnight approached, his parents found

  themselves pacing the floor. They discussed how long they

  had been away from Baja and how they would be accepted

  after 10 years. It was very stressful for them; their faces

  became blank and sad. Finally, they went to bed

  anticipating a meeting with the Oracle, the only one who

  could get them back into Baja.