Next of Kin

"Yay!" shouted the girl with excitement and jubilation. "Thanks again, Daddy, for taking us to the carnival!"

"Yeah," agreed the little boy, her brother. "I don't think we've ever done anything like this!"

"Well, you know that your mother and I have to work a lot, so this is a rare and special treat."

The trio walked down the main fairway, looking at each of the booths to see what they wanted to do first. There were all the usual games, like the one where the player has to shoot a wooden duck to get a prize, or the one where the player has to throw a beanbag at a target in order to dunk a high-ranking person into a tub of water. The two youth were soon overwhelmed by the "Step right up!"'s and the "Test your luck!"'s. One thing, however, caught their eye.

It was a small wooden bench off to the side of the main traffic. Seated on it was a figure in a dark robe, with a hood obscuring the face. The father realized who it was.

"Hey, kids, look!" he said, pointing in the bench's direction. "It's the storyteller! Why, I remember you two used to love his stories!"

They remembered, too. Though they couldn't remember the story, they did recognize the shape of the one who told it to them almost immediately. They ran over, while their father walked up and stood behind them.

"Hello, children," said the man without looking up. "I suppose you'd like to hear a story?"

"Yes!" they shouted in unison.

"Very well, but which story to tell? All the ones I know are good, or at least that's what I hear."

"Tell us a story about adventure!" said the boy.

"I want to hear a story about a princess!" said the girl.

"How about a story about a spy, who has to break into the enemy base!" suggested the boy.

The two siblings couldn't seem to agree on what kind of story to hear. As soon as one suggested something, the other suggested something different. It soon turned into a shouting match.

"Children, children, please," said the storyteller, trying to calm them down. "It just so happens I know a story with all those things. Shall I tell it?"

"That sounds like a good idea," said the father.

"Yeah!" shouted the two in unison again.

"Okay, then, here goes." And he began his tale.

"Imagine a classroom, full of high school students. The year is 1985, and the fashions reflected the times. It was a normal Friday afternoon, and everyone was anxious to get out of the school to enjoy the weekend. Back in the rear corner of the room, staring out the window, was a young lad by the name of Jacob Kin. Little did he know that the weekend he so longed for would be the one that changed his life forever...

This tale tells the story of the young teen Jacob Kin, who is an average 1985 teenager until one weekend. The consequences of his actions during a camping trip lead him on an epic quest to recover his parents, and discovering the truth about his own lineage and genetic makeup. This story I originally wanted to make into a comic book of some sort, but as I cannot draw worth snot, this is much better. Besides, with such awesomely coreographed fight scenes in writing, who needs comics? Oh, and it might interest the reader to know that not just Jacob is in on this.