The Gift of a Story

By Dave Schubert

The Gift of a Story is about a boy named Scott who gets a surprising Christmas present. This gift takes him to another land where he is the star of his own story and is required to fight for his and other’s freedom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Oct 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973643128

Dave Schubert

Dave Schubert lived in several states as a child before moving to Cincinnati, OH, where he lived until he graduated from high school. He decided to attend Clemson University and graduated from there in 2002. He lives in Kingsport, TN with his wife, April, their three wonderful kids, and their crazy dog named Lego.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Christmas Gift

Scott rolled over and looked at the clock again.

2:02.

It’s two o’clock, he said aloud before adding under his breath, finally. He knew no one had heard him. He was lying alone in his bed in his own room at 257 Oak Lane.

Scott had looked at the clock at least ten times since one thirty and at least twenty times since midnight. He wished the clock would somehow move a little faster. How could it only be 2:02?

2:03.

His parents had told him he wasn’t allowed to head downstairs before six o’clock, and Scott was doing his best to keep to that rule, although he didn’t know whether he would make it. He had gone to bed early just like the rest of his family, at ten o’clock, in hopes that the night would pass faster, but he found himself to be sorely mistaken. Christmas morning just wouldn’t come fast enough.

Scott couldn’t wait to get downstairs to get his new bicycle. His parents hadn’t promised him one, but he was pretty sure he was finally going to get it this Christmas. He had expected it last Christmas, but his parents had to cut their Christmas spending because of tough times at work. His oldest brother, Mike, needed new clothes for school because he had suddenly grown four inches after he turned fourteen. And his next oldest brother, Dave, had needed new shoes for basketball. And Abby had needed a new dress for her dance recital. Somehow being the third of three boys didn’t work out that well, especially when he had a younger sister.

Scott had always gotten the hand-me-downs from his brothers in everything. He got their old clothes, shoes, and jackets. He got their old toys and games. He even got Dave’s old bike, with the chain that just wouldn’t stay on the gears.

But not this time. Now that he was eleven years old, things were going to be different.

What is the one thing you really want for Christmas, Son? his dad had asked him just before Thanksgiving.

His immediate response was, A bicycle.

But you already have one.

Dad, we’ve never been able to fix the gears so that the chain doesn’t come off. I can’t tell you the number of crashes I’ve had on that thing.

I know, but the bike still works.

That’s the only thing I want, Scott had clarified.

We’ll have to see about that. Times are tight. Are you sure there’s nothing else we can get you?

I’ll think about it.

He remembered the look of sadness on his dad’s face as he walked away. At first Scott hadn’t thought his parents would be able to come up with the money, but his dad hadn’t asked him again what he wanted. It was a good thing because Scott hadn’t come up with anything else. Since they hadn’t asked him, he felt pretty sure he was getting a new bike.

Starting a couple of weeks before Christmas, every time his family went to a store that sold bicycles, Scott hurriedly ran and checked them out. He dreamed of riding the newest models, especially the ones designed for tricks. He pictured himself riding down the street on the new bike and being the envy of all the neighborhood kids, unlike now when he inevitably crashed every few blocks on Dave’s old bike with the bad gears and had the same kids laugh at him.

2:08.

Mike and Dave had teased him constantly about a new bike. They’d told him there was no way he would get the bike. They’d told him that Dad would just paint his old bike to make it look new. When they conceded that he might actually get one, they said it would be pink and made for a girl. No matter what they said, though, they couldn’t shake his confidence that he was getting a new bike.

2:10.

Three hours and fifty minutes until I can sprint down the stairs and see my new bike, he said aloud.

Scott had checked the seven-day forecast on each of the four news channels for the last two weeks in hopes of some nice weather. He had also checked his mom’s phone app every day. He had even discovered that one of the apps was more accurate than the others by checking the highs and lows each day. The app he trusted had predicted sixty degrees as the high for Christmas day. Sixty degrees! It was never that nice in Cincinnati at Christmas.

That was perfect weather to take his bike outside and ride it down the street to show it off to his friends. Scott could just picture himself riding effortlessly down the street and the other kids leaving their toys behind to come and stare at his new bike. How impressed everyone would be. He couldn’t wait.

He had heard many of his classmates saying that they were hoping and praying for snow on Christmas. They even walked around, singing that stupid song over and over about dreaming of a white Christmas, but Scott was hoping for exactly the opposite. He had even come close to praying for nice weather, even though praying was something he never did.

Scott bolted upright when he heard loud thuds on the stairs; he guessed Mike and Dave had woken up and run down the stairs to see their presents. Scott couldn’t believe he wasn’t the first one down the stairs. He wanted to be there when his brothers saw his new, shiny bike. Maybe if I take the back way at the bottom of the stairs, he thought, I can beat them to the presents.

At the bottom of the stairs, he stepped on a small wagon, felt it take off from under him, and thudded to the floor with a loud grunt. As he tried to recapture his breath, he looked around for the light his brothers would have turned on when they came downstairs, but he saw nothing. The downstairs were in total darkness.

Then he heard laughter from the top of the stairs and saw Mike and Dave laughing so hard that they could barely stand up. Mike didn’t think you’d fall for that, little brother, Dave said through his laughter, but I was pretty sure the wagon would do the trick.

It’s too bad we didn’t have a video camera on your spill at the bottom, Mike added between gasps for breath, because you had a perfect ten on the back flop.

Scott could feel his face heating up as anger and embarrassment warred within him. He desperately wanted to go and stop their laughter, but he was nowhere near a match for either of them physically. He took a few deep breaths and said in a squeak of embarrassment, What time is it?

Two forty-five, Dave said around his laughter.

Suddenly Scott heard his parents’ door open, "If any of you aren’t back in your room and in bed when I count to three, every present for all of you will be returned to the store… unopened!" his dad yelled.

But Dad, three voices said at once.

One, their father said loudly.

All three voices stopped instantly. Scott jumped up off the floor and fled up the stairs, surprised and relieved that he didn’t feel any pain. As he ran, he saw his brothers dive into their room and slam the door.

Two, their father said.

He saw Abby peak her head out the door of her room. Is it six already? she asked sleepily.

No! Scott answered loudly. Get back in bed quickly. Dad’s counting.

Aaaah, Abby screamed as she slammed her door.

Scott heard, Ttthhhhr— as he threw his door shut and dove into bed. Scott doubted that his father would actually do as he’d said, but he didn’t want to take a chance at being wrong. As his heart pounded loudly in his ears, he listened intently for his father coming down the hallway to either exact other punishments or let them know he was going to do as he said. After several moments, Scott realized his dad wasn’t coming and gave a huge sigh of relief.

2:50.

Scott fumed as he stared at his dark ceiling. How could his brothers do that to him? He was so angry. What if his dad had taken the presents back, just as he’d said he would? He tried to imagine what he would do to his brothers then, but nothing mean enough came to mind.

He hated how his brothers teased him all the time. Just like with the wagon, he fell into their traps and jokes so easily. Just the other day, they had replaced his morning apple juice with the leftover grease from their mother’s fried chicken. How they had laughed when they did that. His sister had almost fallen out of her chair when she found out what had happened, and even his mother and father had had a hard time keeping the grins off their faces. He had eventually laughed with them, but he could feel his face burning while he did so.

Scott knew his brothers loved him, though. He recalled a time just a year earlier when Scott and Dave had protected him from the neighborhood bullies. Mike had even punched one of them because of how much he had been picking on Scott. Scott had thanked them, but their only response had been advice not to worry about it. Surprisingly, they had never even teased him about it. Scott guessed that they just took it as their responsibility as older brothers to defend him. Of course, they also took it as their responsibility to tease him mercilessly.

3:00.

Scott felt the anger leaving him and his temper falling. Three more hours… thank goodness it’s finally getting closer. Scott finally fell into a light sleep as he began to dream about his bike again.

Beep, beep.

Scott rolled over and turned his alarm clock off. It said 5:59. It took several moments to register why his alarm clock was going off so early. As it dawned on him, he jumped out of bed and ran to the door, just as his clock showed 6:00. He tore it open and ran to the top of the stairs, narrowly avoiding running into Abby as she ran from her room. He saw Dave calmly open his brothers’ bedroom door, trying to hide his eagerness, but he could see the excitement in his eyes too. He wasn’t running though and letting Abby and Scott race each other to the Christmas tree, where they knew the presents would be scattered.

As Scott turned the corner, he froze when the image was burned into his mind as he left the dark confines of the hallway and entered the living room. He saw the Christmas tree lit up in all its glory. The ornaments were all perfectly placed by his mother and Abby, as they had been for nearly a month. The star atop the tree even seemed to shoot out its own special light. And there, just to the right of the tree, was his new bike.

That shiny, new bike was his. The black frame reflected the tiny little lights in countless directions. The red writing looked almost like flames. The handlebars had just the slightest curve to them. The seat looked so comfortable that it seemed to be calling to him to sit on it.

I don’t believe it, Mike said in disbelief.

Yeah, Dave added, I was certain it was going to be pink.

Their comments didn’t even phase Scott. He was too excited. He walked slowly to the bike, still taking in the image of it in his mind. Then he started to run his fingers down the frame and over the seat. He grasped the handlebars and pumped the brakes. It was perfect.

He slowly climbed on. He could imagine himself taking off down the street on this thing. The cool wind would make him shiver, but he would still pedal faster and faster. It was the best Christmas ever.

No riding in the house, his father said with a big smile. Scott hadn’t even realized that he’d pulled the kickstand up. He was ready to ride.

It came to him that everyone was opening their presents, but it didn’t matter to him. He calmly put the kickstand back down and got off. He then walked around the bike, checking everything out. This was the best present ever.

Scott, he heard his mother say loudly as it dawned on him that he had heard her calling his name multiple times without it registering with him.

What? he said as he came out of his reverie.

There’s some more presents over here.

He saw a small stack of three presents under the tree with his name on them. He moved over and sat so he could open them while looking at his bike. He had told his parents that he didn’t want anything else, and he’d meant it. He had gotten his bike. Why did he need anything else? He was perfectly happy.

The first present he opened was a box filled with different kinds of candy from Mike, Dave, and Abby. He found two candy bars and some gum. The second present was a game of chess. He’d wanted this game for a long time to play with his dad, but while still reveling in the new bike, he wasn’t that excited about it. The last present was a tattered book that had no name on the cover. He turned it over and looked at the back, and it had nothing on it either. It kind of looked like a journal, but when he flipped through it, it looked more like a normal book inside. He thumbed through the book from back to front and was surprised to find that the pages were all empty, until he got to the first page and saw the word Introduction. That was it. He quickly looked through the book again, but it was empty on every other page.

Why would someone give me a stupid book that’s basically empty? he said aloud.

That is a gift from Grandma, his dad said reproachfully. She thought you might like it.

Have you looked at it? he asked his dad tensely.

Nope. Let me take a look. Scott handed the book to his dad in the hopes of his dad giving him some insight into what the book was.

As he waited, he turned to look at the bike again. Today was the best Christmas ever. The other presents were insignificant, even the weird book. All he wanted to do was ride his bike. He looked at the clock and saw it was only 6:15. He couldn’t take his bike outside until the sun came up, and that wasn’t for another couple of hours. What was he going to do until then?

I don’t know what it is, his dad said. Maybe it’s meant to be a journal. It looks like a used book from a bookstore, but all of the pages are empty. Scott was surprised that his dad didn’t mention seeing the word Introduction but didn’t say anything about it.

Let me take a look at that, Dad, Mike said.

Everyone took turns looking through the book, but no one else understood it any better. Scott didn’t really care though. It was just a stupid book. He had gotten what he really wanted. It was shaping up to be the best Christmas ever.

Chapter 2

The First Visit

Scott sat fuming as he rode in the family minivan to church that morning. It was eight thirty, and he still hadn’t gotten to ride his new bike. He couldn’t believe it. He had waited for weeks for this opportunity, and now they were going to church. Why did he have to go to church? He hated going to church.

After opening presents, his family had begun their normal family traditions. First, his mother made a breakfast of pancakes, freshly cooked bacon, and scrambled eggs. Scott was sure it tasted as good as always, but his eyes kept straying back to his bike. Then he craned his head around to look out the window to see whether it was light enough to ride his bike yet. Then he turned his eyes back to his bike. He only realized that he hadn’t been eating when his mom mentioned that he had been holding the same piece of bacon for quite a while. He heard his dad chuckle as Scott took another bite before Scott’s eyes strayed back to his bike to renew the cycle again.

Next, the family turned on Christmas music and listened for over thirty minutes while some people sang Jingle Bells, Silent Night, and Away in a Manger. Scott didn’t hear much of it though. He just sat on the couch where he could look at his new bike and see outside at the same time. He watched the sky gradually lighten as they sat there until finally he felt his parents would agree that it was light enough outside for him to take his bike out.

Just as he stood up, though, his dad said, Time to get ready for church.

What? Scott blurted in disappointment.

Church, his dad responded calmly. We’re leaving in thirty minutes.

Thirty minutes, Scott thought. That should be plenty of time to ride down to the end of the block and back. Maybe even twice. He ran to his bike and began to wheel it through the hallway to the front door when he heard his father’s voice. Not right now, Son. You’ll have plenty of time to ride later.

But Dad, you said I have thirty minutes.

Yes, but I don’t want to be late while we wait on you.

C’mon, Dad, Scott pleaded. I’ll just ride it for ten minutes. Can’t I just ride it for ten minutes?

Nope.

Five minutes?

No, he said more firmly. You need to go get ready.

I’m not a girl, Dad. It doesn’t take me thirty minutes to get ready.

He noticed Abby’s head come up with a look of anger in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything. He then noticed that his brothers were shaking their heads with a look of warning in their eyes and making a slashing gesture as if Scott should stop his argument. But Scott didn’t want to give up. He wanted to go ride his bike, even if it was only for five minutes.

He opened his mouth to continue his argument, but before he could say anything, his dad said in a stern voice, I told you no, Scott. If you ask again, you won’t be able to ride your bike today at all. Scott finally decided to give up his argument, but with a last moment of defiance, he stomped up the stairs as loudly as he could.

And so he found himself riding to church with his family. He wasn’t looking forward to church at all. There was nothing there for him. He usually didn’t mind the singing, but he had no desire to listen to the preacher for over thirty minutes as he droned on about things that had no real meaning to him. Like last week, he had briefly heard the preacher mention that King David lived about three thousand years ago. Why did he care about what happened to a man who had lived that long ago? Or why did he care that there was a City of David? He had resorted to counting the holes in the ceiling and had gotten to over one thousand by the time the preacher finally finished.

Many times at church, he just watched the other people as they sat there. Some of them seemed really focused on what the preacher would say. They would nod along with the preacher, and some would even take notes. They weren’t the exciting ones though. He looked for the ones who had left their cell phones on and would send text message to people during the service. The look of embarrassment on someone’s face when his or her cell phone rang unexpectedly during the service was also good. Or the occasional one who popped his or her gum in the middle of the service and get dirty looks from those around him or her. Usually the people who popped their gum were so embarrassed that they immediately got rid of it, and then Scott was bored again.

His brothers had only recently started enjoying church. They used to hate going even more than Scott, but that had changed. They had seemed to come to some new kind of realization about what church was about in the last year. They now sang along with the songs and paid as close attention to the preacher as their parents did. He didn’t know what had come over them.

At least Abby was there with him. She usually went to the children’s church, so she wasn’t in the normal church service like he was, but on Christmas, she was in there too. If he was going to be hating it, at least she would too.

Fortunately, his brothers had shown him a trick a few years earlier about going to church on Christmas. Church is much more crowded on Christmas, Mike had told him with a wink. Mom and Dad can’t see what you’re doing as easily. Take something small you can play with. It will be a lot more fun. That year, he had watched his brothers take out a small game they had gotten for Christmas and covertly play it throughout the service. The next year, he had followed their advice and discovered that they had been right.

Unfortunately, Scott had few presents to pick from this year. Just before leaving the house, he had squatted as if he were looking at his bike, but he was really trying to decide what he was going to take with him to church. The candy didn’t seem like a good idea, and the game of chess was too big. All that was left was the book he had gotten from his gramma. Why would he want to take that? Maybe, he had thought, I’ll use the pages to draw on. Scott didn’t really like drawing, but it sounded better than anything else, so he tucked the book behind his back under his shirt so his parents wouldn’t see it. He also grabbed a pencil and put it in his pocket.

Scott fumed all the way to church, but to his chagrin, no one seemed to care. He was sure his parents noticed, but they said nothing. He also knew Abby had noticed, but she didn’t seem to care either. He had even hoped his brothers would tease him, but they hadn’t said a single thing. Why could this day not be going better after it had started so well?

When they showed up at church, it was already packed, even though they had arrived at least fifteen minutes early. They had to search to find enough seats for all of them together, and they finally found them on one side. His parents sat on the end, and Abby sat right next to them. To his chagrin, his mom pulled Abby’s new coloring book and crayons out of her purse as soon as they sat down, so Abby got down on her knees and started coloring. His brothers sat next to Abby, and then Scott sat down past them. Scott thought about taking his book out right then, but he resisted the urge to do so—first, because he didn’t want his parents to catch him; and second, because he wasn’t that excited about his plan to enjoy himself. How could this be the best thing he could come up with? Why hadn’t he grabbed a book from his room to read?

As church started, his family joined everyone else in church by standing up as everyone began to sing. The words were displayed on a projection screen above where the preacher would stand. After a few songs, everyone sat down, and Scott thudded resignedly onto his chair, a response he immediately regretted when he smacked into his book against the chair.

As another quieter song began, Scott reached behind him and pulled out his book. He also grabbed his pencil from his pocket and opened the front cover just as the congregation started to sing,

O, come let us adore Him.

O, come let us…

This time, when he turned to the first page with his pencil ready, instead of just seeing one word, there were several. He jerked in surprise and dropped his pencil on the chair beside him. He quickly picked it up before it fell to the floor.

He read,

Introduction

This is your story and yours alone. No one else can see it or live it. It’s time for you to see all that you can do. The Story Book has all kinds of stories and all kinds of adventures with no two alike. The story will lead you on as you are ready. Do not try to skip ahead, since you cannot. May you have fun… Scott.

He stopped suddenly and reread the last line. Was this some kind of joke? Had someone written something just to him. He turned the page and found only the words Chapter 1. He was almost certain that when he had looked through the book at home, those words hadn’t been there. That wasn’t possible, so he decided that he must have just missed them. He flipped through every other page and still saw nothing on the pages. He returned to the introduction and read it over again. He was completely baffled. What was up with this book?

As the congregation continued to sing, O, come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord, he read the introduction one more time and turned to page two. This time he saw something he hadn’t seen before. A little speck of something was on the page.

Suddenly he heard a voice yell, Hurry up! Run! Run! We’ve got to get out of here!

He started in shock as he looked around. He was still sitting next to his family at church and could still hear the congregation singing, but he could also see something else. He saw a smaller boy in dirty clothes pulling roughly at his hand. They were in a small alley with tall wooden buildings on either side.

This does not look like home, Scott immediately thought. His house was just one of many brick houses on Oak Lane, which was one of many similar neighborhoods in Cincinnati. The houses he saw now were nothing like what he had seen before. What was happening?

The congregation continued to sing, For He alone is worthy. For He alone…

Run, Scott, the boy said. We’ve got to get out of here.

The sounds of the congregation disappeared as he tried to catch the boy’s arm. Wait, he shouted. What’s going on?

I don’t have time to explain, the boy said as he ran. We’ve got to go now. Scott called out a few more times, but the boy wouldn’t stop running. Shortly, Scott gave up his attempts since it became harder and harder to breathe while sprinting after the boy.

He followed the boy until he didn’t think he could run anymore. They zigzagged through countless alleys under a cloudy sky. Many times Scott just caught himself before