Many people believe in stories, whether they are simple stories past down from generation to generation or stories strung elaborately through time and across nations full of fantasy and drama, romance and excitement. The thing is with every story there is a hero. Sometimes it is a shining knight, a prince on a mission, or a person with a purpose. And sometimes it is an unlikely hero, an unwilling figure in the shadows who wasn't planning on being part of a story at all. That is how the hero in this story begins.
Jeremy Curst sits quietly at breakfast, eating his Coco Puffs. His mother stands at the counter with her coffee and cell phone in hand. "Hurry baby, you are going to be late for school." Jeremy slurps the last of the milk from his bowl and hops up. He runs up the stairs to brush his teeth and grab his book bag.
Three minutes later he is kissing his mom and heads out the door.
Jeremy appears to be a normal ten-year-old boy. He wears shorts in the summer and jeans in the winter. He likes playing ball just as much as the next kid. He loves being outside and would just assume not take a bath if his mother didn't make him. Jeremy Curst lives at home with his mother and little brother. His father is in the Army and is over in France or at least that is the last place Jeremy remembers his mom telling him. Sure he misses his dad a whole lot but it is how it is.
Jeremy knows all about heroes and quests and adventures, but his life isn't a story or fantasy. Jeremy sees his life as just a normal everyday life. Nothing exciting ever happens to him and, he believes, nothing too exciting ever will happen. Of course, this is a story about Jeremy Curst and, so, something exciting is certainly about to happen. He just doesn't know it yet. I guess that is how it always is. Exciting things should always take us by surprise.
As Jeremy runs to school this morning something catches his eye. He comes to a halt by the news-stand and stares at the picture on the front page. Is that really his father? He starts walking closer to see what the article reads when he hears someone call out. Distracting him, Jeremy turnes his head toward the voice and trips. He tenses as he sees himself falling to the sidewalk, only he doesn't hit the concrete. Instead of hitting he falls through the sidewalk and is swallowed up into a blackness. It is the type of blackness you get in a really dark room. The kind where you could place your hand inches from your nose and still have the feeling that it might not really be there because you cannot see a thing. The type of blackness that just fills you with the tingly feeling in your toes that shivers up your back to that one little place on the back of your neck. You know that place I mean. And then you shiver your whole body just to try to get rid of that little tingly place. That is that kind of blackness I mean.
Now before you get all upset and want to set this story down thinking it is just going to be another Alice in Wonderland adventure, just remember this story is about Jeremy Curst, not Alice. And it has nothing to do with a Wonderland. I won't promise there won't be a white rabbit that crosses our path or an evil queen here or there. But I will promise there will be no Mad Hatters or Tweedle Dees. So if you wish to keep reading, pick up the pages once more and we will continue on to see what has become of our unlikely hero, Jeremy Curst.
Jeremy Curst sits quietly at breakfast, eating his Coco Puffs. His mother stands at the counter with her coffee and cell phone in hand. "Hurry baby, you are going to be late for school." Jeremy slurps the last of the milk from his bowl and hops up. He runs up the stairs to brush his teeth and grab his book bag.
Three minutes later he is kissing his mom and heads out the door.
Jeremy appears to be a normal ten-year-old boy. He wears shorts in the summer and jeans in the winter. He likes playing ball just as much as the next kid. He loves being outside and would just assume not take a bath if his mother didn't make him. Jeremy Curst lives at home with his mother and little brother. His father is in the Army and is over in France or at least that is the last place Jeremy remembers his mom telling him. Sure he misses his dad a whole lot but it is how it is.
Jeremy knows all about heroes and quests and adventures, but his life isn't a story or fantasy. Jeremy sees his life as just a normal everyday life. Nothing exciting ever happens to him and, he believes, nothing too exciting ever will happen. Of course, this is a story about Jeremy Curst and, so, something exciting is certainly about to happen. He just doesn't know it yet. I guess that is how it always is. Exciting things should always take us by surprise.
As Jeremy runs to school this morning something catches his eye. He comes to a halt by the news-stand and stares at the picture on the front page. Is that really his father? He starts walking closer to see what the article reads when he hears someone call out. Distracting him, Jeremy turnes his head toward the voice and trips. He tenses as he sees himself falling to the sidewalk, only he doesn't hit the concrete. Instead of hitting he falls through the sidewalk and is swallowed up into a blackness. It is the type of blackness you get in a really dark room. The kind where you could place your hand inches from your nose and still have the feeling that it might not really be there because you cannot see a thing. The type of blackness that just fills you with the tingly feeling in your toes that shivers up your back to that one little place on the back of your neck. You know that place I mean. And then you shiver your whole body just to try to get rid of that little tingly place. That is that kind of blackness I mean.
Now before you get all upset and want to set this story down thinking it is just going to be another Alice in Wonderland adventure, just remember this story is about Jeremy Curst, not Alice. And it has nothing to do with a Wonderland. I won't promise there won't be a white rabbit that crosses our path or an evil queen here or there. But I will promise there will be no Mad Hatters or Tweedle Dees. So if you wish to keep reading, pick up the pages once more and we will continue on to see what has become of our unlikely hero, Jeremy Curst.
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