Analyzed

So... I tried this writing analyzer.

On the first chapter of my book "The Looking Glass":

I write like
J. K. Rowling

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

On a blog post:

I write like
Jane Austen

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

So apparently I have a few *very* different writing styles! =) I like the second idea better, to tell the truth.

Speaking of writing, I'm trying to decide whether or not to attempt NaNoWriMo this month. I have a couple of ideas, but nothing spectacular....

Not to mention that I have a few things going on to keep me busy. (Weddings and whatnot)

I guess I should make up my mind soon if I'm going to do it, though!

The Judgement

     The courtroom is packed with people, all awaiting judgement. The silence is uncomfortable to those who will be tried, their nervous breathing the only sound in the court. The prosecutor is in his element, head held high. He stands beside a table, his cohorts are seated behind it. He taps his foot lightly, albeit impatiently, on the floor, waiting on the Judge to call a name.


     "Joseph Middleton," calls the Judge. A man stands up and moves towards the front of the courtroom. The prosecutor smiles secretively. This man will receive the death penalty for sure. As Joseph reaches the front of the room, the Judge clears his throat, "Mr Prosecutor?"

     "Your Honor," the prosecutor says, dipping his head a little, "This man is Joseph Middleton. His life has been full of wickedness. He was only five years old when he began committing crimes. He started with lying and thievery, but as he grew older, his crimes grew worse. He had no compassion on those he thought were beneath him. He loved outside of his marriage. He hoarded money that should have been given to the kingdom. He spoke evilly of those who should be honored. Even your own name was blackened in his dirty mouth, Honor! More shocking than any of this, though, for years this man has worshiped outside of what the kingdom allows. You of all people must know what a crime this is. Look at this man. See his crimes, Your Honor, and condemn him to the punishment he deserves!"
     So saying, the prosecutor cracked his knuckles and sat behind his table, grinning, gloating. His friends and companions around him sent him knowing looks, also triumphing in the imminent destruction of the man before them.
     The Judge looked at the prosecutor thoughtfully for a moment, then turned and looked at Joseph. The eyes of the guilty man met those of the Judge.
     A movement from the side of the courtroom opposite the prosecutor caused all to turn simultaneously. A man had stood from his position alone behind the table for the defense.
     The still courtroom seemed to grow even quieter as everyone watched the man slowly walk across the floor towards the one who had been charged with such numerous crimes. He stopped and stood in front of Joseph, his eyes meeting those of the Judge. Silent communication passed between them. Finally, the Judge stood.
     "Mr. Prosecutor," He said, "I see before me, not a guilty man, but a perfect man. I have looked into these eyes and seen immeasurable love and compassion. I have seen forgiveness and graciousness. There is nothing foul in him.

This man is not the criminal you think.

 He is my son."

     The Judge, the King, the Righteous One stepped down to Joseph Middleton and put a hand on his shoulder, the man -His Son- standing by. "Come, my child," He said, leading Joseph to the door that would take him out to freedom, "Enter into the joys of My Kingdom. Though your sins were once scarlet, they are now white as snow."

Two Very Happy Things =D

Yesterday was a great day. First of all, look at this here word that I wrote:

Yep, I finished a book. I almost burst into tears as I pencilled the last word. Whenever I finish a book, I get this really REALLY empty sort of feeling. A gone-ness, I guess. Because the story is no longer confined in my brain: it's been freed onto the paper. I also get this wondrously magical feeling of great accomplishment. So it's a rather emotional event for me. The book that I finished is the story of the Beast. Now I get to move on to getting it finalized! =D

Thennnnnn.... drumroll, please:

YAHOOO!!!!!! <3 <3 <3 I've got plans for the summer! I am so excited!

Heroes

I wrote this poem a couple of years ago and thought I would share it today.

Heroes

An image I’ll remember when my memory is gone

The heroes in the picture, immortalized, live on

The flag of a great country

Raised on the somber plain

The faces of the heroes

Born in a nation’s pain

In the rubble of the towers

All was dead and gray

But from those heaps of rubble

Champions rose that day

Years from now the memories

Will still cause tears to fall

But so will many heroes come

To stand up brave and tall

At every fall we rise again

Taller than before

The spirit of America

Lives on from shore to shore.

The picture does not belong to me, but the poem does.

Inspiration

I love fairy tales. Beauty and the Beast is probably one of my favorites. Last November I wrote a book called The Looking Glass. It's the story of a girl who gets into the world where fairy tales actually took place. At the time I knew I wanted to take things further with my kingdom of Aeroth, but I had no clue what I was going to do. Were other kids going to get into Aeroth and discover things about themselves and build character, or what? I thought about rewriting some fairy tales, but decided against that. Cameron Dokey has already done a marvelous job with that - how on earth could I compete???? I figured it out. I'm not even sure where the idea came from, but on Sunday I wondered, "How long was the Beast in the castle before Belle came? And what did he do?"
That was just the beginning. After a long drive from the Denver area back up here to Steamboat (lots of time to think!) I couldn't wait to get down to business and work on a series. The Kings of Aeroth. I'm so excited about it! The Looking Glass is going to be a prequel to the series. My focus is going to be on the GUYS in the fairy tales. And it's been tons of fun so far! A lot of work, though. I've found that it's hard to
1. Get into a guy's part. How on earth do guys think? Most of my books are about girls.
2. Figure out the Beast. His history (the way I see it) kinda helps me understand his character, but he is SO moody and unpredictable
3. Stay in Aeroth. Because the Beast is such a rebellious teen and has so many issues, I find it easier to put him in a modern-day earth sort of setting. It's hard to keep him in Aeroth... speaking the way he should speak, etc.
Another thing that I'm doing that I never did before is to write in first person. Several authors that I have read say that this is difficult. In some ways it is. But in many ways it's easier. I just have to focus on being one character (yeah... I actually have to BE the character for it to work out.) With The Looking Glass it was sometimes hard to have to get so familiar with so many people. I had to know the way they were on the INSIDE to make it translate to the OUTSIDE. Working on the Beast's story, I still have to know some of that, but what's going to come out in my writing is the appearance of things... the way the Beast perceives Belle, her father, his family, etc.
Anyhow... now that you're all bored to tears, I'll wrap this up. =D

The Looking Glass Chapter Five

This is a pretty long chapter, and I think that some of it will be cut when I go back to edit... but ya'll want more, so here it is! I'm going to put the links to the previous four chapters at the bottom of the post in case you need them. =D

Chapter Five

The mirror was covered with dust, so Holly quickly opened her backpack and pulled out a shirt to use as a dust rag. She cleaned the mirror without a second thought to the cleanliness of the clothes she was supposed to wear the next day. Jared looked around the dirty room.

"Well," he said, "This is the first sign I've seen that the story isn't true."

"What do you mean?" Holly asked in confusion, "This is the first proof I've seen that it IS true! Here's the cottage and here's the mirror!"

"Maybe grandfather was wounded and had dreams about the mirror," Jared said, his voice full of disappointment. "I just don't see how a magical mirror could let itself become so filthy!"

"Well let's test it!" Holly exclaimed. "There's the desk over there! I'll see if I can get the other mirror out." She stepped over the the dusty, cobweb covered desk and pulled on a drawer. It came open easily, but nothing was inside. Holly's gaze fell on the center drawer of the desk. The only drawer with a keyhole. Of course! The magical mirror would be locked up! If it was still there, of course. Holly pulled on the drawer, but it was locked. Jared came over.

"I guess we should have known," he said. "There's no way that it could be true, and even if it was true, there's no way that we could actually get to Aeroth."

"So you're just giving up?" Holly said, almost angry.

"Hols, we can't just break someone else's stuff!"

"It doesn't look like anyone will be needing any of this! It's been here for ages!"

"But it still doesn't belong to us!"

"If you break it, you buy it. I don't mind paying for a broken old desk if I can just get into another world! What's your problem anyhow?"

"What you said in the forest is right, Holly, we don't know what's waiting there. I feel responsible for you! We don't even know how to get home, and in a magical land like Aeroth, there's a good chance that we might end up being killed before we could actually find out how to get home!"

"Look, on the plane I thought about the mirrors, and I realized that it would be easy to take the little mirror somewhere else. Then I thought, 'Maybe the little mirror doesn't matter. Most of the magic would have to come from the bigger mirror, right?' So I brought a little mirror." Holly reached into her backpack and pulled it out, holding it out to Jared. He hesitated, but finally took it in his hand.

"How about I go, find out how to get back, come back, and then we can both go?" he asked, "I really don't want anything to happen to you!"

"By the time you get back, I might have starved to death or something. Just do it and I'll come in a minute!" Holly said with exasperation. "Remember what the woman said? It's a world of happily ever after! If everyone who got there was killed, then nobody would be happy!"

Jared nodded and walked over to the mirror. Turning his back to it, he raised Holly's mirror. Holly leaned forward in anticipation as Jared looked into the mirror. Holly had been expecting to be frightened by Jared's disappearance, but instead she found herself jumping back against the wall as Jared howled in pain. His terrifying yell was followed by the little mirror shattering into millions of pieces. Holly stood there shaking, flattening herself against the wall in fear as Jared stood there looking dazed. He held his hand up and looked at it, his face contorted with pain. Holly saw blood running down his wrist.

"Jared! Are you okay?" She finally found the nerve to speak. He stepped towards her and gulped.

"It's magic for sure," he said, his voice choking with fear and excitement. "I think I saw a glimpse of Aeroth before everything went wrong." He held his hand towards Holly and she gasped. The handle of the mirror had burned his hand, and Jared was bleeding as well. Holly grabbed the shirt she had used to dust the mirror and turned it inside out. She pressed it against Jared's hand, soaking up the blood. They stood there in silence for several minutes. There didn't seem to be any words to say. Suddenly Jared whirled around and kicked the bottom of the desk. Holly heard the sound of splintering wood and watched Jared kneel down to see how much damage he'd caused. He pounded the wood with his fists until there was a loud crack. Holly tried to swallow her nervousness as Jared slipped his hand into the hole and felt around inside it. He slowly pulled his hand back out, holding a mirror.

"It's still here," Holly breathed. Jared nodded, and smile spread slowly across his face. He glanced down at his injured hand and said, "I guess we should wrap this up before we go." Holly nodded as he reached for his backpack. He pulled out a bandanna and handed it to her.

"Let me clean it, first," Holly said, grabbing her water bottle. She poured the water over his hand, cringing when Jared winced. Suddenly Holly said, "Jared, do you have a flashlight?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I can't see very well 'cause it's so dark in here, but it looks like..." Holly's voice trailed off.

"It looks like what?" Jared pulled his hand away from her and looked closely at it. Holly knew that she had not been mistaken when he gasped. The cut started at the base of his baby finger and went in a straight line down to the base of his palm where a diamond shape had formed with a circle directly in the middle of it. Jared shook his head as if to clear his mind, then looked at Holly as she finished tying his bandanna around his hand.

"I'm pretty sure this is going to work this time. You ready?"

"Absolutely!"

Jared stepped to the mirror again, lifted the smaller mirror - this time using his left hand - and disappeared! Holly gasped and jumped when she heard a clunk behind her. Puzzled, she turned toward the desk. It took a moment for her to realize it, but she found that the desk was no longer broken! She groaned. The mirror! It wouldn't go to the magical land with Jared, so it had returned itself to the desk, fixing the desk on it's way in.

"I really don't want to break the desk again," Holly said aloud to no one in particular. She put on a stern face and glared at the desk. "Open Sesame!" She cried. Nothing happened. "Argh! I'm going to get to Aeroth if it's the last thing I do!" Holly kicked the desk viciously, and the mirror fell out. Holly half expected it to break, it landed so hard, but it didn't. Holly scooped it up and looked in it. "Am I pretty?" she asked saucily. The image in the mirror rippled and Holly almost dropped it. It's laughing at me! Holly thought as she raised it once again. She lined it up so that it was parallel with the mirror behind her, then risked looking for her reflection. She suddenly felt weightless and lightheaded as she saw a flash of color before blacking out.

As Holly slowly regained consciousness she became aware of waves crashing on a shore. She opened her eyes and at first all she could see was white, but it slowly faded to blue, and she realized that she was lying on her back on a sandy beach. With this realization, Holly sat up quickly. She was in Aeroth! She glanced around and saw Jared down on another section of the beach, looking around.

"Jared!" she called. He looked at her and waved. She ran towards him. "What are you looking for?" she asked.

"I could've sworn there was someone here when I first got here. I thought I heard laughter, but it stopped and everything got quiet."

"So what are we going to do?" Holly asked. "We need to find out about Gem, but what comes first?"

Jared laughed and said, "We should find someone who can tell us how to get home! Knowing that just might come in handy. Who knows? Our quest to get home could end up being our entire adventure here!"

Holly wrinkled her nose and said, "I hope not." She found herself peering over Jared's shoulder towards a line of bushes on the beach. Had she just seen movement? "Jared," she said, "I think there's someone over there."

Jared turned and looked, calling out, "Hello? Is someone there?"

A beautiful young woman stepped slowly out. She was wearing a flowing white sleeveless dress with a gold sash, a golden band around her head. Her hair was a long, luxurious blonde with perfect waves. Holly couldn't help but be a bit jealous and wondered if the girl was a goddess.

"Hello," the young lady said, her voice full of laughter. She turned her palms upward and extended them slightly. Holly was sure that this gesture meant something. Perhaps a show of friendship?

"I'm sorry," Holly said, noticing that Jared jumped when she spoke, "but we're new here and we don't know anything about your land or your customs. In fact, we were hoping we could meet someone to show us around and maybe tell us how we can get home when we're ready to go."

"Where are you from?" the lady asked, her laughing voice taking on a musical quality.

"We're from another world. The planet earth." Holly responded. The woman looked taken aback.

"How did you get here?" she asked in suspicion, the laughter leaving her voice, but the music growing.

"Through Snow White's looking glasses."

"Merry came back to Aeroth shortly before her death over fifty years ago, and she brought the key with her." The lady's formerly pleasant look had turned dark and she said, "Show me your hands."

Holly lifted her hands in the way that the young lady had and said, "By the way, I'm Holly and this is Jared. What's your name?"

The young woman didn't answer, but looked at Holly's hands. She then said, "Mmm. What about you, Jared?"

Jared looked puzzled, but showed the young lady his hands. She gasped and said, "Of course! There could be no other way. I will not tell you my name now. I don't wish any sorcerer to have any claim on my acquaintance." She turned on her heel and began to walk away, but Holly didn't want her to go.

"Wait! Jared isn't a sorcerer! Have you never seen a burn in your life?"

The woman returned hesitantly and said with a voice almost angry, "The burn does not concern me! Are you truly ignorant of the mark on your hand?"

Jared looked at his right hand and said, "I have no clue what it means, but I'm no magician or sorcerer."

"The burn?"

"I got that at the same time as the cut. Look, why don't you let me tell you how we got here. You'll see that you have no reason to fear us." Jared looked puzzled as he inspected his hand and suddenly turned to Holly and said, "Part of the cut has disappeared!"

Holly came over and looked. There was no longer a line from Jared's little finger down to the little diamond on his hand. The woman stepped closer and looked, too, while Jared began their story by retelling of his Grandfather's visit. When he had finished explaining their entry into Aeroth, the lady took a deep breath and said, "Perhaps I am a fool for trusting you, but I will. My name is Triesta, and my father is one of the oldest living beings here in Aeroth. He may know about Gem, and I will ask him about her if you wish."

"That would be great!" Holly said happily. "Where do you live?"

"I belong to the Emerald Pond," Triesta said, gesturing behind her a bit, "I came down to the sea for a little peace and quiet, but found you here."

"What do you mean? You belong to the Emerald Pond?" Holly asked, puzzled.

"Then you truly don't recognize what I am?" Triesta asked, her laughing, musical voice betraying surprise. Holly and Jared shook their heads. "I am a naiad, and Emerald Pond is my native water."

"You live in the water?" Holly said with surprise, "Could I do that, too?"

Triesta laughed her musical, beautiful laugh again and said, "Your fairy godmother could allow you to for a short time. But you probably wouldn't be very comfortable. See, a naiad does live in the water, but in a way we become a part of the water. You would never be able to do that."

"I have a fairy godmother?" Holly said in surprise. "How can I meet her?"

"Most of the time you have to wait until they feel needed and they come of their own accord, but perhaps if you learned of your Maeolyn, you could call her to you."

"What's that?" Holly asked.

Triesta rolled her eyes and said, "You two need a crash course in Aerothian terms and ways! The problem is that I must return to my pond soon, for I need water in the way that you need air."

"We're right next to the ocean, why can't you use that?" Holly asked.

"The salt in the water makes it impure," Triesta answered. "I'm sorry that I cannot help you, but I will call someone who can." She reached into the fold of her dress and pulled out a shell. She blew into it and a low, peaceful note filled the air for a few seconds. Triesta turned to Jared and said, "Lester will tell you anything you need to know. There is one thing that you should know before I turn you over to him, however. In our land it is a custom to greet a new acquaintance by extending your hands. A person's hands tell a lot about them, you know. Holly will be accepted everywhere in Aeroth, but Jared will have more trouble because he has the Sorcerer's Star." She held up a hand for silence as both Jared and Holly opened their mouths to ask questions. "Jared, though I know you meant no wrong by it, your attempt to use the other mirror was an attempt to manipulate magic. There is no greater crime in any of the worlds, but most of those who have the Sorcerer's Star are not punished because the people fear them."

"Why is it called a star?" Holly asked, "It's a diamond!"

"As sorcerers continue to use magic for their own purposes and manipulate it into doing their will, lines will burst from the center diamond. Jared experienced this when he used the wrong mirror. But when he chose to use the correct mirror, the line disappeared because he was no longer messing with that particular branch of magic." Triesta looked up to the sky and said, "Ah, here comes your help. I hope you two have a wonderful journey. If you come back here in the morning, I would love to speak with you some more. Perhaps if you find you need to quest, I can accompany you through the waterways."

"One quick question," Jared said, "If I don't have any lines in my star, perhaps people will be more accepting?"

"More accepting than they would be if you had several lines, but the Sorcerer's Star sets apart all those who bear it. They say that Rexxaldo has so many lines in his star that they wrap all around his hand, an intricate yet deadly design."

"Rexxaldo?" Holly asked.

"I must return to the waters," Triesta replied, "Your questions will be answered by Lester."

"It was nice meeting you!" Holly said happily, and Jared nodded.

Treista looked at a seagull who had landed nearby and said, "Lester, please help these two humans. They are quite ignorant of everything Aerothian, and they will also need lodging for the night."

"Righto!" the seagull said, "Pleased to help in any way I possibly can! I'll take them up to the Beanstalk. I'm sure there will be room there for them."

"Thank you," Triesta said, somehow making a beautiful song of the two words. "Lester, Jared has the Sorcerer's Star, but he doesn't mean any harm. You must not let him be troubled because of it." Triesta waited while Lester cocked his head and flapped his wings. The bird nodded and winked, then Triesta said, "I hope very much to see you soon!" With this, she turned and went swiftly down the beach.

"Well now, if you'll just follow me now," the bird called cheerfully, "I'll get you to the Beanstalk Inn and you can get some clothes."

"We're already dressed!" Holly protested.

"If you insist on looking like that as well as bearing the Sorcerer's Star, I would suggest that you avoid contact with any sane creature." Lester squawked with flap of his wings. Then he lifted off and circled around the pair before heading down the beach. Holly ran after him, pulling Jared behind. Soon they had left the beach and were heading down a cobblestone road. Several people stopped and stared at the two, making Holly feel uncomfortable. They soon left the little village and came upon a tiny cottage. Above the door was a sign that said, "Vacancy" Holly smiled.

"That cottage doesn't look big enough to have a vacancy!" She exclaimed.

"Oh," Lester said, "You're not staying in the cottage. That's just the office."

"Then where are we staying?" Jared asked.

"On the beanstalk of course!" Lester said, "Have you ever heard of Jack?"

"As in Jack and the Beanstalk?" Holly asked. "Yes, we have."

"Well that beanstalk took quite a bit of work to get chopped down. It was big enough to support a giant's weight, you know! The base of the beanstalk has been smoothed off and turned into the foundation for the beanstalk inn."

"That's incredible!" Holly said.

"Hello there!" Lester called. The door opened and a kind looking woman looked out.

"I need two rooms, please," Lester said, "One for the lady and one for the gentleman. I'll stay in the gentleman's room."

"How will you be paying?" the woman asked.

"You may charge it to the account of Sir Trieso."

The woman looked very pleased and said, "Any friend of Trieso is a friend of ours. Hello, sir, m'lady. I'm Louise." She extended her palms, Holly and Jared following suit. Louise gasped when she saw Jared's hand. "Well, now," she said slowly, "If you don't mind, I'll send a messenger to get Trieso's approval before I admit you. Any friend of his is welcome here, Star or no Star, but if you're just using his name, I'd rather not be lettin' you in."

"Of course, of course," Lester said, "There is a messenger coming shortly who will bring a note from Trieso. In the mean time, we will go and find some decent clothes."

Lester took off and Jared and Holly followed. "Lester," Holly called, "Who is Trieso?"

"Bless my soul! Triesta didn't tell you? He's the Lord of the Archen Sea and it's islands. Not to mention one of the oldest beings of Aeroth!"

"Her father?" Jared asked.

"Yes," Lester said, bobbing his head up and down.

"Can you tell me about what Maeolyn is?" Holly asked, still wanting to meet her fairy godmother.

"It's the bond between two beings. In the case of your brother and yourself, your bond is family."

"What about with my fairy godmother?"

"It would be something that both of you love. In many cases this is a favorite food or a favorite story. I suppose your next question will be to ask how you can discover the Maeolyn between your fairy godmother and yourself?" Holly nodded. "Well," Lester said, "When you find yourself enjoying something immensely, you can put your hand to your head and say, 'I wish you were here to enjoy this with me.'"

"Why put my hand to my head?"

"Dear me, child, don't you know anything about fairy godmothers? They know your thoughts. That's why they often appear when you are most distressed. Putting your hand to your head signifies that you're directing your thoughts specifically towards her."

"Can they read anyone else's thoughts?"

"First of all, they do not read your thoughts. Your thoughts are as much a part of them as their own thoughts. They could not stop knowing everything about you if they tried. But to answer your question, unless a fairy godmother had the Sorcerer's Star, there would be no way for her to know anyone's mind but her own and that of her child."

"Ok. Thanks for answering my questions. I have one more. Can I know my fairy godmother's name before I meet her?"

"Yes, if you find a butterfly and whisper your own name to it, it will tell you the name of your fairy godmother."

Holly smiled and said, "I'll have to try that!"

Two hours later, Holly and Jared found themselves wearing Aerothian clothes. Holly had been quite relieved that she wouldn't have to wear a dress. Though Aerothian clothing seemed stuck in the medieval ages or something, women were allowed to wear men's clothes if they had a good reason to, and going on a quest was a good reason. Holly looked at Jared and laughed. "You should've been born a thousand years ago!" she laughed, "You look great!" Jared was wearing a black vest with a white shirt underneath it. Loose black pants and a pair of tall boots completed his ensemble.

Jared rolled his eyes. "These sleeves are way too loose! There's enough material in each sleeve to go all the way around me!" Holly smiled as they walked on, enjoying her tan breeches, buckle shoes, and long white shirt that laced up the front. Her shirt was loose, as well and was long enough to almost qualify for a short dress. She had selected a black belt to wear around her waist, keeping the dress-like shirt from looking too big and saggy.

Lester was sitting on Jared's shoulder, telling him which way to go. Holly heard Jared say, "Why did Triesta think we'd know that she's a naiad?"

Lester said, "A person's eyes and hands are the most important things about them. A naiad's eyes would be blue and have characteristics like water. It's a bit difficult to explain, but you'd know what I mean if you saw it. An elf you can usually recognize because they're so tall, but a young elf would be the size of your sister. You would recognize one by looking at their eyes, as well. Though with an elf, you can't just look once. You have to talk to them, and you will see their eyes change color with their mood."

"Is there anything else we should know about a person's hands?" Holly cut in.

"There is a little mark on the right palm of anyone descended from the great King Richard. That is how we always know that our kings and queens are royalty. If a king dies with no current family, we can find his relatives by the mark on his hand. The third and last thing to look for on a person's hand is a red rash on either index finger. This symbolizes someone who can create magical instruments such as mirrors, wands, slippers, lamps, or carpets. This is the rarest mark in Aeroth, and some say that those who bear it are going extinct."

"Do you have to develop this special talent, or are you born with it?" Jared asked.

"You are born with it. Usually those who bear the mark are born to parents who shared a perfect love and found each other without the aid of fairies, fairy godmothers, seers, spells, genies, or any other thing."

"And this form of true love is really so rare?" Jared asked.

"It would surprise you to know how rare." Lester said sadly.

"I just thought of something!" Holly exclaimed, "If this is the land where everyone finds their true love, does that mean that no one on earth ends up with a perfect match?"

"Not at all," Lester replied. "Sometimes those who visit here will dream of a person on earth, meaning that they need to go there to find their one and only. And that thing you call 'luck' on earth certainly runs rampant. Many of you human beings find the one that you are supposed to be with even though you don't have even the most primitive of magical spells and whatnot."

"Am I too young to find my true love?"

"Holly!" Jared said in surprise, "What are you thinking?"

"As long as I'm here, I may as well figure out who he is."

"I don't think so." Jared replied. He smiled and added, "But it couldn't hurt for me to try and find mine, right?" Holly stuck her tongue out at him and skipped ahead as she saw the Beanstalk.

"Lord Trieso himself came down from Mistral Palace and delivered a recommendation!" The landlady said excitedly. "I never would've thought I'd ever speak with his Lordship!" She extended a roll of paper to Holly. Holly took it excitedly and read the recommendation. It had a big, fancy signature at the end and said that the bearers of the note were friends of his and were to be accepted by any who wished to find favor with the Lord.

"Is Lord Trieso a naiad, too?" Holly asked.

"No, no indeed!" The kind woman said, "He is as human as you or I. He has been counselor to the last two kings because of his wisdom. His wife is a Naiad, though. The beautiful Lady Lena. It is said that his daughter, their one and only child, is nearly as lovely as her mother. But not too many people see her anymore as she is tired of the young men seeking her favor and attention. Her words carry great weight with her father, so her approval or dislike could be taken to the King himself! Every young man who wished to be a knight was seeking the favor of young Triesta until she went into hiding."

"So naiads and humans can intermarry?"

"They can, but it doesn't happen very often. In the case of Lord Trieso and Lady Lena, they were matched from the beginning."

"How did they meet? Does Triesta have the rash on her finger?" Holly turned in surprise as she heard fluttering wings behind her.

"Ah," Lester said, "I apologize. I didn't tell you the proper name for that. It's called the Ryleiss."

The landlady nodded at Lester's explanation and said, "No, Triesta would not have the Ryleiss. Her father Trieso had caught a troll and wished that he would meet his true love within one year of his catch."

"Trolls give wishes?" Holly asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Yes, of course they do! Don't have trolls on earth?"

"No, we don't."

"What a shame! Well, now, I suppose I should take you to your rooms. You must be tired from your trip and everything that's happened to you today."

"I don't feel too tired," Holly said, "But I suppose a nap would be nice."

"I feel rather rude," Jared said, "We've talked to you and asked all of these questions, but we don't know your name yet."

"It's of no importance, but I'm Maggie." The landlady said, taking Jared and Holly's sack from them. They each had a change of clothes and a coat in their satchel. "We'll put some food in them before we leave tomorrow," Lester had said. "I'm sure we'll have to go on a journey to find Gem, so you two had better plan on doing a lot of walking."

Maggie showed them two rooms side by side on the second floor of the Beanstalk Hotel. She then opened their satchels and pulled out their clothes to hang them up. As she pulled out Jared's extra shirt, something fell out of it and she gasped. "Where did you get this?"

"I don't know," Jared said, puzzled. "What is it?"

Lester bobbed his head up and down, squawking. "You had it when I met you. It was in that silly little purse you had around your waist."

"Me? A purse?" Jared looked disgusted, but Holly, who had joined them at just that moment said, "Your camera!"

Jared's eyes widened and he grabbed the object off of the floor. It was a little wooden box with a lid on two tiny hinges. He opened it and gasped. Holly stepped away from him as he got a glazed look in his eyes. It was as if he was staring at nothing, but his gaze was fixed in the direction of the little box. He smiled, then laughed. Finally, he shut it. "Look, Holly. Open the box!" he exclaimed. Holly hesitated at first, wondering what it was that the box did, but caught Jared's enthusiasm and took it. She flipped it open and looked inside. Maggie cleared her throat.

"The memory boxes only work for those who own them. There is only one other in the kingdom to my knowledge. What did you call it?"

"A camera." Jared said.

"What a foreign word! Camuhraw?"

"Basically," Jared laughed, "But how does it work? It was like watching a movie of the favorite memories I've had over the last few years."

Lester flapped his wings and said, "Movie?"

"Uh..." Jared tipped his head back and thought for a moment. "It's like watching real life play out, but it's something that happened a long time ago."

Maggie and Lester still looked a bit confused, but Holly said, "Over the last few years?"

"It started with my first memory since I had the camera," Jared said in amazement. "I wonder if I can control which memory it takes me to, or if I have to wait for all of them to play."

"Try!" Holly encouraged him. "Maybe if you're thinking of a specific memory as you open it, it will go directly there!"

Jared looked at the ceiling, then smiled. "I think I have my memory." He took the box back from Holly and opened it. His gaze became startlingly fixed again, but his smile widened and he nodded his head before closing the box. "It's awesome!" he said. He turned to Lester and said, "The person who invented cameras on earth, would he or she have the Ryleiss?"

"Yes, but no one on earth would be able to see it. Your eyes are blinded by unbelief. When you two return to earth, you'll have more chance of seeing things like the Sorcerer's Star and the Ryleiss, but it's still somewhat doubtful. The unbelief of the general population has polluted the air."

"That's one of the coolest things I've ever seen," Jared said, almost to himself.

"We're honored to have you here, sir," Maggie said, "A wonderful magic box like that isn't something that everyone will get to see in their lifetime. I'm not sure how you came by that Sorcerer's Star, but I'm willing to trust Trieso's judgement and your honest face."

"Thank you." Jared said as Maggie turned and left. He looked at Lester. "So what are our plans?"

"We're going to sleep now. In the morning Maggie will provide us with a few days worth of food before we leave. Our first stop will be Emerald Pond. As Triesta graciously offered her companionship on this trip, and as naiads can be beneficial to a trip, we'll stop there to inform her of our plans before moving on. After that we'll head east to Mount Destni."

"Mount Destni?" Holly asked.

"While you two were getting your clothes together, I asked around. Gem lived in a little village off of Mount Destni. That's another reason it will be good to have a naiad with us."

Holly wrinkled her nose and said, "Did I miss something? Why is it good to have a naiad with us?"

"Bless me!" Lester said, "Naiads can turn into a mist if they must. They'd rather not do it in front of people, but if it's our only chance, I'm sure Triesta will do it. If we run into trouble, she can evaporate and then she'll be able to get word to all of the naiads of Aeroth within minutes!"

"Then you expect trouble?" Jared asked.

"Ah, I forget that you two are unfamiliar with everything about our land. Yes, I expect some trouble." Lester looked from Holly to Jared and said in a low voice, "Mount Destni is the domain of a man who is seeking to destroy the universes for his own evil plans. The man's name is Lord Rexxaldo."

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

The Looking Glass Chapter Four

You guys have absolutely no clue how happy you've made me. There are two - count 'em, two!! - people who want to read more of The Looking Glass. Yay! Thanks so much, you guys! Here is chapter four. Once again, if you're joining us a bit late, here's the previous posts:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four:

Holly clutched the handle to her suitcase and readjusted her purse and backpack. She couldn't believe that she was finally on her way to France! The last few days had been pretty crazy, but totally worth all of the trouble. Holly's best friend Bex was on vacation, so Holly had left a note in their secret mailbox. As close as she and Bex were, Holly hadn't been able to bring herself to tell Bex about Aeroth. She had simply said, "Bex, Jared and I have kinda made up, so he wants me to come to Europe with him on his graduation trip. I'll call you if I get a chance. Luv ya, girl! Hols"

"Holly, keep up, squirt!" Jared called over his shoulder, "You'd think we were taking you to prison with you walking so slow!"

Holly grinned and said, "I was thinking."

"That's why you were going so slow," Jared teased, "Not very good at multitasking, are you? Walking and thinking at the same time..." he let his voice trail off as Holly stuck her tongue out at him. She broke into a trot to catch up with him, then matched his pace with only minor difficulty. Their parents were just a little ahead of them, Mrs. Spencer was almost more excited than the kids.

"It'll be the first time I've been to Europe in 20 years!" She said happily. "Remember our honeymoon, sweetheart?" Mr. Spencer smiled and nodded. "I went a couple of times before that, too. I love France and Italy! I sometimes think it would be a good idea to move there!"

Mr. Spencer laughed and said, "Living there would be totally different than vacationing there. I'd have to work, and you'd have to clean. It would be the same life in a different location."

Holly couldn't help bouncing a little in her seat as the plane took off an hour later. She turned around to smile at Jared, who was in the seat behind her. He chuckled a little, finding his sister's enthusiasm contagious. Not that he needed more enthusiasm! He ran a finger along his camera and grinned, leaning forward.

"I'm glad I got a window seat, but those stupid wings!"

"They're the wings that are taking us to adventure!" Holly admonished. "Hopefully one of our flights will have a better view for you. And better windows, too. My window is filthy! You'd never get a good picture!"

Jared brushed his hand along his window and nodded in agreement. Holly turned to face forward again and settled in for the trip.

"Agh," Holly moaned, "How can a person be so tired and achy after sleeping for so long?"

"Are you going to be okay, dear?" Mrs. Spencer asked.

"I'll be fine." Holly craned her neck, looking at the airport. "It doesn't look all that different," she commented, "I don't know why, but I was expecting a French airport to be different somehow."

"Try talking to someone and you'll figure out that there is a big difference," Jared said, rolling his shoulders. "Man! When I first got on that plane I thought, 'Wow, this is a spacious plane.' but now I'm seeing that even a spacious plane is rather cramped!" Everyone nodded in agreement. Mr. Spencer talked to a man at a desk, then steered the family through the airport. A moment later they were loading their luggage into a taxi and heading for the hotel. The drive was a quick one, and before Holly knew it, she was in a hotel room. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer would share one bed, Holly would sleep on the other, and Jared would use the couch. Holly bit back a grin as she thought of her parent's conversation.

"One room?" Mr. Spencer had asked in surprise.

"Yes, dear. This whole trip is going to be expensive, so I'm just trying to save money in any way that I can!"

"But the trip is for Jared, and you know he's not going to have Holly sleeping on a hotel couch. The guest of honor is going to have the worst sleeping place!"

"Jared wants to go camping for pity's sake! He's not going to mind being stuck on a couch! A hotel couch will be a great deal more comfortable than the ground!"

Holly flopped down on the bed and sighed. "I love Paris already!" she said, "This bed is so comfortable!"

"Well, get ready to go eat some dinner, then we can come back and you can sleep in it."

"What's the order of events, mom?" Jared asked from the doorway.

"Did you guys want to rough it first and come back to relax and recover? Or relax in preparation for roughing it?" Mr. Spencer asked before Mrs. Spencer had a chance to answer the question.

Holly bounced on the bed as she said, "Let's rough it first!"

"Jared?"

"I'm with Holly. I want to get out there and see the rugged woods. It's supposed to be a full moon on Saturday night - I wish I could be in the city and in the country to get pictures, but the moon rising over a tree out in the country will probably be my top pick for a good shot."

"Okay. We'll get you guys on the bus tomorrow, then," Mrs. Spencer said.

All through dinner and as she lay in bed that night, Holly couldn't stop thinking about how close she was to discovering the truth of her grandfather's tale. She was in France now! Maybe within 24 hours she would be in another world! Holly sat up and stepped over to the window, looking out on the beautiful city. Glancing outside, she saw a bright star hanging above the city.

"Star light, star bright," she whispered, "First star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight. Please let Aeroth be there!"

"Holly!" Mr. Spencer hissed, "Get in bed. There's a lot to do tomorrow and you won't want to be tired."

"Yes, sir." Holly said quietly, jumping back into her bed. She suppressed a squeal of excitement, wriggling down into her covers before dropping off.

"We get off at the next stop." Jared said. There wasn't even a hint of excitement in his voice, but Holly knew that it was just a cover-up. Jared had been unable to eat either breakfast or lunch. Usually he ate three meals a day with enthusiasm in spite of his snacking all day long. She craned her neck to look out at the French countryside. It was rather nice, but she couldn't seem to focus.

"Jared," Holly said, "You should take a picture of that little farm over there."

"I'll get it some other time. We're taking the same route back to Paris, you know."

Holly nodded, then her mouth dropped open. "Jared!" she hissed, glancing at the other passengers, "Grandpa didn't tell me how to get back!"

"Someone will know. I hope." Jared said quietly, "But let's not talk about it now. I really don't want anyone getting an idea of what we're doing."

The last 15 minutes of the bus ride seemed like an eternity, but as Holly shouldered her backpack and followed Jared out of the bus station, she realized that the trip had been much quicker than she had anticipated. She picked up her pace as she noticed that Jared was getting ahead.

"Aren't we going to call a taxi?" she asked.

"Why should we? It's only about a mile into the woods, then we just have to find the cottage."

"I'm getting scared," Holly admitted before she even knew what she was saying, "We're going into a forest basically trying to get lost!"

Jared laughed. "Don't you trust me to get you out all right?"

"Get me out of the woods, yes. But there's nothing that we can predict about Aeroth! I might be eaten by a giant or something!" Holly shuddered.

"I thought the giant was killed when Jack cut down the beanstalk."

"Ha ha," Holly said, "That's very funny. Not all of the stories of our world have been recorded in our world, so how can our world have recorded all of the stories of another world? There's probably a lot more giants."

"That's confusing, but I see what you mean," Jared replied. He stepped off the sidewalk of the small town and headed toward the line of trees that announced the edge of the forest. Holly stayed right behind him, her heart thudding loudly. This was it! They were going into the woods that would either prove their grandfather's story, or prove his insanity. Sticks crunched under their feet as they entered the woods. Holly bit her tongue and said, "How big exactly is this forest? Is there a chance that we could wander here all weekend and not find the house?"

"I suppose that would be a possibility," Jared said, "But I'm thinking that we'll get there. We know which side of the woods it's on, and grandpa found it within a few hours."

"But it must be somewhat hidden," Holly countered, "Otherwise a lot of people would know about Aeroth. Unless this descendant of Snow White just really liked grandfather and only told him even after such a short acquaintanceship."

The two walked for 45 minutes, and Holly was beginning to feel tired when Jared said, "Hey, this looks like an old trail! I don't think it's been used for awhile, but it sure looks like a trail." He turned off onto the little path, his own energy apparently renewed. Holly felt herself shaking and wondered if Jared was even half as tense as she was. They continued down the trail for another half an hour before Holly found herself yelling, "Jared! I see it! There's a little cottage!" She broke into a run, Jared following her lead. When they reached the little house they found that it was falling apart and very dirty. Jared knocked on the door but gave no time for an answer. Holly wasn't even sure why he had knocked. If there was anyone in the house, they would have been dead for awhile for the house to look this bad. As they stepped through the door, Holly caught her breath. There against the wall was a big, beautiful mirror.

The Looking Glass Chapter Three

I didn't think that anyone was even reading this, much less enjoying it... but yesterday I was asked if I would post more. In case you're interested and haven't read the previous two chapters, chapter one can be found here and chapter two can be found here.

Holly groaned as she woke up. She had fallen asleep while reading about the Princess and the Pea, and now she had a crick in her neck. She pulled on her bathrobe and ran downstairs to grab a bowl of cereal. She rolled her head around on her shoulders as she pulled the milk out of the refrigerator.

"Someone was up late last night," Jared commented from his seat at the table.

"Mmmm," Holly moaned, "I couldn't sleep."

"You look like you didn't sleep. You should take a shower or something."

"Thanks, Jared."

"I have to go mow our lawn and the neighbor's lawn, but I'll call Mrs. Peters when I get home. Good luck with the trunk!" Jared said, pushing his chair back and grabbing his baseball cap. Holly yawned and nodded. "See you later."

After eating breakfast and taking a shower, Holly ran into the garage. The trunk was in the corner behind the old kitchen table and chairs, so she went and moved the furniture around until she could sit in front of the trunk. Pulling the lid open, she peered inside. "Wow," she muttered, "Who'd ever figure that so much stuff could fit in a little box?" She pulled out a quilt. It had been grandma's favorite. Holly sniffed it, imagining grandma's apple pie, then gently laid the quilt in her lap. Searching through the trunk she found fair ribbons, grandma's wedding dress, old photographs, grandpa's uniform, recipes, an ancient camera, birth certificates, an old Bible, and countless other things. There were at least three journals that belonged to grandma, and Holly put these aside to read later. It didn't look like grandpa had ever written anything. There weren't even love letters! Holly was almost done when the garage door opened and Jared came in.

"How's it going?" He asked.

"Well, there's a lot of neat stuff in here, but nothing that will help us. What about Mrs. Peters?"

"She couldn't really tell me much, but she said that she's pretty sure her dad kept a journal. We can come and look if we want."

"Where does she live?"

"It's about five and a half hours from here. If we left at four in the morning, we'd be there by ten. We could talk to her, look at the journals, and hopefully be back by dinner time. If dad will let us take the car."

"That's a big if. And what about gas money?"

"I'll miss a couple of dates with Casey while we're gone, so I'll use that money on gas."

Holly began placing things back in the trunk. "I hope dad says we can go. But how are you going to explain it to him. You can't just say, 'We're trying to get into the land of fairy tales' or anything like that."

"I'll just tell him part of the truth. We want to see exactly where grandpa was, so we're going to look at his best friend's journal. It may seem a bit overboard, but as long as I'm paying for the gas and all, hopefully he won't mind."

The next hours until dad got home moved slowly for Holly. She was reading through her grandma's journals, which was interesting, but she had a hard time focusing. Excitement and questions bubbled through her. After reading the fairy tales last night, Holly had realized just how magical Aeroth was. There was so much potential for a great time! At the same time though, there was a big possibility that Holly and Jared might run into evil. "If it even exists," Holly thought, reminding herself for the millionth time that there still wasn't any proof.

Finally giving up on the journals, Holly went into the bathroom and pulled out a mirror, looking at the reflection of her reflection, she sighed. Nothing. "What did you expect anyhow, you bonehead?" she muttered, slamming the mirror down on the counter and stomping away. Just as she reached her bedroom door, she heard her dad pulling into the driveway. "Jared!" she yelled, "Jared! Dad's home!" She ran down the stairs and flew out the door.

"Dad! Can Jared and I go on a trip tomorrow?"

"We're already going to France, what more do you two want anyhow?"

"We want to know exactly where in France we're going," Holly said mysteriously. "See, there's this old war buddy of grandpa's that kept a journal, so we're going to go get it so we can know for sure where grandpa was."

"Is that okay with this man?"

"Oh, he's dead already, but his daughter said that as long as we return the journal, we can have it for awhile."

Mr. Spencer nodded. "We'll see. It sounds like an invasion of privacy."

Holly rolled her eyes at her dad's back as he walked into the house. "Sounds like an invasion of privacy," she muttered under her breath.

"I heard that!"

"Sorry, but I really REALLY want to do this dad!"

"I said we'll see. Don't ask for more than that until I know for sure just what you two have up your sleeves. For the last three years Jared has hardly even spoken to you, then suddenly he wants you to come on his special trip with him. The great photographer wants to visit boring old fields and forests instead of seeing exotic creatures first-hand. I don't know how to process all of this, so just give me some time, okay?"

Holly nodded silently. She thought to herself there's that point that parents reach when even agreeing with them aloud can send them over the edge. It's like they're just waiting for you to open your mouth so they can blow up, so even if you say something nice, they're ready to bite!

As Holly was getting ready for bed that night, her dad called up the stairs, "Okay, you guys can go. But for pity's sake be polite! This woman just recently lost her father!"

"Yes, sir!" Holly called down. Jared knocked on her door a moment later.

"You need me to wake you up in the morning?" he asked.

"No, I'm good. I'll set my alarm."

"Okay. I'll see you downstairs for breakfast at 3:45, alright?"

"Absolutely!"

Holly quickly got into bed, hoping that she'd be rested for the drive tomorrow. At least she could sleep while Jared drove. He'd have to stay awake the whole trip. After sleeping so badly last night, Holly went right to sleep and didn't wake up until her alarm went off in the morning. She quickly got dressed and ran downstairs. Jared wasn't in the kitchen yet, but Holly immediately started to make sandwiches. By the time Jared came down, she had made sandwiches and packed them up with apples, carrots, and a case of Dr. Pepper.

"Are we just going to grab cereal?" Holly asked, "Or did you want to scramble some eggs?"

"Cereal works for me," Jared replied, opening the pantry and pulling out the raisin bran. Holly wrinkled her nose and said, "Lame. I'll take some cinnamon toast crunch." Jared pulled out the other box of cereal while Holly grabbed spoons and bowls. After eating a quick breakfast, the pair threw their lunch in the back seat and started out. Holly had thought that she was wide awake, but she discovered rather quickly that she wanted more sleep.

"Did you want me to stay awake?" she asked Jared, "I feel bad sleeping when you have to stay awake the whole time, but if it doesn't make any difference to you, I'll take a snooze."

"Go ahead. I'm fine right now, but I might need you to help keep me awake on the way home."

Holly nodded, then yawned. Soon she was asleep again. When she woke up it was 6:30. "We should be there in three hours, right?" she asked. Jared nodded. "Do you think," Holly asked slowly, "that we might be chasing after something that doesn't really exist?"

"I can't say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind," said Jared, "but I think that the thought that this just might be real will make up for any trouble we go to."

"I can just see us in a few years laughing about the time we tried to leave earth." Holly said with a sigh.

"Really? What I see is us in a few years recalling the exciting times we had in a magical land."

Holly found herself laughing and saying, "Your fairy is still alive!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Suppose that Peter Pan is a true story, too. If every child has a fairy for as long as they believe in fairies, then your fairy is still alive. I've been rather surprised at how willing you are to believe in all of this, Jared."

Jared shrugged, then said excitedly, "Do you think my camera will transport? Wouldn't it be great to get a picture of a genie?"

Holly's eyebrows shot up, "Yeah! I guess so! Never would've thought of that myself, though." She turned and smiled at her brother. "Is that what you're most excited about? Running into a genie?"

"Well, I'd like to see the beast, but he's been transformed. What about you?"

"I wonder if Hansel and Gretel's house is still there? Maybe it's all been eaten by now. I keep thinking how much I want to see certain things, but then I remind myself that we could just be chasing nothing."

"I don't think Grandpa was ever insane."

"Neither do I, but it just sounds so impossible!" Holly exclaimed. Jared nodded and was quiet. The two were quiet for most of the rest of the trip. Holly was glad to be spending time with her brother, but she didn't want to annoy him by talking too much. The last thing she needed right now was for him to get all grown up again and start thinking of her as the annoying, immature little sister again.

When they finally pulled up the long drive to the Peters' house in the country, Holly was more than ready to get out of the car. She jumped out and stretched, walking around the car before following Jared up to the door. Jared glanced at Holly as he rang the doorbell. "I was going to tell you to behave, but I suppose you don't need the reminder."

"No, I don't. But you decided you'd remind me anyhow, I see." Holly laughed to ease her sarcasm, and Jared followed suit. "I guess I was indirectly reminding you, but I didn't really do it intentionally."

The door opened, and a man who probably looked older than he was opened the door. "Come on in, kids, the wife is expecting you," he said, nodding his head in the direction of the living room. "She just had to get some banana bread out of the oven, but she'll be right in."

"Thank you," Holly and Jared chorused.

A few minutes later Mrs. Peters came in. She smiled broadly as she said, "I'm so glad you called! Jared and Holly, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jared said. Holly just nodded.

"I went to look for Dad's old things, and I found the journal for you. I stayed up late last night reading it. I never knew before that my father wrote poetry!" her voice cracked as she said, "I can't thank you enough for making me go through all of that stuff. So many memories."

Jared looked a little uncomfortable as he nodded, but Holly smiled. "Did you get to read the whole thing?" she asked, "I would hate to take it from you if you're not done. Maybe we can just glance through it or something."

"Oh, don't worry, dear, I finished it," Mrs. Peters said, "And I'd love for you two to take it and visit as many of the places as possible. Maybe you can even take pictures if you think it's worthwhile. I would love to see some of the places my father talked about in his writing."

"Jared loves photography, I'm sure he'll take lots of pictures," Holly said enthusiastically.

"Wonderful!" Mrs. Peters exclaimed. "I guess I'll just go get that journal for you now. Would you care for some banana bread and a glass of milk?"

"We don't want to be any trouble," Jared said.

"Oh, you're no trouble at all! I'll get you some and maybe I can tell you a few things I remember my daddy saying about your grandpa. Perhaps you will have already heard all of the stories, but maybe not."

"I'd love that!" Holly said happily.

It was 2:30 by the time Jared and Holly left the Peters' house. It had been a wonderful day, and Holly was glad to have been able to talk about her grandpa so much, but as they got into the car, she turned to Jared and said, "Man, I feel bad. We've practically been lying all day! She thinks we're just really into history and our grandfather's past specifically, but we're not."

"I know what you mean," Jared said, "But there's not really anything we can do about it. The last thing we want to do is to advertise all over the place that we not only believe in other worlds, but are trying to get to one. There would be some people that would want to lock us up, and others who would try to beat us to where we're going. Aeroth would end up as a big tourist attraction!"

"You're right," Holly sighed. She fingered the journal in her lap. "I can't wait to read this!"

"Shouldn't I read it first? I probably know more geography, so I could plan our trip out of it, then you can read it."

"How about I read it out loud on the way home to help keep you awake?" Holly countered.

"That would work."

Holly opened the journal and began to read. It started off with so much day-to-day stuff that Holly found herself skipping bits and pieces. When she reached the point where Mr. Carson was on the way to Europe, Holly stopped skipping. She didn't want to miss a thing. The mentions of her grandfather became more and more frequent as the two soldiers bonded. The light faded as they continued down the road, Holly still reading aloud. She had to turn on the light in the car so she could see, but she kept reading.

"Jared! I think this is it!" Holly exclaimed after finishing one journal entry. She continued reading about the number of men who had been lost in the woods, and how no one knew if they were dead or alive. Lieutenant Carson found himself worried about two in particular: His buddies William Crow and John Spencer.

"So we know where they were," Jared said, "Now we just need to figure out how to get there."