Journey with Zeke: The Connection

By Lynette Teachout

Zeke Cooks intuition is growing stronger. As he continues to learn about the mysteries of the universe, his abilities are put to the test when asked to assist in the search for a six year old boy who has gone missing from his back yard.

Griffen Cook is overjoyed when he learns that he is moving to the farm, nearer to Cat. Theyve felt a connection to each other since the day they met, but will proximity bring them closer or tear them apart?

Devon Clark is dealing with the death of his dad and stepmother. Moving with the Cook family to the farm may be his salvation, until he starts receiving calls from his Uncle Dave, trying to pull him back to the life hes trying so hard to leave behind.

Journey along with Zeke, Griffen, and Devon to learn more about our connection to the spiritual realm and to one another in this story of courage, faith, and redemption.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Jul 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781452515151

Lynette Teachout

I believe that everything happens for a reason. May not always understand it when it happens, however the day comes when it does make sense. That is how my writing began. I am the author of a trilogy titled: Journey With Zeke. In my series, after finding a willow stick and receiving a message to place this willow stick under a pillow, Zeke Cook and his older brother Griffen, embark on a journey that is filled with dreams that unlock hidden meanings, messages from beyond the grave, spiritual experience that are based on true events. Born and raised in Michigan, happily married, I'm a country gal at heart.

Book preview

Chapter 1

M AKE THE SCREAMING STOP, THOUGHT Zeke Cook, as he shifted his head from one side to the other. Slowly, he opened his eyes and then heard a familiar sound. Tremor the rooster was announcing the new morning with his loud cock-a-doodle do. Zeke had woken to the same morning revelry for the past two months. But as loud as Tremor was, Zeke knew that this was not the same screaming he had just heard in his head, or wa s it?

Since moving to his Grandparents’ farm, Zeke’s whole morning routine had changed. Instead of sleeping in as he usually did during the summer months, he now had morning chores to do. Each morning he arose at daybreak and headed downstairs for breakfast. Grandpa Cook was always the first to get up. By the time everyone else was awake, he would have gathered eggs for that morning’s breakfast and been working on his second cup of coffee. Usually Grandma Cook wasn’t far behind him. By the time Zeke made it downstairs, just past sunrise, his grandparents would be turning on the early morning news.

The only part of his routine that had remained the same was writing in his dream journal as soon as he woke up. His dreams, however, had changed. He wasn’t sure why. Moon Willow, his spirit guide, did not appear in his dreams the way that she used to. He missed seeing the familiar figure dressed in Native American attire, and the majestic white wolf that often appeared with her. He still heard her voice from time to time, but now he heard many different voices.

One thing he had learned since she first started appearing in his dreams was that he would not always understand what she said, what he saw or had written in the dream journal. More often than not, those things would make sense later, after certain events took place. Not always helpful, he thought to himself. It would be nice to understand things beforehand, but he knew he had made a lot of progress since he first started paying attention to his dreams. The summer before, he had been so confused and conflicted that he had wondered if he was cursed.

The key was not to over think things. When it was time, all would be revealed. He had learned this after having a series of what he thought at the time were nightmares, first about his Grandpa Cook and then about a family friend named Beth Thompson, who was now in a drug rehabilitation center. He realized now that these weren’t nightmares, but dreams that were meant to guide him and prepare him. Even with this understanding, some dreams still seemed scary at times.

As Zeke made his move to get out of bed, so did Barley. Barley was Grandpa’s yellow Labrador retriever. They had become fast friends when Zeke and his brother Griffen had visited the farm for a week the summer before. Barley was Zeke’s first chore, even though it didn’t really seem like a chore. Each morning Barley would follow Zeke downstairs to the back door, where Zeke would let him out and wait for him until he was ready to come back inside. It usually took less than five minutes.

As he descended the stairs he could smell freshly brewed coffee. He wasn’t a coffee drinker himself. He liked the smell, but not the taste. He had tried to like it, adding milk, sugar and other things, but none of it had worked. Instead, each morning while the others were sipping coffee, he enjoyed his orange juice. Sometimes the orange juice was freshly squeezed and other times it was from a carton. Either way, he thought it tasted much better than the strong, black stuff the adults in his family seemed to like.

He greeted his grandparents as he entered the kitchen, giving them a smile and a quick ‘good morning’ as he kept moving towards the back door. Barley, with his tail wagging, was already there waiting for him to open the door.

As he waited for Barley to finish up outside, his mother entered the kitchen, soon followed by Zeke’s dad. They both went directly to the coffee pot and poured steaming cups before sitting down at the table. It had become the morning ritual to sit quietly and watch the early morning news while they sipped their coffee or juice. That morning they all watched a news report about a missing six year old boy who had last been seen the night before. The news report displayed a photo of the child and reported that he was last seen wearing a light blue t-shirt and blue jean shorts.

Zeke heard Barley bark signaling that he was ready to come back in. He opened the door and watched as Barley raced to the table to say good morning to everyone. Giving a quick glance at the clock, Zeke headed for the refrigerator. 5:55 am. Right on schedule, he thought to himself.

As he opened the refrigerator door to grab the orange juice, his brother Griffen sauntered into the kitchen. Placing the cold carton of orange juice on the counter, he once again looked at the clock. 5:58 am. He wondered where the newest member of the family was. It was Friday morning and it was their turn to cook breakfast.

When the family had moved to the farm, Zeke’s parents had been concerned with being a burden on Grandma and Grandpa Cook. One of the things they soon implemented was a sharing of breakfast duties. His mom and grandmother prepared breakfast Monday through Thursday. Friday was assigned to the boys; his dad and grandfather took their turn on Sunday mornings. Saturday was the only day that was not assigned; everyone fended for themselves. It was often cereal, donuts, pop tarts or waffles that you threw into the toaster. If you wanted something cooked, like eggs, you cooked them yourself, unless someone offered to cook for you.

Griffen purposely bumped his younger brother as he passed him on the way to the stove. Zeke’s first thought was to retaliate and bump him back, hard, but he knew if he did that he wouldn’t get away with it. Not with all the adults sitting at the table. So, ignoring the obvious provocation, he instead asked, You want juice?

Yep, Griffen responded, snickering, as he reached into the cabinet for the frying pan and placed it on the stove. Eggs coming right up! he announced.

About time, came a response from across the kitchen. And don’t burn mine this time.

One burned egg coming right up, Griffen quipped back.

Devon Clark smiled as he told everyone good morning and continued joking with Griffen. You burn my egg; I’ll burn your toast!

Do it, encouraged Zeke. He loves burnt toast.

Keep it up, Zeke, and I’ll burn your eggs, too, teased Griffen as he cracked another egg into the almost full frying pan. He waited for his brother’s smart aleck response. Instead he heard his Grandfather’s voice as he joined in the morning fun. Well, I don’t care whose eggs you burn, as long as they’re not mine. But you know that I like my toast burnt.

Sick, Grandpa, I don’t know how you can eat burnt toast. That’s yucky. Everyone laughed as Zeke made a face and placed four pieces of bread into the toaster.

It truly is, responded Jack Cook, as he looked first at his dad, then at his youngest son.

The morning bantering between the males in the household continued until the first eggs were served to a table that had been set by Devon. Zeke made sure that when he placed the basket of toast on the table that it contained a few burnt pieces, just for his grandfather.

After breakfast, each person cleared their own plate and placed them in the sink. Grandma had a hard and fast rule. She would do the morning dishes while everyone else went to work. She felt it was the best way that she could do her share. She had enjoyed teaching each of the boys how to properly cook eggs and took pride as she watched them each Friday morning deliver them to the table.

Jack Cook and his wife Pat had moved their sons and Devon Clark into Jack’s parents’ house that June. It had been a difficult decision on many levels. Jack’s father had had a heart attack that was followed by major surgery the summer before, and needed help in running the large farm that he owned. It meant that Jack’s family had to sell the home that he and his wife had bought before their oldest son Griffen, who was now almost seventeen years old, was born. Jack was now juggling running a large farm and working a full time job that sometimes required travel. He did not want his sons to feel that they could not make their own career choices and knew that sooner or later, he most likely would need to find a few farmhands who were not related to him.

His youngest son Zeke had struggled the most with the decision to move from their previous home. He had not easily warmed up to the idea, knowing that he would be leaving behind all of his friends, as well as the only school that he had known; a school where he had excelled in track and had the awards to prove it. For the entire Cook family, it meant leaving behind all of their friends. One family they would miss in particular was the Thompson family, who was still going through a hard time. Their son had died in a car accident and their daughter had become involved with drugs, and was paying a price for the choices she had made. Beth Thompson was now in a drug rehabilitation center trying to get control of her life again. Then there was Devon Clark. He had been the person that had introduced Beth to the drug scene. Just weeks prior to the Cook family moving to the farm, Devon had witnessed his dad and his dad’s girlfriend, Ginger, who he had come to call mom, die in a fiery car explosion. The life-changing event had pushed Devon to walk away from the drug world and all the evil that surrounded it.

Devon and Griffen had shared classes at school and had become friends. Of course, at the time, Griffen nor his parents had understood the kind of lifestyle Devon was living. Over the past couple of months the Cooks had gotten to know Devon better. One thing was certain, Devon’s lifestyle prior to living with them was very different than what he was accustomed to. His whole life had been affected by drugs. His mother had died of a drug overdose when he was only seven years old and his dad had spent time in prison for dealing.

Until a few months ago, Devon had held weekend parties where alcohol and drugs were readily available. He invited his classmates to these parties. He had a well thought out plan. After his party guests became comfortable, he would slowly introduce different kinds of drugs to them. He found the process extremely easy. Most of the classmates that attended the parties were either bored, feared being left out or just did it because others were doing it. There were also classmates that could easily be bullied into drinking and drugs because they were not strong enough to say no, and stick to it. Devon had learned early that peer pressure had a magic all its own. He also understood social networking and how powerful word of mouth worked. Soon word about the parties would get out at the school and there would be more students wanting to attend the parties than what the house could hold. That was when Devon’s dad came up with the plan of having a secret code each week. He would tell Devon the code and Devon would text out the details. If you did not have the code, you did not get in.

Because of this lifestyle, he and his dad had moved several times in order to escape being caught for dealing drugs or serving alcohol at their parties, until finally his dad was caught and sent to prison. Devon stayed with his grandmother for a while, but then his Uncle Dave stepped in and took his dad’s place in the process. Soon they were back in business.

The Cooks had learned that as soon as Devon’s dad had been released from prison, they moved again and the parties continued. Because of this lifestyle, Devon never had any close friends and no idea of the role that he played in other people’s lives. Devon had never truly faced what his lifestyle was doing to others until he met Beth Thompson. Up to this point, all that mattered was selling drugs, making money and making sure that his dad and uncle were happy.

Devon had even shared that he had made it a personal goal to get Griffen to drink on the night of a surprise party he held in Griffen’s honor. He had come up with the idea as soon as he learned that Griffen and his family were moving. He had made a bet with his dad that he would have Griffen drinking by the end of the night. He had won the bet, but at a hefty price. The party was raided by the police and Devon was issued a Minor in Possession charge, along with several of his classmates that night. He was now happy that Griffen did not get one.

Devon was now making different choices. His first choice was to live with the Cook family. He desperately wanted to leave behind the life of drugs and alcohol and to feel safe and secure, but he felt a gnawing guilt about leaving behind what family he had left: a brother, a sister and his Uncle Dave. All three were involved in drugs to some extent. It took him a week and a few conversations with Jack and Pat Cook to make his final decision. When it was all said and done, he had called his brother to let him know what had happened to their dad. Then he had called his sister and finally his Uncle Dave. His brother had made him feel guilty for abandoning the family, but it was nothing compared to the guilt that his Uncle Dave had made him feel. His words still stung whenever he recalled the conversation.

Are you really that stupid? his uncle had screamed. Those idiots that you want to live with are NOT your family. I am! They want something from you. No one does something for someone else without a price to be paid. Take my word on that! Now that your dad is dead, you can have the territory all to yourself. Man, I will take care of you more than anyone else will, including your stupid brother and sister. I’m sure you heard that your dumb brother got caught yesterday. Yep, another Clark is going to be doing some prison time. That’s okay. It will make him stronger and more of a man!

Devon had tried to get his Uncle Dave to see his side. He had tried to reason with him and let him know that he was tired of the drug life and all the cruelty involved with it. He told his uncle how he wanted to be in control of his life, instead of letting drugs and alcohol control him. When he mentioned this, all his uncle did was scream at him. You low life selfish punk! You think you’ve got it all figured out. Well, I got news for you. You mark my words, someday you’ll come crawling back and when you do, well, you’ll see. Don’t you ever ask me for anything - and I mean anything. You have dumped on your family. You’re just lucky that I loved your old man or believe me I would be handling this whole thing another way. And if you ever open your mouth about me or my operation, I promise you, it won’t be pretty! Do you hear me?

Devon had promised to never say a word about his Uncle’s business and he had kept his word of sending back the $12,500 that had been given to him by his dad, on the night of his dad’s fateful accident. It had been a hard decision because that money would have helped him in so many ways. But after a long conversation with Jack Cook, Devon knew it was the right thing to do. The last thing he wanted, now that he was making better choices, was to know that he was in possession of drug money. Jack Cook had patiently explained that the money had been made by hurting others. If Devon had actually wanted to start fresh, he needed to let the money go. Jack also promised that he would teach him how to make a living that would not hurt others.

What had surprised Devon the most was learning about the Cook family secret. He called it a secret because not many outside of the immediate family knew what Zeke Cook was capable of. What he desired now was to learn anything and everything that Zeke had been taught. He had found out through Zeke that a friend of his grandfather’s, a man named Al, had been mentoring Zeke and Griffen on dreams, visions and what they called their connection to the universe. He had never, ever in his whole life heard anything about this, until his dad had died and the Cooks had graciously agreed to let him move in with them.

The adjustments of getting to know a new family and feel a part of it was a process in the works. Jack Cook had several serious conversations with Devon, setting boundaries, talking about how to behave as part of the family, and made it clear that if Devon did not abide by the boundaries he set, he would not be able to stay with them.

Jack had also taken him to meet his parents, George and Margaret, at the farm. The decision to let Devon move in with them was as much a decision for his parents as it was for his own family. Plus he wanted to make sure that Devon knew what he was getting into. Farm life required a lot of work. There would be no sleeping in until late morning or early afternoon. There would be no late night parties every weekend, and certainly no drinking and drugs! He made it clear that Devon would have plenty of free time, but chores always came first. And if Devon Clark really wanted to fit in in with the Cook family, the same principals and rules that applied to Griffen and Zeke would also apply to him.

Devon had agreed and the choice of letting Devon move in was made. He and Griffen shared a room. It had been trying at first. Each one had their own routine so it took some give and take on both of their parts to make it work.

Griffen had whined to his parents a couple of times about things he didn’t like about Devon. They had listened, but didn’t react the way that Griffen had expected. After a few of these whining sessions, he figured out that if he wanted things to get better, whining about Devon to his parents was not the way to change the situation. Instead, he needed to learn how to work out his differences with Devon. After a couple of heart-to-heart talks with his friend, things got better.

But things weren’t perfect. During breakfast one morning, Griffen pointed out that borrowing t-shirts without permission was the same to him as stealing. Devon had been quick to defend himself, calling Griffen petty and trying to laugh it off.

Man, it’s just a t-shirt.

No, it’s not, Griffen had spat back. It’s my t-shirt and you need to take it off now!

Devon had stomped out of the kitchen and back to the bedroom to change t-shirts. When he returned he had one of his own shirts on. Neither one of them had said another word to each other during breakfast. The rest of the family could feel the tension between them. When they had gone outside to do the chores, Jack Cook called the two of them together. He told them both that what they were fighting over wasn’t really the t-shirt. He explained to Devon that Griffen had been correct in his thinking and that he had the right to be upset. On the other hand, he had explained to his son that he could have handled the situation a little bit differently. Instead of putting Devon on guard in front of everyone, he could have waited until after breakfast and then asked to speak to Devon in private and talked to him alone.

Jack and Pat Cook were all about preparing their sons for the real ways of the world and learning how to handle different types of situations. They were insistent that only after the boys had tried to work out their difference with no resolution would either of them feel it necessary to step in. It had been a life learning experience and from that point on both Devon and Griffen had done just that. They had worked on their differences, for the most part by themselves, and it had worked out pretty well. Devon now respected Griffen’s things and understood why he had gotten upset. Griffen was mindful to not over react to situations and instead would approach Devon and talk with him first. When they could not resolve their difference, then and only then did they ask for help.

The Cook family had gone through a lot of change in a short period of time, overall adapting very well to their new home, their extended family and their new routines.

Chapter 2

S O, ARE YOU READY FOR your big date tonight? quizzed Zeke, as the Cook clan walked towards the barn to begin the morning ch ores.

It’s not a date, snapped Griffen. How many times do I have to tell you that? We are just friends. Everyone laughed as Griffen gave Zeke a dirty look.

Well, that’s what I would call it. You’re taking Cat to a movie tonight, right? questioned Zeke, as he returned the dirty look.

Griffen could feel himself getting angry. He hated to be teased about Cat. As far as he was concerned she was a good friend and nothing more. He had met her the summer before when he and his brother had spent a week with his grandparents. He had immediately thought that she was cute. He enjoyed her smile and her easy-going manner. She had long dark hair with big brown eyes, but what mattered more than her looks was her personality. She wasn’t bossy and she wasn’t a drama queen. He knew lots of pretty girls from his school, but none of them seemed to connect with him the way that Cat did. She had a way of making him feel comfortable.

Oh, it’s a date alright, Devon kidded as he winked at Griffen. You can call it whatever you want. Friendship, or I really like that girl, or…

Griffen quickly interrupted Devon, stammering, Leave it alone, Devon! Devon laughed out loud because he knew that Griffen actually had a crush on Cat and was just afraid to admit it. He clearly remembered the first time that Griffen had mentioned her and knew then that he really liked her. Too bad he’s so shy, Devon thought to himself. Even though they had never discussed it, Devon was sure that Griffen had never kissed her. If he had, he would be completely surprised. He knew he was taking a chance of angering Griffen further, but he couldn’t resist asking, So Griff, have you kissed her yet?

Oh, yeah…probably twenty or thirty times already, Griffen replied.

Yeah, right, man, Devon shot back. You? That is highly doubtful. You are way too shy. You can’t even admit that you’re going on a date with her and you’re trying to convince me that you kissed her twenty or thirty times. I’ll believe that one when pigs fly.

George and Jack Cook looked at each other. Jack remembered all too well the conversations he and his dad had had about respecting girls and about the girls that did not respect themselves as much as they should, and were more than willing to do things that they thought would make the boys like them. It also occurred to him that he had conversations regarding sex with his sons, but he had not had such a conversation with Devon. He made a mental note to have that conversation with Devon before school started. The last thing he wanted to deal with was Devon getting a girl pregnant or catching a sexually transmitted disease.

Griffen thought about letting the comment go, but then decided not to. Devon had just embarrassed him and he did not appreciate his smart mouth. Well, it’s really none of your business! exclaimed Griffen. It’s mine. If there’s one thing that I know, it’s that I’m not going to put myself in a situation that could impact the rest of my life.

Devon chuckled as he responded, You’re right Griffen, as always!

And you are just plain annoying, Griffen replied, giving Devon the same dirty look that he had given his brother.

Okay, boys…that’s enough. We got chores to do, said Jack. Everyone listened as the chores were assigned. Devon, you start with the chickens. Zeke, you can feed the horses. Griffen, I want you to help Grandpa. He wants to move a few things around in the barn. I’m going to milk cows. Meet me in the cow barn when you’re done with your chores.

Everyone headed off to perform their assigned chores. As Griffen walked with his grandfather to the farthest barn, his mind was racing with what Devon had said. Maybe it really IS a date, he thought to himself. After all, he did ask her to dinner and a movie. And he was using money he had earned from doing chores. But he really didn’t think of it like a date. It was just two friends getting together to have some fun. Or was it? Since the move to the farm, he and Cat had spent time at Wilder’s Creek swimming, but usually Devon and Zeke were with them. They had taken walks together alone. No big deal, he thought. Then he thought about how much his life had changed since they had moved to the farm. It sure was a different way of life. Usually during the summer he would have spent his spare time with the guys at the park. They would play basketball, ride their skateboards or play around online. Since moving, he really hadn’t met a lot of people. The one time that he had was when Cat had invited Zeke, Devon and him to a pool party that one of her friends was having. Cat had introduced them to everyone there, but he really didn’t remember their names. Plus there had been so much to do since they had moved to the farm. Unpacking and learning how the different tractors and equipment worked, and of course, just like today and everyday there were chores. The one rule that applied, almost without exception, at the farm was that you had to do your chores first, before you could do anything else. As his mind once again wandered to thinking of Cat and whether or not he was officially going on a date, he heard his name.

Griffen, said Grandpa. Let’s start by removing the lawnmower and then the motorcycle. Somehow we have to make room for… and then he stopped short.

For what? questioned Griffen with a grin on his face? He wasn’t sure what his Grandpa was up to, but he was curious as to what he was about to say.

With a sheepish grin Grandpa ignored Griffen’s question and just nodded his head toward the lawnmower. Griffen walked over and put the riding lawnmower in neutral and started pushing it outside the barn. When he returned inside his grandpa was standing by the next piece of machinery that he wanted moved. The two of them continued the same process until most of the big items were now sitting outside the barn.

Hearing someone call his name, George Cook turned around and saw his good friend Al walking towards him. The two men shook hands as they greeted each other. Good morning! So what brings you out this beautiful, hot morning? asked George.

Al smiled. He and George Cook had been friends for many years and shared a lot of common interests, including George’s grandsons. Al had met Griffen and Zeke the summer before and they had met his granddaughter Cat when they crossed paths on a camping trip. He and his granddaughter had accepted an invitation to set up camp with George and his grandsons. It was the first time that Al had learned about Zeke’s dreams. He knew that he could help Zeke understand his dreams and teach him so much more. As a Hopi Indian descendant he was well versed in what Zeke was experiencing and offered to mentor him. He offered the same to Griffen, but Griffen didn’t seem to have the same interest as his younger brother. At first his offer was turned down by the boys’ father but after a life changing event, Jack Cook changed his mind. From that point on he and Zeke had spoken on a regular basis and Al had been thrilled when he found out that Zeke and his family were moving to the farm. Now he would be able to mentor and provide more guidance in person, if Zeke was still interested. He kept the same offer open to Griffen, but he didn’t push. Al knew that if something was supposed to be, it would be, because nothing happened by coincidence. He sensed that Griffen was more interested in his granddaughter Cat than he was anything else, even though he never admitted it.

Al reached into his front pocket and pulled out a picture of a young boy who looked to be about four or five years old and showed it to George.

His name is Toby Styles and he’s missing, Al told him. "Ben Turner stopped by this morning and asked for my help in locating him. Toby was