Peter Carrot-top

  Chapter 3

  The Journey to Baja

  Sam was so reluctant to accept his new clothing; he

  had become very familiar with his overalls and old cap.

  Jane just laughed.

  "Oh, honey, you are so set in your ways!" Jane stated.

  Peter was glad to have new clothing, even new clothing

  made by a handful of rabbits.

  As the turtle was on his last step of grooming, Peter

  watched as grasshoppers brushed and cleaned the turtle's

  teeth. Soapy bubbles were splashing everywhere. Oh what fun

  it was for Peter! A place where he finally belonged; and a

  place he could really call home. The look of joy on his

  mother's face meant so much to Peter.

  Then a loud horn blew. It was time to load up and

  leave. Back onboard, the Carrot-Tops were offered a fresh

  hot bath. Jane fixed Peter's bath first. As she made it of

  warm milk and bubbles, the bubbles began to sing to him as

  they floated in the air.

  Jane watched as her son had the time of his life

  playing with the bubbles. Peter had so much fun that he

  didn't want to get out of the tub. After a long time of

  trying to get him out, Jane took her bath, and then Sam

  followed shortly after. After the family was all tidied up,

  they were laced in the finest garments of gold silk and

  Egyptian fabrics.

  "Supper is ready," one of the mice called out to the

  family.

  But where could supper be? The inside of the turtle

  did not seem big enough for rooms and dining. But on the

  contrary, with the press of some golden symbols, the turtle

  turned into a mystical palace. The family was instructed to

  walk down a bright, colorful hallway, where the paintings

  on the walls began to talk and say "Hi" to them as they

  passed by. As Peter looked around in amazement, he laughed

  as two pictures of old ladies gossiped about the new

  arrivals; they pointed and stared.

  As they came into the main dining area, a loud voice

  sounded from the line of servants. "I am Victor Caercio. I

  will be your main servant." But Victor was nothing more

  than a bossy cat who thought he was the best chef in Baja.

  With his Italian accent, he proceeded to tell the Carrot-

  Tops they were dining on the finest of everything.

  Jane laughed and told Victor, "This is too fancy."

  "Nonsense, my queen," said Victor. "You will get the

  best of the best."

  Jane smiled and let Victor do his job. With the snap

  of his paws, he ordered the servants around. But, oh, what

  a sight to see! They were twirling like a well-organized

  team, one got the forks and spoons, another tied the

  napkins, and another poured their drinks. What more could a

  family want than to be pampered like kings and queens?

  The night's meal was a rack of lamb roasted on red

  scalloped potatoes, milk from the finest cow, and warm

  dinner rolls with mouthwatering honey butter. As the

  Carrot-Tops ate, a big screen suddenly appeared on the

  wall. It took up the entire dinning area wall space.

  "What is that, Father?" Peter asked inquisitively.

  "Oh, they are the scenes of Baja," Sam answered.

  The entire family watched the screen as images of Baja

  were shown. There were temples of the elders covered in

  gold and silver with code writing going up and down the

  sides. The temples were so tall that they touched the

  heavenly sky. Then there were flying pelicans that took

  citizens about their daily work and play.

  Peter was especially amazed when he saw a pelican

  taking kids to school. The pelican was built like a large

  vessel that held about 2,000 citizens. It was a gorgeous

  bird with a tail long like a whip. A long strand of hair

  protruded from the bird's head with colors of the rainbow,

  and like all creation in Baja, it had symbols of code going

  around its legs.

  The huge bird had golden straps that ran across its

  nose, and some type of tag that hung from its tail. The

  kids on the pelican seemed to be having fun. Peter began to

  daydream of the way he would have fun once he get there,

  but no one was happier than Sam.

  His orange hair began to stick up as if he had seen a

  ghost. He walked in front of the screen and began to slowly

  touch the images with his fingers. He stepped back in time

  to when he was a boy and had his first school ride. Then

  Sam broke down in tears.

  Jane and Peter ran to his side telling him that it was

  okay, and they were home now. Victor the cat ordered the

  wait staff of mice to bring a chair. Quickly, they ran and

  picked Sam up off the floor. He had fallen to his knees as

  he reminisced about all the things he had lost. He clenched

  his fists, and vowed to regain all of his losses and the

  respect of the citizens of Baja. The wait staff of mice and

  other animals slowly began to clap, one by one, until the

  clapping could be heard loudly.

  "My Lord, this is what we have been waiting for, for

  you to come back and save us," proclaim Victor.

  The Carrot-Tops regained their composure, and began to

  eat their dinner again, but their eyes were fixed on the

  magical screen. Peter continually watched the screen as the

  food missed his mouth. The scenes he watched were of the

  land and the people of Baja. How friendly and happy they

  were. He watched as the kids slid down a long dinosaur's

  tail and had lots of fun. The land of Baja was clearly a

  fairy tale -- trees talked and walked, and children had

  rocks for pets and took them for walks.

  "I want a pet rock, Mother!" Peter shouted with

  excitement.

  "I will think about it," said Jane with a smile on her

  face.

  Baja was so unforgettable -- waterfalls that changed

  colors, rivers and streams made out of milk and chocolate,

  rabbits and animals that walked, talked and lived like

  people. It was the one and only place Peter wanted to be.

  "How much longer before we reach Baja?" Peter asked.

  Jane replied, "One more day, son, and we're home."

  Sam told Peter that Baja was a big place that was

  constantly growing, and the more it grew, the longer it

  took to reach home. He turned to Jane and noticed she was

  very sad. He asked what was wrong, and she said she hadn't

  seen her parents in years. She wondered what they would

  think, and if they would accept her and her family.

  Sam comforted Jane and said, "We will deal with one

  thing at a time. Everything will be all right."

  As dinner was over, Victor the cat called to the wait

  staff to bring forth Miguel. He was introduced as the

  architect of Baja. With the stroke of his paintbrush and

  pencil, he could make anything come to life. The Carrot-

  Tops began to clap for Miguel. Gracefully, he accepted and

  began to draw on the walls. He drew a small tiny dragon

  with big black eyes. He graced the dragon with blue and

  white skin, and his long tail had white fluffy fur at the

&n
bsp; end. His ears pointed up to the ceiling. Peter was so

  excited to see the magic of the pencil. When Miguel was

  finishing drawing the dragon, it came to life and jumped

  into Peter's hands.

  Oh, how excited Peter was! "Can I keep it, Mother?" he

  asked.

  "Yes, you can. But remember, it is your responsibility

  to take care of it," Jane replied.

  Peter couldn't thank Miguel enough. Miguel was so

  pleased and happy to serve the boy prince.

  "I shall name it Dingo," said Peter, and Dingo ran

  into Peter's hand. Before long, they were on the floor

  playing. Dingo licked Peter with his purple and polka-dot

  tongue and began to wag his thick dragon tail. It was like

  Christmas morning to Peter.

  Then Miguel came and sat by Jane with his pencil and

  paper. He drew a large bouquet of singing flowers, and when

  the last petal was drawn, the flowers came to life. The

  bouquet popped off the artist's canvas and into Jane's

  hands.

  "What lovely flowers!" she said.

  The minute Jane touched the flowers, they began to

  grow. That was Jane's gift -- a green thumb for all things

  in the garden. After the flowers grew to about four feet,

  they began to sing the sweetest melody and put Jane to

  sleep. She was at peace in a deep dream world.

  Miguel then moved on to Sam. Sam said he didn't want

  anything, but Miguel knew when not to listen. Suddenly,

  Miguel began to draw, and it seemed to take forever. When

  he was finally done, he motioned Sam to come over and see

  his new gift.

  As Sam came closer, he began to sigh. A beautiful

  piano caught his eye. The piano was made out of tortoise

  shell with hieroglyphic symbols on it. It also had jade and

  gold, and there was no other piano like it in the entire

  realm. Sam was excited and began to play. The keys were cut

  ivory and the legs looked like lion's claws. Sam played the

  sweetest melody as everyone gathered around. Jane woke up

  to the beautiful melody, and walked over to her husband as

  he played his heart out.

  "You never sounded better," Jane replied.

  All the passengers of the ride listened intently as

  Sam played for hours. His music was so hypnotizing, and the

  sounds rolled off the keys like sap from a tree. When Sam

  was done, the entire room began to clap. Even the turtle

  that was transporting the family was impressed.

  But, when Sam turned around, Miguel was gone. He

  didn't have a chance to thank him. Victor the cat told Sam

  Miguel's job was done and when his work was finished, he

  liked to move on.

  Now it was time for bed, and Victor showed Sam and his

  family back to their rooms. These were rooms Miguel had

  made for them before he left. First stop was Peter's room.

  The room was huge with big oval mirrors that covered the

  walls.

  Peter ran and looked into one of the mirrors. He could

  see different images. Some were scary, like a figure on a

  dark hill. Peter tried to make out the face of the figure,

  but a hat was hiding it. Peter watched in amazement as the

  image in the mirror came closer. Sam ran over to the mirror

  and threw a piece of cloth over it.

  Sam told Peter, "Don't ever stare into the mirror for

  long or it will capture your soul. You will become a ghost,

  like what the living on Earth call a 'dead soul'."

  Sam warned Peter that some mirrors were dangerous to

  look in, and if he got caught staring too long, he would

  truly be dead. Sam then ordered Victor to remove the mirror

  and cover the rest of them. Victor had the servants remodel

  the room in a flash. The only thing Peter could see was the

  view outside as the turtle ride took them to their

  destination.

  Peter's room had toys everywhere, from stuffed animals

  to robots, but what he liked most was that he had his

  friend Dingo with him. The room was painted in sugar paint

  in all different designs and colors. The walls were sweet

  to eat, or at least Dingo thought so, and he began chewing

  on the edges of the wall.

  "Time for bed," Peter's parents said.

  He jumped into bed with Dingo. The bed was huge -- it

  almost swallowed them up. The sheets were soft, and the

  pillows were huge, including some that were body length.

  After his night prayers, Peter was fast asleep in no time.

  He'd had a long day.

  Now it was time for Sam and Jane to go to bed. Like

  Peter's room, theirs was huge, but it had no mirrors. It

  was made up for royalty. It took 100 little mice to pull

  the covers back and fluff their pillows. They put glasses

  of warm milk by the Carrot-Tops' bedside and left, one by

  one. The mice had looks of joy and determination in serving

  their king and queen well.

  On the side of Sam's bed lay a golden chest filled

  with gold coins and precious gems. The glitter of the

  diamonds from the light caught his eye. He went toward the

  box and opened it. He ignored all the diamonds and gold and

  reached for a book that lay in the bottom of the chest.

  As he grabbed hold of it, it opened, and there on the

  pages lay three passports to Baja, his, Jane's, and

  Peter's. Sam was amazed to see the details in the

  passports; everything was perfect, from their orange hair

  to their clothing. It was as if someone or something was

  expecting them in Baja.

  The news had spread of their return, so Sam didn't

  want to let his guard down. In the back of his mind, he

  feared that someone would try to hurt Peter or worse,

  kidnap him. After all, there had not been a miracle child

  in 10 years, and only a handful of gifted children made it

  without being cursed for life.

  As Sam began to think about the image his son had seen

  in the mirror, he became very scared. Sam was not taking

  any chances. He immediately called for Victor the cat by

  shaking the bell that was left on the side of their bed.

  When Victor arrived in his nightgown and long stocking cap

  hold a floating light, Sam asked him to have guards posted

  at Peter's door.

  "Very well," Victor said. He then brought Sam a deck

  of royal cards. On them were different types of warriors.

  "Choose one, two or three," Victor said to Sam, and so he

  did. Sam walked with Victor to the hall so that Jane would

  not wake up and become worried.

  In the hallway, Sam shuffled the cards, and as he

  shuffled in a fast motion, he could see the movements of

  the warriors. There was a knight that was armored from head

  to toe; he held a long silver sword. Then there was a

  barbarian who was not only big in size but very powerful.

  The last choice was a wizard dressed all in black that

  disappeared and then reappeared on the card.

  These were the three Sam chose to protect his son. One

  by one, Sam said a spell, "Amenta, Labasa, Carmy," and the

  individual warriors popped out of the cards. Sam needed not

 
say anything, they already knew their job. The three

  warriors stood by Peter's bedroom door at attention. They

  didn't move or blink, as they were steadfast in their

  protection of the boy prince.

  "You've still got it!" declared Victor.

  Sam just let out a big laugh and told Victor good

  night. As Victor went away, Sam glanced over his shoulder

  to see if the warriors were still at attention at Peter's

  door, and they were. They didn't move an inch or blink.

  There was no way anyone could get in that room.

  Sam went to bed and had many nightmares. It was like

  whatever he dreamed came true. Sam dreamed of being kicked

  out of Baja for good and being turned down by the elders.

  Then his dreams switched and he saw himself and his family

  being hanged to death and then burned.

  He awoke in a panic and ran to Peter's room.

  Everything was still safe; the warriors were still standing

  guard. Sam took a deep breath and began to relax, as he

  walked back to the room. He sat on the side of the bed,

  nervous about arriving in Baja the next day.

  "What will people say? How will they treat us?" Sam

  talked out loud to himself.

  All the commotion woke Jane up, and now both of them

  were up and worrying.

  Then a loud voice echoed from the walls of the turtle.

  "I believe in you, Sam," the voice said.

  Sam jumped up from the side of the bed. "Who are you?"

  he asked.

  "It is I, the turtle; are you enjoying your ride?"

  Sam was a little startled, but went on to answer the

  turtle anyway. Sam explained that he was very afraid of

  returning to Baja and that he and his family were at risk

  of disappointing the elders. The turtle comforted Sam and

  Jane telling them not to worry, and that everything would

  be okay.

  "Besides," he told them, "I will always be on your

  side."

  Sam and Jane went over and kissed the turtle walls as

  if they were kissing him. Then the two of them went off to

  sleep. There were no more nightmares, and everyone was fast

  asleep.

  A giant alarm clock went off, waking up everyone on

  the ride. The clock was so huge, the bang made the entire

  ride shake back and forth. It had a big giant face and the

  hands were made of diamonds. "Wake up, wake up!" the clock

  shouted.

  The servants jumped up, rushing to get breakfast ready

  for their royal family. Jane and Sam jumped out of bed to

  see what was going on. As Jane ran out of the room, and

  into Peter's room, she was startled by the three watchers.

  She ran back screaming through the hallway, and Sam came

  out to meet her.

  "It's okay, honey," Sam said to Jane. "They are just

  here to protect Peter."

  Jane's heart was beating so fast that she could not

  say or do anything but nod her head. The three protectors

  bowed down to Jane to show honor and respect. Sam explained

  to Jane why he requested protection for Peter. Immediately,

  Jane became worried. Sam assured her that everything was

  going to be all right; even though he didn't believe it

  himself.