The Journey To Advamal

By Leon Jackson

Four boys discover a new land in another world; Trolls, Imps, witches, Ogres, and Bobbletifts are few in this Journey To Advamal.

When Matthew discovers a new gift of Magic he has found, he must save the girl from the castle; and Earth from The Evil Warlock.

New adventures await him and his friends. The test of true friendship and

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leon Jackson
• Release date: Sep 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087994390

Book preview

1

About the Author

Leon was born in Florida and was raised there and in Long Island, NY. The ocean was never far. She was influenced by science fiction and 80s fantasy movies. Leon lives with her husband and her three children. Her interests include astronomy, rock music, art, and yoga. This book was written for her children and grandchildren and is an accomplishment of patience and perseverance that will always live on.

About the Book

When Matthew’s father left, he disappeared into the beyond. Years later, when Matt and his friends go cliff diving, Matthew discovers the truth about his past and what he needs to do to protect the ones he loves. With the help of his friends and a creature named Petri, Matthew uses a magical box and discovers not only who he really is but also what he can do that no other person in the land can. From trolls, imps, erklings, and bobbletifts, Matthew discovers the true powers of his family heirlooms. Will his friends help him on the journey, or will they turn against him?

Dedication

Thank you to my family members, who told me not to give up on my dreams and who kept pushing me to finish this book. This is for all the mothers who have jobs and children, with no time for themselves. You can do it! I also want to dedicate this book to my children and grandchildren. Don’t give up on your dreams. When you put your mind to it, there’s nothing you can’t do. Thank you, Mom, for keeping me occupied when I was younger, which helped me learn how to manage my time and never give up on myself. Thank you, Dad, for keeping music and laughter in the house when I was growing up, which taught me how to relax and enjoy life.

Chapter 1: Matthew

It is Sunday morning, and Matthew is sitting at his desk in his room, browsing through Instagram and Snapchat. Matthew is a twelve-year-old boy with big brown eyes and a medium build. He has curly light brown hair that goes down to his shoulders.

In his room, he has posters of football players and fast cars. Corvettes and Lamborghinis. His room is messy; there are clothes on the floor and bits of crumpled paper in the corner by the waste basket. Up on his bureau in the corner are little collectible figurines. A snow fox, a hippogriff, a sprite, a centaur, and an erkling.

He doesn’t know where they came from, only that he has had them for a very long time. They belonged to his grandfather. When Matthew was younger, he would play with them when it was snowing outside and his family had lost power from the winter storms.

Matthew lives in Vermont. His two-story house has light blue siding and royal blue shutters, and it’s located in a cul-de-sac at Jackson’s landing. It’s an old house in the middle of the woods.

I’m going to play on the PlayStation at TJ’s house, Mom, he says.

TJ is a good friend of Matt’s, and they have known each other since the first grade, when Matthew moved to Vermont from Massachusetts. They do everything together. TJ is a slender kid. He’s twelve years old and has short blond hair and green eyes. He has a little mole on the side of his left cheek; sometimes people stare at it. The two boys often talk about basketball, girls, fishing, and what they are going to be when they grew up. TJ wants to be an ironworker like his father, and Matt wants to be a veterinarian.

Matthew is walking down the road to TJ’s house, which isn’t very far from his own house, and he sees TJ walking toward him. They start rhyming and doing a hand gesture they have always done together: They high-five and then fist bump, flip their hands upside down, grab their fingers, and pull to make a snapping noise.

TJ tells Matthew he is planning on going to see his father in New York within a couple of weeks so he can do some fishing off the docks in Long Beach. Matt is saving his money from his dog walking job so he can buy himself a new bike. He can use the bike to go down to Buttermilk Falls during the summer and jump in the water hole. Matt loves going to that place. It is like his home away from home. He likes the quiet, when he can just jump into the water and hold his breath, listening to the pounding of the water above as the waterfall hits the surface of the water.

The boys start to walk to TJ’s house. Matthew hears someone yelling from behind them.

Hey, guys, what’s up? It is Anthony, who is riding his bicycle with his bright yellow North Face shirt on. Anthony’s clothing choices, especially the new Jordans on his feet, make it clear that he has had an easy life. He also speaks very eloquently. His mother is a surgeon at Dartmouth Hospital, and his father is an attorney in Glens Falls, NY. As he approaches the other two boys, he’s panting, out of breath from riding the bike. Did you guys hear what Ryan did?

No, says Matt, What did he do now?

Well, he jumped right down into the hole at Buttermilk Falls and went down as far as he could go. He claims that there is no bottom. It just keeps going down and down. He couldn’t hold his breath anymore, so he came back up. We should all go this weekend and check it out.

I have to ask my mom if she’ll give us a ride, but it should be okay. I’ll bring my tent, and we’ll make a night of it, Matt says. He runs up to his room, grabbing his clothes, a blanket, and a phone. For some reason, he also grabs those little figurines. He can never go anywhere without those things. They are kind of like a security blanket, except a lot smaller and harder. He puts them in an old Crown Royal purple bag.

***

That weekend all the boys meet up at Matthew’s house. His mom makes them sandwiches and snacks for their weekend sleepover at the falls. She also makes sure they have a flashlight and an emergency first aid kit. She always seems to worry about them getting hurt, and tells them she wants them to be prepared.

After they leave Matt’s house, they go over to Ryan’s. He lives down the road from the falls. Hey, guys, Ryan says.

Are we ready? asks Matt.

Yes, they all say in unison.

The boys walk down the path, talking about their summer plans and how far down they think the water hole could possibly be. They arrive early in the afternoon, and then they only have a short walk through the trees and down a rocky hill. They hold on to the trees while they’re going down so they don’t slip. They jump over the logs. Down they go, each step a little harder. If they move even a step to the left, they could fall right over the edge of the hill.

Finally, they reach the ground, finding a flat spot where they can camp out. It’s right next to the spot where all the other kids are cliff diving into the water. There are at least fifteen kids jumping today. There isn’t a lot to do in the little town, so when it’s hot, this is the spot everyone comes to. There are families with dogs and little kids swimming on the other side of the rocks.

Matthew says, I’m going to climb up the rocks and take my first jump into the hole. Who’s coming?

Me, they all shout.

Each boy climbs up the rocks to a little lip on the edge of the cliff, waiting for their spot on top. It’s high enough for them to look down into the dark water hole below. It is a good twenty-foot jump into the deep black hole. Up first is Matthew. He looks down and takes a deep breath. He doesn’t want anyone to know he is scared, but his gut is turning, and his knees are shaking. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, then jumps into the water below. It is cold. He resurfaces with a huge smile on his face.

Anthony, TJ, and Ryan follow. The boys climb up the rocks all day, taking turns jumping into the hole. Eventually, people start to leave the falls, for the day is slowly coming to an end.

Anthony says, I’m going to eat something and set up our tents.

They all set up their spots on the flat part of the rocks. It is soft and sandy, so the bottoms of the tents will be mushy. TJ goes and gets some twigs so they can build a little fire near the water. This will keep them warm. It was eighty degrees during the day, but at night it will drop to fifty degrees.

They continue discussing how deep the hole will be. Matthew says it has to be at least thirty feet because the cliff is twenty feet.

No, no, no, it must be deeper than that. It is so dark down there that you can’t even see the light from the sun, says Anthony.

You’re both wrong. It’s at least eighteen feet deep, Ryan says.

Well, I think it has to be as deep as the ocean because it seems like there is no bottom, says TJ.

They all think they were right, so they agree to make a bet on it the next day.

We will come here again. Maybe we will measure it. I have a mask and snorkel from when I went to Long Island, says TJ.

Sounds good to me, says Ryan.

Yeah, me, too. Well, it stinks that I have to go with my family to my grandparents’ house. Maybe I can tell my parents that I don’t want to go, and if I’m lucky, they will let me come back here, says Matthew.

After a couple of hours of them talking about girls and sports at school, they all finally fall asleep. In the early hours of the morning, Matthew wakes up and goes over to the hole, looking down into the deep black water. He wonders if it really does end and if it is just another regular deep spot people jump into to cool off during the summer. He has to blink twice because