Chapter 1

The mid-afternoon heat brought beads of sweat to Peter's brow as he tossed haybales to the ground from the top of the huge pile that was stacked on the old wagon. Peter's mother down below grunted as she picked up the fallen bales and handed them off to her husband to stack them neatly in the loft. Out in the fields, his grandfather drove the old green Oliver 770, pulling the baler and wagon behind, his lanky form and straw hat making him look like a scarecrow. Peter had always admired his grandfather for the way he could handle a tractor. Grandpa Bill could back a wagon into the most inaccessible spot without batting an eye or moving his straw hat from his forehead.

Peter pushed back his blonde hair from his hazel eyes and looked down at his skin, which was beginning to redden in the midday sun. He'd never tanned well, despite the amount of time he spent in the sun. It had only two hues: sickly pale and burnt crispy. Sunblock seemed to only make the situation worse.

He finished unloading the wagon and found some shade just as his grandpa pulled in with the next load. He loved this time of year. Hay season was a time when he could gauge just how much he had grown in the last year. This year, he could finally toss the haybales without much trouble. He was proud of that fact. His arms had begun to take on a less stringy shape in the last year, probably because he'd been helping out more than ever, carrying water buckets, hauling grain sacks, and performing other such labor-intensive tasks. He had also gotten a lot taller this year, and he was now one of the tallest boys his age in the area, a fact which earned him a great deal of respect.

Peter thought back to the events that had brought him to this cozy little farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He had been six years old at the time, and they were living in Chicago when the news reached them that Peter's grandmother had fallen ill. The disease was not fatal, but it did mean that she needed constant supervision. After a week of discussion, Peter's parents decided to move out to the old farmstead to help grandpa. Peter was delighted at the idea. He'd always hated the city with it's crowded streets and tough atmosphere, and the thought of living with Grandma and Grandpa McAllister made his little body rock with barely-contained excitement. He had visited the farm the summer before and had enjoyed every second he'd spent there, helping Grandma with the horses and riding the tractor with Grandpa.

Mr. and Mrs. McAllister were delighted to have their daughter June and son-in-law Stephen living with them again, not to mention their only grandson. Stephen had to switch jobs, of course, which meant a long commute, but on weekends he was able to be home and help with the farm activities. June mostly stayed inside with Grandma, in case her illness should flare up. Peter had taken a while to get used to the regular and sometimes grueling schedule of farm life, but he adjusted and had even learned to enjoy the early morning chores.

Lancaster is a rather large county in rural Pennsylvania. It is famous for its high concentration of Amish and Mennonites. Peter had thought it strange to see people who dressed and acted as though they were living in the 1800's, but he soon learned to admire them. The Amish were hard-working, honest, and fair. They had huge families, which was good because without the aid of modern conveniences such as tractors, running a farm required a great deal of manpower. Amish goods are known for being sturdy and of excellent quality, from their vegetables to their quilts to their hand-carved furniture. Peter had made friends with some of the Amish boys who lived down the road. They spent what little free time they had down at the nearest creek catching frogs and salamanders or racing paper boats.

Peter, however, was not a complete farmboy. Like most twelve-year-old boys who were not Amish, he liked video games, which he played on rainy days and at night after his chores were done. he liked to read books, particularly stories involving knights, kings, and magic. He was on the cross-country team at school and could outdistance most of his classmates in a heartbeat.

Though Peter did not like to fight, he sometimes got into scuffles with Rusty, the school bully. Rusty was a menace to anyone smaller than him, which was most everyone. He'd been held back three times in school, giving him the advantage of age as well. Peter would not have ever bothered with Rusty, because Rusty was slow as molasses and therefore posed no threat to him, except that Peter's one friend, Jed, the shortest kid in the school, was Rusty's favorite target. Peter hated injustice, and the sight of the biggest kid in school beating up the smallest one made his blood boil. He would often intervene and end up getting the tar beaten out of him. The only consolation was that Rusty usually left Jed alone for a few weeks afterward. But it was summer now, so Peter didn't have to worry about Rusty until school started again in late August.

Peter's mind returned to realty when his mother scolded him. "Peter! Hurry up and get on that wagon! We've got to get this unloaded before Grandpa gets back with the next one!" The boy swung himself up onto the wagon, clambering to the top of the pile of haybales. Selecting one, he grabbed the binder twine holding the bale together and heaved. Suddenly Peter felt the hay beneath him shifting and he fell, landing with a thud on the hard stone floor of a dark cave.

"Oh, now what have ye done?" he heard a voice say. Peter did not recognize it. He was most confused. Where was he? What had happened to the sun? He couldn't see. His eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness. But why was there darkness anyway? He was outside!

"Oh, not again! Don't tell me I said the spell wrong AGAIN!" a different voice lamented. Peter's vision began to clear slowly. He could see shadowy figures off to one side.

"Spell? Again? What's going on?" Peter asked in bewilderment, his mind whirling.

Author's Note

It's not finished yet. Please leave comments as it progresses.

Reviews

[The earth (Titan maphah..]

The mid-afternoon heat brought beads of sweat to Peter's brow as he tossed haybales to the ground from the top of the huge pile that was stacked on the old wagon. Peter's mother down below grunted as she picked up the fallen bales and handed them off to her husband to stack them neatly in the loft. Out in the fields, his grandfather drove the old green Oliver 770, pulling the baler and wagon behind, his lanky form and straw hat making him look like a scarecrow. Peter had always admired his grandfather for the way he could handle a tractor. Grandpa Bill could back a wagon into the most inaccessible spot without batting an eye or moving his straw hat from his forehead.

Peter pushed back his blonde hair from his hazel eyes and looked down at his skin, which was beginning to redden in the midday sun. He'd never tanned well, despite the amount of time he spent in the sun. It had only two hues: sickly pale and burnt crispy. Sunblock seemed to only make the situation worse.

He finished unloading the wagon and found some shade just as his grandpa pulled in with the next load. He loved this time of year. Hay season was a time when he could gauge just how much he had grown in the last year. This year, he could finally toss the haybales without much trouble. He was proud of that fact. His arms had begun to take on a less stringy shape in the last year, probably because he'd been helping out more than ever, carrying water buckets, hauling grain sacks, and performing other such labor-intensive tasks. He had also gotten a lot taller this year, and he was now one of the tallest boys his age in the area, a fact which earned him a great deal of respect.

Peter thought back to the events that had brought him to this cozy little farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He had been six years old at the time, and they were living in Chicago when the news reached them that Peter's grandmother had fallen ill. The disease was not fatal, but it did mean that she needed constant supervision. After a week of discussion, Peter's parents decided to move out to the old farmstead to help grandpa. Peter was delighted at the idea. He'd always hated the city with it's crowded streets and tough atmosphere, and the thought of living with Grandma and Grandpa McAllister made his little body rock with barely-contained excitement. He had visited the farm the summer before and had enjoyed every second he'd spent there, helping Grandma with the horses and riding the tractor with Grandpa.

Mr. and Mrs. McAllister were delighted to have their daughter June and son-in-law Stephen living with them again, not to mention their only grandson. Stephen had to switch jobs, of course, which meant a long commute, but on weekends he was able to be home and help with the farm activities. June mostly stayed inside with Grandma, in case her illness should flare up. Peter had taken a while to get used to the regular and sometimes grueling schedule of farm life, but he adjusted and had even learned to enjoy the early morning chores.

Lancaster is a rather large county in rural Pennsylvania. It is famous for its high concentration of Amish and Mennonites. Peter had thought it strange to see people who dressed and acted as though they were living in the 1800's, but he soon learned to admire them. The Amish were hard-working, honest, and fair. They had huge families, which was good because without the aid of modern conveniences such as tractors, running a farm required a great deal of manpower. Amish goods are known for being sturdy and of excellent quality, from their vegetables to their quilts to their hand-carved furniture. Peter had made friends with some of the Amish boys who lived down the road. They spent what little free time they had down at the nearest creek catching frogs and salamanders or racing paper boats.

Peter, however, was not a complete farmboy. Like most twelve-year-old boys who were not Amish, he liked video games, which he played on rainy days and at night after his chores were done. he liked to read books, particularly stories involving knights, kings, and magic. He was on the cross-c



nice intro

[A little flame]

Interesting concept! I would like to know more about the character's situation so that I can I feel more connected to him. What exactly is the disease Peter's grandmother has? How did the family take it at first? What kind of person is Jed? Loved the ending in this chapter! Very intriguing. Can't wait to see what happens next. (: