Hey! Like I said before, I want to post the prolog for my first Storytellers book, ‘The Quest’ (Title subject to change).

What with this being the first book of the series, this prolog is meant to introduce what Storytellers are and what they do; It’s basically a story within a story.

So I hope you enjoy, and some feedback is definitely appreciated. Also remember this isn’t the final version, so I may change a few things here and there, but it shouldn’t be anything drastic. Thanks!

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A door shines at the end of a long, dark hallway lined with dark windows. A young man starts running down the hall towards the shining door, hand outstretched. He stops running as he nears and puts his hand on the knob. He turns it slowly, and-

BEEP!…BEEP!…BEEP!

The young man groans as he blindingly reaches for the alarm blaring next to his head. After hitting the snooze button he rolls onto his back and sighs. There’s that dream again he thinks to himself.

Someone knocks on his bedroom door. “Peter? Are you awake?” A womans voice calls.

“Yeah, Mom,” Peter replies, sitting up.

“Good. Don’t forget you promised to help Aunt Sapphire with her yard today.” His mom says.

Peter rubs his eyes. “Oh yeah,” he mumbles. A little louder he says “I remember.”

“Good. See you downstairs,” she says, and the sound of footsteps tell that she left the door.

Peter sits and ponders his dream. “This is the third night in a row,” he mutters. Don’t they say that recurring dreams mean something important? He ponders. Shaking his head he gets out of bed and throws on some clothes from the dresser at the foot of his bed.

As he goes by the bathroom he notices his reflection and stops. Pale circles sit under his tired green eyes, showing the restless nights. Crap. Summer is supposed to help catch up on sleep, not lose it. He sighs, runs a hand through his dark hair to smooth it, and heads down the stairs to the kitchen.

His mom feeding his 1-year-old sister Jill. He grabs an apple off the table and starts to walk out “I’m leaving,” He says.

“Do you have your work gloves?” His mom says, wiping Jill’s giggling face.

“Yeah,” Peter says through a bite of apple.

“OK, have fun!” his mom says, but Peter was already gone.

Peter is walking down the road towards his Aunt’s house, the summer sun beating down on his back and a cool breeze blowing. He finishes the apple and eats the core when a voice says “I still don’t understand how you can do that.”

Peter turns and sees the owner of the voice, a girl around his age with long chocolate brown hair and hazel eyes. With her is a guy with dirty blonde hair and striking blue eyes. Peter grins, “Hey Jen, hey Chris.”

“The core is so nasty!” Jen replies, “I think you’re the only guy I know who likes it.”

“It’s not that bad,” says Peter, “besides, now I don’t have to carry the core all the way to my Aunt house.”

“You’re going to Aunt Saph’s?” Chris asks, “What for?”

“I promised her I would help clean up her yard, and now that’s schools out she said today would be best for her.” answers Peter.

“How long do you think it will take?” asks Jen, “Cause Chris and I want to check out the new pool and thought you would like to join us.”

They stop at a crosswalk and Chris nods in agreement “Yeah, I hear it’s pretty sweet!”

“I would love to go with you guys,” says Peter, “It’s shouldn’t take me long. How about I meet you there?”

“Sounds good to me!” Jen says, “We’ll see you soon!”

Chris waves good bye and the two friends go cross the street while Peter turns the corner. Aunt Sapphire’s house sits at the end of the dead-end road, with a bright white picket fence surrounding it. The 2 storey house is off white with black shutters, and the house is easily seen through the budding maple trees that line the road.

As he nears the house Peter sees a older woman sitting in a wicker chair on the porch, her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. She has pale red hair with streaks of grey showing her age.  At the sound of the gate opening the woman opens her eyes and sees Peter. “Peter!” she says, “Good morning!”

“Good morning, Aunt Saph,” Peter says, closing the gate behind him.

Aunt Sapphire stands up and steps off the porch. “It’s so good to see you!” she says as she embraces him.

“Good to see you too,” says Peter, returning the hug, “So what do you need help with?”

Aunt Sapphire smiles, her bright green eyes sparkling, “Right down to business, huh? Well, follow me to the back and I’ll show you what needs done.”

They go around the house and enter a good sized yard surrounded by a wooden fence. On one side of the yard is a large willow tree with a koi pond next to it, and lining the entire back fence is a garden with dead plants.

“So,” says Aunt Sapphire, “What I need is the dead plants pulled from the garden so that I can plant to ones I have inside, I need the willow pruned and the koi pond cleared of any debris.”

Peter nods, hoping it will be as easy as it sounds.

“I need to prep the plants inside, but I’ll be able to help when I’m done,” says Aunt Sapphire, “So how about you start with the garden? The tools are in the shed over there.” She points to a small white shed near the garden.

“Ok, I can do that,” says Peter.

“Good. I be out in a bit” says Aunt Sapphire. she turns and enters the house through the screen door, leaving Peter alone.

Peter pulls out his gloves. “Let’s get this over with” he mutters, as he walks over to the shed. He opens the door and looks up, then closes it. He stands there for a moment and shakes his head to clear it. He opens the door again and stands speechless. On the other side of the doors is a long, dark hallway with a glowing door at the end. This is my dream he thinks to himself. He looks back at the house for his aunt, hoping to see her or one of his friends.

Seeing no one at the door or windows, Peter runs his hand through his hair, trying to register what is going on. “I must be going crazy,” he says aloud, “Either that or I’m still asleep.” He turns and faces the shed again, the door still shining brightly. “If I’m asleep,” he says slowly, “Then will I finally open the door?” He looks around and takes a tentative step into the shed.

Peter walks down the hallway, gaining speed with each step, until he is running towards the door. He stops in front of the door and with a shaking hand grasps the door handle. Half expecting to wake up he doesn’t do anything, but the door is still there, glowing a little bit brighter. He takes a deep breath, turns the handle and pushes the door open. The light gets brighter, blinding him. He shuts his eyes against it covers his face with his arms. He hears a whooshing noise, the door slamming shut, then silence. Peter opens his eyes slowly, and finds himself in a shadowy room, with the only source of light coming from a large fireplace with a roaring fire. “What. The. Heck.” He says astonished. He looks around and finds himself in a small room without windows or any other doors, with large shadows hiding any details.

Peter looks at the fireplace and notices an old woman sitting in a rocking chair, staring into the fire. Her silver hair is in a tight braid and her brown eyes sparkle with life, and a silver blanket covers on her lap that shimmers in the firelight. She wears what looks like a once fancy dress with holes and stains that resemble dirt and grass. How old is this lady? Peter asks himself.

As though she heard his thoughts the woman turns and notices Peter. She smiles, the wrinkles in her face deepening.  “Hello my child,” she says in a soft voice, “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“For me?” asks Peter, “Why?”

She gestures towards a soft armchair in front of her. “Please sit down.”

Peter hesitates at first, but the gentleness of her voice reassures him and he sits in the chair, sinking into the cushion. It’s so comfortable he observes. He turns to the old woman, “So who are you? Are you the reason for my weird dreams?”

“All your questions will be answered,” The woman says. As she stares into his eyes, Peter feels as though she could see into the core of his heart. Suddenly the connection is broken and she sits taller in her chair and looks satisfied. “I promise to answer your questions, but you must do something for me first,” she says.

“What would that be?” asks Peter suspiciously.

“I want you to listen to a story.”

“A what?” asks Peter, not quite sure if he heard correctly.

“A story,” repeats the woman, “This place is where those from the past can share stories with certain people throughout time, to help teach them. Will you please listen to this story? It will teach you important lessons.”

Peter thinks for a moment. This must be a dream. I passed out in Aunt Saph’s backyard and am having another strange dream. Finally deciding there wasn’t anything better to do he says “Yeah, I’ll listen to your story.”

“Wonderful!” The woman says happily, “Then listen carefully…