{"id":18,"date":"2008-11-12T02:05:05","date_gmt":"2008-11-12T07:05:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/?p=18"},"modified":"2008-11-18T11:41:37","modified_gmt":"2008-11-18T16:41:37","slug":"the-imagineer-book-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/?p=18","title":{"rendered":"The Imagineer – Book 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHAPTER 1 \u201cWhere Have All the Heroes Gone\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/strong>he giant, four winged dragon rose up – blowing a stream of fire at the knight charging toward it on horseback.\u00a0\u00a0 Sir Gavin dove from his mount avoiding the blistering flame.\u00a0 He rolled forward and landed on his feet with his mighty blade at the ready.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Focusing on the knight, the evil dragon opened its mouth and exposed it\u2019s fangs.\u00a0 In\u00a0one quick movement, it\u00a0snapped it\u2019s gaping maw at the valiant knight.\u00a0 Gavin swung his sword and blocked the deadly attack.\u00a0 Sparks flew from the clash of steel and tooth.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And an alarm began to ring.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTeddy!\u00a0 Time to get up!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As the vivid dream faded away, twelve year old Teddy Tucker opened his eyes.\u00a0 Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, his long blonde hair whipped left and right.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHurry up, honey, or you\u2019ll be late for school.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Teddy reached for the alarm and shut it off.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, why do mornings have to come so early?\u201d, he moaned.\u00a0 Throwing off the covers, he sat up – his legs dangling over the side of the bed.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Teddy\u2019s room was a mess.\u00a0 Not just a regular, run of the mill, everyday mess, but a disaster area, nuclear explosion, world class mess.\u00a0 Half completed models, books, trading cards, games, clothing (both clean and used) decorated the room like artifacts in Pharaoh\u2019s tomb.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Teddy\u2019s Mom warned him that one day she would come into his room with a Hefty bag and \u201creally clean it up\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTeddy!\u00a0 Hurry up!\u00a0 Are you daydreaming again?\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, Mom!\u00a0 I\u2019m almost ready!\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Teddy stood up and stretched.\u00a0 He was of medium height and build for his age, but he could tell he was ready for a growth spurt.\u00a0 He had seen pictures of his father and he was a tall man.\u00a0 In fact, he was named after his Dad, Theodore Tucker.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

His Mom told him that his father died when\u00a0he was very young.\u00a0 Teddy secretly believed that his father was a soldier of fortune, or a spy or \u2026.\u00a0 something mysterious and wonderful.\u00a0 Teddy was sure he died doing something great – saving a damsel in distress, recovering state secrets, quelling a revolution, or some other noble deed.\u00a0 Even though no one confirmed it, he was sure.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He stopped asking his Mom about him a while ago because it seemed to make her sad.\u00a0 She used to\u00a0tell stories about their high school days together.\u00a0 He was a football and baseball player and she was a cheerleader.\u00a0 How they went to the same college.\u00a0 How they loved each other very much from the first day they met.\u00a0 But she never talked about what he did after college,\u00a0so Teddy had to fill in the blanks himself.\u00a0\u00a0 He just noticed that after he left the room, he could hear sobbing.\u00a0 So he stopped asking.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Grabbing clothing from the floor and sniffing each to determine worn from unworn, Teddy quickly dressed.\u00a0 Football shirt, jeans and the cleanest socks he could find completed his outfit.\u00a0 And then he was off to the kitchen.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Teddy took the stairs two at a time.\u00a0 His last leap was to the rug at the bottom of the stairs.\u00a0 On contact, the rug slid out from under him, his feet going in two different directions.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He landed on his rear end with a thud.\u00a0 Limbs akimbo and hair hanging down in his face, he desperately tried to catch his breath.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And then he opened his mouth wide.\u00a0 With shock and hurt he shouted \u201cThe Word\u201d.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 The \u201cI don\u2019t believe you just said that!\u201d and \u201cWhere did you hear that filthy language?\u201d Word.\u00a0 As soon as it was out, Teddy tried to get it back.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He closed his eyes and prayed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, please –\u00a0you didn\u2019t hear it. Mom\u201d,<\/span><\/em> he thought.\u00a0 Maybe she was slamming the door, or talking on the telephone, or in the bathroom far enough away not to have heard.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

He slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the kitchen doorway.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

No such luck.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Standing there, mouths open, staring at him were his Mom and his best friends, John and Izzy Newman.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

John (not Johnny or Jack, thank you) was thirteen and in the eighth grade, a year ahead of Teddy at Walter Johnson Middle School.\u00a0 He was an athlete (football, baseball, basketball), had a near-photographic memory for sports trivia and movie facts, and had an innate knack for knowing how things work.\u00a0 He also had a habit of giving people new names – constantly.\u00a0 His favorite target was his younger sister, Izzy.\u00a0 From the high volume of names he bestowed on her, she sometimes flipped out.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Izzy (short for Isabel) was eleven going on thirty.\u00a0 Sometimes when you talked to her you forgot her age.\u00a0 She was very bright and her conversations had a maturity beyond her years.\u00a0 Breezing through the 4th grade, she was still trying out different personalities.\u00a0 Tomboy.\u00a0 Prom Queen.\u00a0 Diva.\u00a0 Little girl.\u00a0 Mother.\u00a0 You never knew who you would be talking to at any given moment.\u00a0 This could be very disconcerting to family and friends.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Before Mrs. Tucker or John could react, Izzy walked right up to Teddy, as he sat awkwardly at the base of the stairs, and said \u201cQuite a vocabulary you have there, young man.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mrs. Tucker began to laugh.\u00a0 And so they all began to laugh.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Teddy stood up and straightened himself out, thinking, \u201cDodged a bullet there, I\u2019m gonna have to thank Izzy later.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As Teddy entered the kitchen, his Mom pulled him aside.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust so you know, right to bed after dinner tonight.\u00a0 Just because I laughed doesn\u2019t mean I think it\u2019s OK,\u201d she told him, \u201cThat came out a little too easily.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Mom, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d he said while thinking, \u201cScratch the \u2018Thank You\u2019 to Izzy.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Teddy sat at the round table with John and Izzy.\u00a0 He began shoveling his cereal into his mouth at a rapid pace.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou kids want something to eat?\u201d Mrs. Tucker asked.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo, thanks,\u201d John said, \u201cWe already ate at home.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd, if we don\u2019t hurry, we\u2019ll be late \u2026 again,\u201d Izzy added.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m done!\u201d Teddy said through a mouthful of chocolaty, wheaty, sugary cereal.\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Grabbing their backpacks, the trio ran out of the door – shouting their farewells \u2013 into the mild spring morning.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBye, kids,\u201d Mrs. Tucker called after them.\u00a0 She stood at the window and watched them disappear into the distance.\u00a0 <\/span>Turning back, she saw the lunch bag on the counter.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, Teddy, you\u2019d forget your head if it wasn\u2019t attached.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The kitchen suddenly turned cold and dark, as if the life was being sucked from the room.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Elizabeth,\u201d\u00a0the voice was deep and raspy. \u201cIt\u2019s been a long time.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Elizabeth Tucker spun around.\u00a0 The darkness pressed inward like a heavy wool blanket – smothering, suffocating.\u00a0 She stared into it, looking toward the doorway into the hall, trying to see the owner of the voice.\u00a0 <\/span>In the failing light, she could make out a tall, dark shape – shrouded in a long, black cape.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A flood of recognition swept over her.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo \u2026.\u201d, she gasped.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yes \u2026:\u201d, the shape said, with an evil smile in his voice.\u00a0 <\/span>With a swoop of his cape, she became enveloped in the dark.\u00a0 And just as quickly, it was daylight again.\u00a0 But the kitchen was empty.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CHAPTER 1 \u201cWhere Have All the Heroes Gone\u201d The giant, four winged dragon rose up – blowing a stream of fire at the knight charging toward it on horseback.\u00a0\u00a0 Sir Gavin dove from his mount avoiding the blistering flame.\u00a0 He rolled forward and landed on his feet with his mighty blade at the ready. Focusing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-imagineer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27,"href":"https:\/\/waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18\/revisions\/27"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waynecoughlin.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}