Hide and Seek: The Bairns of Bren

By Dennis Jernigan

A simple game of hide and seek. A magical kingdom. The adventure of a lifetime.

When the Jennings children decide to play hide and seek, they have no idea their game will lead them to an extraordinary adventure in the land of Bren.

There, the family faces the daunting task of saving the kingdom from the evil Oddlings. Can the cousins stay united through the twists, turns, and surprises they encounter along the way?

Will they be able to save the kingdom before it's too late?

Hide and Seek is the first book in The Bairns of Bren, a fanciful, uplifting, and exciting series for the young and old alike. Readers who enjoyed The Spiderwick Chronicles and Chronicles of Narnia will delight in the wonder and adventure of The Bairns of Bren.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shepherd’s Heart Music, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781948772013

Dennis Jernigan

Known primarily for his worship music with songs like You Are My All In All, Thank You, We Will Worship The Lamb of Glory, and Who Can Satisfy My Soul (There is a Fountain), Dennis Jernigan is also known for having walked away from his former homosexual identity and into that of a heterosexual. Married for 34 years to Melinda, they have nine children and make their home in Muskogee, Oklahoma where they are now welcoming grandchildren. Having been walking in freedom from his old identity since November 7, 1981, Jernigan takes great joy in sharing the grace and love of God with any who desire freedom in their own lives. DJ spends a great deal of time encouraging others to embrace their true identity in Christ.

Book preview

1

One Moment’s Magic

Lee Jennings was a grown man now, though in his heart he would always be the boy from another realm. Although he had lived a long and fulfilling life, the now fifty-seven-year-old man still chose to go back to that far away land of his dreams called Bren. Some call it imagination. Lee believed it was reality. Faith, if you will. Whatever it is called, imagination and faith are able to take us beyond our existence and soar over our trials, seeing both from a brand new point of view. Lee. King Leonolis. Both were the same man. And now Lee was teaching his grandchildren to learn to see their own lives from a different point of view .

His grandsons Cullen, Ronald, and Harold lived just a few miles from the Jennings farm where he had raised his own children. His grandson, Mark, lived with his parents only a half-mile away in a secluded wood on the farm. Granddaughter Mia lived with her parents in Texas. Papa Lee, as they called him, missed Mia even though she lived a mere four hours away by car. But that seemed nearby compared to the distance separating him from his granddaughters Elliott and Matilda who lived in Australia! Precious were the times with his grandchildren. Like treasures to his heart. His dilemma? How to instill his love for adventure and seeing life from a new perspective in the hearts and minds of his grandchildren, especially the ones who lived far away in Texas and Australia!

Papa Lee had been planning on this for years, even making plans and preparations long before the first grandchild, Cullen, had been born. In his woods, he had built a campground and he had painstakingly fashioned a vast trail system more than two miles long! He had placed a stop sign at the entrance of the trail leading to the campground. Below that stop sign he had printed another sign that reads:

Stop here.

Put down your logic.

Put on your imagination.

And proceed!

Naming each trail after one of his grandchildren, Lee had imagined introducing the children to the land of Bren and using the forest and trails to bolster their imaginations, hoping to instill in each grandchild a love for adventure, a deep awareness of the reason for their existence, a vision for destiny, and the ability to see even the harshest reality of life from a positive point of view. His faith in God had helped Lee to overcome many obstacles and endure many fiery trials and come out on the other side each time empowered and victorious in the understanding that God wastes nothing. These truths he hoped to teach his grandchildren.

Some of the first trails named were called Cullen’s Lane, Elliott’s Avenue, Mark’s Way Parkway, Mia’s Meander, Ronald’s Roadway, Matilda’s Pike, and Harold’s Highway. Lee’s purpose in naming the pathways after his grandchildren was to remind them that life was full of highways and byways, but that they each had a path mapped out for their own lives and marked specifically for them as they each learned to seek God and live by faith. His goal? To teach them to see life as an adventurous journey — meant to be lived fully and enjoyed immensely. He giggled with mischievous glee each time he imagined the first time each grandchild would step into the woods of Bren. Little did he imagine that they would one day find their own way into the very real land of Bren where Lee — Leonolis — was King!

As the Jennings family often did, they found themselves coming together for a very special event: the wedding of Lee’s son, Ezzie. Because of the value Lee and his wife, Mellie, placed on relationship and family, the Jennings clan thrived on the living out of the family relationship. Even though the nine now-grown Jennings children now had families of their own, they stayed connected thanks to technology and the work they were willing to put into staying connected. The Jennings clan knew that real life is a life that is lived relationally. The journey is best enjoyed when that joy is shared. Although the Australian part of the family had been unable to physically attend the wedding, they were still able to take part by watching via smartphone!

After the wedding, the grandchildren all went to their parents, begging to go to Bren…the special woods and trails Papa Lee had made for just such moments. No sooner had their parents given their approval than Cullen and Ronald and Harold and Mark and Mia ran from the house toward the land of Bren! Crawling under the fence between the pasture and the yard, the children all ran behind Cullen. Down the hill and around the big pond. Up the hill on the other side and right into the entrance to Bren! As was the custom taught them by Papa Lee, they stopped ceremoniously at the stop sign. While Cullen read the magical words, each child obediently laid down their logic and put on their imagination…and the adventure began!

Let’s play hide-and-seek! shouted Cullen.

Yeah! Hide-and-seek! shouted the other children in unison.

Wanna play hide-and-seek, Ellie and Tillie? shouted Cullen into the smartphone his mom had given him so as to include Elliott and Matilda on such occasions. Though their cousins were far away in the Land Down Under, they still felt a part of the goings-on of such family events and actually enjoyed them immensely…probably due to the fact that they had to use their imagination so intently! From 8,000 miles away, Elliott and Matilda would join in the game! "

Yes, we want to play, Cullie! screamed Ellie, But Tillie fell asleep. It’s nap time for her — but I’ll play!

Shouting to his cousin, Cullen said, Mark, it’s your turn to be it. Count to 100! Everyone else, run! Ellie, you’re with me!

While Cullen and Elliott ran down Elliott’s Avenue toward the campground, Ronald and Mia headed down Mark’s Way Parkway and deeper into the darkness of the forest. Mark, being very practical and obedient, counted out loudly all the way to 100. As soon as he was finished counting, he called out to the others, Ready or not, here I come!

Imagining himself a fine tracker (his dad had taken him hunting on several occasions and had taught him to notice tell-tale signs of deer), Mark began to take stock of his surroundings. There. A footprint in the mud leading toward the campground! He would begin his search there! Half running and half walking, Mark made sure his pace was quick but eye steady as he did not want to miss a clue should the tracks diverge from the campground trail.

As he came around the final bend in the trail leading directly into the camping area, he saw a faint twinkle of light. Like sparkles. Stopping to try and gain perspective and to ascertain exactly what he had just seen, he heard a rustling coming from a clump of bushes on the other side of the campground. Who goes there? I see you now!

Running toward the bushes, Mark was once again brought to a standstill by the sparkling little lights…and a bobbling motion! What could this be? Now tiptoeing, the boy made his way toward the last place he had seen the sparkles. Placing his hands on two branches, he quietly pulled them apart, stuck his head into the open space between the branches, and once again demanded, Who goes there? I’m gonna get you now!

Leaping toward what he suspected was at least one of his cousins, Mark flew into the midst of the brambly bush…and began to fall! Falling! Falling! He toppled head over heels through the dark…until he didn’t! Before his eyes could even adjust to whatever this was he was now experiencing, Mark began to float toward the ground…cobblestones…in a grand courtyard…in the midst of an immense, grand castle!

Floating perfectly to the ground, Mark again saw the sparkling and the bobbling he had just witnessed in the campground. Before he could even begin to comprehend what was going on, his eyes were drawn upward. Floating down between two magnificent castle spires came Cullen…and someone else.

Not waiting for his cousins to alight, Mark shouted out, Cullen! Cullen! Where are we? How did we get here? And who is with you? Is that…could it be…Elliott?!

Yes! Yes! It’s me! Ellie! Cousin Mark! How did you get here?

I was about to ask you the exact same question! replied Mark.

One moment we were hidden behind some small bushes and the next we were surprised by a mysterious trail of sparkles and a very strange and weird bobbling motion! said Cullen.

As we ran after the sparkles, one moment they were there and the next they were gone, only to reappear in another part of the forest! As we ran, we came to a small stream and leapt across…me by phone and Cullen for real…and as we leapt into the air we began to fall and here we are! Elliott chimed in. Somehow, I am not in Australia anymore!

Where are we? Mark asked again.

What about Ronald and Mia? asked Cullen when out of the castle hall ran Ronald and Mia, shouting and talking over one another in great excitement.

You’ll never believe what just happened! shouted Ronald.

We FLEW! added Mia. We flew — on a dragon!

On a dragon?! asked the older children.

Yes! On a crystal-clear dragon! said Ronald.

And just then, right into the courtyard, and right up to the children, sauntered a clear-as-glass creature with claws, fangs, forked tongue, and magnificent wings of clear leathery skin. A very real dragon!

Now solemnness replaced excitement as the children all came to the realization that all Papa Lee had told them was…true! Bren WAS a real place! And they were there…in one moment of magic…

2

The Beginning

The adventures of the line of Kings and Queens of Bren — the children of King Leonolis and queen Abila — were only the beginning of the saga of Bren. Just as their parents before them, the grandchildren of Leonolis and Abila were imbued with powers and destinies and called to be Protectors of the Truth. The Truth? Every person ever born and ever to be born to the land and legacy of Bren has a definite purpose and defining identity. That purpose and that identity are born of light and called to the purpose of serving others with and through the powerful and mighty gifts and talents of the line of Bren. Yet, from the foundation of Bren, there was a darkness that opposed the light. An evil that opposes the goodness to this very day .

Called by different names through the generations of Bren, the evil took many different forms. It was Cullen the Kind, son of Topherkan and Annavan, who first called them the Oddlings. The first grandson of Leonolis looked forward to his weekly sessions with his grandfather, talking and walking through the land of Bren. Leonolis had walked with his own father and grandfather when he was a boy. On one of these talks, Cullen asked Papa Lee, Why do bad things happen to good people? (Papa Lee was what the grandchildren of Leonolis called the King in private. They always addressed him as Sire or Highness or Lord in public as was the proper protocol when addressing royalty.)

As was his custom, Papa Lee pondered his answer before speaking, knowing that the things he wanted to share with his grandson needed to be founded upon truth and communicated with earnest sincerity. He wanted to bestow wisdom and purpose on his progeny. "Well, Cullen, from before the very foundation of time, the Founders had a very specific purpose and destiny for the line of Bren. It was during that time that