Peter Carrot-top

  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

  the car and waved to the family. Oh, yes! Baja was unique

  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

  feeling that something wasn't right. He went along with Mr.

  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

  plant took her leaves and looked Peter over from head to

  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.