Beyond the Wall

By Jeffrey Warren Smith

Mongolian Empire, 14th Century. Two horse-riding children, Alexandria (Aleks), and her brother Yury, travel to the Great Wall of China for the first time. Although their father warns them to keep away, they disobey him and become friends with the young people on the other side of the wall. In this strange land they learn to their horror that their peaceful existence is about to be shattered. War between the two countries seems inevitable. There has been a history of fighting, but what can young people do to stop it in an adult world?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9780228850410

Jeffrey Warren Smith

Jeffrey Warren Smith was born in Australia in 1947. He taught English in Taiwan between 2007 and 2020. When living in Portugal in 1984, he first wrote Beyond the Wall. The motivation for this book was the barrier that language learning can have. When a person learns a single word in their second language, it is like breaking down an imaginary wall, but only for a split second. As they continue to learn, this linguistic wall starts to crumble. However, they must return to their first language until they become fluent. If this day comes, the barrier will disappear, and they are now bilingual. This book is dedicated to every person who has ever attempted to learn a second language.

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 by Jeffrey W. Smith

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-5041-0 (eBook)

Contents

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

PART FIVE

EPILOGUE

PART ONE

In an ancient land, there once lived a boy named Yury and his older sister named Aleksandra. Their community was made up of numerous tribes of horse riders. Many of the people of their country were nomadic. Therefore, when the seasons changed, they would take their yurt tent houses with them towards better weather.

Yury and Aleks rode in horseback competitions against other children in their village and on the grassy plains. These two were very popular with everyone who knew them. Yury rode his first horse when he was seven, but Aleks had been only six. Yury could ride a fully-grown horse well, but Aleks was even better. She could race bareback at full gallop in the icy north winds without even holding on. Both were very skilled at firing whistling arrows at targets from galloping horses.

Yury’s friends loved to hear him play his horse-head fiddle which his father had given him. Aleks and Yury were both very contented with their lives until their father told them they were soon to move to a southern village. They were equally upset at having to leave their friends behind. However, they knew their father worked for the Emperor and must go where he was told. Before they left, their father made them promise to try to make their new home as happy as the old one.

The horseback journey was long and tiring. Their father was an official messenger, and so the Emperor offered this family special treatment. This meant they could have fresh horses and food many times along the way. Instead, they chose to keep riding their own mounts. For several days, they rode. They would put up their yurt tent house every night. Both children had no trouble keeping up with their father on horseback. When they finally arrived at their destination, it was getting dark. Once again, they quickly erected their round yurt house. They had little time to explore their new surroundings, but they slept soundly.

When Yury woke the next day, he was the only one at home. He thought that Aleks would probably be at the local markets. He knew no one here. Feeling discontented, he rode his horse far away from the village to a distant forest in the hills. Yury thought it was unfair that his father had made them move here. He decided he did not want to meet any of the local people.

While his horse grazed on the long grass, Yury lay unhappily under a tree. Almost unaware of the beauty of the countryside, he stared at the swirling patterns of the moving clouds. He never even looked at the weeping willow trees beside the stream, nor did he notice the scent of geranium wildflowers covering the ground.

All of a sudden, a noise above him interrupted his thoughts. This sound

Reviews for Beyond the Wall

[Carly Wu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The young characters are inspiring in the story. They take courage to keep their belief unshaken and make the world less cruel to their people and the people beyond the wall. The story is set in Asia, but the powerful message is universal. I really like the descriptive language the author uses to depict the scenes, and the language is suitable for learners of English as well. Beyond the Wall is a good read!