Chapter One

I was in a big field that stretched on for miles around me. There was this almost eerie silence

eternally disrupted by the slow, steady, cool breeze. The sky was the bluest blue you could ever

imagine. The sun cast a warm glow of comfort on everything around me. Not that there was much.

There was no sign of life anywhere, except for the grass underfoot. I called out several times, but only

heard my echo, ringing out through the field like a seagull‘s call, nice and clear. I felt as if I could

spend all day soaking up all this wonderful feeling of serenity and being one with the world. It was all

too much to bear. So, I sat down to figure out what had happened and what to do.

I live in Washington D.C. and everyone is always talking and going somewhere. So all this seemed

pretty strange. I figured I must be dreaming, but it seemed so real. Except for the fact that everything

seemed super natural, as if of another world. I had heard of there being other worlds, but never

believed any of it. Then, all of a sudden, this scene of an ancient city came whooshing towards me.

Before I could even register what was happening, much less figure out what to do, I was a part of it.

I slowly stood up hoping not to cause a disruption, but no one seemed to notice me. I figured that

was good because I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and everyone else, togas. Now that I was sure

nobody could see me I started to look around. The building I was in looked exactly like the Parthenon

in Greece from my history book. There were gorgeous rays of sun coming in that lit up the amazing

statues of the gods around the edge, just like I had heard. But I knew I couldn’t be THERE, this was

around 300 or 400 B.C. In front of me was the statue of Apollo, god of music, medicine, and the oracle.

I felt this sudden urge to go to it, like something was pushing me towards it. Even though I’m not

quite sure why, I followed the push. All of a sudden, this voice filled my ears saying,

“You must go through time to find what has been lost

A journey in which you will find yourself within.

But do not get discouraged, just look to the real boss,

Who is there to help you out and in.

Along the way you will find some true friends,

Who will help you make decisions until the very end.

But heed those who stand in your way,

They will trouble you until the last day.”

**********

The bell rang, signaling that class was over for the day. Everybody hurried out, except me. I had

just been in Ancient Greece, and now was back at Washington Middle School. “Come on Bethany!” my

best friend Nichole called, ”We want to get good seats for the presentation!” “Coming!” I called back.

I TOTALLY forgot that they were announcing the seventh grade student body president today! I

had run, and didn’t want to miss it. But today I had other things on my mind. Such as what had just

happened.

“Nichole?” I asked after catching up,” I didn’t fall asleep during class, did I?”

“Are you crazy?” she exclaimed, “You were the most involved person!”

Now things were just plain weird. I thought that I’d just been transported into Ancient Greece,

but at the same time I’m involved in the lesson at school. But I didn’t want to scare Nichole, so I just

played along and followed her into the auditorium.

“Now, before I announce the winner I want to acknowledge that everyone did a very good job in

the run.” Principal Fletcher was saying, “But, as you know, only one will win.”

**********

Then, I was back in the field, except there was someone else there. She looked around twelve and

had long brown hair and a sleeveless white dress, which was dancing in the wind like her hair. I

slowly approached her, when she quickly turned around.

“Hello!” she said, “You must be new. I’m Rose, keeper of the Field of Time.”

Things were getting pretty weird, but I do admit the whole “Field of Time” thing made some sort

of sense. After all, I did go to Ancient Greece. But that still didn’t explain what I was doing here in the

first place.

Not quite sure what to do or say, I was glad she started talking again. “You must be thinking to

yourself ‘What in the world is the Field of Time?’ Well, that’s where you start. It isn’t in the world at

all.”

“So we’re in space.” I said sarcastically. She laughed. It was a silly sort of laugh that sort of

sounded like the twinkling if bells. “Of course not, silly!” she said, “It’s kind of hard to understand.

Imagine the most perfect place in the world. But then go even deeper and you’ll find yourself here.

This is one of the only truly peaceful areas. The other is through the Door to Life, but you don’t need

to worry about that yet. The reason that you’ve never been here before is because you can only come

here through a Quest or with someone who has a Quest.”

“But I don’t have a Quest.”

“Oh yes you do. When you heard that voice in your head in the Parthenon, that was your

Prophecy. A Prophecy is the first step to beginning your Quest. It gives you kind of a warning to what

is going to happen.” With that she disappeared.

“Wait!” I called out. There were so many things I didn’t get to ask her. And now it was all too late.

**********

I was back in the Parthenon, but this time I was dressed in a toga like everyone else. People

waved politely to me saying “γεια” [hello] as they passed by. I wandered out and found myself in a

busy market place, vendors calling out about their newest items and mothers hurrying and keeping

the kids behaved. (It hasn’t changed very much from now.)

I kept walking and was soon near a fire pit with rocks around it. The person at the front of the

fire was a tall slender woman with long black hair. She was bony, but beautiful.

“παρθενικη ερθει και να ακουσετε τα υπεροχα ιστοριες των θεων. [Maiden, come and hear the

wonderful stories of the gods],” she said beckoning to me. I followed and sat down with her by the

fire. The spices from the fire soon made me entranced in a mystical daydream.

“The muses sang of beautiful Persephone with her mother Demeter, goddess of the harvest, as they

went around merrily bringing people things to eat. Persephone was a lovely child, always bringing

people joy, her mother barely ever let her out of her sight.”

As she said this, I imagined that I was Persephone, my plain brown hair being changed into a

golden blond by the warm sunlight on my back.

“They also sang of the dark Hades and his much different realm of the Underworld. He too had a

garden, but it was much different from the one Persephone skipped around in. This one was filled with

gloom. Even the gardener had no joy, for this was filled with pomegranates, the food of the dead.”

Upon this, I found myself in the Underworld, the most hopeless place in the whole universe.

There was great Hades, standing in his entire dark splendor. But, behind all that power, there was

longing, a longing for something of the joy on earth.

“But Hades saw Persephone up on earth and wanted her for himself. So, one day when he was alone,

he opened up a hole in the Earth and came soaring out on his chariot, grabbing Persephone. A nearby

shepherd boy saw the whole thing and ran to tell Demeter what had happened and she was filled with

grief. The whole earth seemed to fall into a deep sleep and nothing grew.

“Meanwhile, in the Underworld, Persephone was utterly bitter and refused to eat any of the

pomegranates. She had no idea that her mother was fervently searching for her. Unfortunately, one day,

she absentmindedly ate a few of the seeds of the pomegranate. So, when she escaped, Zeus said that she

must stay in the Underworld for the same number of months as the seeds she ate. During those months

Demeter grieves for her daughter and nothing grows, therefore we have winter.”

Then I woke up, but not in the place I fell asleep.

Chapter Two

This time I was in Ancient Egypt wearing loose linen clothing like everybody else. The air was

dry and the sand in the wind stung my feet as I followed the crowd, not quite sure where I was going.

But Rose had guarded me so far, so I guess at least she knew what she was doing. Everyone seemed

to be hurrying, or perhaps they were just trying to get out of the wind. I could faintly hear people

chanting off in the distance; perhaps it was some kind of prayer to the gods. The Egyptians had many

different gods that ruled over earthly things. I kept walking and found out that I was right. There was

a large group of people holding hands and swaying to some sort of unknown beat. All of them were

chanting.

Suddenly Rose appeared out of nowhere. She seemed here but not here. She was unaffected by

the strong wind. “Bethany,” she said, “Let me give you some background on the scene. The Egyptians

believed in the earth god, Geb, and the sky goddess, Nut.”

“Wow, Nut! Goddess of the sky. You’d think she’d be goddess of agriculture or something. Her

parents must have been crazy!” I said, cracking up.

“Actually her father was Shu. Not footwear, S-h-u. Anyway, Nut was not allowed to have her kids

during the 360 days of the year, so she gambled with Khensu, the god of the moon, for moonlight.

Once she had enough moonlight, she made five extra days. She had one of her kids on each of these

days, Osiris, Isis, Horus, Nepthys, and Set. These are called the Demon Days. Today is the first of the

Demon Days, so the people of the town are chanting a protection spell to keep them safe.”

“But the gods aren’t real!” I said, outraged “They are myths! Those people are worshiping

nothing!”

“Worshiping and believing are not the same thing, Bethany.” Then Rose was taken away with the

wind almost, and disappeared in thin air.

‘Worshipping and believing are not the same thing?’ What does she mean? Unfortunately, that

question would have to wait.

**********

I thought that by now I would be ready to land in another time period, but boy was I ever wrong.

I appeared right in the middle of a battle in Rome. There were these guys that had scars on their

faces and pig-like noses, so I was pretty sure I knew where I was. I was in the middle of the Huns

taking over Rome and starting the Middle Ages in 476 BC.

I knew no one could see me though, so I relaxed and made my way out to the edge. Then, some

one saw me; it was a Hun boy, about sixteen.

“Excuse me?” he asked, “Why aren't you screaming and running around like every one else?”

I was back in my T-shirt and jeans so I thought no one could see me here. But now, what to do I

had absolutely no idea. So, I ran for my life. After all, I had a feeling that he was one of the enemies the

prophecy talked about. But, instead of charging after me, he called.

“Why are you running? I'm Aidan. What's your name?”

Wow! Now he's being polite and introducing himself! “Bethany,” I told him, figuring there was no

harm done in that.

“Bethany, I have been waiting for you,” he said like he was a different person, “I have a Quest, too.

I got put here and couldn’t get back. Since there’s no time passage in the Field, I’ve been here fighting

for who knows how long. My Prophecy said that when I am most in need, Bethany would come and

set me free.”

Okay, I don’t know about you, but I was feeling weird. I had just gotten some Quest thingy, and

now some guy in Hun gear tells me I’m supposed to save him.

“Believe me,” I said, “All I want to do is go back. But I have no idea what to do.”

“Normally,” Aidan explained “I can just imagine a place in time and find myself there. But, since

I’ve been stuck here, nothing works.”

I closed my eyes and thought about Rose, and the beautiful field and the nice weather. Then, I

opened my eyes.

Then we were back, safe and sound.

Chapter Three

When we got back, Aidan grabbed me. I don’t mean grabbed me by the hand and pulled me along

to see something. What he did was more like a clutch and twist. It felt like my arm was going to pop

off.

“Where is it?” he asked, twisting my arm even more.

“I have n-no idea what you’re t-talking about.” I said, hoping he’d let go.

He gave me a look like he was disgusted. “So you’re telling me that the person who was in my

Prophecy doesn’t know where the Key is.” He loosened up on his grip so I used this chance to stand

up more.

“I don’t even know what the Key is,” I said, suddenly feeling a lot stronger.

“Well, then you’re no help for finishing my quest. I need to find the Key to Life, and since you

don’t even know what it is, I’ll have to find someone else who does.” Then he threw my wrist to the

ground and stomped off.

“The Key to Life,” I thought to myself. “Well,” mentally scanning through my history book, “the

Exploration is the key to discovery, the Enlightenment is the key to knowledge. Here we go, the

Renaissance, key to the arts, my favorite.”

Then the scene came rushing towards me, and I was in it.

**********

Now I was sure everybody could see me, because I was wearing an elegant blue dress with silver

lining and my hair was curled like a princess and was twisted up in some fancy style, all like I was

some noble person. Plus everybody bowed slightly when he or she passed by me, which just affirmed

my assumption.

Then, a girl who looked about ten, in a threadbare dress, ran right into me and knocked me over

into the street. She stopped and turned around to help me up.

“Sorry, Miss,” she said as she helped me to my feet. “Mama always told me I go too fast while

walking around the market.”

“It’s perfectly fine. Thanks for apologizing,” I said, brushing myself off.

“Oh, thank you,” she said, looking relieved.

“By the way,” I said, “Where exactly are we?”

“London. 1605 to be exact,” she said “But, why would you need to know that? You are obviously

from around here. Except for your strange ways of speech.”

Oh, I guess I should have thought about trying an accent.

“You’re right,” I said, deciding to tell her the truth. “I’m on a Quest and I got transported here

through a field.”

“That sounds very strange. But, while you are here, I can show you around. Is there anything you

want to see?”

“I don’t really know of anything right now. By the way, my name’s Bethany.”

“I am Diane. Well, I think we should start with the Globe.”

“The Globe, as in Shakespeare!”

“Of course, what else would it be? Let us go forth!”

The Globe was everything I could ever imagine. We, of course, were groundlings, but that didn’t

matter to me. It was just all the better to see the show. It was Macbeth, one of the funniest tragedies

ever. Even though there is lots of killing, it still is. I laughed so hard when Macbeth saw the ghost of

Banquo in his seat at the royal banquet. And the actor of the Potter was utterly amazing. It’s not a big

role, but he made everyone laugh till their sides hurt, grumbling about not wanting to open the doors

of the castle at night. Lady Macbeth was the best character by far; around her guests, she was a very

good housekeeper. But behind the mask of kindness, she was plotting people’s deaths.

After the show, we came out and went back to the market.

“Thank you so much for taking me to the Globe,” I told Diane “And I think I know just how to

thank you. First of all, what’s your favorite color?”

“Pink, of course!”

Then, I went inside the dress stall while she stood outside and came back out with a beautiful

pink dress with silver lining, and gathered at the sides, identical to mine. It fit perfectly. “I feel like a

princess!” she told me. “I’ve always wanted to meet one, but I think this is better.”

“I think I know how to make that dream come true, too. Just hold my hand and think Isabella of

Castile.”

Then the scene came rushing towards us and we were in it.

Chapter Four

“Wow,” she said breathlessly. “Where are we?”

“Segovia court in Castile,” I said, feeling very proud of myself for successfully making it

somewhere. “In the second half of the 1400’s, Isabella and her brother, Alfonso, were taken here

when their older brother, Henry IV’s wife, Queen Joan, was about to give birth.”

“It’s so beautiful here,” Diane said, obviously astounded.

I took a minute to look around. The walls were had the most beautiful tapestries you had ever

seen, all with gold or silver. Everything about it was simply elegant and bursting with extraordinary

colors. “Yeah,” I said “So much better than the conditions she lived in before.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, before she was brought here she and Alfonso lived with their mother in poor conditions.

On second thought, we might be able to talk to her there more than we would here.”

Then, the scene came rushing towards us, and we were in it.

**********

It was the most dilapidated castle ever. I was sure it had seen glory days, but today was certainly

not one of them. Then a girl about Diane’s age came racing by after a bunny and a boy about eight

came up behind her. I looked down nervously at my dress, afraid that I would be mistaken for a noble

person again and thanked my lucky stars that Rose had replaced both of our dresses with ones like

Diane wore before, and my curls with braids.

“Hold back!” I said, trying to fit in better. “Come on!” I motioned to Diane. She shrunk back, afraid.

“Hey, she’s not all princessy now, just another girl like you and me. Let’s go!” When I started

running, she followed me like she had no choice. (I’d like to say for the record, that Diane is FAST, and

caught the bunny in no time.)

“Good job,” Isabella said. “I could never catch one that fast.” Diane was blushing at the fact that a

princess complemented her.

“Thank you,” she said very quietly.

“You are very welcome,” Isabella said. “My name is Isabella what is yours. ”

“I am Bethany,” I said, speaking up. “This is Diane.”

“Very nice to meet you,” she said politely. “Would you like to come wade in the creek with us?”

“We would love to.”

After we had finished playing in the creek, it was getting dark and I said we had to go. Then, we

ran a little ways before going back.

Then the scene came rushing towards us. But not the one we expected.

Chapter Five

“Where are we now?” asked Diane.

“I don’t know. But first we have to figure out if people can see us.”

“Hello, Madame,” a passing peddler said. “Would you care to buy a nice bag of fresh apples?”

“No, thank you,” I replied.

“Okay, now where are we?” asked Diane, impatiently.

Once again, a street person answered our question.

“Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci is almost finished with his mural of the last supper?” a

woman asked us eagerly.

“This is easy,” remarked Diane. “Now we just have to find him,” I added.

Just then a boy about fourteen came hurrying along and bumped into me, much like how Diane

had done when I first met her. “Sorry, Miss,” he said. “Leonardo wants these fast.”

“Bring us with you,” I said, very dignified, in keeping with my princess dress. “I have been

meaning to speak with him.” The apprentice hesitantly agreed and we were off.

When we got there, Leonardo talked to us right away. “Hello, pleased to meet you,” he said, after

we introduced ourselves.

“Thank you,” I replied. “I was wondering if you could tell us about your new mural, The Last

Supper.”

“Well as you most likely know, it’s done for Duke Ludovico Sforza and Duchess Beatrice and is in

the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie here in Milan, Italy. The painting shows

the reaction between the disciples when Jesus tells them that one is going to betray him.”

I knew from history class that most murals were done in about a day, but that Leonardo had

come up with a new type of paint so that he could work on it over time. But, as the years went by the

painting started to disappear and art historians have done their best to restore it.

With that, we were sent off again, without any notice.

Chapter Six

“What now!” exclaimed Diane. “We sure don’t get to stay in one place for very long.”

We were on a ship, and, by the looks of it, they had been sailing for a very long time. We were

back in our old clothes so I knew nobody could see us. All the sailors were still working hard, though.

Then somebody in the crow’s nest shouted, “LAND HO!”

Everybody started scurrying around to prepare for the landing. When we did land, a man who

looked like he was the leader came out. When he walked onto the land, he called the island

Hispaniola. Then I knew we had just watched Christopher Columbus discover America. A small group

of men came with Columbus to go exploring. We followed them.

The sailors slowly approached some Indians, but the Indians seemed more scared than the

shipmen. Columbus was able to communicate with some of them and traded with them.

Suddenly, we were back in the Field of Time.

**********

By now, I was kind of used to the Field, but I forgot that Diane wasn’t. So when we arrived,

instead of standing still and waiting for Rose, she started rolling down hills and running around like it

was the most amazing thing she’d ever seen, and it probably was.

Then, Rose appeared and Diane fell silent, amazed at the girl in white with flowing brown hair

and sparkling eyes who appeared out of nowhere. “Hello Diane, it’s nice to meet you. Did you have

fun with Isabella?” Rose asked politely.

“Yes, very much. . .But how do you know about that?” Diane asked, being snapped back to reality.

“Here, I’ll show you both this.” She said, leading us over to a place on the field. “Oh pool, show

yourself to these travelers two, one on a quest and one quite new.”

A spring of fresh water suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was so clear you could see your

reflection. “This is the Pool of Sovereignty. It’s how I keep track of where people are on their quests,”

she explained. “For example, show me Aidan.” The pool showed us Aidan, trapped in a wild fire trying

to get out.

“Bethany, you have done well. You successfully rescued Aidan and started to look for the Key

yourself. Some people, such as Aidan, use other people to get it, instead of figuring it out on their

own. To get through the Quest, you must rely on friendship and teamwork like you did with Aidan to

get out of the Fall of Rome. But, instead of helping you to go further, he tried to get the answer out of

you. Nobody gets the prize going the easy way Bethany, remember that.”

With that, I was back at the school assembly hall.

Chapter Seven

“With that being said,” announced Principal Fletcher, “the seventh grade student body president

is Bethany Johnson!”

Everybody applauded and Nichole nudged me to get up on stage.

“Thank you everybody for voting for me, I can’t tell you how happy I am. I especially want to

thank Nichole for helping out tremendously with the campaign and for always supporting me. I

promise I won’t let you down,” I said, just how I had practiced.

I got another round of applause, then sat down again next to Nichole, feeling victorious.

The rest of the day was a breeze. I went home and finished my homework like there was nothing

to it. Then, went over to Nichole’s house and played until dinner. It wasn’t until I got in bed that I

actually thought any about what Rose said. But when I did, I realized that this whole Quest thingy

might mean more than what I thought. Maybe even a do or die situation. I knew I had to do it fast.

But, something in my gut was telling me that I have to tell Nichole about everything. After all, why

else would Rose have sent me back here right after telling me that friendship and teamwork matters.

Finally, I made up my mind. I would tell her first thing tomorrow morning.

Glad it was Saturday, I rushed over to Nichole’s as soon as I got ready. Amazingly, I bumped into

her on my way and we decided to walk to the park.

“Hey Nichole,” I said, wishing I didn’t have to. “While the announcement was going on at school

yesterday, I was on this Quest in which no time seems to pass. I think that’s because I’m traveling in

time.”

“I’m Bethany, always making up crazy stories to scare my friends with,” Nichole said, imitating

me. “Like I’m ever going to believe that.”

“Then watch,” I said, hoping I was doing the right thing by taking her to the Field of Time.

I grabbed her hand and the scene came rushing towards us.

**********

Nichole’s response to the field was the total opposite of Diane’s. Instead of running around, she

stood still to take it all in, like I did. So, I knew that the best thing was to give her space and wait until

Rose came to try and explain anything further.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long. She and Diane appeared all decked out like princesses,

like they had just gone to a ball, which they probably had.

“You’ve done it again,” Rose said, obviously pleased. “I have complete faith in you. Where do you

want to go next?”

“John Locke. Somerset, England. 1671,” I said, completely forgetting about Nichole.

But Rose didn’t. “Don’t worry, Nichole,” she said. “I will be watching you.”

Chapter Eight

Apparently Rose thought I would need a lot of help, because both Nichole and Diane were there. I

never really had learned much about Somerset except for Locke, so I decided to ask for directions.

“Excuse me, sir,” I said. “You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find John Locke?”

“I am he,” the man said.

I felt extremely embarrassed, but at least I found him.

“I heard that you were writing an ‘Essay Concerning Human Understanding.’ Is there anything

you can tell me?”

“I’m glad I can interest the young people with my works,” he said. “In my essay, I say that since

we have understanding, we should be able to understand how we understand. I also use the Tabula

Rasa theory. It says that the mind is like a tablet. When you’re born, the tablet is blank. But as you

grow up, it gets filled with things you learn. I also believe that you learn by experience. For example,

when a child hears the word gold, they only know the color. But as they grow older, they add things

such as malleability and worth. I also talk about abusing words. You do this when you say something

without knowing what the word means. You just babble it like a parrot. Then, when someone else

hears the word used without meaning, they will go do it themselves.

“I hope that answered all your questions.”

“I just have two more. Firstly, who inspired you to write this essay?” I asked.

“Descartes. When I read his works, it made me want to dig deeper into the mind. He said ‘I doubt

therefore I think, I think therefore I am.’ “

“Is there any Key to doing all these things?”

“One word, experience. To learn, you have to have experience. To not use words improperly, you

have to learn. And, if you learn, then you will eventually know.”

That was easy. To John Locke, the key is experience. I had no idea where to go next.

Lucky for me, Rose did.

Chapter Nine

If I hadn’t been there on a school field trip, I would have never known where I was. It was Mount

Vernon, otherwise known as the home to George Washington, although it didn’t start out that way.

He grew up at the Wakefield Plantation with his mom, dad, and half brothers, Lawrence and

Augustine. Four more siblings came later. When his father died, Augustine got the Wakefield

Plantation, so George stayed with him until he was fifteen. Then he went and lived with Lawrence at

Mount Vernon and surveyed land with Lord Fairfax.

“Oh, wow! Here they come!” Nichole said.

She was right! There was young George. I bet he never knew that he would ever become

President, although listening to stories of soldiers here did inspire him to become one.

Suddenly it was bitter cold and you could hear the shouted orders of Washington over the harsh

wind. They were crossing the Delaware River, one of the amazing feats Washington is known for.

**********

Then, we were listening to Abraham Lincoln giving the Gettysburg Address in person. The

speech was written to commemorate the casualties of the battle at Gettysburg.

I stood there amazed, but all Diane and Nichole did was try to hide and cover their ears. I wanted

to stay longer, but apparently Rose had other plans.

**********

War was probably on her mind because now we were in World War I when the United States

started fighting. I know because of research that President Wilson wanted peace, but felt like the USA

was forced to go to war.

**********

We were back in the field and all the noise was gone. We walked over to Rose, who was standing

at the Pool of Sovereignty, waiting for us.

“I hope that you will use what I have shown you for your benefit. I wish that there was more

time for you to prepare, but you must use what you know to the very best of your abilities. The Field

of Time is in danger.”

Chapter Ten

I know what you’re probably thinking, “How can the Field of Time be in danger? Only people

with Quests can get there.” You seem to be forgetting that Nichole and Diane didn’t get Quests and

they’re still here. So it all goes back to Aidan. Apparently, he had been going around to the big wars in

history and telling people about the Quest. He also found the Key to Death, called Despair. Since he

had Despair, he was able to open the Door to Death and bring people to the Field through it.

You may remember that we hadn’t found the Key to Life yet and Aidan already had the Key to

Death. So, with him having an obvious advantage, it was going to be tough.

According to Rose, we only had a matter of fifteen minutes to gather an army and bring them to

the field, so I told her to bring us to the place where we would get the best army.

Then the scene came rushing towards us, and we were in it.

**********

“She brought us back to SCHOOL!” exclaimed Nichole. “What good are we going to do here?”

As much as I wanted to be somewhere else, I had this feeling in my gut that there was something

I had to do.

“Principal Fletcher,” I said breathlessly, as I rushed into his office. “When are morning

announcements?”

“I was just about to do them, why?” he asked

“There’s something I have to say.”

“The mike’s all yours,” he said

“Fellow students,” I said. “You may not believe me, and you may think I’m crazy, but I need your

help. You see, while you have been going on with your everyday lives, you are unaware that a huge

war is about to take place in a big field, including all the huge military leaders from the past against

us. I know that we seem like nothing compared to them, but together we can win. This won’t bring

you any glory from the rest of the world, and this might bring you pain and suffering. But I can

guarantee that will be nothing compared to what you will feel if you stand here ignorantly. I believe

in all of you. Even those whom I’ve never met, I know that you can do it. I understand more than

regular knowing. I am certain. If you share that knowledge with me, I ask you all, every teacher,

student, faculty member, no matter how small you may seem, know what you hope for and be certain

of what you don’t see. If you do, on the count of three shout ‘The Field of Time’ with all of your might.

ONE, TWO, THREE!”

Chapter Eleven

The sound rang out through the school, and it continued when we got there. Everyone was

chanting, believing, knowing, with all his or her might. But this time the Field was freezing cold. You

could even see our breath.

“Don’t worry everyone, I’m going to go talk to Rose. Just keep knowing.”

As I said that last word, the mist that just came from my breath in the cold air made the shape of

a key. Then it slowly materialized as it fell into my hand.

“Congratulations Bethany,” said Rose. “You found it, all on your own.”

“B-but I don’t understand. I didn’t do anything.”

“Oh, but you did. In all those places, people had dreams that they were following, believing,

knowing would come true with all their might. Now you have done the same and have led others, too.

You are greater than your wildest dreams.”

“Why is it so cold?” I asked

“The Field has been broken into. Now, I think we have an army to fight.”

Indeed, we did. All of a sudden, this black door with ancient blood stains appeared out of

nowhere and warriors started filing out: Hitler the Nazi, Alexander the Great, Nero of Egypt, Ulysses

S. Grant, and many others. Each was dressed in his traditional outfit, ready to fight.

Rose pulled me over to the side. “Turn the key!” she said.

Not quite sure what I was doing, I stuck the key into the air and twisted it. This golden door

appeared and all the warriors from the places I visited came out, just like Aidan’s had. Then we all

had assorted armor and weapons too.

“Everybody, this is about to get crazy,” I yelled over the crowd. “But we now have soldiers, too.

You can tell if they’re on the opposite side or not, because once you pass through the Door of Death,

you will eternally have a blood stain where your heart is.”

I wasn’t able to say any more, because they started in full-blown combat.

Chapter Twelve

Now, I’m sure all of you have read about ancient wars such as the Trojan and Punic, and about

more modern wars such as the World Wars. But imagine all the wars that have ever taken place,

mashed into one. That was pretty much what was happening. Everyone had his or her own weapons

and armor and was fighting for Death or Life, literally.

I constantly heard the loud voices of Aidan’s team, who was used to battle, and was glad that I

had the Drama club there, because they can project their voices loudly. I was also surprised at how

good the boys were at shooting. I guess all that time playing air soft really paid off. Us girls on the

other hand, had swords, bows and arrows, long bows, and javelins. It took us a little bit to get used to

them, but when you’re under attack, you learn much faster.

“Bethany!” Rose called over to me. I came rushing over. “I want you to go where you are most in

need. The people from other times will get sent back there if you get them, but that includes your

team, too. You are more powerful than all of them. Even though they have more practice and training,

you have the field. For now, I must leave you.”

“Wait!” I cried. “Will you come back?”

“Perhaps. But now it’s up to you. Keep the prophecy in mind; use everything I have taught you.

Have knowledge. Knowledge is the key.” With that, she was swept away into the wind.

**********

“THE FIELD OF TIME! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” The battle cry brought me back to my senses.

Now Aidan had brought the whole Hun army into battle. I knew I had to do something, so I brought in

the Celts.

“Okay everybody,” I said, with as much confidence as I could muster. “Here’s the plan…”

Chapter Thirteen

With that, everyone came running out. But it still wasn’t enough. So, I brought in the natives from

Hispaniola. Black and gold smoke went up whenever someone got put back and it was happening all

over. So I kept on bringing in more: Washington and his army, Shakespeare, Locke, anybody and

everybody I could think of.

We seemed to go on for hours, the battle abated very slowly. But finally all was still. It was just

me, Aidan, and the people from school. All was silent, until Aidan approached. He dropped his sword

at my feet, acknowledging that we had won. He looked burned, cut, and bruised. He even had a huge

scar across his right cheek.

“You’ve done it, found the Key to Life. Conquered death some might say. But you just wait,

because I’ll be back and as ready as ever. I’ll get you next time for sure. And you’ll go down as the

poor Quest girl who lost life, by Death. You may think that your stupid little key is worth all that, but

I’m telling you, NO ONE COUNQUERS DEATH AND LIVES FOREVER!”

With that, he erupted in a cloud of black smoke and was gone. A cheer went up in the crowd. We

had done it! But for now, I knew there was something I had to do.

**********

I put the key into the air and turned it. The door appeared just like before. I opened it and a

blinding light shot out. I stepped inside. The light didn’t hurt my eyes, but I still couldn’t see anything.

So I just kept on walking. Finally I came to an elegant throne with a golden walkway leading up to it.

In it sat a man with kind of long white hair and a beard. But, you couldn’t call him old, just powerful. I

approached slowly, not quite sure what to do.

“Bethany, thank you. You have saved my precious Field,” he said.

“Who are you?” I asked timidly.

“I go by many names,” he explained, “the most common being Ischyro, meaning powerful. I

believe that in your prophecy, I am referred to as the real Boss.”

“The real Boss!” I said, astounded.

“Indeed,” Ischyro said

I was confused. “But how did I know it was you?”

“No one can come to me unless they know. No one can truly know unless they learn. No one can

learn unless they are taught. I am the ultimate teacher, you knew it was me from the beginning.”

It was all finally making sense. I looked down at the key in my hands and placed it at Ischyro’s

feet. “That’s a very big sacrifice,” said Ischyro

Then Rose appeared beside him. “You have done extremely well. You no longer need the physical

key. It’s inside of you. All you need to do is wish and you will be here. And remember…”

“Always have KNOWLEDGE,” they said together.

**********

I’ll never forget last fall. Now school’s just ended. I think that for now, I just want to relax. But

with a Quest and the Key to Life, I don’t think that’s possible.

Afterward

You may be wondering what happened to everybody after the Field of Time was saved. Well, all

the school kids went back and forgot all that ever happened. All the people went back to their own

time. Unfortunately, that includes Diane. But Bethany and Nichole continued to be best friends and

never forgot their great adventure. Rose kept watch over the Field for Ischyro.

But most importantly, Rose kept a watch on Bethany and the physical key, since Bethany now is a

part of it. Rose got lonely there without everyone, but Diane, Nichole, and Bethany often came to visit,

all with stories to tell.

The

Quest For

Life

By Gracie McBride

Grade Eight