Grade 4
Holmes School

Split

by Emma L

Chapter 1

Joe lived on 22 Maple Street in Lexington, Kentucky. As a baby Joe had been blind in one eye. When he was around two years old, he started having visions in his left eye. He saw beautiful creatures, rain forests, desserts and other marvelous things through his left eye. Sometimes he saw things that you only see in your nightmares. He saw huge animals and reptiles with giant horns and wings. He complained to his mother about it, but she always said, “What an imagination you have.”

Joe’s father had died in a plane crash coming back from the Caribbean when Joe was three. Joe and his mother never talked about it. Joe was now eleven and could hardly remember his visions because he hadn’t had them in a long, long time. He now believed what his mother believed. It all came out of his imagination.

Chapter 2

Joe walked slowly down the winding path covered with leaves. His left eye had been hurting all day. The pain was a piercing feeling like a blade struck him in the middle of his eye.
“At least it’s not my good one,” Joe mumbled to himself. He took off the black glasses his father had sent him and rubbed his eye. He had finally grown into them. Suddenly, he saw a flash of light in his left eye. Through his right eye he could see the old barn as it always looked, but through his left eye he saw a beautiful house filled with flames. On his left side he could feel the wind trying to assist the fire. On his right side he only felt the warm sun beaming down on his face. Joe clutch his left eye as a piercing scream echoed through the air. Joe ran in the other direction wanting to warn his mother. Joe stopped long enough to pick up his glasses from the muddy ground. He quickly wiped them on his shirt and continued running.

“Mom, the old barn is burning!” Joe yelled as he rushed to her.

“Burning?” she sounded very scared because Diablo, her horse, slept there. “Is Diablo ok?” she stuttered. “Let’s go find him.”

“Let’s take some buckets just in case,” said Joe.

Chapter 3

Joe and his mother scrambled over the rough terrain. Joe looked astonished when the old barn came into view. It was fine. No burning boards. Just the old barn he always saw through his right eye. Diablo was grazing in the paddock.

“Joe,” his mother panted. “Is this a joke? Because it’s not a good one.”

“It... it... it was all so different when I was walking home.”

“I don’t have time for your silly jokes,” she exclaimed as she headed back toward the house.

Joe sighed and thought about what he saw. Visions? My visions seemed so real. No, no, I must have been imagining. Joe walked up to Diablo.

“You’re a good horse,” Joe whispered as he kissed Diablo on the muzzle. “I swear I saw a burning house instead of the barn. Diablo was Joe’s best friend. He was blind in the right eye. “We’re like two peas in a pod,” Joe said quietly. Joe carefully matched his left eye to Diablo's right as he always did. It made him feel protected and safe.

Chapter 4

A strong wind blew and Joe thought he could hear a distant scream wailing in the wind. As suddenly as the wind began screaming, it stopped. Joe again matched his left eye to Diablo’s right.

“Joseph de Tomadlon Toel,” said a voice in his head. Joe started to move.

“Come, reach into my mind. Fall deeper into relaxation,” said the voice.

“Who are you?” Joe said firmly. I am a four-legged beast in your world.

“Diablo?! You can talk? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I cannot talk. I can communicate with the mind,” the voice said with a booming sound. “Look at me through your left eye.”

Joe hadn’t noticed, but he had been shutting his eyes tightly. He slowly opened them as if he had just woken up. Through his left eye he saw a marvelous beast like a dragon almost. His furry wings were spread. They must have been ten feet long. His scaly body stood about twelve feet tall. One side was blood red the other blue. He had six muscular legs that were webbed like a frogs. His tail had sharp horns on it. A long silver mane dangled from his giraffe-like neck. On either side of his pointy ears were two horns. In the middle of his forehead was another horn. Through his right eye Joe saw Diablo.

“Which one is real?” Joe asked in an amazed voice.

“Both,” said the creature. “And neither.” He shook his mane. “You see reality is strange. In my world Tomikfalia, you are a brave warrior. In this world you are a young boy.

“I don’t understand a thing you’re saying,” Joe said. Not responding to the question, the creature continued his story.

“In Ekzintilka you don’t exist. Only evil exists there.”

“What are you?”

“I am a Fanticfiction,” he said with an ear-shattering roar while spreading his wings.

Chapter 5

“Come,” he said calmly. He indicated his head backwards to his scaly, smooth back.
“I need to go back to the house. I can’t ride on a dragon,” Joe said looking up at the beast.

“Do not call me beast,” he said. It seemed to read Joe’s mind.
“Call me Maku. We are not going riding. And another thing, those humans only see a four-legged beast, not a Fanticfiction,” he exclaimed in a deep voice.

“I’m a human, too, you know,” Joe muttered.

“No,” said the beast looking down at Joe with glassy eyes.

“No!” I’m a regular boy!” said Joe.

“Use your head, Joseph.”

“Why do you call me that, Maku?”

“It is a sacred name. Joseph is your real name in this world. Is it not?”

“It is,” Joe said. He looked at his feet. I’m probably not a human anyway, Joe thought.

“Tomadlon means strong warrior and Toel means true. You are not a human at all. You belong to my world. You are a Madiltanda which is a creature that looks like a human. I carried you here when you were young because you hold a great power Joseph. It was not safe in Tomikfalia.”

“This is going through my head too quickly,” Joe said holding his head.

“I thought it might. No time. Get on my back.” Joe stared up into the gleaming eyes of Maku. There was a look in those big, black eyes that said trust me. Joe put a hand on Maku’s body. Though dizzy, he felt warm and comforted.

“I don’t think I’m tall enough,” Joe stuttered realizing the beast’s incredible height.

“Oh, my mistake,” chuckled Maku as he knelt down. The beast winked and Joe swung a leg on top of the body. He got a tingling feeling in his brain. Then he got another jolt of happiness and fright as Maku lifted off, but he only saw their take off through his left eye. With his right eye, he and Diablo were simply walking along the path.

Joe heard and felt a thump and was so eager he opened his eyes immediately. That seemed to frighten the beast in front of him. It leaped back frightened. It was like a Dodo only bigger. It’s short neck bobbed up and down as it stared at him.

“That’s Maxfel,” came Maku’s warming voice. “And that’s Bazmul.” An extraordinary purple elephant bowed in front of him.

“Well, we should not delay,” said Bazmul.

“Where are we going?” Joe asked. Maku was about to answer when Maxfel cut in.

“To the fortress of Exentillia to defeat the empress of Ekzintilka, the lizard beast. They are polluting our planet and killing our people.”

“Where’s this place?” Joe asked.

“In all our power, we don’t know,” said Maku. Suddenly, Bazmul let out a shriek as a serpent tried to bite him.

He grabbed it with his trunk and said, “You unlucky beast. I’ll rip you in half!”
“Releassse! Beesss niccce elephantsss!”

“Oh, I’ll let you go all right. . . FROM THE TOP OF A CLIFF!” boomed Bazmul.

“Bazmul!” said Maku. Maku indicated with the tip of his tail a scroll that the snake was carrying in it’s menacing jaws. Maxfel snatched it with his jaws and opened it.

“I can’t read it. It’s all in funny writing.”

“Let me see,” Joe said. Joe was astounded. This was the writing that he and his mom had invented. So as all the animals listened as Joe read.

Go where nobody’s gone--rocky and gray.
It’s not so far so don’t dismay.
Not north, south, east or west,
but a birds direction to its nest.
“A riddle,” said Maku.

“And the small one can read it,” said Bazmul.

“Well,” Joe said. “We need to go somewhere where nobody’s gone.”

“Oh, it’s, um, rocky and gray,” said Maxfel.

“Rocky and gray?” repeated Bazmul. “But we’ve explored all of those disgusting caves.”

“That’sss wheres you isss wrongss,” whispered the snake.

“Oh, be gone,” said Bazmul, dropping the snake.

“Have you explored that big one?” Joe said pointing.

“Of course, Joseph,” said Maku.

“What floats that’s rocky and hard?” asked Maxfel.

“Where’d ya get float?” questioned Maku.

“Well,” explained Maxfel, “it has to float because up is a birds direction to its nest.”

“Great figuring,” said Maku. “but rock cannot float.”

“You’ve solved it!” blurted out Joe. “Look at that tiny opening on the ceiling of the big cave.”

“By Tomikfalia!” trumpeted Bazmul. “You’re right!”

Chapter 6

“Joseph de Tomadlon!” Maku roared. “Good work, my friend. But your work is not over. You are the only one that is small enough to fit through that opening. This opening probably leads to Exentillia’s lair. She came from Ekzintilka with her band of savages and needed a place to stay so she picked the caves.”

“But I can’t face her alone,” yelped Joe.

“You can, Joseph, I know you can,” said Maku with the same trusting look he had before.

“Ok,” said Joe unsurely. Again he matched his left eye to Maku’s right.

Chapter 7

Maku gave him a boost up through the small hole. He tumbled down a passageway into a whirling mist. He got that sick feeling you get when you’re falling, but soon landed on top of a creature. It was a shiny, yellow-green lizard about five feet tall, and, boy, did it smell like rotten eggs and other nasty things. Joe immediately leaped off the disgusting thing. It had only been knocked cold because its red gills slowly went up and down. Joe ran down a very narrow passage. He hesitated when he saw a dead animal skull about as big as him, but then he remembered Maku’s words. Joe sprinted past the skull and gave a sigh of relief when nothing happened. Suddenly, the mouth of the skull opened. Joe’s eyes opened wide in terror. His mouth dropped open in disbelief. His right eye went black and he wished his left would too, as a huge lizard like the one he landed on descended from the skull. It slowly opened its yellow, bloodshot eyes. Joe was so surprised when it spoke in a female voice.

“Boy!” she said in a piercing voice that made Joe shiver. “I was expecting you.” She took a deep breath after every word. “And now you will die like the rest of those sniveling creatures. I will invade and take over your planet.” Joe understood this was the queen of Ekzintilka.

“Exentillia,” Joe said.

“Yes.” she said. “Now you can’t win,” she said as she lashed out at Joe with her tail. It hit his leg creating a bleeding gash. Joe winced, but didn’t cry out or clutch his knee. He was staring into Exentillia's bright, yellow eyes.

“Die!” yelled Exentillia as she scratched him hard on the face. Still Joe looked into her eyes. Suddenly, she started to bleed. “What are you doing, boy?” yelled Exentillia. “Stop!” she yelled as she bit him on his other leg. Joe bit his lip so hard it began to bleed, but he didn’t blink. Exentillia was bleeding all over.

“If I die, you shall, too!” she yelled giving one last slash at Joe with her tail. It struck him right on his neck. This time he had to stop looking because his wounds were too painful. He closed his eyes tight as an explosion filled the cave.

That was the end of Exentillia and almost the end of Joe, too. He opened his eyes to a bright, sunny morning to hear three voices. One of which he recognized right away.
“Maku!” As he opened his eyes there stood Maku looking more brilliant than ever. His sparkly mane flowing down his neck. In the room were two other creatures Joe didn’t recognize. One was as big as Maku and had four legs with three claws. It had a black mane covering one eye and spiral horns like a goat only much longer.

“Hello, brave one,” it said. “I am Yakiz, the king of Tomikfalia. You have saved our wonderful world.”

Your incredible powers of forgiveness, kindness, and bravery have saved us all,” said Maku.

“Come look,” said the other creature in the room. “See what you have done.”
“My son.”

Joe was confused. “Dad?!”

Chapter 8

“You’re dead. Mom said you were dead.”

“Well, I almost was,” answered Joe’s father. “You see,” he began. “I was on my way back from the Caribbean when our plane started going down. Everyone got parachutes except me. Someone pushed me off the plan and I fell. Luckily, I landed on Maku’s back. I was going to ask him to take me home, but he told me of the problems in his world. Since the crash, I’ve been living here.”

“Dad!” Joe yelled as he hugged the man he barely knew. Maku, Joe, his father and Yakiz walked out of the building which Joe recognized as the house that was burning. Six monkey-like creatures were rebuilding it. They smiled at Joe as they pointed. Joe saw a magnificent sight. Outside was a jungle filled with fantasy animals.

“How did Exentillia die?” asked Joe.

His father answered, “She couldn’t stand the kindness one person can give. If you would have fought back, you would have lost the fight to save our world.”

“And now?” said Maku. “I leave you.” Joe understood. He knew Maku couldn’t come home again. His father or he could let something slip about Tomikfalia. And since Joe’s father magically reappeared, someone might believe them. Joe again matched his left eye to Maku’s right and through it he saw his house and the old barn. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and Joe and his dad were back home in Kentucky. Joe and his dad smiled at each other and they walked hand in hand back to the house.