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    Peter Carrot-top

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      Chapter 4

      Return to Baja

      Jane ran into the room where Peter was still fast

      asleep through all the noise, and lying beside him was

      Dingo. Jane smiled and gently touched her son's face. She

      placed a kiss on his cheek, and then Peter opened his

      pretty big blue eyes.

      "What's wrong, Mother?" Peter asked.

      "Oh, nothing," Jane replied. "It's just time to get up

      and start our day."

      Peter jumped up with excitement. He told his mother he

      couldn't wait to see Baja, and all his family. Jane had a

      little bit of worry on her face, but she did not let Peter

      see it.

      He ran into the bathroom where he began to brush his

      teeth. Then in came two mice with fresh towels and new

      clothing for him. They never said a word, just went about

      their duties.

      As Peter was getting ready, Jane met back up with Sam.

      She began to talk to him about how happy their son was and

      that they needed to do anything and everything to clear

      their names. Sam agreed, and off they went to get ready for

      the next day.

      Even though fresh new clothing was on their beds, the

      family liked their old-style ones and kept their original

      clothes. Needless to say, this pissed the servants off.

      They ran and told Victor that the Carrot-Tops would not

      wear their royal garments.

      In came Victor, "Master Sam, you must dress like the

      royal family."

      Sam said, "Victor, my family doesn't need fancy

      clothing to be royal."

      "Very well," said Victor as he cracked a snobbish grin.

      One of the mice started crying; tears were flowing

      everywhere.

      "What's wrong?" Jane asked.

      The mouse shied away and continued crying. Jane went

      over and patted its little head.

      The mouse crawled up in Jane's hand and asked, "Why

      don't you like my tailored garments? I worked a long time

      to make them fit right."

      Jane wiped the mouse's tears and reassured him that it

      was not his sewing, but that they liked a simple style of

      clothing. The mouse calmed down as Jane gave him a big

      kiss. As the mouse blushed, he slid right out of Jane's

      hand.

      "I have to watch out for such a handsome fella like

      you. You might take my wife," Sam said playfully to the

      mouse.

      Everyone began laughing.

      Jane called to Peter, and told him it was time to eat.

      He and Dingo burst into the room, but the three watchers

      caught his attention. "Wow!" he said as he looked at his

      protectors.

      He admired the wizard's hat and how the secret codes

      on the hat glowed from bright to dim. Then he saw the

      knight, covered in all silver armor from head to toe. The

      same secret codes were visible all over his armor. Last,

      Peter loved the barbarian and how big he was. The golden

      leather belt that went around his waist also had codes that

      glittered and glowed. He had golden coins melted into his

      skin from head to toe. Peter had never seen coins like them

      in his life.

      He went over to the barbarian's foot and rubbed one of

      the coins. Peter could feel a shockwave run up his hands as

      he touched the coins. It was so powerful; it made his

      orange hair stand up.

      After a few moments of amazement, Peter went to

      breakfast mumbling to his parent about the three

      protectors. He could barely keep the food in his mouth.

      "I thought you would like them," Sam said to Peter.

      The Carrot-Tops continued eating their breakfast, but

      Peter was in such a rush to see Baja; he ate very fast.

      "Slow down," Jane said to Peter, but Peter was so

      filled with excitement that he could hardly contain his

      emotions.

      As the ride stopped, Peter jumped up and headed to the

      window with his face plastered to the glass. He sat there

      and watched as people got on and off the ride. "Father,

      Mother, come see!" he shouted.

      As Jane and Sam came to the window, they saw so many

      different people getting off and on the ride. They were

      wondering where all the people came from. The ride was not

      big enough to handle that many people, but in Baja, the

      impossible was possible.

      "Quickly," Victor the cat motioned to the Carrot-Tops.

      As the Carrot-Top family came toward him, he let them know

      that this was their stop and they must pack up quickly, so

      that they would not miss their flight.

      "So quickly?" Sam asked.

      Victor just nodded and gave Sam their passports and

      luggage.

      Dingo came running into Peter's arms as he almost got

      left behind. He gave Peter a big fat lick on the cheek.

      Peter laughed as Dingo continually licked him all over his

      face. Victor then threw Sam the deck of cards with the

      three watchers to protect Peter. He told Sam never to lose

      the box of cards because it could be a matter of life or

      death.

      "Wait right here, and the flight will pick you up,"

      Victor said to the Carrot-Tops.

      Nervousness spread on the faces of the family. They

      waited on the platform patiently and waved good-bye to

      Victor and the rest of the crew. They watched until the

      turtle train was out of sight. It seemed to just disappear

      like the wind.

      As the turtle ride disappeared into the hills, a big

      black shadow came over the platform where the Carrot-Top

      family was standing. Everyone looked up. This creature had

      a massive wingspan and had to weigh a ton.

      "Look out!" someone said, as the creature came in for

      a landing.

      Peter and his family were so in awe of the creature

      that they did not hear the warning alarm. A gentleman came

      to their rescue, and pushed the family out of the way.

      "Oh! Thank you so much," Sam said.

      The man just smiled and walked away. Sam turned to

      another couple on the platform to ask them if this was the

      right stop. The couple nodded their heads and said, "Yes,

      my lord."

      "Oh stop, just call us the Carrot-Tops," Sam said, but

      the people just bowed their heads in honor as the Carrot-

      Tops passed by.

      The massive creature was a bird of some sort with a

      long purple beak and gold and white features. It also

      displayed the codes and symbols of Baja. They glittered in

      the sunlight.

      The Carrot-Tops were so amazed that they could not

      move. They became motionless with a surprised look on their

      faces. Peter began walking up to the creature's side and

      then up to his face. The creature's eyes met Peter's eyes.

      "What a magnificent creature!" Peter mumbled to himself.

      "Well, hi there," the creature said.

      Peter was speechless. He ran his fingers on the side

      of the creature's belly.

      "Oh, that tickles!" it said.

      Peter continued to rub and rub its belly; he was so

      amazed to see something that size up close and personal.

      Jane and Sam ran over, telling Peter to leave the


      creature alone. The creature sat down with his legs under

      its stomach. It carried a large cargo area on its back, it

      looked like a floating city. There were buildings that

      looked like castles; the walls were made of pure ivory,

      inlaid with gold. There were long, pointed golden cones

      that were towers where people stayed for long rides. The

      sand outside the tower was pure black.

      People inside watched as the sand revealed what it was

      hiding -- huge, massive devil ray fish that jumped in and

      out of the sand performing tricks for the guests. Then

      there were 20-foot earthworms that were blue and red in

      color that jumped out of the sand and did cannonballs and

      twirled into the air.

      Peter heard the people clapping and saw how much fun

      they were having. He couldn't wait to see the inside.

      People began to get off the ride; they had suitcases and

      other knick-knacks. Some people were going off to work, and

      it was like a coach stop. The Carrot-Tops just watched the

      hustle and bustle of the people of Baja.

      Almost everyone that went by bowed to the Carrot-Tops,

      tilting their hats and extending their respect. The Carrot-

      Tops weren't sure what to make of it, but they began to

      accept their fate and played along with the citizens of

      Baja. People were carrying all sorts of gifts and food; Sam

      stopped a couple and asked what was going on.

      One couple replied, "It is you, my Lord. Now we can

      celebrate Royal Day."

      "Royal Day?" Sam replied.

      Yes, it was Royal Day. It had been 10 years of not

      celebrating any holidays because of the curse Sam left on

      Baja. No holidays were allowed because one of the elders

      could not be awakened, but now, since the word had traveled

      that a gifted child was born of Sam and Jane, the curse

      would be broken.

      When Sam heard this, more pressure mounted, and he

      wasn't sure Peter was the one. A look of fear darkened

      Sam's face. In his heart, he wanted Peter to be the one,

      the one who could make his family name right again. Sam

      knew that if he failed this time, he would never be allowed

      back in Baja. As Sam headed toward his family, standing on

      the platform, a loud horn blew.

      "All aboard, all aboard," a ticket taker yelled.

      Sam, Jane, and Peter headed toward the line, and they

      were greeted by four elf-like servants.

      "This way, my Lord," all the elves said at the same

      time.

      The elves pointed the Carrot-Top family into a private

      entrance of the bird coach.

      Sam looked back as he heard the crowd whispering,

      "That's the king and his family. They have beaten the

      curse."

      As the Carrot-Tops entered the main entrance into the

      hub of the bird, they could hear the creature's beating

      heart. Every time the heart beat, there would be a wave of

      flute music.

      As the family continued to walk through the massive

      meeting area, there were many guests from around Baja and

      from different worlds. They noticed there was quite a

      difference between the rich and the poor. All the rich

      folks had their servants with them, and all the businessmen

      and woman were huddled together talking business, all

      dressed up in business attire.

      "We're out of our league," Jane said to Sam.

      This meeting hall was huge and overwhelming for the

      Carrot-Tops. There were ballrooms with chandeliers as big

      as mountains and many, many fireplaces. Everyone stared at

      the Carrot-Tops.

      One snobbish lady asked her companion, "How could they

      be royal when they are dressed in rags?"

      As the lady stuck her nose in the air at the Carrot-

      Top family; nevertheless, the family minded their own

      business and kept moving. Then they passed another meeting

      place where everything was underwater; Peter and his family

      stopped to watch as mermaids danced and had fun. To Peter,

      that was fantastic. He had never seen a mermaid. One of the

      mermaids saw Peter watching and came up to the glass that

      separates them, and blew him a kiss. Yes, indeed, Peter was

      very embarrassed and began to blush. His parents just

      laughed at their son's shyness.

      As they kept walking down the long golden corridor,

      there were many rooms. Some of the room doors were open.

      One room was a saloon where bar fights were going on.

      Quickly Sam and Jane covered their son's eyes to such

      violence, and one of the elves called for security on his

      secret watch communicator.

      Another door held a big playland for the kids. Peter

      begged his parent to go in. They were reluctant, but they

      let him have a little fun for a while. Sam and Jane watched

      as their son ran toward the playground leaving them behind.

      The playground was huge, with a large sandbox. In it was a

      large worm; it had to be about 20 feet long, and had seats

      on its back for the children to sit in as they rode up and

      down through the air.

      Everyone could hear the children's laughter. Peter

      immediately left his pet and parents behind and ran into

      the line for a ride with the sand worm. He could hardly

      wait! Once in front of the line, the trainer buckled Peter

      and the rest of the kids safely in their seats. Up and down

      the worm went, splashing sand all over the place.

      "Wheeeeeeee!" shouted the children.

      Peter was having the time of his life; waving his

      hands in the air as his proud parents looked on. After the

      fun ride, Peter socialized with the rest of the children.

      There he meet a young kid name Zack Bean; he was very

      slender and had long, golden blond hair that touched his

      shoulders, and big blue hypnotizing eyes. Zack was a very

      well-rounded child. He was very outgoing and easily made

      friends, and he was always the center of attention.

      He also met Nicholas Webster, a very heavy, overweight

      child, who was a joy to be around. Nicholas had short black

      hair and wore glasses that were held together with a piece

      of tape. He wore big, baggy oversized clothing that was

      always tripping him or causing him to fall down. No matter

      what time of day or night it was, Nicholas was always

      eating a banana.

      Next was Clara, tall and skinny, with fire-engine red

      hair that she kept in two ponytails. She wore dusty old

      overalls and miss-matched shoes. Clara was the type of girl

      that bullied boys around -- she was not to be messed with.

      Then there was Robert Clark, a Beanpole of a child who was

      very, very skinny indeed. He was so skinny that he could

      hide behind a pole. Robert was an unusual child for being

      only 10 years old; he was 7 feet tall with slick, greasy

      black hair. He wore ripped jeans and shirts and carried 10

      watches on both wrists. Robert was more strange than

      unusual.

      Last, but not least, there was Benjamin Franklin. He

      had a gene disorder that caused fur to grow all over his

      body. He was an average-size child
    with a great appetite

      for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches -- that's all he

      ever wanted. As he was covered in fur, no one knew what he

      really looked like. He had straight white fur from head to

      toe. No matter what he put on, the fur poked out. It didn't

      matter whether it was clothing or a hat; the fur stuck out

      and was a pain to work with.

      Now Peter had a whole new set of friends to play with.

      Back in the land of the living, he had had a hard time

      making friends. But here in Baja, it was much easier for

      him. Peter's parents were so proud to see their son finally

      make friends and being a normal kid.

      Suddenly, the horn blew very loudly, and down came a

      big floating pirate ship out of the sky. The kids began to

      scream with excitement.

      "It's Captain Johnny!" one of the kids shouted.

      Peter was a little awestruck once again for he had

      never seen anything like this before in his life. The

      pirate ship was huge. It flashed through the sky like a

      bird moving vigorously back and forth. This was a big brown

      ship of some sort with crewmen onboard waving their swords

      at the kids. Peter went over to Robert and asked him about

      the ship. Robert told him that this was the best ride in

      Baja, and that Captain Johnny rides were the best.

      Peter's parents ran over, fearing the worst. He ran to

      meet them, and told them that this was a kids' ride and

      there was nothing to be worried about. As his parents were

      leaving, Dingo, Peter's pet, jumped on his shoulder wanting

      to go with him.

      "All right, boy, you can go with me," Peter said to

      Dingo as he rubbed his head.

      The children watched as the pirate ship came down.

      This was a huge vessel, made of deep maple red wood. The

      ship had to be at least 100 feet long. There were missiles

      and cannons onboard that shot out fireworks. Its long white

      sails fluttered in the winds. The ship came hovering down.

      The children began to scream, "Captain! Captain!

      Captain!" as they chanted for his quick arrival.

      As the ship landed, a well-built man came forward in

      his captain's outfit. He had a patch over one eye, and he

      wore a red bandanna with the outline of a skull and

      crossbones. His goatee came down to his stomach, and his

      long white hair was braided into one long braid with beads

      and sea shells throughout it.

      As the children chanted his name, Captain Johnny came

      forward raised his hands to the sky, and did backflips over

      and over. The kids loved him.

      "All aboard, all aboard," Captain Johnny said.

      The kids climbed up into the vessel. Peter had a

      nervous look on his face. He grabbed ahold of Dingo, and

      off the ship flew, back and forth, swinging higher and

      higher. Then the ship spun around and around in circles

      with the speed of light. The children screamed with

      excitement. This was one of the best times they had ever

      had, but poor little Dingo clutched onto Peter's shirt. His

      paw-like hands began to tremble.

      "It's okay, boy," Peter said like a proud papa

      protecting his young.

      The kids rode the pirate ship for well over 20

      minutes, then they were invited to start the fireworks.

      What a blast Peter was having! But it was time to go. Peter

      said good-bye to all the new friends he had made, and was

      on his way again with the magical flying bird.

      The elves came back and greeted the Carrot-Tops, and

      they showed the family to their room. It was a huge place

      with high ceilings and Victorian decor. Dingo was glad to

      be on solid ground, and he jumped out of Peter's hand and

      onto the floor, rolling and chasing his tail. The Carrot-

      Tops were told that they would be arriving in Baja any

      minute, and that they needed to spruce up a bit. They

      complied and changed into clothing made for royalty.

      Peter wore a silk lace suit that was all white, and on

      his head was a crown. His clothing had the same mystical

      symbols as everything else in Baja. His parents were also

      dressed in all white with crowns that graced their heads.

      They looked like a true royal family.

      Then in came a servant snapping pictures and taking

      them away quickly. The family began to get nervous, not

      knowing what they were up against. Then a loud sounding

      alarm began to blow. Peter ran to the window and saw a

      beautiful sight. It was the land of Baja, very colorful and

      unique. Trees were 100 feet tall or taller, and there were

      beanstalks that giants were sliding down. As Peter looked

      over to the right, he could see a group of colorful birds

      flying back and forth with welcome signs in their beaks.

      The sun was shining brightly, and there were chariots

      flying through the sky carrying kings, queens, and

      descendants of royalty. Peter called over his parents, and

      they rushed to the window. They had not seen Baja in so

      long. Jane began to cry. Baja was a beautiful mystical land

      where the impossible co-existed with the possible.

      "What's wrong, Mother?" Peter asked as he saw Jane

      crying.

      She explained to him that she was the one that grew

      all of those flowers and trees, and that her magical gifts

      were the reason plants flourished. Peter told his mother

      that he was so proud of her.

      Down below, Sam could also see the empires that he

      helped build. Because of Sam's magical ability to move

      objects of any size, he was sought after to build a massive

      empire for the elders. The family embraced each other as

      the door opened and a servant walked in and stated that

      they were in Baja, and their royal presence was needed.

      Peter was excited and was the first Carrot-Top to the

      door. As the servant opened it, they were greeted by armed

      guards. They were dressed in all black with their faces

      covered. The same mystical symbols glittered on their

      clothing. They each carried a secret weapon. One had a

      silver sword that could stretch 10 feet long. The next had

      a ball that created explosions, and the last one had a

      golden bow and arrow. Peter stared the three guards up and

      down, trying to see if they would look at him, but they

      never did. They were focused and never talked or made a

      move unless the Carrot-Tops did so first.

      Off they went; they were led by two elves through a

      big double door. They were so huge that the Carrot-Tops had

      to look all the way up to see the door handles. The door

      was solid gold with different secret codes scattered all

      over it. The door had two big lion heads that looked like

      they were moving.

      The family kept moving and looking over their

      shoulders. As they came closer to the door, it began to

      open. A beaming bright light came through the crack of the

      opening, blinding the family. They quickly put their hands

      over their faces and proceeded through the door.

      At first the family could only see the bright beam of

      white light, and then it
    subsided. They were now in an

      arena filled with millions of people from all over the

      world. It was so beautiful, with large marble pillars

      throughout the arena. The pillars were covered with

      beautiful mystical drawings, and there were large statues

      of kings and queens and many famous rulers.

      There were also thousands of army men made out of

      carved marble stone that circled around the entire arena.

      The top of the arena had a dome that had Christian

      paintings on it, including the birth of Jesus, the baptism

      and many more.

      "That must have taken years to paint," Peter said to

      his father.

      People began to clap for the family as they arrived in

      the arena; it was a royal celebration. There was

      entertainment such as juggling and magic tricks. People

      were holding up signs and banners that welcomed the royal

      family's return. The Carrot-Tops were modest and quickly

      tried to settle the crowd down, but it did not work. There

      had not been a magical child born in 10 years. As Peter

      looked over his shoulder to the right, there were tables

      upon tables of gifts and presents, all wrapped in pretty

      paper and big bows.

      After a few minutes of being surprised, the Carrot-

      Tops were escorted to their seats. They were made of gold

      and had the finest feather pillows for cushions. Then a man

      appeared out of nowhere on the large stage. He introduced

      himself as Mr. Patric Stewart. He was very well groomed,

      and his suit had the look and work of a professional

      tailor. Mr. Stewart had no hair on his head; he was

      completely bald. He was a man for getting down to business.

      He cleared his throat and gave a welcome speech to

      introduce the Carrot-Tops. "In ten years there has never

      been a child born with gifts outside of Baja, and our world

      depends on the resources of the gifted ones."

      The speech was long and touching. Patric told the

      crowd that the Carrot-Tops would be staying in Baja and to

      treat them as their own family. For the most part, many of

      the millions of visitors were satisfied, but there were a

      few that whispered about the authenticity of the family

      returning to Baja.

      Mr. Stewart shared that the family had gone through

      their share of betrayals and that in time, everything would

      be returned to right. The crowd clapped and cheered,

      balloons began to fly into the air. It was a big day in

      Baja, very festive and joyous. After the speech, he came

      over and greeted the Carrot-Tops. Sam and Jane knew him

      very well; he was the one that kicked them out of Baja many

      years ago. Mr. Stewart was very humble in his apology, but

      he was still skeptical about Peter's powers. This was

      something he had only heard about and not seen for himself.

      He walked over to Peter and requested to see his

      powers. Sam was upset about the request, but Mr. Stewart

      reminded the Carrot-Tops that if they wanted to make it in

      Baja, they would have to prove that Peter was a gifted

      child. Very reluctantly Sam gave in, but he was still very

      disappointed by Mr. Stewart's request.

      "It's okay, Father. I'll do it," Peter proclaimed.

      Mr. Stewart got the crowd's attention to watch a

      miracle in action. The air was thick, and in that big

      arena, you could hear a pin drop. Suddenly Peter held his

      hand to the ground. The dust began to fly and the earth

      began to shake. The crowd was frightened to see the power

      of a little boy in action.

      Peter's orange hair began to flap in the wind,

      vigorously swaying back and forth. Suddenly huge chunks of

      rock and earth began to fly up and into the air. With

      lightning speed, a whirlwind erupted. As the dust finally

      settled, there was a gigantic hole the same size as the

      arena. When the crowd looked down, there was nothing but

      pure darkness.

      Peter, his family and Mr. Stewart were standing on a

      little chunk of rock; there was nothing else left. Mr.

      Stewart looked down into the hole and saw nothing. It was

      like this hole was a never ending abyss. Then, suddenly, he

      leapt off the side of the rock and into the hole.

      The crowds screamed at the top of their lungs, and

      then went silent. Sam and Jane feared the worst -- that Mr.

      Stewart was gone for good. But then, he suddenly appeared,

      brushing the dirt from his shoulders. He raised his hands

      to the crowd, letting them know that he was okay. Mr.

      Stewart leaned over and told the Carrot-Tops that they had

      one special child.

      Sam smiled, but deep down he knew there was more to

      Mr. Stewart's comments than he let on. After all, this was

      the man that kicked them out of Baja. The crowd was roaring

      and cheering for Peter, and they kept calling his name.

      A big, wide grin graced Peter's face. He was a happy

      boy because he was in a land that appreciated him for who

      he was. Sam and Jane rushed over to hug him. After the

      show, there were parades and all-night festivities. Sam

      asked Mr. Stewart when they would be in Baja, the main

      island.

      Mr. Stewart asked, "Why are you so in a rush, my boy?

      Enjoy life, because from here on out, you will be proving

      yourself to the entire world."

      After that, Mr. Stewart walked away, never looking

      back at the Carrot-Tops. Sam was puzzled by his comments,

      but went along with the fun.

      Peter was so happy when he and his parents got to tour

      the entire bird ship. He saw the captain's deck, and met

      some very important people of Baja, including wizards,

      priests and royalty. It was overwhelming for Peter, but he

      handled it like anything else -- he got nervous and his

      head swelled like a pumpkin. When this happened, he rushed

      out of the room. Jane ran behind her son to comfort him,

      and let him know that everything would be okay, while Sam

      stayed behind to cover for Peter and Jane.

      For such a long time, Sam had felt neglected by the

      people of Baja. Now he felt like royalty -- a feeling that

      only was ten years in the making. Sam noticed that the

      people were more interested in his son than him. After

      Peter left the room, the royal members of society did not

      want to talk to Sam. They began to shun him over and over

      again. One royal member confided to Sam that his son was

      the only reason he was invited back to Baja.

      Sam was feeling unwanted and that Peter was the only

      reason they were there. He burst through the crowd, pushing

      and shoving with anger. He began to yell for his wife like

      a crazy man.

      "Jane, Jane, let's go!" Sam shouted.

      She came running, with Peter at her side. Sam

      explained to her that they were only there because of

      Peter, and that they might be hanged when they arrived in

      Baja. Jane tried to calm him down, but it did no good; Sam

      was ready to leave, and leave now.

      He ordered the captain to turn around, but he

      explained to Sam that they were rid
    ing on a magical rainbow

      and couldn't turn back because the rainbows were erased by

      sweeping angels. The captain told Sam that, after the

      elders had been in slumber, the world of Baja was under

      attack and easily penetrated, so they had to come up with a

      way to disguise the route to the main inlands of Baja.

      Deep down in Sam's heart, he wanted to go back home,

      but on the other hand, he wanted to stay and confront his

      fears. Sam flopped down onto a chair with his eyes covered

      by his hands, "What, have I done to deserve this?" Sam

      shouted.

      Jane ran over to Sam and gave him a big hug, putting

      her fingers on his lips, motioning for him not to speak.

      Peter ran over and gave them both a big hug. The family

      stayed hugging for a while, and then they got up refreshed.

      A loud horn blew, signaling that the ship had arrived on

      the main land of Baja.

      The crowd of people could be heard un-boarding the

      ship. Peter and his family were guided by the elves to

      retrieve their belongings. He saw the friends he'd made

      getting off and waved to them.

      "See you soon," said Peter as his new friends waved

      back.

      The elves reminded the Carrot-Tops to have their

      passports ready. As the family gathered up their few

      belongings, they headed to the door. People were pointing

      and whispering that they were the royal family, and some

      wanted autographs and pictures. The family felt a little

      strange doing this, but they did it to please the people of

      Baja. All the young kids wanted Peter's autograph. His

      father told him not to let the fame go to his head, and to

      know who his true friends were. As the passengers lined up,

      a voice came over the air telling them to pull out all

      passports and get ready to be scanned.

      The Carrot-Tops held up their passports and a beam of

      white light scanned their entire bodies. No one coming into

      Baja would be left un-scanned, no matter who they were or

      their rank. Dingo was also scanned, poor little animal. He

      was so afraid of the scans, but Peter kept talking to him,

      letting his little friend know that it would be all right.

      During the phase of the white light, the scanner could

      tell everything about a person, from their age to their

      health, even the length of their hair. Everything went well

      going through the scanner for the Carrot-Top family.

      Finally, they were home! Tears began to well up in

      Sam's eyes. Peter watched as his parent's facial

      expressions showed so much pain. He could not do anything

      for them, but feel their pain. One more step and the

      Carrot-Tops were on land. Peter looked back to wave to the

      captain on the bridge and the people leaving. He looked

      around as he saw family after family hugging and kissing

      each other.

      Baja was a beautiful place with countless waterfalls,

      and large animals co-existed with humans and other species.

      There were large beanstalks that giants slid down. Children

      raced their seahorses in the rivers and twenty rainbows in

      the sky gave off a multicolored glow. The trees walked, and

      sang and talked to the citizens of Baja. There were birds

      as big as houses filling the entire sky. There were huge

      statues throughout the land, some reached the clouds. Every

      statue in Baja had a meaning, whether it was of a mighty

      warrior or to educate the people.

      Baja had its fair share of icons. There were golden

      gates, bridges, and rivers that ran through the town

      bringing fresh fish and food to the people. Most of the

      streets were made of mud bricks. Shops were everywhere.

      There was every store a child could imagine -- toy stores,

      train stores, games store -- you name it, Baja had it.

      There were millions of residents that called Baja home,

      walking about the streets going about their daily lives.

      Peter couldn't wait to get into the swing of things.

      He wanted to start enjoying his new home. "Where is our

      family?" he asked his parents.

      Both Sam and Jane looked around, hoping someone would

      come forward and claim them, but no one did. They hailed a

      cab, and just as it was coming, an older gentleman shouted

      "Sam, Sam, my son!"

      Sam and Jane quickly turned around. They looked

      puzzled. They could not recall the face for the life of

      them.

      "Yes?" Sam asked.

      The man explained that he was Sam's father.

      "Father!" said Sam, as he ran up to the man stroking

      his long beard and pale skin.

      "What happened to you, Sam?" asked his father, David.

      "Your mother and I were also banned from Baja. We had to

      work in the hot underground tunnels as our punishment for

      having a failure as a son."

      David explained that they had been kicked out of Baja

      after Sam had. David let Sam know that his mother was

      barely holding on, and today was the first time they had

      seen daylight. Sam became very angry, and he blamed

      himself. He told his father he would straighten everything

      out.

      Peter began to pull on his father's coat tail. "What

      about me?"

      "Oh! Father, I would like to introduce you to your

      grandson, Peter," Sam replied.

      "You are the one that wizards and witches are talking

      about," said David.

      "Witches?" Peter mumbled.

      David told his grandson not to be afraid of evil, but

      by the look in Peter's eyes, he was still afraid. Then Jane

      came forward and stretched out her hands for a hug.

      "Oh! Jane, my beautiful daughter-in-law," cried David

      as they hugged.

      Peter noticed that a strange man was watching them

      from across the street, but when he turned around to tell

      his father, the man was gone, vanished into thin air.

      Peter's eyes began to bulge out and he looked vigorously

      from side to side. But the man was nowhere to be found, so

      he never told his parents anything else about what he had

      seen.

      David quickly looked around and told his son that he

      would take him home.

      "Home?" Sam replied.

      "Yes, home," said his father.

      David explained to Sam and his family that their house

      was never destroyed; the house was put onto the house farm.

      "House farm?" asked Peter.

      "Yes, a house farm," said Grandpa David.

      Jane and Sam explained to Peter that when any citizen

      was facing punishment of any sort, all their belongings,

      including their house, were stored on the house farm. Then,

      when that individual was set free, he or she went to the

      farm and requested their belongings.

      "Let's go," said Peter.

      Grandpa David just laughed and was happy to have his

      family back. As they were leaving, a group of royal

      soldiers came and stopped the family. There were five

      soldiers in all, dressed in all white uniforms and top

      hats. They explained to the Carrot-Tops that because they

      were important citizens of Baja, they would be escorted
    >
      everywhere. One of the soldiers pointed to their beautiful

      transportation. It was all white, and had wings like a bird

      and eight wheel tiers. Brown leather covered the seats

      inside.

      The transportation was new and shiny. Peter was about

      to run over to see it until his mother pulled him back.

      "No! We do not need your charity. We will make it on

      our own," said Jane.

      Then the Carrot-Tops walked away, leaving the

      soldier's puzzled.

      "That fixed them!" said Grandpa David, and the family

      went off to find their home.

     
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