Peter Carrot-top by Yolanda Jackson (ebook audio reader txt) 📖

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 riding 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