Thank You

I started writing this Novel in 2010. It has been a work in process for many years.  As I release each chapter, I am hoping that your honest constructive feedback will help me learn and grow as a writer. This Novel is to be the first book of many and will continue the same fundamental story line with new adventures and twists. 

I really hope you enjoy this book and I am looking forward to all your comments.

Thank You,

Michael P.

                                          Chapter One: The Stranger

Seven year old Justin was sleeping in his safe small bed under his soft warm covers and he was having a wonderful dream. He was dreaming that he was walking his dog Ruffus on a clear sunny afternoon and they came upon a big beautiful tree with a large variety of colored fruit. There must of been dozens of different colors.  As he strolled closer he realized this enormously magnificent tree had great branches sprawling in all directions. Still as Justin got even closer he realized the colorful fruit was not fruit at all, but hundreds of varieties of candy. Candy of all sizes and shapes. He and Ruffus then dashed to the tree and as they came to it, they realized the candy was too high for them to reach. So, Ruffus sprouted wings and flew up to the branches and started picking a variety of candies. A few minutes later, both Justin and Ruffus were sitting on the soft grass underneath this spectacular tree enjoying every tasty bite.

Realizing it was getting late and his parents would get worried, Justin told Ruffus they had to get back as soon as possible and they had traveled a long distance. Ruffus suggested that Justin get on his back and he would fly them home. Jumping on Ruffus' back they took flight. It was now dark outside and they could see the city lights below. Suddenly, a great wind hit them and knocks Justin off of Ruffus. Ruffus starts barking and Justin starts falling down, down, down as he sees his house directly below them. I don't want to die he thinks as he goes through the roof and lands in his bed as he wakes up to a loud thump!

Sitting up on his bed, Justin realized that it was just a dream, but Ruffus really is barking from downstairs. The bedroom window had blown open as there was a cold gush of wind blowing through it. As he got up and closed the window, he noticed first a figure and then a face of a man peering at him through the window. But how is that possible he thought as his room is on the second floor of a modest two-story house. Turning around real quickly he realized it was a reflection and standing there on the other side of the room was a filthy straggly haired man, with ripped clothes, and an incredible stench. The man held his finger to his mouth and said, "Shhh, be quiet".

Poor Justin froze in terror as he just stood there. The man glared at Justin with madness in his eyes and he slowly approached the boy. Regaining his senses, Justin let out a loud shriek! The man stopped. Out from another part of the house came a deep voice, "Justin, what’s wrong!" From the same part of the house, Ruffus barked even louder. Once he heard the sound of Justin's yell, his dad William, knew this was not a normal cry from his son, and realized maybe Ruffus had been barking for another reason. William darted up the stairs and right before he opened the bedroom door, he heard the breaking of glass. Opening the door, he saw Justin standing alone without tears, but still quite in shock. His bedroom window was broken."What happened Justin?", said William.
All Justin could do is point out the window.
His dad went to the window and looked out. He didn't see, nor hear, anything. Looking at the broken window, he noticed a piece of ripped material and immediately deduced that an intruder must of had his clothing snagged on it.

In Williams excitement he ran to his safe, where he kept his 9 millimeter hand gun. He wasn't thinking that Justin was still alone in his room. Now, running down the stairs, William first turned on the outdoor lights which illuminated his entire property and then opened the front door. Ruffus continued barking. He noticed something moving in the bushes by their six foot wall, William yelled, "Who is there? I see you. Don't move. This gun is loaded!" From behind the bushes a man who had incredible dexterity climbs and jumps over the fence, but not before William got a shot out. William heard a loud wail and then running footsteps as it quickly fades away.

Now remembering that he had left Justin in his room he started heading back upstairs. Damn, he thought, what if there was more than one of them. When he reentered Justin's room he saw that Justin had not moved a bit. Justin must still be in shock he thought."Are you alright?"
Justin nodded.
"Did he touch you?"
Justin shook his head.
"Did he try to touch you?"
Justin nodded.
"Mommy is still at work and she should be home soon. Would you like to sleep with us tonight?" Justin nodded.
"Okay, come with me", said WIlliam softly.

With his head down, Justin shuffled his feet following his dad until they came into the master bedroom. Justin climbed onto the large king size bed and pulled the covers over his head." Let me clean up the broken window. I will be right back", William said. Justin's dad locked the doors, cleaned up the glass, and took Justin's thick cardboard map of the Milky-way galaxy to cover up the broken window. It fit perfectly. A few minutes later Katherine, Justin's mom, pulled into the two car garage and walked into the house.

Katherine Lucile Patterson changed her name to Katherine Lucile Time when she married William Jonathan Time ten years ago tomorrow. Katherine, standing all of five feet, was a highly respected Doctor who specialized in Neuroscience. For twelve years, she has been researching comatose patients and had a monumental breakthrough five years ago. This breakthrough she hopes will advance humanity, but she still has work to do on it. Even though Katherine was regarded as the top authority in Neuroscience, she was quite motherly and many would say she was "overprotective" at best, and bordering paranoid at worst. Tomorrow is Sunday and will be their tenth year wedding anniversary. They were married in Boysen, Wyoming, a very small town where Katherine grew up. William Jonathan Time had quite a different background. He is a very well known gifted chef . William didn't learn his culinary skills at France's Le Cordon Bleu or any other top chef universities. In fact, William never even went to any culinary school. He never got a culinary degree, but he was every bit as good as any chef. God gave this man the gift of culinary cuisine. His taste buds were so acute, he could virtually pick out every ingredient within a dish. He was the executive chef at The Gourmet Grille. William thought it would be nice if, some day, Justin explored that path; however, even though he had the gift, his interests were more like his mom's; scientific and abstract. Justin Nicholas Time was of medium build and medium height. In other words, average for a seven year old. He had dark brown hair with medium complexion. His eyes were hazel with black specs. For a young boy, Justin was quite advanced. Certainly, intellectually advanced, yet still, he was very much emotionally and socially that of a seven year old boy. Was Justin a genius? Maybe. However, he and his family never looked at things that way. Rather than giving people labels, they appreciated people for who they are. Justin was not the product of a broken family. In fact, quite the opposite. Both of his parents loved him, supported him, and brought him up to be well mannered, respectful, and caring. The other side of Justin was ambitious, adventurous, risk taking, and courageous. It was this part of his personality that worried his parents the most, as they had little control of him when he had an inspiration.

They still remember the time when Justin just turned four and they were celebrating his fourth birthday. That was the day that Ruffus entered. He was just a small puppy and was a four year old boy’s birthday present.Justin asked, "Can he fly?"
Mom replied, "No honey, dogs can't fly".
Justin said, "Yes he can".
"Don't be silly, son", replied William.Little did they know then, that Justin took that last comment as a challenge. That night as they were watching TV, they noticed Justin going in and out of his room more than usual. They saw him bring in a folding chair. Then he took the folding chair out. Then he brought in a small foot stool. This was quite amusing, but when they watched him bring in one of Katherine's old ironing boards, they were not sure what to think. For a couple hours they saw him bringing in and taking out various items. His old porto potty, laundry basket, couch cushions, sunglasses, one of William's old boots and a variety of old books. After a short time things became very quiet. Most parents know that when things are too quiet their child may be up to no good. Both William and Katherine quietly walked upstairs and opened Justin's bedroom door just in time to see Justin jumping off of his bed landing on one side of the ironing board that was balanced on top of a stack of books about a foot high. On the other side of the ironing board was Ruffus who was inside of William’s old boot. Ruffus was wearing sun glasses from an old Joe cool doll that was tied on by a rubber band. He was also wearing a scarf around his neck. As Justin landed on the ironing board, Ruffus flew about seven feet through the air and landed right on the couch cushion and a stack of pillows. Finally, little Justin looked up grinning from ear to ear with pride. "See, I told you he could fly."

When Katherine stepped inside the house she was greeted by William who anxiously told her the accounts of the evening."Oh my God!! Is he alright? That's my baby!", she shrieked.
William assured her that Justin was untouched, but was still in shock.
"He is sleeping upstairs in our bed right now". She crept upstairs and quietly entered her bedroom. There was Justin, breathing soundly. She kissed him on the forehead and whispered, "I love you". William looked in and then motioned Katherine to follow him. She partially closed the bedroom door behind her and they went into Justin's bedroom. They were discussing how this man must of come in. They decided it was best to call the local police and make a report.

When the police came, William spoke to Officer Quintez and gave him the events that happened as he knew them. He them know that he thought this man may be injured as he thinks he was hit with his gun. They made a full report and asked if they could speak to Justin.
"He is sleeping right now and I think he is still in shock", said William."Perhaps another time when I think he is ready".
Officer Quintez said, "Okay, but I prefer to speak to him as soon as possible while the description of the man is fresh in his memory. If this man is a child predator then his testimony can save lives."After Officer Quintez left, a slew of questions came up. Was this man a child predator? Why did this man choose their house? Was this random? Was he a thief? After these questions arose, Katherine decided that she should sit Justin down and discuss inappropriate touching and that he should be very careful of strangers and they cannot be trusted.