Cross this ↓ word out
Dear Reader,
I wish I could write your name but I don't know your name
so do me a favor if you own this book.
Cross out the word Reader and write your own beautiful name. write your name here (: ↓
Thank You so much I feel so much better now well My friend:______________________
I hope This book Will Help you feel something a little more than you did before
I hope once you have finished this book you will come back later and re read it.
I hope you learn something from it as well.
BUT MOST OF ALL....
I hope you have fun and enjoy it.
This Is Joy Jasper's Story I just happen to know it and I think you should to.
Author
-Skye A. Timothy
Prologue
It was only a week away from Christmas and Joy Jasper was at her Grandpas house. She was sitting comfortably by the Fireplace. Jimmy the old tabby cat was in her lap purring as she scratched his favorite place to be scratched under his right ear. She Sipped Hot Chocolate she had made from her Cow Chrysanthemum's Milk. Her Long Wavy Strawberry Blonde hair fell loosely on the back of the vermilion red sofa. Her feet were tucked in snugly as she listened to her Grandpas voice rise and fall as he told her the story about how as a boy just before Christmas he had rescued a stray cat and her kittens that where living underneath his old schoolhouse, His voice became boyish soft and low as if his long gone mother could hear him as he described how he had sneaked into his mothers room all those years ago and stolen or borrowed as he preferred to think of it his mothers favorite violet scarf, Later when his mother found out that he had taken the scarf and used it along with a basket as a sort of bed for a stray cat and her kittens she was furious! She Demanded he get rid of the cats immediately and Scolded him horribly for stealing her Violet Scarf she warned him that if he snuck into her room and took something of hers again his punishment would much less kind. Joy's Grandpa Robert Jasper told her how he had been very sad he did not want to put the kittens back outside in the cold. So He thought up another plan. As his mothers hawk eyes watched him closely He Bundled up and carried the mother cat and her kittens in the basket outside into the chilly December air he walked slowly toward the schoolhouse as his mother watched him from the frosted window which she had to keep blowing on and wiping to be able to see him. Finally he turned the corner and he ran towards the old chapel, The chapel had not been used for many years, No one individual owned it it was simply part of the town It was old and was at the verge of falling apart, but to Joy's Grandpa as a boy It was the perfect place for the litter and their mom. He found the nicest room and set the kittens and there mom there. He looked around The room had a carpet even if it was old it was soft. The walls where once bright red but now looked more like a fading tan, There was a large faded white sofa in the middle of the room and in the bright afternoon light the room was lit up comfortably, There where cobwebs but other than that the room was perfect. For weeks he would come to the chapel every day secretly and bring the mother and the kittens fresh water and leftover scraps of meat. There where times when his mother suspected mischief but being pregnant with her 4th child she did not have the energy to find out for her self. Months passed and soon the kittens where nearly as big as their mother, Joy's Grandpa found loving homes for each one of the 4 kittens and there mom. One of them went to a home of a very sweet girl just his age the kitten she adopted was pitch black with one white sock paw. Joy's Grandpas voice saddened as he said this. but he soon became happy again you see he even manged to convince his mother to let him keep one of the kittens, She was calico colored and sweet. "Truth to be told", he said in a jolly voice, "I think my mother loved that kitten more than I did. Who would of known?!"
Joy Laughed and clapped. "Grandpa That was the best story yet! why have you never told me before?"
Her Grandpas Jolly face darkened his smile faded and a slight frown took its place.
"You see, my girl, the story reminds me of..-" Joy Cut him off with a quick "Grammy?"
He nodded his head his gray hair looked more white it seemed than it had a minute before.
"My girl I do believe you know me better than anyone else.." He remarked Joy noticed some jolly had come back into his voice.
"That is everyone but Pa" she concluded
Her Grandpas Face lost every speck of jolly or happy it had. His face darkened it seemed permanently.
"He did that is"
Joy jumped out of her seat sending Jimmy flying he mewed madly but Joy was too worried to notice. which was so unlike her.
"You mean he lost his memory or or- ( Joy's voice stuttered not wanting to say the words ) she finally spat them out "or his His Life?"
The Silence was only a mere 5 seconds but to Joy it Seemed 5 thousand years.
Finally her Grandpa broke the Silence to respond " I have meant to tell you but I.. Well anyways I got a letter today from the army stating that my only son is missing. No one knows where he is. He could be be dead or he could could be alive. No one knows" Her Grandpas voice faltered and a fat tear ran down his wrinkly face.
Joy Flew out of the house leaving her Grandpa Alone to mourn
Even her name could not save her now all happiness and Joy were gone.
As she raced across the streets rain began to fall which hid the streams of tears streaming down her face.
"Wha-t are we goin do?" Joy sobbed out to no one at all.
this time her Grandpa did not break the Silence to respond unless you count the pitter pattering of stedely falling rain a response.
CHAPTER ONE THE - TWINS
It had been 6 months since Joy Jasper had first heard that her father had gone missing in the army. She had heard the word missing far far too many times after the first. Her friends would say " I'm so sorry your dad's missing!" Strangers she passed in public would whisper among themselves "That's the girl who's father went missing" The word spread far and near across The little town of MayFlower. Joy Herself thought the word over and over again in her head and whispered it out loud sadly. Deep down inside Joy did not believe her father was dead. But she could not help the depressive negative thoughts that lurked below the surface. Her Dad had been gone for Six months. No one had seen a trace of him. The war that he was fighting in was very dangerous his position was Rifleman which was far from safe.
Joy's dad loved his country he had fought diligently. If he had to he would die to help another person.
Joy used to love how brave and Kind her father was. But now she wished he was cowardly and Shy.
When Joy's mother had first heard the news that her husband James Jasper had gone missing she had taken it to heart but on the outside she acted tough. Only Joy and her two siblings Her 16 year old Sister Faith and her 12 year old brother Carson saw the side of there mother that cried and mourned in the dark.
Faith and Carson had Loved their father dearly but Joy had Adored her father beyond adoration. He had been like her best friend they had played so many games together.
Faith and Carson where both Sad because there family would be even poorer now than before, But Joy was Sorrowful because she had lost a Playmate.
Faith would try to comfort Joy saying, " It's Okay Joy it could have been worse"
Carson would just hide in the shadows his eyes downcast to the floor as is there was something interesting to see there.
Joy would reply to Faith "I know its just its easier for you to have Faith because of your name, I guess I knew I would lose him some day but not so soon I just turned thirteen"
Her sister's response was to stroke her sisters hair and sigh.
Joy's Mother Way of comforting her children was a great big hug and a sweet noted lovely song, there mother had such a beautiful voice that one of her pure sung songs comforted the siblings more than a thousand words could have. (although Carson was not too big on hugging ) Both Joy Faith and Carson learned everything they knew at home their mother would teach them some and the rest they would explore and find out for themselves.
Almost Everyone Thought James Jasper was Dead. Even his own family thought he might be gone.
That is Almost Everyone.
It was exactly 6 months 8 days after Joy's dad had disappeared and Joy who was very tall for her age was walking slowly down a old brick sidewalk noticing every little weed that tried to make its way up through the gaps and to the light. She pondered that each had a different way of getting through, Some grew thin so they could fit trough the gaps others grew very slowly and small so that was they got through the gap they could become large and wide. Many where unique and where different colors and shapes, just as she was focusing on one particularly unique one that was maroon colored and small with circle like leaves two kids walked up to her. She began to observe them just as she had the weeds a moment before. One was a boy and the other a girl, but otherwise they were very much alike. Both of them had fire red hair, emerald green eyes, pale freckled skin and a crooked, but genuine smile showing all there perfect teeth.
"Are you two twins?" Joy asked politely
"Yup I'm Jimmy. I'm 14 and My sister here is Jinny she is also 14" Said the boy
Jinny smiled and said " People get our names mixed up all the time and I do wish pa would of named us different names something like Polly and Henry or something like that but anyways your Joy Jasper" She panted out of breath
" I am, Can I help you too with anything?" Joy inquired curiously
Jimmy Began quickly "Actually we are here to help you with something!"
" but how? I don't even know you."
"Well we sure know you!" Jinny burst out
"Jinny that's creepy don't say that!" Jimmy said giving her a swish of his hand
"Anyways We are the Gregory Twins, We are here to help you and your family find your father." Jimmy began
" That's easier said than done its been 6 months and 7 days since he went missing" Joy said sorrowfully
" Actually it been 6 months 8 days 3 hours 42 mins 24 seconds and so on since THEY went missing" The twins said in unison
Joy turned her full attention to them " Are you telling me..?"
"Yes we where there" Jinny finished proudly
"How can I believe you? How do I not know you guys are just some kids wanting to play a prank on me?"
"Wouldn't you rather believe us than just live in the dark", Jinny Asked, "We will help you find him!"
Joy did not know what to think not many people would know what to do if two red head twins with emerald green eyes appeared to them and said that they had been there when their father disappeared six months ago.
Joy's own turquoise eyes lighted up and she responded "Well What do I lose!"
Jinny Clapped her hands "Yay! We start the search soon!!!"
With that Both Jimmy and Jinny Waved goodbye and walked down the sidewalk until they turned right towards howards LN Joy Sneakily decided to follow them she wanted to know where they lived so that she could get a little bit of a better idea on the backstory. After all, she thought she walked they must of done a lot of spying on me to know so much about me!
She turned onto Howards LN just as the two red heads disappeared into MRS, PETE'S ORPHANAGE FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.
Joy Gasped Surprised The Twins where Orphans! Was it possible there Dad could have died in the war the same war her father was missing in? maybe there mother died of childbirth or something like that.
Or Maybe just Maybe There dad was Missing too. Wait had not Jinny Said 'They' went missing??
Joy Sighed her mind was wandering. She needed to go back home to Milk her Cow Chrysanthemum.
CHAPTER TWO Dog's & Dandelions
Joy Woke up that morning with New hope a feeling she had not felt in so long. Her Day was usually full of chores and studies but every day she made some time for adventure and play. She ate her usual toast and bacon breakfast with a glass of chrysanthemums milk. She hurried out the front door her long wavy hair following her like a cape. The day was very windy she soon reached Chrysanthemums stall Chrysanthemum Mooed delighted to see her. Joy liked to think that it was because she truly liked her but she really knew it was because Chrysanthemum wanted her bucket of grain. Mum as Joy called her for short had a calf named Poppy who adored Joy even more than her own mum { get the pun (: }
and in this case Joy was confident that Poppy really just loved joy as a friend a human friend.
Joy you could say had a small farm aside from her two Mini Jersey Cows Mum & Poppy she had over a hundred chickens just under a dozen ducks, a handful of quail 4 baautiful sheep a couple Purrfect kittens and 2 bright bunnies.
Joy had always loved animals as a young toddler she had spent hours and hours at a neighbors Shetland pony Percy's pen. Percy had been and only pony then and even as Joy grew up she would never lose her love for animals.
the only two animals she still longed for where a Pony and a Puppy.
But now that they where poorer and neither a pony or a puppy could give you something other than love in return she could not convince her mother to let her get them.
As she was walking that afternoon to the market to get her mother a dozen pears for the rare occasion of making pear pie ( her sister Faith was turning 17 in a days time) She passed a weather beaten old shack she had never noticed before that had a small badly hand written piece of paper stuck to it it read: "Free Animals" to Joy being an animal lover this was like a dream had come true! She paid no attention at all to the fact that she was about to enter a haunted looking shack that was apparently giving away free animals. She stepped through the broken front door which had taken an arm and a leg to open ( literally and arm an a leg. )
She imminently saw a pile of not yet she assumed 7 week old puppies huddled together in a shabby dog bed no mother was in sight. another shabby hand written piece of paper said "found on the side of the road mom died. to any home that will feed them" Joy's heart skipped a beat how could she just take one? but on the other hand how could she phiscally carry 8 7 pound puppies back to her home over a half mile away? there where only two rooms in the old run down shack it was quite obvious know one lived there. The other room looked empty but there was a brown blanket that was covering some sort of lump she slowly approached it and with one breath she pulled the blanket off. What She saw there almost took all of her breath away for ever. Under the old weather beaten blanket there was a a young not more than 4 month joy guessed Grey Dapple Shetland Pony foal!! Joy in all her excitement almost did not notice the handwritten note that said " abandoned by owner . to who finds her first" But she did see it and read it. She Joy Jasper was hopefully going to have a Pony of her own!! and hopefully a puppy too! by far Joy had never felt so much joy ever since that terrible day she learned of her fathers death. She carried the foal to where the puppies where and just as she set her down the front door to the shack began to slowly creep open joy filled with sudden fear held the foal close. The door opened and into the shack stepped 4 feet two belonged to a red head boy the other two a red head girl. Joy let out a sigh of relief. " you guys almost scared me to death what are you doing here Jinny and Jimmy?" Joy laughed out surprised
Jinny and Jimmy looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see them.
Jinny began to speak "Gosh I sure did not think I'd see you here! but its great your so are you gonna keep them?" Jinny gestured toward the foal and the puppies.
Jimmy quickly explained better "We are here because we found the foal and the puppies we try to find homes for lost animals and this shack here is our secret hideaway. We sneak out of the orphanage a lot the keeper never notices really hardly... We are from an orphanage if you did not know" he concluded
" I know. Well anyway's that's awesome you guys save abandoned animals! I don't know if I can keep all the puppies or even the foal, I really want to but my mom is sorta anti more animals" Joy said glumly
"We can help you convince her! lets start with helping you carry them all back to your house" Jinny said confidently
SO that is how on Rourke Ln several onlookers beheld a tall girl with knee length strawberry blonde hair holding a remarkable Shetland pony foal and Two Red head twins a boy and a girl holding 4 tiny mixed breed puppies each.
When The Trio of Children or should I say The Dozen Children and Animals Arrived at Joy Jasper's Front Door Joy's mother opened the door before any of them had a chance to knock. She Gasped Joy saw a look of confusion flicker across her moms face But it soon changed to some sort of wonder.
"What it the world? Joy Juniper Jasper! You Have Some Serious Explaining to do! First of all who are those too dirty Red heads?"
"We Are Jimmy and Jinny Gregory We are orphans Ma'm and our pa knew your husband better than the back of his hand you see they fought together and well We know that our pa is alive still somewhere out there and we also know you husband is too." Jimmy answered
Joys Mother was very confused " Alright now I need you two to explain yourselves thoroughly I need to hear everything and then I'll decide if I should Believe you. Carson and Faith are out doing errands but they should be back shortly" She beckoned them to come inside although she winced as the 8 puppies began to play around the living room Joy Held The foal close.
Once they where all seated Joys Mom Beckoned toward the twins, "You two first then I'll have Joy say her say about the animals"
And so the twins began to tell there tale.
"Our Ma Anna died giving birth to us two. Our pa raised us quite far from here we had a housekeeper and a maid When Me and Jinny where 9 our Pa went off to the war we went with him since he did not have the funds to pay a care taker. The men in the army where right of nice to us especially your Dad Joy and Your Husband Mrs. Our pa and your Pa Joy and your Husband Mrs became great friends but it want not easy' livin' among a war scene.
our Pa would leave us in the tent when he had to go fight saying nothin' but stay safe. One Day Me and Jinny we where bored so we left the tent and went into the woods lookin' for frogs or any such interesting somethings. When suddenly out of nowhere we heard a Cry we ran to a certain spot saw our Pa and your pa both of them tied to a tree interesting lookin' men where about them Jinny was sure they where Indians but I was not so sure. They Looked odd they had this weird air about them we hid behind a rock as we beheld the scene I wondered why there where no other men about them just them and about a dozen of those odd folk. Jinny was horrified she wanted to go save them but I held her back saying these men they are not Indians Jinny I think there- I was cut off As a deep drum beat blasted off then before I could blink The Weird Men our Pa and Your Pa Joy and Your Husband Mrs Vanished! Just like that into thin air! A few army men came after they heard the drumbeat and saw us they took hold of us saying this was not any place for children we tried to explain but the would not listen. Eventually both men where announced missing and we where brought to The orphanage a wounded soldier who lived in this area kindly offered to bring us to the orphanage, since he had to abandon the war."
Jimmy Tampered off but Jinny began before anyone could speak.
"Your pa Joy told us so much about you so we started spying on you I know it aint right but we wanted to make sure you was the right person before we showed ourselves"
There tale was fished and Joy's Mother along with Joy where too stunned to speak.
Finally Joy's mother broke the silence saying "What was my husbands favorite music band?"
Jinny answered quickly "The Red Rockets!"
There was a seemingly long silence then slowly
Joy's mum nodded her head "Only someone who knew my husband could know that so you are not lying after all it's all true. Well that's a lot to take in and I have hundreds of questions to ask you but first Joy tell me about the animals!"
Joy began slowly.
" Well Mom Please Listen and don't just say no before I'm halfway through, Anways the twins found the foal and the puppies both where abandoned the puppies where found motherless and the the foal was surrendered. Mom they need homes! Please let us give them one? Once the puppies get a little older we can try to find them permanent great homes I know Mrs Joyce was looking into getting a puppy Please Mom let me keep the foal!"
Joy's mother, Serenity ( that is her name ) Hesitated she took a deep breath and responded "Joy, As for the puppies you can foster them until they are old enough then every single one finds a new home, as for the foal, Honey a foal is no small deal your not prepared to have a pony around I'm sorry but I'm sure that we can find a more experienced home for her"
"But Mom!..-"
"No but's honey"
Jinny began to speak "Wait You don't understand Without the Foal we can't make our journey, We are going to have to travel far, very far, who knows where exactly we need the pony when she gets just a little older she will be such a big help!"
Serenity Joy's Mom took a deep breath "I'll think about it" Her face wrinkled worry for her children filled her heart. sending them on this sort of journey never knowing if they would return.
Joy smiled at least that was a start.
3 Months Later
Joy Jasper's long light hair flew behind her like a cape as she rode her Shetland pony Grace
as Grace galloped through fields of dandelions Joy sung an old folk song
"The Call is inside me,
I will carry you hear in my heart
you give me hope..-" and so on.
In a weeks time Joy Her two siblings and The Twins would start a Journey of searching for Joy and her siblings dad and the twins dad.
And of course Grace would come along. None of them knew what was ahead of them, But then again no one knows the future but what would happen in a weeks time might of been helpful to know for them.
Chapter Three Time
The Day Had Come. Joy Knew it The Flowers that grew by the doorstep knew it. The Weeds that grew through the cracks in the concrete knew it. Two Red head Twins that woke up in the orphanage a few blocks away knew it, The Robin that lived in the old oak tree who searched tirelessly for an earth worm for its young knew it. Time itself Knew it.
And As Excited as Joy was You see she also double that much nervous, worried, and doubtful.
she kept asking herself What? Why? Where? Who? it was all a big mystery.
That Morning Joy packed her backpack with the essentials. Her mother helped her and her two siblings, Faith, & Carson, pack, Faith and Carson had agreed to go although Faith was beginning to regret her decision after her mom explained to her that she could not pack her entire makeup set. Before they all left Joy's mom gave them one way train tickets to Where the war had been and where Her husband and the twins dad had disappearard. She hugged all her children, Come back to me please come back to me and please bring our dear James with you" With that the 5 children began there journey.
