Peter Carrot-top Page 5

  Chapter 5

  Going Home

  Peter watched out of the wagon window. As they rode

  down so many roads, people were waving and saying, "Welcome

  back." Some even stopped the wagon to get a glimpse at the

  boy wonder.

  "You're a very special young man," said Grandpa David.

  Peter just smiled with a large grin on his face.

  Baja was so beautiful with golden rain and purple and

  yellow clouds. The bears that roamed the hillsides were as

  big as houses, but they were very gentle creatures. There

  were even trees that grew popcorn! Peter and his family

  stopped as they saw a tree getting ready to start popping.

  "Oh boy!" said Peter.

  The family just laughed, running to the tree like kids

  in a candy store. Jane kept her mouth open to catch the

  popcorn while Grandpa David and Peter made snow angels in

  the popcorn. Sam sat back and watched his family have the

  time of their lives. After eating until their hearts were

  content, the family sat by the tree and caught up on old

  times. Sam was very reluctant to ask his father about his

  brother Marcus. Marcus was a bad seed. From the time he was

  born, he was very mischievous and rude, always blaming

  everything on Sam. Besides, Marcus was the one who turned

  his own brother in to the royal authorities for losing the

  eighth key, even though he'd had a hand in it.

  David shied away from the question of where Marcus

  was. Finally he said, "Your brother has gone to the other

  side. He sold the family out and went to work for the seven

  wizards." Tears started to form in David's eyes as he

  thought about his child fighting on the side of evil.

  Sam was in shock. He began to pace back and forth,

  asking his father, "Why?" over and over again.

  David went on to tell his son that Marcus was so drawn

  in by the key and the power that it held that he was

  willing to risk his life for it. So, he found someone that

  would let him divide and conquer -- the seven wizards. They

  were a small group of men, women, and children that had

  powerful magic spells, and so far, no one could stop or

  undo them. This group could flow in and out of Baja without

  notice. Since the elders were in hibernation, the citizens

  of Baja were no match for those evil forces.

  David went on to tell Sam that Marcus was also kicked

  out of the boundaries of Baja, but not Baja completely,

  like Sam and his family were. Because Marcus turned Sam in,

  the elders showed him leniency and made him live on the

  outside of Baja.

  Sam was very hurt and didn't want that road for his

  brother, but Marcus chose power instead of family. Now Sam

  felt like it was his duty to stop his brother, because

  whatever he was planning would soon come into effect.

  Sam and his father continued watching Jane and Peter

  have fun in the popcorn field, and then they were ready to

  leave. Peter and Dingo had one last run around the field

  and one last taste of mouth-watering popcorn. Back in the

  buggy the family went. Peter stared out the window waiting

  to reach the house farm. Jane and Sam looked anxious.

  "A few more feet and we're there," shouted Grandpa

  David.

  Suddenly the buggy pulled up to a metallic gate made

  entirely of gold. They rode up to a guard shack and signed

  in to see their home again. The guard bowed to them and

  told them he was glad to see them back. As the gate opened,

  they saw an amazing sight, house upon house, there were

  even houses stacked on each other all the way up to the sky.

  "Which one is ours?" shouted Peter.

  "I don't know," Jane replied.

  The family marched on and went up to the help desk.

  The lady looked the family over and over, out of the corner

  of her eyes. She was very snooty and rude to the CarrotTops.

  "Well, where is your passport? I must verify you are

  who you say you are," said the lady.

  The family showed their passports with plenty of

  objections from Grandpa David. "They don't have to show

  anything," he said with an angry voice.

  But the lady took their information anyway, walked

  over to the computer and did a few searches. "Here, I have

  found your house," said the snobbish woman as she ripped a

  piece of paper out of the machine and handed it to Sam.

  Sam was not too pleased by the lady's attitude, but he

  gently took the paper out of her hand. His face was filled

  with anger to see the citizens praise them one minute and

  mistreat them the next. The family was escorted to the

  sorting field by a security guard. The guard apologized to

  the family for his coworker's attitude and told Sam and his

  family that he still believed in Sam. He also said that

  Baja would be set free and the elders would wake again.

  With a smile on his face, the security guard took the keys

  out of his pocket and opened the main gate to the house

  farm.

  The family stood on a ledge that was about 200 feet

  tall and watched as houses were checked in and out of

  storage. It was like going to the store and buying a house

  off the shelves. The houses were on a large belt that moved

  back and forth. There were big houses and little houses all

  in line to either be stored or un-stored. After the houses

  reached their destination, workers pulled them off the

  line. The movement was so in sync that even Grandpa David

  was impressed.

  Peter held onto his father's coattail as he looked all

  the way down. There were thousands of houses as far as the

  eye could see. Peter and his family were a long way up,

  they could even see other families buying or retrieving

  their homes. Suddenly the belt stopped and Peter's eyes

  grew.

  "Is that our house, Father?" asked Peter.

  "Yes, sweetheart, it is ours, totally untouched," said

  Jane.

  The image of the house was in 3-D. With a turn of a

  golden dial, the guard let the family see every aspect of

  their home the way they'd left it. The house was huge, like

  a royal palace. There was a courtyard, tennis court,

  swimming pool, and a royal garden where the birds were

  still humming and flying around. Jane's touch was

  everywhere. There were huge plants the size of hills that

  wound up to the sky. There was also a Beanstalk that never

  seemed to end; it just kept going and going. Goldfish were

  frozen in the pond waiting to be thawed. Peter's eyes grew

  bigger and bigger as he saw all that the home had to offer.

  The guard told the Carrot-Tops to go inside and check

  everything out to make sure it was the way they'd left it.

  It was like stepping back in time for the family;

  everything seemed to be in slow motion. Sam was overcome

  with emotion, and so were Jane and the rest of the family.

  Sam trembled as he went near the door to turn the knob. For

  a minute, he could not do it; it was too overwhelming for

  him.

  Grandpa David placed h
is hands on his son's shoulder

  assuring him that everything would be okay. Sam took in a

  deep breath and exhaled slowly. He closed his eyes and

  opened the door with a quick turn of the wrist. Dingo

  suddenly jumped out of Peter's pocket and ran into the

  house. Jane was upset, and she told Peter to leave Dingo in

  the wagon. But Peter didn't listen, and off Dingo went,

  leaping and hopping up and down the stairs. Peter was right

  on his heels, but Jane was angry, truly not at Peter, but

  at all the time they had lost.

  Sam, Jane and Grandpa David slowly entered the house.

  The family walked through the massive hallways and into the

  entertainment room, where Jane rubbed her hands over the

  furniture, reminiscing about the good times they'd had. She

  sat on the edge of the sofa and looked over the pictures on

  the table. One was of Peter as a baby and the others were

  friends and family. Back in the good old days, Jane was a

  well respected socialite. Every afternoon, ladies would

  come over either to gossip or talk about life in Baja. Jane

  missed those days.

  Because everything was frozen in time, the home was

  the way they had left it. Jane continued to walk off by

  herself into the kitchen where water was still boiling on

  the stove and the ice box was open just as the housekeepers

  had left it. Then she walked out to her favorite place, the

  garden. The plants and trees were still alive, only frozen

  in time.

  Jane stopped to pet a bird that was at a standstill.

  She could she the bird's eyes moving, but the bird could

  not move. "Soon I will set you free, little one," she said

  to the bird.

  Everything in the house and its surroundings would be

  frozen in time until the family moved it out of the house

  farm. Jane walked through the house looking from room to

  room and so did Sam.

  Sam found his office, and sat back in the leather

  chair, reminiscing about all the projects he had left

  unfinished. He took off his glasses and burst into tears.

  The pain was so great that he slid out of the chair and

  fell to his knees asking, "Why?" His tears would tear at

  the heart of any human. Sam stayed on the floor until he

  got himself together. He finally got the nerve to get up

  and look around. There were papers all over his office

  flying in slow motion through the air with a timeless touch.

  On one paper, Sam could see some of his work. Before

  he was kicked out, he was in the process of creating the

  finest and toughest army for Baja. There were sketch

  drawings of animals, great and small, wearing armored

  silver-plated suits. There were animals that were half

  human and half horse carrying bows and arrows. Sam gently

  pushed the paper aside as it moved through the air in slow

  motion.

  Down the hall, Sam could hear Jane rumbling, so he

  went to see what all the racket was about. "Honey, are you

  all right?" he called out to her.

  "Yes, dear," Jane replied.

  Sam watched as his wife stared at the nursery they had

  for Peter before he was born. Everything was still intact

  -- from the finest cotton blanket, to the crib made of the

  finest maple. The room was covered in toys that were gifts

  from the Carrot-Tops' family and friends. Teddy bears great

  and small lined the wall. There were train sets that went

  "choo-choo" around the room. It seemed just like yesterday

  to Jane. She put her hands over her eyes and began to weep.

  To the Carrot-Tops, it seemed like their lives had been

  taken away.

  "We must go, honey," Sam said gently.

  As they walked through the doors of the courtyard,

  they could hear Peter having fun with Dingo. Water was

  splashing with the slow movement of time, and leaves gently

  glided through the air.

  Jane shouted to Peter, "Come on. We must be going."

  Sam realized that his father was nowhere to be found.

  They searched the entire area of the courtyard until they

  found him in his favorite place, his gift shop. Grandpa

  David was a special man with the skill of making and

  producing the finest toys for all the little children

  throughout the land. He made antique dolls and train sets.

  There were kites and teddy bears everywhere. Sam watched as

  his father touched his past.

  Grandpa David was overwhelmed by all that he had lost,

  and yet he was looking at the past. Sam placed his hands on

  his father's shoulder letting him know not to worry. He

  promised his father that he would make everything all

  right. Although they could not start over, he would make

  the rest of their lives worth living again.

  Grandpa patted his son on the shoulders and said,

  "Sam, this is not your fault. This is the way of the

  prophet."

  The family got their emotions together and headed out

  of the door. They continued to look back at a place they

  once called home.

  "Is everything intact?" the guard asked.

  "Yes," said Sam.

  The guard then processed the paperwork and a huge

  train came out of the clouds with a loud "choo-choo." It

  had to be at least 200 feet long, and there were other

  houses and property on it. The train was red and silver,

  and its paint sparkled in the sun's rays.

  The guard gave the workers the okay to load the house

  and take it out of frozen time. With a few pushes of the

  buttons, the house was out of the bubble of time, and

  loaded onto the train. The guard notified the family that

  the house would be delivered to their old address, 511

  Cherry Street. With so much emotion built up, the family

  only could nod their heads to answer the guard.

  "Wow, that train is great!" shouted Peter.

  The guard just smiled at Peter, and off the family

  went out the door and through the tall gates of the house

  farm to their waiting wagon. As the family loaded up, a

  huge group of people were waiting, just to get a glimpse of

  the family. News had spread far and wide to the

  countrysides, and even in the heavens. Everyone knew the

  Carrot-Tops were back in town, but the family had so many

  other important things on their minds, like finding Sam's

  mother and Jane's family. Off they went, the sun was soon

  to go down, and they wanted to make it off the roads and

  home before nightfall.

  The ride was long, but the sights were wonderful for

  their eyes. The family remembered how great and beautiful

  Baja was. There were unicorns grazing in an open field, and

  then flying up in the clouds whenever they heard people

  coming. There were also purple, yellow, green and red

  horses being sold at an outdoor auction. Peter stood up in

  his seat because this was so amazing to his young eyes.

  As they got closer to where Grandpa David and the

  others stayed, a feeling of gloom came over the family. It

  was as if a dark cloud just passed over and stayed in that

  one spot.
The scene was so depressing; Dingo clawed Peter's

  shirt out of fear. The trees and flowers were dying,

  turning ash gray in color.

  Peter watched as the trees tried to move, but their

  roots would break from years of rotting. The screams the

  trees made were heart wrenching. Everyone in the wagon

  covered their ears.

  "Just a few more feet," said Grandpa David.

  By the look on everyone's faces, no one wanted to be

  there. They were disgusted. As the wagon went closer into a

  deep forest, hundreds of people came running out. Most of

  them had their hands out, begging for food or anything.

  Grandpa David pushed them out of the way and introduced

  them to his family.

  One lady burst out and said, "Because of you, Sam, we

  are here. We were your loyal servants and got punished for

  it."

  Sam had no words to say but sorry, but the people did

  not accept his apology. For years they had suffered for

  Sam's sins against the elders. He got out and stood on a

  hilltop, and told the people he would make everything all

  right. Right now, he had to find his mother. Grandpa David

  pointed in the direction of his wife. Under a tree sat an

  old lady, worn out, and her clothing was dingy and old. She

  continuously coughed and held her chest. Her hair was in

  disarray.

  "Mother! Mother!" Sam called out.

  "Who is playing games?" the frail voice answered back.

  Sam went to his mother and held her hands letting her know

  he was back. "My son, I knew you would not forget us," said

  Sam's mom Dorothy.

  Jane, Peter, Dingo and Grandpa David joined in on the

  family reunion. They hugged and kissed. Dorothy was glad to

  see Jane, and for the first time was introduced to her

  grandson, Peter. Dorothy told Sam about how they had

  suffered in the hot underground tunnels as punishment for

  Sam's sins. She spoke of the abuse, the hunger, and the

  many cold nights. Sam was not only angered by what his

  mother was saying, but also by the knowledge that his

  brother Marcus had not been any help to them.

  By Dorothy's accounts, Marcus let the authorities take

  them away because, for many years, he felt Sam got special

  treatment from his mother and father. Dorothy said she

  loved both of them, and Marcus was jealous of all the power

  Sam had, from running his own armed forces to making sure

  the citizens of Baja was well taken care of. Everyone in

  Baja respected Sam, and Marcus felt as if he had to walk in

  Sam's shadow.

  Sam told his parents that he had to get them out of

  the dark and depressing forest, but his parents did not

  want to leave unless everyone was leaving.

  "Honey, we have a house with thousands of rooms," Jane

  said. "We will get all of them on their feet and then they

  can move on with their lives."

  Sam quickly agreed. He then stood on the hilltop once

  again and told the people of his plans. Some were

  reluctant, but many others were willing to go. Anything

  would be better than being poor and homeless. The crowd

  began to gather up their few belongings and was ready to

  start walking to Sam and Jane's mansion. But before they

  could leave, Jane had one thing to do.

  Her heart would not allow her to leave the trees and

  flowers in a rotting state. She gathered her strength

  together and touched the largest tree in the center of the

  forest. It gave root to all the trees near and far. Jane's

  hair began to blow in the wind; she could feel the trees'

  pain, and she saw all the horrors they had seen. With all

  her might, she pushed her hands toward the trees and let

  her powers flow. Within minutes, the trees stopped crying

  and screaming. Their leaves began to turn green; their

  roots began to have life again. Fruit began to appear, and

  so did the animals that once fled. This was so overwhelming

  for Jane that she passed out.

  Sam and the family ran to her side and picked her up.

  As Sam was leaving with Jane's lifeless body, a deep voice

  came from the trees, "We will always be at your service,"

  and then the voice disappeared.

  Birds started to make their nests in the trees and the

  dark clouds suddenly moved away. The forest was once more

  bright and inviting again. Birds sang and the trees and

  Beanstalks began to grow. Wow! How amazing Jane's powers

  were to the people watching.

  Sam and the other men carried Jane and the older women

  to the wagon, while the strong and young walked behind.

  Dorothy began to fan Jane with a torn piece of paper.

  Little by little, Jane began to open up her eyes, but she

  was still weak. She began to mumble about all the pain she

  saw, and how a war was coming. No one really paid attention

  to what she was saying. They just wanted to get her home

  safe and sound.

  Peter and Dingo began to make new friends as the older

  adults worried about grown-up concerns. This was a time of

  fun and excitement for Peter, not only did he get to stay

  up later, but he got to have fun doing it.

  Little did they know that they were being watched by a

  group of trolls, maybe eight to ten of them. They stood

  four feet tall. Their bodies were gray with white polka

  dots, and their eyes were long and slanted. They had thin

  lips and large razor teeth. These creatures constantly

  drooled and slobbered all over the place. They smelled

  horrible, and to most people, they were disgusting. The

  townspeople called them Goonies. They watched every move

  made by the Carrot-Tops. It was apparent that they were

  reporting to someone. The Goonies made sure to keep out of

  sight, but not to lose contact with the family.

  Dingo knew something was wrong; his animal senses

  began to tell him another creature was somewhere close. He

  began to tug on Peter's shirt.

  "Down, boy," said Peter, but Dingo kept on until Peter

  finally paid him some attention.

  When Peter knelt down to Dingo to see what was the

  matter, Dingo stuck his fingers out pointing in the

  direction of the noise. The Goonies were hiding behind a

  great big bunch of trees.

  Peter sensed something was wrong and put his hands to

  the floor. Suddenly the earth began to shake, and his

  orange hair began to blow back and forth like a whirlwind.

  His eyes were fixed on the target. Holes started appearing

  out of nowhere, big ones and small ones. One by one, the

  Goonies began to scream as they fell deep into the holes.

  The adults came running.

  "What's the matter, Peter?" Sam asked.

  Peter explained that they were being watched and he

  had caught the perpetrators in the hole. Sam pushed Peter

  aside and held an oil lamp above the hole. A creature

  jumped toward Sam and startled him, but the hole was too

  deep for the creature to escape. Everyone started to gather

  around the rim, watching the creature's every move.

  "These
creatures are from a dark side," said Grandpa

  David.

  Sam reached out, grabbed the creature, and it began to

  shiver and turned into a ball. "Who are you?" Sam asked the

  creature.

  "We are your brother's keepers," the creature replied.

  Sam knew then that his brother was up to no good and

  they had to hurry. He told his son to close up the hole

  with the creatures inside, and so Peter did. With the power

  in his hands, he conjured up the dirt, and buried the

  creatures inside. The people were amazed once again by

  Peter's powers, but there were also a few jealous ones in

  the crowd. Some people clapped, and some snickered in

  disbelief.

  As the group continued to walk on, Sam and his father

  had a long talk. David told Sam that his brother was way

  beyond help and the evil had total possession of him. David

  described to his son the pain he and Dorothy had gone

  through at the hands of Marcus. They went from living like

  royalty to the pigpen, at the hands of their own son. Sam

  told his father he was very sorry and assured him

  everything would be all right soon.

  The group continued to walk toward home. Peter was

  excited to see his new home fully. Dorothy and Jane sat

  quietly in the back of the wagon. Suddenly, it began to

  shake violently. Dorothy looked out, and she was in the

  air. Sam had used his powers to levitate everyone into the

  air. The people were now flying; this was the only way to

  get home quickly before nightfall.

  Through the sky they went. The children were having

  the most fun touching the clouds. The birds moved out of

  the way, and the long trees shrunk to make way for the herd

  of people.

  "Wheeeeee!" said they kids.

  Up and down they moved and chased each other. This was

  the first time many of them had been completely free. The

  adults were placed in the back. Many of the older ones were

  afraid, but Sam put their fears to rest assuring them now

  that he would not drop them. Faster and faster Sam flew

  them through the air, going in and out of trees, flying

  over vast stretches of land. People on the ground were

  pointing and shouting with surprise. One kid on a bike

  rolled into a patch of hay when he saw the crowd in the

  air. People were running, trying to catch up with the

  flying people. Some were running to neighbors, telling them

  what they had seen.

  The fresh air did Jane a whole lot of good; she woke

  up smiling, asking for her family, until Dorothy filled her

  in on what was going on. Jane pushed her hair back and

  looked out of the wagon window, and smiled at her family to

  show she was okay. This gave Sam more strength to move the

  wagon even more quickly. Suddenly, the wagon and the people

  came falling down slowly from the sky.

  "We are home," said Sam.

  The Carrot-Tops' home had arrived in one piece, safe

  and secure. It was no longer frozen in time. The house was

  like a castle -- there must have been hundreds or even

  thousands of rooms. It was like the Carrot-Tops were kings

  and queens of Baja. The home was fit for royalty. The crowd

  of people stared at the enormous house and wondered how was

  it that Sam kept all of this when their homes were either

  destroyed or taken away. Some people in the crowd were

  happy to have a warm place to bathe and sleep, while others

  were becoming very jealous of the Carrot-Tops.

  The people went through the house feeling and touching

  things. It had been years since they had even seen or in

  fact been in a house as luxurious as this. The people were

  like kids in a candy store -- they wanted to feel and touch

  everything in sight. Some people were even trying to steal

  little knick-knacks outside in the garden, before they even

  went into the house.

  "There will be none of that. Anything you want is

  free. There is no need to steal," said Sam.

  Peter ran up to the door and waited on his father to

  open it. One deep breath and Sam gave the door a turn, and

  swung it open. Everything was just like they had left it,

  only this time, nothing was in an altered state. The cats

  were running around the house and everything seemed to fit

  in place. Sam went and lifted his wife out of the wagon and

  brought her into the house. With Jane resting comfortably

  on the sofa, Sam invited everyone in for a hot meal and a

  fresh bath.

  Some people began to grumble, they were upset that Sam

  still had all of his wealth and they had nothing. He tried

  to ease the tension in the crowd, but no one wanted to

  listen. They were all jealous of the luxury Sam and his

  family had.

  "All of you have been loyal to me, and I will see that

  you also get all that you left behind," said Sam.

  But, no one wanted to hear that. They were upset. They

  had lost everything because they were Sam's followers.

  "Why should we trust you?" one man asked.

  "Because we all have suffered," intervened Sam's

  father.

  But the pep talk did no good, and off went the crowd,

  grumbling and complaining. Only two people stayed behind,

  Red Fox and Samantha Grey. Red Fox was half-man half-fox.

  He was one of Sam's loyal friends and commander of his

  army. Red had grown old and worn; his fox fur was matted

  and his demeanor was that of hopelessness.

  He looked Sam in the eyes and asked him, "Will you

  make me like I once was?"

  Tears began to fill Sam's eyes and he let Red Fox know

  that he would do everything in his powers to make things

  right.

  Then Samantha Grey stepped forward. She was a young

  woman, no more than twenty. Her gifts of being a ninja had

  served Sam's army very well. Samantha was of Asian descent;

  her long body and jet black hair made her stand out in a

  crowd. She had taught thousands of Sam's soldiers how to

  fight and how to respect the art of becoming a ninja, and

  her army was unstoppable.

  Samantha explained to Sam that she had had to hide in

  the Black Forest when the elders kicked him out of Baja,

  and she did not want to get killed like the others. Sam

  went over and gave her a big hug, and told Samantha

  everything would be all right.

  "Don't blame yourself for running," he said. "It was

  the right thing to do."

  But Samantha still felt like a coward, since she could

  not protect Sam's family from being punished at the hands

  of the elders. But Sam never held it against her. He

  understood that at the time, she had to fight for her own

  life.

  Red and Samantha were the only people in the crowd who

  stayed, the rest left, intent on trying to reunite with

  their families that they hadn't seen in ten plus years. Sam

  understood that they were angry with him, so he let them

  go, knowing that most of them would be back once they were

  rejected by their families and friends.

  The
remaining guests made themselves at home while

  Peter and Dingo were having a blast running through the

  house. Up and down the staircase they ran. Jane was pleased

  to see her son finally finding a place to call home. It was

  kinda strange to the Carrot-Tops to be back in their house

  that had been vacant for years.

  That night was so strange for the family that they

  couldn't sleep, so the night was filled with stories by the

  fireplace. Deep down inside, everyone was wondering what

  tomorrow would bring. Jane began to tell Peter of a great

  primary school, the great Waldorf Academy School. She told

  him it was a school of possibilities, and that whatever his

  dreams were, the school could make them come true.

  "Oh boy, I can't wait!" said Peter.

  Jane told her son that he would fit right in with all

  the other kids, unlike back in Georgia. For a moment,

  Georgia seemed strange. They seemed to have been gone from

  there for so long already. So, they put thoughts of the

  human world in the back of their heads and continued on

  with the stories by the fireplace.

  Red Fox slowly came down the stairs; his fur was all

  wet and shaggy. "Oooh, that was a great bath!" he shouted.

  "It has been so long since I had a good hot bath like that."

  The family just laughed and welcomed him to sit by the

  fireplace. Jane noticed that her mother-in-law was missing

  and went up the stairs to find her. Dorothy was in her old

  room stroking the pillowcase.

  She heard Jane coming and said, "It has been years

  since I slept on a bed, it seems so strange to me."

  Jane sat on the edge of the bed with Dorothy and gave

  her a big hug, promising that Sam would make everything the

  way it was. Dorothy put her feet in the bed and crawled up

  into a ball.

  Jane went down and told Sam about his mother. He

  rushed right up to her bedside to make sure that she was

  okay. Sam saw the state his mother was in, and ran to the

  phone and called a doctor. David ran to his wife's side and

  comforted her.

  "It's the years of digging in those nasty tunnels that

  has her sick," said David.

  At the same time, Sam was on the phone talking to the

  doctor, asking him to get there right away. Within a few

  seconds, he appeared out of thin air. It startled everyone

  for a moment. Sam went over and tried to shake the doctor's

  hand, but it was only a hologram of the doctor that told

  the patient and their family what to do to help their loved

  ones.

  The hologram of Dr. Doo came on with a computergenerated

  voice telling the family to boil hot water with

  lotus leaves and place them on Dorothy's chest. The family

  was stunned for a while, but did what the hologram told

  them to do. Dorothy went in and out of a coma. Sam was very

  sad, and he begged his mother to hold on just a while

  longer.

  Before anyone could say another word, the medicine

  worked. Dorothy was still ill, but was feeling much better.

  She leaned over to her son and asked him to bring Peter

  forward.

  Peter went forward to hear what his grandmother had to

  say; she whispered, "You are the eighth key."

  Peter did not understand what she meant and just went

  on agreeing with her because she was ill. She fell fast

  asleep and everyone left the room. The computer-generated

  image vanished and the door bell rang. Jane walked to the

  door and opened it slowly.

  An older gentleman walked in and said, "Hi, I am Dr.

  Doo."

  Jane was caught a little off guard and proceeded to

  take the doctor upstairs. Dr. Doo explained to the family

  that the computer-generated image stayed with a person who

  was ill until he arrived. This was a far more advanced

  technology than the Carrot-Tops were used to. The doctor

  examined Dorothy and told the family she would be fine; she

  just needed a little rest and clean, fresh air. Dr. Doo

  also let the family know how wonderful it was to see them

  back in Baja, and that he supported them one hundred

  percent.

  The family was amazed to see the support they were

  getting from all over Baja, and this made Sam more

  determined to fight. The night was quiet and everyone went

  to bed waiting for tomorrow to come. Yet, Sam could not

  sleep. He walked through the house, pacing back and forth,

  trying to take in all the emotions, and to find out where

  his life had left off at.

  He went and sat at his office desk, reading the papers

  from ten years past. The headline was the exile of the

  Carrot-Tops. The report made the Carrot-Tops look like a

  disgrace. Sam read the report over and over again. In his

  mind, he could picture and replay the event again and

  again. He went through his office with a fine tooth comb,

  looking for anything out of the ordinary. He knew that his

  brother would probably try to set him up again.

  Sam suddenly fell asleep in his office. The spirits of

  the seven elders came to him, one by one in a ghostly

  fashion. They swarmed around the office and said in soft

  voices, "Sam, Sam, wake up." The voices repeated their

  request one by one.

  Sam woke up, but he was also now a spirit. He walked

  out of his body to be in the same form as the spirits. Sam

  looked back and saw his body lying lifeless, sleeping away,

  then he turned his attention back to the spirits. He tried

  to reach out to them, but a force field stopped him. To

  Sam, it felt as if his legs were made out of iron. The

  spirits warned Sam that they must talk quickly and he must

  listen.

  "A war is coming and Peter is the key. If we do not

  awake in the time before the war, Baja will be lost

  forever. We know you are not the one at fault. Your brother

  is, and he must be stopped or we will lose everything,"

  said the spirits.

  Sam acknowledged them, and promised the spirits that

  he would try to make things right and Baja would not be

  lost. The spirits reminded him that there was nothing that

  they could do while in hibernation and the longer they

  hibernated, the less powerful they would become. It had now

  been ten years and they needed to get out of hibernation as

  soon as possible. The spirits' images began to fade in and

  out, and then suddenly, they disappeared.

  Sam woke up in a pool of blue goo; it covered his

  entire body. He ran to the bathroom to wash his face. He

  could not stop thinking about what the spirits had told

  him. After a quick check on everyone, Sam was back in his

  office, thinking about the way in which he could save Baja.