Here it is, 2nd chapter. I guess this is really where the story begins, so I hope you enjoy!
I woke up to the chickens clucking and the cow’s usual moo. I rubbed my eyes. I was in some hay. I must’ve fallen asleep while feeding the cattle. “Where are you, boy,” my mother shouted from the house. I sighed as I got up.
“There you are,” my mother said. “Now go get dressed.” My feet walked to my room, even though I wanted to stay outside. I put on my faded overalls and a plain white shirt. The white shirt was a little dirty, but I didn’t mind. I knew my mother would though. I trudged back down stairs, trying to flatten my hair. No matter what I did, my hair couldn’t be tamed. I chuckled as I thought of a rhyme. My hair is a mane that cannot be tame. I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth. “Breakfast is ready,” my mother called.
She had made my favorite. Potatoes and eggs. She almost never made this for me. “What’s the occasion,” I said, stabbing a potato with my fork. “Have you forgotten? The king is coming today.” I actually had forgotten. However, in my defense, the king almost never went to the village. Unless he was finding men to be his knights.
You see, now that I am 16, I can be a knight. It has always been my dream. I mean, every boy my age wants to be a knight. Plus, if I become a knight, I can take care of my family better. Knights make a lot more money than farmers. I love the animals. But if I became a knight, they’d all be treated like the king's pets. And my family would be like kings and queens. My father, who had to work 24 hours almost every day, who I could never see since he left before I awoke and came home when I was asleep. My two younger brothers, one who couldn’t hear and the other couldn’t see. My older sister who wants to be a doctor but can’t because she must protect my little brothers until they can take care of themselves. It’s so unfair.
I rarely even get to see my siblings, because they and my father live outside the land. When I do see them, it’s not for long, but I treasure that time. You see, my parents are still married and love each other, but having four kids under one roof, along with another one on it’s way, would be too challenging. They barely made enough money for themselves alone. I’ve lived my whole life having to get small jobs so I can help my family. If I made a good impression today, my family will never know this pain again. And that would be a treasure above all.
I finished my potatoes and eggs, which were delicious as usual, and went outside. I fed the animals. I laughed as the chickens clucked appreciatively and the cows dug in. I laughed as the pigs tried to jump on me and our cat, Ginger, as she went around my legs. This was my happy place. But my mom ruined the moment.
“LOGAN! You have school today! Go get ready!” I sighed as I left the animals behind. A baby pig cooked his head to the side, confused. It was my favorite baby pig, pork chop. His big blue eyes seemed so sad that I had to go, I couldn’t take it. I picked him up and put him in the front pocket of my overalls. I grabbed my bookbag and put him inside. “It’ll be alright, we're gonna have some fun,” I said. The pig snorted happily at me. I smiled. “Don’t forget your book,” my mom shrieked, running in with a book I had never seen before.
I was going to tell my mom that, but she looked pretty stressed already. The book had a shiny brown cover. The spine was pure gold, along with the title. The title was in a very fancy script that I couldn’t read. I had never been great at reading, even now. Math, A’s for days. Science, good enough. But reading? That was a different story. Literally. I was going to ask my mom to read it for me, but I decided not to. My mom didn’t like how bad I was at reading and would say what she always does. “Maybe if you tried harder, you could do it!” Whenever she said that I felt like a teacher had just said “Sorry,” in a strict voice and given me a C-.
I put the book in my bag, careful not to hit Pork chop. I went outside. My best friend, Luna, was standing near the picket gate. “Hey, Luna,” I exclaimed, running over slowly so Pork chop wouldn’t be bouncing around. “Hey, Logan. Long time no see.” “If by a long time you mean yesterday then yeah, you're right.”
As we walked to school, I told her how the king was visiting the farm today. She told me about how she invented a new candy she called Luna’s delight, and let me try a piece too. You see, while I’m okay at Math and science, Luna is way better. She gets A+ in every class. She invents stuff as a hobby. She writes stories that would blow your mind away, with twists so twisty you would never see them coming. She also is a great reader. She’s read all the books in the library, twice. True, there are only about 20 books in the whole library, but I can barely read two, while she can read one of them in a day. There's even a rumor going around that the librarian is getting new books from all over the world, some in different languages, just for Luna.
I told her about the book my mother had given me, the one with the gold spine. I showed it to her. She screamed, looked around, and looked at me seriously. “Logan, do you know what that title says?” I shook my head no. “Of Course. Anyway, the title is in a different language. A forbidden language. The language of the witches.” I gasped. I knew this was serious. That language had been banished from our kingdom, along with all witches. A long time ago witches had ruled over the world. Evil wouldn’t begin to describe them. But luckily a witch hunter named Aberon saved us. He killed all those evil witches. He made them go extinct. That’s why there are no witches alive today. That had happened about two hundred years ago. But this book looked new.
“Maybe a witch hid it in the dirt. Maybe, as time continued, your house was built on top of it. And somehow now it’s turned up,” Luna said. “But you remember what they said in history class. The book will only go to a witch. But if so, then why has it come? There are no more witches,” I said. “Right?” “Well, maybe history was wrong. Our best bet is to find out who is a witch. Now let’s see what we’re dealing with.” She took the book out of my hand and with a nervous glance toward me, she opened it.
Some days I wish she hadn’t. I wish I could go back in time and tell her, DON’T OPEN IT! But that’s impossible. And, in truth, this story, our story, it would have never happened if Luna hadn’t opened the book. I still don’t like to remember that pitch black darkness. The feeling like you were falling a million feet. Not knowing what’s below. But once she opened the book, that was all I felt. And the screams. Well, my scream.
I hope you like Logan and are interested in the rest of the story! Any feedback is great!
I hope to share more soon!