The Frozen Time

By Andrew Zellgert

In the arctic…

 

There is a mysterious village…

 

Frozen in time…

 

Zach, an explorer in the arctic, never imagined he would have to face down evil. Until… the village awakens. Zach rushes in, preparing for war knowing he has a limited amount of time to save everyone from a time disaster.

 

Children and parents will enjoy Zach and his adventures through time and alternate realities in this fantastic book, The Frozen Time.

 

Buy now.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zellgertbooks
• Release date: Jul 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201411725

Andrew Zellgert

Andrew Zellgert is an award-winning science fiction author who primarily writes for children and teens. The topics covered in his work translate the calamities of life into relatable, entertaining allegories. He currently has nine releases spanning from epic intergalactic espionage to chilling dystopian prison life. His latest work, The Adventures of Randy, is a sci-fi trilogy involving time travel, cunning villains, heroic sidekicks, and an intergalactic adventure you will never forget! Join Randy, the restaurant employee as he goes on an allegorical journey through self-discovery. Zellgert is a medalist in the Outstanding Creator Awards of Summer 2022 and was given a five-star review by Reader's Favorite. In his spare time, he loves to read children's books and go for walks in his hometown of St. Cloud Minnesota. You can contact or connect with Andrew Zellgert at: Twitter: @AndrewZellgert Facebook: @zellgertbooks Pinterest: /andrewzellgert Goodreads: Andrew Zellgert All Author: /author/andrewzellgert BookBub: @andrewzellgert

Book preview

Andrew Zellgert

The Frozen Time

First published by Andrew Zellgert 2021

Copyright © 2021 by Andrew Zellgert

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Second edition

Editing by Laina Burris

Illustration by Andrew Zellgert

Cover art by RebecaCovers

This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

Find out more at reedsy.com

Contents

Foreword

I. THE FROZEN TIME

Chapter 1: The Village

Chapter 2: New Acquaintances

Chapter 3: Ambush

Chapter 4: The Star Gazer

Chapter 5: Routines of the People

Chapter 6: Dreamscape

Chapter 7: Prophesy

Chapter 8: Secrets

Chapter 9: The Planets Align

Chapter 10: Timekeeping

Chapter 11: A City Under Siege

Chapter 12: Flash Fights

Chapter 13: The Test

II. THE SEQUEL

Chapter 1: The Destruction of the Past

Chapter 2: The Start

Chapter 3: Are Now

Chapter 4: The Wasteland

Chapter 5: Deflation

Chapter 6: Traveling Salesmen

Chapter 7: Punchkin

Chapter 8: That Is

Chapter 9: The Textbook

Chapter 10: Placebo

Chapter 11: The Fight for Power

Chapter 12: Outside of Time and Space

Chapter 13: The Hill

About the Author

Also by Andrew Zellgert

Foreword

Dear Reader,

I am Andrew Zellgert, the author of this story. The concept of the Id, Superego, and Ego was created by a man named Sigmund Freud. The concept is known as the psychoanalytic theory. I cannot take credit for the concept, but the story is original. I hope you enjoy the tale.

Thank you for taking the time to read this message.

Andrew

THE CONTENT IN THIS STORY IS FICTION AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH. DO NOT TAKE ANY OF THIS STORY AS REAL

I

The Frozen Time

Chapter 1: The Village

A flash of light,

The wind blows.

Prepare for a fight,

In the world where it snows.

Traversing and exploring the barren wastelands of the arctic is no minor task. One needs to be prepared for all of the situations that could arise and disrupt the flow of the exploration. If the explorer is smart, they will plan ahead and pack everything necessary for what lies ahead. An explorer who is not smart will starve, parish, and ultimately freeze to death in the unforgiving frozen lands that stretch on for miles. Zach was one of the smart ones. He was prepared for every mystery and curveball that nature threw at him. He wore an explorer’s overcoat, large puffed out pants, and various tools were attached to a massive backpack on his back. He wore thick goggles to protect his eyes from the snow, and he had snowshoes on his feet. Zach was about as prepared as prepared could get.

Zach had been on many adventures prior to this one and had witnessed some strange things in this desert of white, but never had he encountered a village before. He was excited to meet this new civilization that had staked a claim in the icy beyond. He continued his graceful yet aggressive walk towards the houses ahead, his muscular legs moving with ease despite the heavy equipment and cold air nipping at his face. The wind picked up and the howling began, making Zach’s ears turn bright red within minutes. In response, Zach pulled up his furry hood and zipped the ends to hold it in place. In time, Zach came to the edge of the mysterious establishment and, to his surprise, there was no one as far as he could see. He continued his walk past the snow-covered cabins and igloos. He was amazed that anyone could have adapted this well. There did not appear to be any advanced technology in the village. At least, any that was visible.

Zach stopped and pulled out a metal instrument with a long post in the bottom. He struck it into the ground and began checking the readings. This device measured ice thickness and Zach had nicknamed it ‘Clever Al’. Zach, who had seen many fatal events before now, knew that checking the ice thickness was not something to joke about. For all he knew, the ground might be eroding away, and he did not feel inclined to get trapped in an ice cave. After a few moments, the instrument provided Zach with satisfactory readings and Zach put the tool back onto his backpack. He felt ice crack underneath what appeared to be a frozen lake and avoided that quite easily. He wasn’t able to see directly below due to the bulge in the coat, but his feet were highly sensitive to movement. After a few steps, he felt his foot begin to slide, the snow around it shifting hastily out of the way. Zach immediately realized what was happening and, upon instinct, tipped backward towards the ground, allowing gravity to guide him away from the threat. He had nearly slid off a cliff! The deep, ice-lined trench spanned for miles, making him shiver. He had been lucky. If he had taken a step too far forward, he wouldn’t have been able to save himself. After getting up again, he peered over the edge of the deadly drop.

He didn’t have to be a cliff expert to know that he would have died falling from a height like this. He admired the view for a moment, then turned back to the village. It was at this moment that he came across his first person. At least, what appeared to be a person. To his dismay, the individual was frozen in a chunk of ice. Disappointment filled Zach’s eyes. His hope to meet the culture that had been established here had been shattered. He looked over and noticed another individual frozen in a chunk of ice, then another and another. After a little thought, Zach decided to take a look inside one of the village houses. He carefully turned the knob of one of the doors—accidentally breaking the knob off in the process—and pushed on the door. It did not budge. The old wooden board had clearly been frozen shut. An explorer such as Zach was not hindered by minor setbacks and pulled out a mini electric chainsaw. He turned it on and began to cut an outline around the door, being careful not to damage the door itself (he did not want to ruin the civilization’s buildings, even if they were dead).

After a few minutes, he gently pressed the door and the board fell with a soft thump onto the snowy ground. Before him were shelves upon shelves of frozen books. So, they had left documentation of their existence, thought Zach. Around the library were more frozen people standing and sitting in various areas of the room. To Zach’s surprise, it was warm and roomy inside of this cabin, but knowing he shouldn’t count on anything to stay the same, he kept all of his equipment and outfit on. Zach walked around the shelves, taking pictures with his chill-resistant smartphone as he went with intentions to show researchers and other explorers his find. He was about to look at a padlocked book on a pedestal, when something caught his eye. In the center of the library, on a cold metal staff, was a blue flame. Its cyan light danced across the walls, casting an eerie glow onto Zach’s face. The explorer frowned and got closer to the odd flame. He snapped a photo of it on his phone and moved closer, curiosity and a sense of adventure pulling him in. He could almost touch the torch, but he knew that it would most likely burn him. Zach knew that certain salts could be combined to create a blue fire, but for the fire to be constantly burning yet not consuming anything? It didn’t make sense.

Zach reached out for the torch, but a spurt of fire leaped out briefly, making him withdraw his reach and jump back a little bit. When this happened, a gray dust rose into the air. Zach knew that smell. Gunpowder. No doubt, this was a trap to catch people who strayed into this town unwelcomed. Zach decided the torch would be safer in a place that wasn’t near the explosive powder and he reached for the bottom of the torch, lifting it off of its pedestal carefully. He turned slowly with the torch and took a step forward—and slipped. Down Zach fell onto the cold ice below, the torch flying onto the ground and landing dead in the center of the gunpowder on the ground. To Zach, it all happened in slow motion. The gunpowder reacted with the torch’s blue flame, causing a massive explosion. Fires spread through the house and Zach was catapulted backward by the blast. He was slammed through the wall and knocked out cold.

Chapter 2: New Acquaintances

Zach awoke to the smell of freshly cut wood and the sounds of a busy street. He slowly opened his eyes and, staring back at him, there was a man in a bowler hat.

Hello! said the man in the hat. You took quite a tumble! He held out his hand and Zach gratefully accepted