Welcome Brooke!!

Welcome to our new contributor, Brooke!!

Brooke has 4 blogs:
Endless Grace
Books, Movies, Etc.
Paws for Jesus
Animal Crackers

I hope you'll go check them out!
BTW, Once I saw that picture, I made Brooke promise that someday she will buy me a coke! Coke Zero, to be exact!! :D
Later,
Kathryn

Welcome Ruby and Aizess!

Welcome to our newest followers, Ruby and Aizess!

Ruby has 2 blogs:

Professionally not-so Professional Professional Photography
Ruby's Fairy Book

Aizess has 2 blogs:
Christian Book Review Blog
Aizess Homeschool Journal

Aaliyah (you met her earlier!), Ruby, and Aizess will be joining us in Hiding from Royalty!!
Later,
Kathryn

Welcom, Aaliyah!

A big shout-out to our newest contributor, Aaliyah!!

What a pretty picture!

Aaliyah will be joining us in writing as soon as Hiding from Royalty is finished.
She has many blogs!! Her main blog, her photography blog, her fashion blog, and her blog designs blog!! Please check them out!
Growing in His Image 
Through His Eyes Photography
Imperishable Beauty
Shadows Into Light Studios

Hugs,
Kathryn

Hiding From Royalty, Part 3

 Hiding From Royalty, Part 3, by Kathryn

       Clang, Clang! The wake-up bell sounded and Isabella groaned. It was hardly even light out! The same servant lady came down the dungeon steps.
"Alright everyone! To the fields!" The slaves mumbled and walked sleepily up the steps. Isabella sat on her cot, unsure what to do.
"You are to go to the fields and work with the rest of them," the lady said. She followed her out of the dungeon, where it immediately led to a fenced-in field. The other slaves were already working.
Isabella shielded the sun with her hand and looked about. While the slaves were hard at work, soldiers on horses nearby made sure no one left. It was going to be a long and tiresome day.
            
                                                                          ***

        Isabella fought back the tears as she rubbed her blistered and bleeding hands on her dress. The sun beat down on her back as she pulled up weeds. She was sorry she had ever complained while working in the garden back home. Oh! Even the word 'home' made her heart ache. Where was her family? Would they come rescue her? Why weren't they here, begging the officials to let her go?
"Stop him! Stop him!" shouts broke her thoughts. She looked up to see the King's soldiers galloping through the huge field. One of them raised their bow and arrow, and whish! it whizzed through the air. She couldn't see anything, except that the soldiers had stopped.
"What happened?" Isabella asked a nearby woman slave.
"A slave tried to escape," she said solemnly. "Got an arrow in the back, too." She gulped. Maybe trying to escape at the moment wasn't such a good idea.

                                                                          ***

It was almost bed time when it happened. She was laying in her cot, staring at the cuts on her hands. Footsteps echoed and the servant lady appeared.
"Listen up everyone! We are in need of girl house slaves, to help with the cooking and cleaning and serving." Murmurs and whispers sounded throughout the room. What luxury! To be a slave in the palace instead of these horrible fields!
Without saying a word, the servant lady grabbed Isabella by the wrist and pulled her up.
"You two," she said, grabbing another girl, "will come with me." Isabella gave a startled look to the other girl. She had dark brown eyes, and long black hair, unlike Isabella's bright blonde hair. She wore a simple brown dress, and worn out shoes. I wonder if she has a family? Isabella thought.
But before she could study the girl anymore, they reached the servant entrance to the palace. Isabella's heart leaped excitedly as the servant lady opened the wooden door.

To be Continued!

The Haunted House, Part 9

I am taking Rachel's place, since she said she was just out of ideas (I totally understand!). Next it will be Aili's turn!
The Haunted House, Part 9, by Kathryn 

Jean gasped as a piercing scream sounded through the darkness.
"Carrie! Are you alright?"
"It was a worm!" She cried. "Crawling on my hand!" Jean rolled her eyes and continued to dig with her garden shovel. It was now dark out, and the bright moon shined down on the girls as they dug between the graves.
"What do you think is in the box?" Jean asked. Carrie stopped for a moment and wiped her brow.
"I don't know," she replied. "But it must be something valuable for her to bury it this deep!"
"If it's here," Jean mumbled. She thrust her shovel down deeper. Clang! She had found something!
"What was that?" Carrie asked. Jean excitedly started digging deeper into the rich soil.
"I see something!" She exclaimed. Together they pulled, until finally in a cloud of dirt, they flung a metal box up. It was covered in a faded pink shawl.
Neither girls could say a word. They struggled to contain their excitement as Jean began to lift the metal lid. Carrie held their flashlight up high, so they could see everything.
The lid squeaked open.
"Oh!" They exclaimed. Inside the box was filled with a mixture of old things. Pictures, papers, a teacup, a fan, and all sorts of old things.
"These must be family heirlooms!" Carrie said. Jean closed the lid.
"Carrie, we must find a relative of Madison and give him these things!"
"A relative?"
"Yes, a person that is related to another person." Carrie playfully slapped Jean on the arm.
"I know what a relative is! I mean, where will we ever find a relative of Madison?"

A few months later, the girls found out. They had done some research, through old newspapers and records. They had discovered that Madison and Ada's brother Johnathon died in the war. Two years later, Ada died of a severe illness. That left Madison and her new husband Jacob, alone. Grief-stricken, they left the old house, and everything in it, to start fresh somewhere else. No one knew where they had gone, until years later.
In 1870, they had a little girl. Her name was Elizabeth Ada Jamison.
But the best thing the girls had found out, was that Elizabeth was still living, and was residing at Willow Way Nursing Home only 20 minutes from where they lived. She was 85 years old.

Carrie, Jean, and Mrs. Miller (Jean's Mom) climbed into the car and started to drive to Willow Way. Jean sat in her seat, gripping the metal box and the shawl. What will Elizabeth be like? she wondered. Will she appreciate the us finding the box for her? Or will she even care?


To be Continued...

The Haunted House, Part 8

 The Haunted House, Part 8, by Kathryn

"Oh no, you don't!" exclaimed Carrie. "I agreed to go up to the porch. I agreed to go in the house. I even agreed to go up in the creepy attic. But you are positively not getting me to agree to go tramping around in a graveyard!" Jean shook her head in disgust.
"Well, I guess you can stay here then," she replied, walking away. But she laughed to herself as she heard Carrie reluctantly follow her towards the graveyard.
They stopped to look at the old oak, where Carrie had spotted the arrow. Large letters were carved under the arrow.
"Look," Jean pointed. "ESP!"
"Esp? That doesn't make sense!" Carried said.
"Hey, there are little decimal points between the letters. E. S. P.!" Jean looked at Carrie with wide eyes.
"Elijah Stan Parkinson!" she whispered. The wind rustled the treetops as the old house groaned.
"This must be Parkinson Tree!"
"Yes, the one that Elijah planted, and Madison used to sit under," Carrie smiled. The girls looked once again towards the graveyard.
"Now why would this arrow be pointing towards the graveyard? What is it supposed to mean?" Jean asked.
"It's showing the way to somewhere," Carrie laughed, leaning up against the old oak. Jean whirled around.
"Carrie!" she yelled. "Show the way! Grandfather Parkinson will show the way! Don't you see, Carrie? Elijah planted the tree, and put his initials on it! When Madison hid the treasure, she must have carved that arrow." Suddenly a light bulb went on. Grandfather Parkinson will show the way. It's in a place I don't like. The words of the diary came rushing back into their heads and pounded in their ears. They were so close to the box!
As the breeze blew their hair, they slowly walked to the grave site. It was a small family plot, with only a dozen or more headstones.
The iron gate creaked in the wind. The bushes rattled. The sky was grey, and looked like at any moment would spill over with a tremendous rain. The frightened yet determined girls walked up and down the rows, until they saw a certain moss covered headstone. They knelt down and gasped.


Elijah Stan Parkinson 
            R.I.P

"You know, I don't see Madison or Ava's tombstones," Jean said, looking around. "Just Elizabeth Julia Parkinson and Emerson David Parkinson." Carrie shot her a glance. The parents!
"Hey, remember what Madison said about it being hidden in her mother's shawl?" Carrie asked.
"Yes. Maybe she buried it between her parents," Jean suggested.
"You can do whatever you want, but I refuse to dig near graves," Carrie suddenly exclaimed, shaking her head.
"I just wonder what ever happened to Madison and Ava," Jean sighed. "Let's try and find the box, and then maybe we can do some research and find out why they disappeared!" Jean sent Carrie to go find two small garden shovels. The sun began to sink, and soon it grew dark.


To be Continued!

The Haunted House, Part 5

 The Haunted House, Part 5, by Kathryn

Jean and Carrie went to the old house every day. After sitting on it's slightly crooked porch every day, the place didn't seem quite as scary. In fact, by the end of the week the girls loved the old place.
"Just imagine," Jean said. "People actually lived here, and probably wore old fashioned clothes, and rode in carriages. Can you imagine that?"Carrie nodded her head. She could almost picture the old place looking nice.
"Have you thought any more about the box?" she asked. Jean sighed.
"Carrie, if we ever want to find that box, we are going to have to investigate. And by that, I don't mean on the front porch." Carrie gulped.
"You mean, go inside?" Jean smiled.
"Yep!"
Rather reluctantly, Carrie followed Jean as she squeaked open the door. The place was the same as before, dark, musty, with cobwebs hanging down from the ceiling. They climbed the old, creaky steps, and into a small room. There was a bed frame, and an old book shelf that was empty. They searched all of the other rooms on the second floor, but they were empty. Until finally they came to a small stairway, leading to an attic. The ceiling was low, and it was very dark. The dust was so thick, it swirled up in the air as the girls entered.
"Look at all this junk!" Carrie cried. Old furniture and boxes were stacked high around the room.
"Hey, it's a treasure chest," Jean joked, pointing to an old chest. They knelt down and slowly lifted the lid. There wasn't much in it, just a book and some papers. Carrie thumbed through the book.
"It's empty-oh wait! Here's a picture!" The girls stared in wonder at the old photograph. A old man stood in the middle, and three young adults were beside him.
"Oh, the two girls are beautiful!" Jean exclaimed, turning the photo over. On the back in faded ink, was printed:
Elijah Stan Parkinson, Johnathon Elijah Parkinson, Madison Elizabeth Parkinson, and Ada Victoria Parkinson
"Carrie! This is Madison and her family! Look, its Grandfather Parkinson, Johnathon, and the girls!" Jean exclaimed.
"Yes! That must be their grandfather. So now we know his name is Elijah! But how is he supposed to show the way?" Carrie asked, puzzled.
"We will just have to keep searching, I guess!"


To Be Continued!

The Haunted House, Part 3

     The next day, the sun was out and shining, and the sky seemed as blue as ever. Jean never had the chance to look at the diary, so decided that she and Carrie would look at it after school. The day seemed to drag on. She glanced anxiously at the clock on the wall. Only 15 more minutes!
When the school bell finally rang, they hurried out the door and outside the school building.
"It's too noisy here," Carrie said. "Let's read it somewhere quieter." Jean led her to the porch of the old haunted house. With a worried look, Carrie followed her and sat down on the porch steps. Jean lifted the cover of the leather-bound book, and turned the page.
~January 17th, 1865~
It's very cold out. I don't see how the soldiers can stand the bitter winds. Ada just started a warm fire in the fireplace, so I'm comfortable right now! 
I haven't heard from dear brother Johnathon in a month. I hope he is well! 
At times it gets lonely in this old house. Oh, how I wish Mother and Father were alive! 
I have hidden the box, in a place where no one but myself will ever find it. I plan on leaving it there. For any one who should want it, relatives and such,  I will give you a clue to it's whereabouts. I shall not exactly say where it is, in case this diary shoul fall into enemy hands. And I wouldn't want them to have our precious box. So, here is the clue: It's is covered in a cloth, which is my mother's shawl. It's in a place that I do not like. Grandfather Parkingson will show you the way. 
And so, I must stop writing now, for Ada tells me the cook has finished supper. 
~Madison Eloise 


For a minute, the girls just stared at the yellowed page. 1865! During the Civil War!
"What do you think 'the box" is?" Carrie asked, now fully interested in the old house.
"Who knows! But it must have something special in it, for Madison to hide it like that. And what do you suppose "Grandfather Parkingson will show you the way," means?" Jean asked. "How is he supposed to show us where it is? He's-he's dead!"
"I don't know, but I think we ought to take a look around this house, and see if we can find anything!"Carrie exclaimed.


To be Continued!

The Haunted House, Part 1

The Haunted House, Part 1
By: Kathryn

                                                                             1955
"Nobody dares go over there," a boy said. A group of children were walking home from school and peering up at the top of a hill, where a house stood.
"They're just being silly," 9 year-old Jean Miller laughed.
"I bet you wouldn't go," another boy taunted.
"Of course I would!" She cried.
"Prove it," the group of children exclaimed. The eager eyes watched as Jean took a deep breath and glanced nervously at her best friend, Carrie. She started to climb the hill.
The old house was abandoned, and rumored to be haunted. The shutters creaked and swayed in the slight breeze. The paint on the siding was long gone, and the porch about to fall apart.
She stopped at the crooked porch steps, and gazed up at the house.
"Go inside!" the children shouted. She gulped. Go inside? It took enough courage to go this far! As much as she wanted to prove she was brave, she couldn't bring herself to go inside the old house. The children kidded her as she ran back down the steep hill.
"Aw, you should have gone inside!"
"Are ya' scared?"
"Chicken!"
"I am not chicken!" Jean snapped.
"You couldn't go inside that house if your life depended on it!"
"I would if-if someone went with me," she said. Suddenly the group became silent. No one volunteered. Jean looked at Carrie. Carrie gave her a worried look.
"I-I don't think I want to do that," she said, shaking her head.
"Fine! Than I'll do it myself!" Jean marched up the hill. When she reached the rickety porch, she slowly and cautiously climbed the steps. She turned the rusty door handle, and the door creaked loudly. She stepped inside. It was pitch black. All was silent. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw a large wooden staircase.
But before she could climb it, a wooden floor board behind her creaked. She whirled around. 

Now you add a part! And then I'll add one, and so on. We will try to finish it at the most with ten parts. Then we can move on to a new story!
Later,
Kathryn :-)