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

plants and trees were still alive, only frozen in time.
Jane stopped to pet a bird that was at a standstill. She could she the bird's eyes moving, but the bird could not move. "Soon I will set you free, little one," she said to the bird.
Everything in the house and its surroundings would be frozen in time until the family moved it out of the house farm. Jane walked through the house looking from room to room and so did Sam.
Sam found his office, and sat back in the leather chair, reminiscing about all the projects he had left unfinished. He took off his glasses and burst into tears. The pain was so great that he slid out of the chair and fell to his knees asking, “Why?” His tears would tear at the heart of any human. Sam stayed on the floor until he got himself together. He finally got the nerve to get up and look around. There were papers all over his office flying in slow motion through the air with a timeless touch.
On one paper, Sam could see some of his work. Before he was kicked out, he was in the process of creating the finest and toughest army for Baja. There were sketch drawings of animals, great and small, wearing armored silver-plated suits. There were animals that were half human and half horse carrying bows and arrows. Sam gently pushed the paper aside as it moved through the air in slow motion.
Down the hall, Sam could hear Jane rumbling, so he went to see what all the racket was about. "Honey, are you all right?" he called out to her.
"Yes, dear," Jane replied.
Sam watched as his wife stared at the nursery they had for Peter before he was born. Everything was still intact -- from the finest cotton blanket, to the crib made of the finest maple. The room was covered in toys that were gifts from the Carrot-Tops’ family and friends. Teddy bears great and small lined the wall. There were train sets that went “choo-choo” around the room. It seemed just like yesterday to Jane. She put her hands over her eyes and began to weep. To the Carrot-Tops, it seemed like their lives had been taken away.
"We must go, honey," Sam said gently.
As they walked through the doors of the courtyard, they could hear Peter having fun with Dingo. Water was splashing with the slow movement of time, and leaves gently glided through the air.
Jane shouted to Peter, “Come on. We must be going.”
Sam realized that his father was nowhere to be found. They searched the entire area of the courtyard until they found him in his favorite place, his gift shop. Grandpa David was a special man with the skill of making and producing the finest toys for all the little children throughout the land. He made antique dolls and train sets. There were kites and teddy bears everywhere. Sam watched as his father touched his past.
Grandpa David was overwhelmed by all that he had lost, and yet he was looking at the past. Sam placed his hands on his father's shoulder letting him know not to worry. He promised his father that he would make everything all right. Although they could not start over, he would make the rest of their lives worth living again.
Grandpa patted his son on the shoulders and said, "Sam, this is not your fault. This is the way of the prophet."
The family got their emotions together and headed out of the door. They continued to look back at a place they once called home.
"Is everything intact?" the guard asked.
"Yes," said Sam.
The guard then processed the paperwork and a huge train came out of the clouds with a loud “choo-choo.” It had to be at least 200 feet long, and there were other houses and property on it. The train was red and silver, and its paint sparkled in the sun’s rays.
The guard gave the workers the okay to load the house and take it out of frozen time. With a few pushes of the buttons, the house was out of the bubble of time, and loaded onto the train. The guard notified the family that the house would be delivered to their old address, 511 Cherry Street. With so much emotion built up, the family only could nod their heads to answer the guard.
"Wow, that train is great!" shouted Peter.
The guard just smiled at Peter, and off the family went out the door and through the tall gates of the house farm to their waiting wagon. As the family loaded up, a huge group of people were waiting, just to get a glimpse of the family. News had spread far and wide to the countrysides, and even in the heavens. Everyone knew the Carrot-Tops were back in town, but the family had so many other important things on their minds, like finding Sam's mother and Jane's family. Off they went, the sun was soon to go down, and they wanted to make it off the roads and home before nightfall.
The ride was long, but the sights were wonderful for their eyes. The family remembered how great and beautiful Baja was. There were unicorns grazing in an open field, and then flying up in the clouds whenever they heard people coming. There were also purple, yellow, green and red horses being sold at an outdoor auction. Peter stood up in his seat because this was so amazing to his young eyes.
As they got closer to where Grandpa David and the others stayed, a feeling of gloom came over the family. It was as if a dark cloud just passed over and stayed in that one spot. The scene was so depressing; Dingo clawed Peter's shirt out of fear. The trees and flowers were dying, turning ash gray in color.
Peter watched as the trees tried to move, but their roots would break from years of rotting. The screams the trees made were heart wrenching. Everyone in the wagon covered their ears.
"Just a few more feet," said Grandpa David.
By the look on everyone's faces, no one wanted to be there. They were disgusted. As the wagon went closer into a deep forest, hundreds of people came running out. Most of them had their hands out, begging for food or anything. Grandpa David pushed them out of the way and introduced them to his family.
One lady burst out and said, "Because of you, Sam, we are here. We were your loyal servants and got punished for it."
Sam had no words to say but sorry, but the people did not accept his apology. For years they had suffered for Sam's sins against the elders. He got out and stood on a hilltop, and told the people he would make everything all right. Right now, he had to find his mother. Grandpa David pointed in the direction of his wife. Under a tree sat an old lady, worn out, and her clothing was dingy and old. She continuously coughed and held her chest. Her hair was in disarray.
"Mother! Mother!" Sam called out.
"Who is playing games?" the frail voice answered back. Sam went to his mother and held her hands letting her know he was back. "My son, I knew you would not forget us," said Sam's mom Dorothy.
Jane, Peter, Dingo and Grandpa David joined in on the family reunion. They hugged and kissed. Dorothy was glad to see Jane, and for the first time was introduced to her grandson, Peter. Dorothy told Sam about how they had suffered in the hot underground tunnels as punishment for Sam's sins. She spoke of the abuse, the hunger, and the many cold nights. Sam was not only angered by what his mother was saying, but also by the knowledge that his brother Marcus had not been any help to them.
By Dorothy's accounts, Marcus let the authorities take them away because, for many years, he felt Sam got special treatment from his mother and father. Dorothy said she loved both of them, and Marcus was jealous of all the power Sam had, from running his own armed forces to making sure the citizens of Baja was well taken care of. Everyone in Baja respected Sam, and Marcus felt as if he had to walk in Sam's shadow.
Sam told his parents that he had to get them out of the dark and depressing forest, but his parents did not want to leave unless everyone was leaving.
"Honey, we have a house with thousands of rooms,” Jane said. “We will get all of them on their feet and then they can move on with their lives."
Sam quickly agreed. He then stood on the hilltop once again and told the people of his plans. Some were reluctant, but many others were willing to go. Anything would be better than being poor and homeless. The crowd began to gather up their few belongings and was ready to start walking to Sam and Jane's mansion. But before they could leave, Jane had one thing to do.
Her heart would not allow her to leave the trees and flowers in a rotting state. She gathered her strength together and touched the largest tree in the center of the forest. It gave root to all the trees near and far. Jane's hair began to blow in the wind; she could feel the trees' pain, and she saw all the horrors they had seen. With all her might, she pushed her hands toward the trees and let her powers flow. Within minutes, the trees stopped crying and screaming. Their leaves began to turn green; their roots began to have life again. Fruit began to appear, and so did the animals that once fled. This was so overwhelming for Jane that she passed out.
Sam and the family ran to her side and picked her up. As Sam was leaving with Jane's lifeless body, a deep voice came from the trees, "We will always be at your service," and then the voice disappeared.
Birds started to make their nests in the trees and the dark clouds suddenly moved away. The forest was once more bright and inviting again. Birds sang and the trees and Beanstalks began to grow. Wow! How amazing Jane's powers were to the people watching.
Sam and the other men carried Jane and the older women to the wagon, while the strong and young walked behind. Dorothy began to fan Jane with a torn piece of paper. Little by little, Jane began to open up her eyes, but she was still weak. She began to mumble about all the pain she saw, and how a war was coming. No one really paid attention to what she was saying. They just wanted to get her home safe and sound.
Peter and Dingo began to make new friends as the older adults worried about grown-up concerns. This was a time of fun and excitement for Peter, not only did he get to stay up later, but he got to have fun doing it.
Little did they know that they were being watched by a group of trolls, maybe eight to ten of them. They stood four feet tall. Their bodies were gray with white polka dots, and their eyes were long and slanted. They had thin lips and large razor teeth. These creatures constantly drooled and slobbered all over the place. They smelled horrible, and to most people, they were disgusting. The townspeople called them Goonies. They watched every move made by the Carrot-Tops. It was apparent that they were reporting to someone. The Goonies made sure to keep out of sight, but not to lose contact with the family.
Dingo knew something was wrong; his animal senses began to tell him another creature was somewhere close. He began to