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.
Peter Carrot-top Page 4