Chapter 6
Waldorf Academy
Morning had arrived, and the skies were bright purple.
Everyone was a bit in awe of what was happening. Grandpa
David told everyone it was okay. He said a purple sun
happens in Baja every six months. To Peter, this was the
best thing that had ever happened. He reached for his
father's telescope and looked into the skies.
"Wooowww!" said Peter.
The family was happy to see Peter settling in so well.
Everyone had something to do today. Jane had to put Peter
in school; Sam, Red Fox and Samantha Grey had a serious
mission to work on -- saving Baja and waking the elders.
Grandpa David had to watch Dorothy and make sure she
remained in good health. Everyone's day was planned, but as
we all know, nothing ever goes according to plans.
The doorbell rang while everyone was eating breakfast.
It was a reporter from the London Times. He was a slenderbuilt
man with black-framed glasses, and he had a
suspicious air about him. Before Sam could invite him in,
he barged his way into the house.
"I am Isaac McPhee, the London Times reporter," he
said.
Everyone at the table stared at him.
"What in the world do you want?" asked Red Fox.
"Well, what everyone wants, which is an interview with
the boy," said Isaac. Since Red was a protector of Sam and
his family, he kicked the reporter out of the house. As he
was being escorted out, he shouted, "So tell me, folks, how
will it feel to be responsible for destroying Baja twice?"
No one answered as Red Fox kicked out the reporter.
News had spread all over Baja so quickly that people were
coming from all over to get a glance at the house were the
boy savior and his family were living. Jane was very upset
that this might be putting a lot of pressure on Peter, but
by his reaction, he did not care. All he wanted to be was a
kid, and be loved by everyone. The only thing on Peter's
mind was making new friends.
A tabby cat suddenly leaped onto the table and began
to talk. "Jane, I have missed you," said the cat. Jane
screamed with excitement. It was Felix, her cat.
"Where have you been? I looked all over for you."
Felix began to lick his paws, and jumped into Jane
arms and let out a soft "purrrr."
Jane explained to the family that Felix was a magical
cat given to her by a man selling jumping beans, and from
then on, Felix and Jane remained the best of friends.
"Who is this little one?" Felix asked.
"That's Peter, our son," said Jane.
"Oh, you have been away too long, Jane. We must catch
up," Felix replied.
Jane filled Felix in on everything, but she was more
excited to see her old friend again. Peter was amazed to
see a talking cat and wanted to take it with him.
"No, no, you can't take Felix anywhere. He likes it
when he's home," said Jane.
"But, Mom, I will be the newest kid on the block, and
I will need something to break the ice," said Peter.
"No!" said Jane as she rushed Peter upstairs to brush
up for his meeting with the school.
One person was not happy, and that was Dingo. Ooh! He
did not like Felix. He began to chase Felix around the
house.
"Behave, you two!" shouted Jane, and each animal went
their separate way.
But today was also a big day for Jane. She wanted to
find her parents to see if they would accept her again. She
picked up the phone to call and then hung it up again. She
was very nervous about making that very important phone
call to her family. Poor Jane never seemed to have the
courage, and instead walked away from the phone.
Finally, Sam came and held her hand while Jane made
that important phone call. She listened as the phone rang
on the other end.
Someone picked up and said, "Hello, hello."
Jane could not say anything; she was at a loss for
words.
Then Sam got on the phone and asked to speak with Mr.
or Mrs. Burgandy.
The voice replied, "This is Mrs. Burgandy.
Sam quickly gave the phone to Jane. "Mother! This is
Jane; I have come back to Baja."
But the voice said nothing and the phone went
completely dead. There was disappointment in Jane's eyes,
but she did not let on and told Sam that it was the wrong
number.
But the day was just beginning, and before Jane and
Sam were ready to leave the house, a sudden knock was at
the door. The face looked so familiar, but neither Jane nor
Sam could put a name with the person until he introduced
himself once again.
"Hello, I am Patric Stewart; we met on the ride over
here."
"Oh, yes," said the Carrot-Tops, Sam and Jane
remembered Patric.
Jane and Sam asked him what brought him back to see
them. Patric explained to the family that he was the
headmaster over the schools and the entire world of Baja
until the elders woke. Jane was a little reluctant to hear
what Mr. Stewart was saying, but she was caught up by his
charm, and listened to every word. Patric was quite the
ladies' man, always neatly dressed with a well shaved head
and the finest suits in the entire galaxy of Baja.
He explained to the Carrot-Tops that he wanted Peter
to be in the best school with the other gifted kids. So, he
wanted Peter to go to Waldorf Academy, a place for only the
gifted. In all, there were over one million kids in the
gifted program. Jane was very surprised and asked how that
was possible, to have so many kids in the same place at one
time. Patric explained that when the elders went into
hibernation and the Oracle read that a gifted child would
release the spell, everyone in Baja began to have children
to try to save the world as they knew it. After many births
and many years of waiting, none of the children could undo
the spell.
Patric also said that Peter must be a gifted child to
be born out of the world of Baja. "A ghost can not survive
out of the realms of Baja and on Earth." He went on to say
that for years and centuries nothing like this had ever
been done.
Peter was the first ghost to be born on the side of
the dead to the living. More importantly, Peter was born
outside of Baja. No childbirth had ever been successful
outside of Baja. Jane wanted to get up and leave, but every
time she did, Mr. Stewart would bring her back in with his
charm. Jane and Sam finally gave in and told Mr. Stewart
that Peter would attend Waldorf Academy.
Mr. Stewart was excited and told Jane he could not
wait, but Sam had a strange feeling about Patric.
Nevertheless, he agreed and didn't listen to his gut
feelings. Sam was still concerned about his parents, but
they had so many things to do. He told his father he would
be gone all day and to take care of his mother.
"Peter, come on. Time to go," shouted Jane.
Peter came running down the stairs. Jane told him
about his new school and how he will love it. Peter was so
excited! He was ready to go, rushing out the door, leaving
his lunch and everything behind.
"Slow down, son," said Sam in a precautionary sort of
way.
All of the Carrot-Tops family went to a wonderful
school for all the gifted children in Baja. Jane and Sam
were excited for their son. For the first time in a long
time, Peter would feel like he belonged.
As the family stepped outside, ready to go, Red Fox
pulled up in a white and gold flying vessel. What a beauty!
The vessel was very clean, and the white paint shone in the
sun. The peanut butter colored leather seats were
exquisite. The vessel was like nothing anyone had ever seen
before, except for Sam's father.
David was not only a creator of toys and gadgets, but
also the futuristic weapons and transportation in Baja. Red
Fox explained to Sam that David wanted his grandson to go
to school in style. He also explained to Sam that this
transportation was hidden in the caves below the house.
David hid it well to protect and preserve it when they were
banished out of Baja.
Sam went over to the vessel and slowly touched it. It
had wings like a bird that spanned out for miles. The car
slowly and silently hovered over one spot. Sam was
impressed by his father's work, and looked toward the
window where his father was, and gave him a thumb's up.
"Jump in," said Red Fox.
Peter ran toward the vessel and the doors
automatically opened. Inside was totally awesome.
Everything could be run by an invisible force.
Red Fox and Sam were in the front seat as Jane and
Peter sat in the back. Sam loved the way the vessel took
off; for once, a happy childhood smile crossed his face. He
was like a kid again. The ride to Peter's new school was a
fun trip. At last, the family began to see a newly
developed Baja, a planet they had so long missed and hoped
for.
Fairies in their pink, blue and green dresses followed
in itself. Peter tugged on his mother's skirt as he saw
giants and their kids sliding down a huge Beanstalk. At the
right rear of the window, Jane glanced out and saw her
neighborhood, and a sudden rush of emotions came over her.
"Are you okay, mother?" asked Peter.
"Yes, son, I was just thinking of all the fun I had
when I was a kid."
Peter smiled and continued to look out of the window.
There were so many things to see in the skies, from falling
rainbows, to giant plants. It was all new and unique to
him, so he took in all the sights. The vessel moved so fast
and silent, everyone was pointing and calling out to the
skies.
"Look!" said a woman taking her kids to school.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the skies. There was a
massive object up there that no one had ever seen before.
Everyone gathered around, from police officers to news
reporters.
"We have a welcoming committee," said Jane.
Red Fox lowered the massive object, ordering the crowd
to make room through a loud speaker. Everyone moved, and
the door flew open.
"Who's inside?" asked a bystander to a reporter.
Then through the doors walked the Carrot-Tops family.
People began to take pictures and walked up to Peter trying
to shake his hand or even touch him. Peter loved all the
attention, but not Sam. His mind was on the war at hand.
But as any good parent, he played to the crowd, and then
walked in the school. This school was huge; over one
million students, and each one of them had a gift of some
kind and came from galaxies near and far away.
Up above in the skies was a unicorn race. This was a
part of an annual school sport, some unicorns and their
riders were dressed in red and the others in black. They
flew through the skies dodging and jumping through
invisible rings that appeared and then disappeared.
"Oh, boy! That looks like fun," said Peter.
"Don't worry, son. You can join once you start your
new school," said Jane.
As the family walked into the school, they were
greeted by Mr. Stewart. "I have been expecting you, come on
in."
Jane and Peter were all smiles, but Sam was not too
happy with Mr. Stewart. For some reason, he had a bad
feeling about Mr. Stewart. As the family walked to Mr.
Stewart's office, there was very little talking until Sam
asked, "Why do you want my son here? Is it because of his
abilities, or you just want to exploit him?"
"Neither, I just want a young man this gifted to
attend one of the brightest schools in the land," replied
Mr. Stewart with a devilish grin on his face.
As the family stepped into the office, it was like
walking into a freezing storm. The office was very cold, so
that their breath froze in mid-air.
"It's cold, Mother!" shouted Peter.
"I will adjust the heat," said Mr. Stewart.
Within minutes, the office was nice and toasty.
"Why is it so cold?" asked Jane.
"Well, I suffer from a rare illness. I need to be cool
at all times," said Mr. Stewart, and he motioned the
Carrot-Tops to take a seat.
As the family sat down, they were treated like
royalty. Servants brought hot cocoa for Peter and brisk tea
for Mr. and Mrs. Carrot-Tops. Mr. Stewart looked Peter all
over, from his orange hair to his different colored shoes.
All Mr. Stewart would say is "Ummh, hmm." It made the
Carrot-Tops very suspicious of him; so suddenly Jane
grabbed Peter from Mr. Stewart's hands and sat him on her
lap.
"What are you looking for?" asked Sam.
"Just to see if the boy is truly the one," said Mr.
Stewart.
He went on to tell the Carrot-Tops that most kids in
this school had some sort of power, but none like Peter's
-- so powerful and well controlled for a boy his age.
Unlike Peter, all the children were born in Baja. Peter was
the only ghost child born on Earth and out of the world of
the living dead.
Mr. Stewart also told Peter's parents that most of the
kids' powers only lasted a while and never returned. That's
why there were so many kids at the school. Baja was short
on talented and powerful kids. Once a child's powers left
them, they were given a pension and kicked out of Waldorf
Academy. This was very displeasing to the Carrot-Tops, and
they let Mr. Stewart know how very unhappy they were with
him.
Nevertheless, Mr. Stewart did not care about the
Carrot-Tops liking him. All he wanted was to bring the
elders back from hibernation and get Baja back as one of
the most powerful ghost worlds. Sam wanted the same thing,
but not at the expense of his son, or
any other child.
As the family continued to talk to Mr. Stewart, Peter
noticed the lion's head and eyes moving, but when he looked
again, the movement would stop. Mr. Stewart's office was
very weird and strange, as if they were in another
dimension. Every once in a while, Peter noticed ghostly
figures walking by, yet none of the adults were able to see
them.
"You have many spirits in your office!" shouted Peter.
"What do you mean, son?" asked Sam.
Peter explained to his parents that he saw figures
moving back and forth, in and out of Mr. Stewart's wall.
"Nonsense! What an imagination," said Mr. Stewart.
"But it's the truth," said Peter.
"Hush," said Jane to Peter.
"Our son never lies, Mr. Stewart. Something is in your
office, that's why it is so cold," said Sam.
"Nothing is here, check if you like," said Mr. Stewart.
Peter ran over to the wall and began to slowly touch
it. He could feel an eerie finger run across his face, but
when he turned around the figure was gone. He quickly
shouted to his parents, but no one could see the figure, so
Peter gave up trying to convince the adults of what he was
seeing.
As his parents and Mr. Stewart talked, Peter eyes were
intensely fixed on the walls. They seemed to stretch up and
down, longer and longer. The colors seemed to blend into
one. Suddenly, a strange figure jumped out of the walls and
disappeared so quickly Peter could not keep up.
By Mr. Stewart's emotions, he knew what was in the
walls. He gave a phony grin to Peter's parents, and every
once in a while, he would glance at Peter. For some reason,
Mr. Stewart was not to be trusted. He seemed to be a very
secretive man, and could be in more than one place at a
time.
Peter knew he would have to convince his parents that
something was very wrong with Mr. Stewart, and now was not
the time. He also knew his mother wanted the best for him,
and he wanted to make his mother happy.
As his parents talked to Mr. Stewart, the ghostly
figure came out again, motioning to Peter to hush and
watch. Peter watched the figure as it rumbled through Mr.
Stewart's office. The ghost had no face, just a long black
hood that covered it from head to toe. Every time the
figure came in the room, the temperature seemed to drop.
Suddenly the room began to form ice, and then snow!
As Peter went to motion to his parents, he froze. He
was solid like a block of ice. His face was pale, and his
skin turned white. As he looked toward his parents, they
were also frozen in their seats. Jane was frozen as she let
out a burst of laughter, and her breath was frozen in thin
air. Sam was taking off his glasses as he was frozen. The
only thing Peter could do was move his eyes back and forth.
He glanced at the ghost talking to Mr. Stewart, but
could not make out the words. The strange figure looked
back and glanced at Peter with his faceless head. This was
frightening to Peter, and he began to scream. But his
screams were frozen solid, and all that was left was the
frozen air.
Peter drifted off to sleep in the block of ice. He
could vaguely see the hooded ghost leaving, and then the
temperature went slowly back to normal. Things began to
melt quickly, and Mr. Stewart called in a group of little
fairies to clean up the place. They came in to dry the
place with the air from their wings. A thousand of them
were like a whirlwind. The fairies spun and twirled as some
of their wings flickered with different lights. Then it was
as if a sand storm touched down. The fairies worked until
everything was thawed and the office was dry again.
Peter and his parents began to wake up out of the
frozen block of ice. No one knew what had happened. It was
as if time stopped and then started again, but Peter knew
something was wrong. He told his parents he wanted to
leave, but not until Mr. Stewart charmed Peter with stories
of playing with children his age and riding the magic
rainbow and Beanstalks. Peter did not want to lose the
opportunity to see more of Baja and to make new friends.
"Well, Peter, you still want to leave?" asked Mr.
Stewart.
"No, sir!" Peter shouted.
"Come, let me take you on a tour of the school," said
Mr. Stewart.
Peter and Jane were very excited, but Sam still had a
Stewart and his ideas. All Sam wanted was for his son to
attend a prestigious school. Mr. Stewart hurried the family
out of the office with his sly grin, a grin that never
seemed to wipe from his face. Every day he wore the same
smile as if it were painted on.
Mr. Stewart called for his secretary, and off they
went through the school. "Are you ready to see your
future?" Mr. Stewart asked Peter.
"Yes, sir, show me," said Peter.
The family and Mr. Stewart walked up to a giant door.
Peter could hardly see all the way to the top. The door
read "Waldorf Academy" and had an etched drawing of seven
warriors and a group of lions.
Peter and his family stared at the image repeatedly,
it was fine art. The images seemed to be moving. Peter and
his family took a closer look at the lions, and when they
got closer to the image, the lions began to move. Peter
rubbed his eyes thinking he was imagining things. As he
looked back to the art, the lion jumped out. Both Jane and
Peter covered their faces, and when they looked back,
everything was back to normal.
"Honey, did you see that?" asked Jane.
"No," replied Sam.
"I saw it, Mother," said Peter.
Suddenly, the door gave way and parted in half. It
slowly opened, but Peter and his family could see a little
bit of the school, and what Peter saw, he loved.
"Oh, what a beauty!" said Peter.
"What, son?" asked Sam.
Peter explained to his parents that he saw a large
flying fish. Then the doors completely opened. Peter was
right! The place was like heaven, children were everywhere,
and the scenery was out of this world. Some of the children
were riding flying fish in the air. The fish were
multicolored; some were red, white, orange, green and blue.
The children were strapped in tight to each fish, holding a
leash. The fish were all different species; there were
whales, sting rays, sharks and marlins.
One of the children swooped down so Peter could take a
closer look at the animal. This creature was beautiful; his
blue big bugged eyes glanced at Peter and everything around
him. Then it began to lick itself. It was covered in white
with blue polka dots. This was something Peter had never
seen and he was very impressed.
"Mother, look! It's out of the water and on land,"
said Peter.
"Yes, dear. Baja is full of su
rprises," replied Jane.
Peter went up to touch the animal and it took off into
the skies.
"Oh! It's okay, son. It's a little shy, you will have
to train it," said Sam.
What a magnificent creature. It looked like a silver
metal animal; its skin glittered in the sun as it flew
away. Then Mr. Stewart took the family closer to the river
that was flooded with a milk-like substance. There were
kids riding magic seahorses.
The children sat on the seahorses with leather
saddles. There was a race going on, and each seahorse had a
number printed on its side. Just like the other animals of
Baja, they were just as beautiful and charming. The
seahorses were at least ten to twelve feet tall, and the
same or more in length. On them were the magical symbols of
Baja. Their skin was made out of some type of flexible
metal; they looked almost like they had skin made of silver.
There were only three types -- white, black and gold,
and pink. Pink was the rarest according to Mr. Stewart. To
acquire these types of seahorses, hunters had to travel to
the Black Forest where it was very dangerous, so seahorses
came at a very expensive price. Mr. Stewart glanced over at
Sam as he was talking to Peter about the seahorses,
assuming that Sam had no money if his son wanted the
seahorse.
Sam just nodded at Mr. Stewart, knowing his
intentions, "If my son wants it, I will purchase it for
him," he demanded.
Jane looked out and whispered in her husband's ear,
"Honey, you know we are not established yet. We can't
afford this school or anything in it."
"Don't worry, honey. I will find a way," Sam said.
At this time, Mr. Stewart was smirking because he
heard everything that was said. He replied, "If you agree
that Peter can stay here, I will supply all his needs and
wants."
"No, no, we can afford it," said Sam as he looked at
Mr. Stewart in a vengeful way.
As the adults talked, Peter watched the race and
cheered on the winner. The other children began to stare
and point. "There goes the boy who was born out of Baja,"
one child said. They all stopped and watched as Peter took
a tour through the school.
Then suddenly, Clara Cabbage stepped forward and
yelled, "Peter, Peter! Remember me? It's Clara from the
Captain Johnny ride."
Peter ran to Clara and gave her a big hug. "Yes, I
remember you. How could I forget one of the most tomboyish
girls?"
Clara took that as a compliment and began to blush.
The two friends hugged again, and Peter introduced Clara to
his parents.
"What a beautiful girl you are," said Jane to Clara.
The school bell sounded. "We must go, but I will see
you around," said Clara.
Jane and Sam were shocked to see Peter had a friend
already, mostly because it was a girl.
"See, he's making friends already," said Mr. Stewart.
"Oh, Mother and Father! Can I go to this school,
pleeease? I love it!" said Peter.
"But you haven't even seen all of it," said Sam.
So, Mr. Stewart took them further into the gates.
There was plenty to do at Waldorf Academy, from swimming,
riding seahorses, seeing flying fish and going to the moon.
There were also trips to the giant and the Beanstalk, and
the magic classes along with regular academics. The
building that housed the students was humongous.
The school was built like a castle with over 200,000
rooms. The grounds had to be mowed by beavers and very fat
cows. The castle school was all brick and had the emblems
of the elders. This school was almost like stepping back
into the Egyptian era. There were columns upon columns of
hieroglyphics on the walls and all over the building.
There were statues of pharaohs; some were huge while
others were small to medium. It was very intriguing to
Peter. He'd read about Egyptians on Earth, but never
thought he would ever see something like this in his
lifetime. Everyone was impressed. Even Sam had to admit the
school was great for his son. As the tour went on, guards
stood by the doors guarding entrances and exits.
"Why all the guards?" asked Sam.
"Well, these kids are the keys to Baja. Some may be
worthwhile in the future, and it is my responsibility to
make sure they are safe," said Mr. Stewart. "Besides, these
children belong to the richest citizens of Baja. If
anything happened to their children, it would be my head!"
Sam liked the fact that security was tight, and these
were no ordinary security guards. These were monsters and
giants that were built like mountains. They were huge! On
their faces and bodies were the symbols of Baja, burned
into their flesh. Some guards carried sticks; some carried
big clubs like in the caveman era. Their eyes were always
glancing back and forth over the children, making sure
everyone was accounted for. These monsters could sense
danger and fear a mile away.
Peter gazed upon the huge monsters, making eye contact
with them, but to the monsters, Peter was just the size of
a mere ant. "This place is a dream!" shouted Peter.
"I am so glad you like it," replied Mr. Stewart.
As the family continued to walk inside, the place
became even more beautiful. There were huge plants that
whistled and burped out bubbles.
"And who made these plants, Peter?" asked Sam.
"Mother!" shouted Peter.
"You're right, my son," interrupted Mr. Stewart.
The plants were so beautiful. Jane had taught them how
to talk and communicate with people. The plants had become
family. When the plants saw the Carrot-Tops coming, they
shrank down to size. "Our mother has returned!" shouted one
of the plants, and they all came slithering down. One by
one, they used their leaves to pick Jane up into their arms
and spun her around.
"Oh, how we missed you," said one of the plants.
"I missed you too," said Jane.
Everyone laughed and had a ball. Jane explained to
Peter that they had had to leave before she could see her
plants fully grown, and at that time, they were still in
flower pots.
"So someone must have taken them," replied Sam
sarcastically as he looked over to Mr. Stewart.
"Well, all I can say is that I acquired them from a
close friend, before you two left Baja," said Mr. Stewart.
Jane also introduced Peter to the flowers and plants.
They all put their leaves together and began to clap
vigorously as he stepped forward.
"The boy king has arrived!" shouted the plants. One
toe.
"He is perfect. I have never seen a child born outside
of Baja that lived to tell about it," said the plant.
"We must go," said Mr. Stewart.
For some reason, Mr. Stewart wanted the family away
&nb
sp; from the plants. He wanted something kept a secret. Mr.
Stewart pushed and hurried the family on with the tour. But
there was no more convincing Peter, and his family was
hooked. Waldorf Academy was a great school for Peter, and
Baja was a great place for his family. As the school bell
rang, the classes let out, and the hallways were packed
with children.
All the kids managed to get a look at Peter. Some ran
up to touch him, while others stayed back and looked him
over. There were whispers through the crowds of the boy
king. Word passed so fast through the school, but Peter was
more excited to see them than they were to see him.
"Kids, I want to introduce you to Mr. Peter Carrot-
Tops and his family," said Mr. Stewart.
The children began to clap and welcome Peter to
Waldorf Academy. Jane and Sam were happy to see their son
finally fitting in with his peers, so they pulled Mr.
Stewart aside and told him they would be pleased to let
their son attend the school. Mr. Stewart just gave that
sneaky, weird smile that he always did.
Out of nowhere, Mr. Stewart magically pulled out a
contract and asked the Carrot-Tops to sign. He explained to
them that it was just a standard contract that all parents
had to sign and made the Carrot-Tops believe it was just
for enrollment. As they signed the contract, blood began to
fall from the pen ink, and then it turned back into ink.
Jane and Sam did a double take, they weren't sure of what
they were seeing, but they looked at the joy on Peter's
face and continued to sign. Once the signatures were on the
paper, Mr. Stewart could care less about anything else.
What the contract said, they would never know. Mr.
Stewart took off waving his hands and told Peter's parents
to have him back at Waldorf at 8:00 a.m. every morning, and
he let his secretary lead the family out.
"Well, I think he got what he wanted," said Jane to
Sam.
"Well, I have a bad feeling about this too," said Sam.
As the family left Waldorf, Peter was still overjoyed
from his visit. Jane could hardly keep him still -- he was
like a kid on sugar. His parents were happy to see their
son was finally excited about something. Jane and Peter
stopped at a uniform shop in the village shopping area,
while Sam and Red Fox met Samantha Grey in the village to
discuss military business.
The village was a huge area that looked like a
Christmas town. Cobblestones were all through the town with
secret codes and hieroglyphics. There were bakery shops,
toy stores and many more merchants selling to the citizens
of Baja. As Jane and Peter walked through the town,
everyone was pointing and staring. Of course the orange
hair on Peter made them more noticeable.
For Jane, it was great to be back in Baja, her home
she had missed so much. Peter and Jane shopped for uniforms
for him to start school the next day. It was a fun time for
mother and son to spend quality time together. Even though
there were friendly stares and pointing, Jane did not let
this ruin time with her son.
They passed her favorite shop, Cotton Candy Ice Cream.
"Oh, Peter, my dear, you have to try this ice cream!" said
Jane.
Both of them ran up to the store door and inside they
went. It was an ice cream shop tucked away in a little
corner, and was one of the locals' favorites. The shop was
like a candy land -- there was candy decor for miles and
miles. Every candy known to man was at this store, but the
favorite was cotton candy ice cream. Peter's eyes grew as
he saw many selections to choose from. For the first time
in a long time, Peter had the choice of pigging out on pure
sugar. The shop was very busy; people were walking in and
out.
There was a jolly old man at the counter waiting to
serve children big and small. His name was Mr. Smork. He
had a great long blue, purple, yellow and red beard, and
long white hair. His laugh was filled with joy and
happiness. He remembered Jane from years back.
"Welcome back, Jane. Can I get you your favorite of
yellow cotton dip?" said Mr. Smork.
"You still remember," said Jane.
"I will never forget anyone's favorite treats. And who
is this young man?" said Mr. Smork.
"Hi, I am Peter Carrot-Tops. Could I try the
strawberry cotton dip?" said Peter as he extended a
handshake to Mr. Smork.
"You sure can, young man," said Mr. Smork as he belted
out a jolly old laugh.
Peter and Jane watched as three little elves made
their cotton candy ice cream. The elves began to whip the
cotton until it fluffed out of the bowl. Then they added
magical sprinkles that made the cotton candy puff up.
"Wow, that's the largest ice cream I have ever seen!"
said Peter.
Jane and Mr. Smork laughed, they were glad to see a
child's face full of joy. People began to crowd the store
as Jane and Peter were leaving. The news had gotten out,
and once again, the little corner ice cream store was in
the news.
"Bye, Mr. Smork!" shouted Peter as he and his mother
walked away.
People began to push and shove just to get a look at
the boy king and his royal family. Peter and Jane walked
the cobblestone streets skipping and eating their ice cream.
"Oh, this is so good, Mother!" proclaimed Peter.
Off they went to sit on a bench in the park where
Peter and his mom talked about starting a new school and
how Peter must be very careful of the power he now had.
Peter took his mother's advice and gave her a big kiss on
the cheek. From there it went on to laughter and tickles,
Peter laughed with happiness.
"Mother, I am truly happy here in Baja," said Peter.
"Don't you miss Georgia?" Jane asked.
"No, I never fit in, but now I am in a place where I
truly belong and people accept me for who I am," said Peter.
Then off they went. Peter and Jane hit the toy store
named Santa's Box. Peter could not believe his eyes. It was
like an amusement park. There were rides, reindeer and
contests. It was the place everyone wanted to be, and it
even snowed inside. Peter ran up to the door as a
nutcracker greeted him, but Jane stood outside and gazed at
the store. It was the way she last saw it, the big doll and
teddy bear hanging from the roof, and the big face of her
picture as a little girl in the center.
This store was built in her honor by Sam's father to
help all the kids of Baja to have toys, whether it be for
birthdays or Christmas. It was taken away from her and her
family when they were exiled out of Baja. Jane tried to
control her emotions, but was unsuccessful at it. Peter
came running back, asking his mother what was the matter.
She explained the story of her picture and how the store
was once owned by their family.
Peter gazed up at his mother's baby picture and belted
out, "Mother, you are so pretty."
Jane just smiled, held onto Peter's hand and walked
into the store. It was truly a toy land. There were lifesize
riding trains, dolls, stuffed animals and all the
latest toys a child could want. The atmosphere was filled
with joy and children laughing. It was as if Peter and Jane
had walked into Santa's North Pole. Peter took off and
began to play with the disappearing flying balls.
Suddenly, a short, stout old lady approached Jane.
This lady was very short; she only came up to Jane's knees!
She wore her hair in one old-fashioned bun, and let her
glasses tilt at her nose. "Mrs. Carrot-Tops," the squeaky
voice said.
Jane quickly turned around. "Oh! Ms. Sweeney, how are
you?"
"Fine, now that you're back," said Ms. Sweeney.
Jane explained to Ms. Sweeney that they did not own
the store anymore, but Ms. Sweeney had great news for Jane.
She said that since her family was reinstated, everything
that was taken away from them would be given back in full
and with interest. Jane could not believe her ears.
"Are you serious?" asked Jane, as she shook the
daylights out of Ms. Sweeney.
The two ladies sat and talked for a while. Ms. Sweeney
caught Jane up on as much gossip as she could, then she
took Jane by the hand and introduced her to her new staff.
Most of the employees were happy to meet her, but they were
more interested in Peter. Jane called him over and
introduced him to all of her employees.
Jane let Peter know that there had been a change of
fate, and she would regain ownership of the store. Jane let
everyone know that she would be returning to work the next
day, but in the meantime, she had to pick up uniforms for
Peter. He and Jane left the store waving bye to all her
friends. Jane was so excited; she couldn't wait to tell Sam
and his father.