• the sky was bright with promise. the sun shone with bright happiness and the the clouds that formed, though few, were light and friendly.the grassy hills seemed to sway and shine.the woods surrounding the area were quite. soon the only noise to be heared was the sound of laughter. a small girl of twelve was racing up the highest hill. pulling up her skirts out of her way. in front of her was a large shaggy dog who barked back at her as if saying ' Hurry up slow poke!'. the girl finally made the top. she giggled and flopped to the grassy earth beneath her feet. her shaggy dog troted over and began to lick her face till it was soaked. pushing the dogs great head away, the girl stared up at the sky and sighed. few days did it ever look so beautiful. her eyes slowly closed and she drifted to sleep.
    she watched as the day fastforward before her. she watched the shaggy dog bark to something behind her. she watched it run soon after in the oppisite direction they had come. the girl knew that she was asleep but this did not feel like a dream. this was real. at least it felt that way. but then something happend that could not happen in the real world. the girl sped backward without moveing herself. the things that she flew by were so blured that she could not tell were she was going. she could not stop herself, could not move.then she stopped. and though the trip had felt so long the girl knew that it had not been long at all. where she found herself startled and excited her.
    she was on a cliff over looking a giant mass of water. " the ocean." she said in a whisper. her eyes wide with wonder. she had never seen the ocean but heard amazing tales from the men, mostly traders, whocame through her home village. the sight of the ocean kept her mezmerised. she forgot that she should be afraid. she forgot how she had even gotten there in the first place. the girl stared for what seemed hours though could only be minutes. then she came to her senses as fast as she had lost them. she had distinctly heard a noise. the sound of quiet foot steps. but they had stopped when she had jumped. she turned around.
    nothing but air. then turning back...
    a man stood before her. how? how could he have gotten there? she had little time to think, to react. a great wall of water rose high in the air. so high that it made the cliff she stood on seem dwarfed compared.the man smiled at her shock. "good-bye" he said. the girl had no time to even register his voice. the wall of water came down and swallowed her. she screamed and swallowed water so salt that she would have coughed if she could. the man stood tall. as if he was attached to the rock. the girl floated with the water. her vision sputtered. before she could see no more the man raised his hand, and with a satisfied grin, waved to the poor little girl.
    not far from this horrific scene, in a cottage off the beach, a boy was born.
    "Alexander."