Arthur P. Snittles: The Magic Barrel

By J.A. Pasch

You just don't know what can happen when you have a magic barrel, but Arthur P. Snittles learns fast that it can be rewarding if used right. And if used wrong...well, he learns about that too.

Author J. A. Pasch brings us this heartfelt story about a boy who, in a week's time, realizes the importance of love and family. He learns what happened to his grandmother and why she is not around anymore. He learns about what kind of person his grandfather really is, too, but in the process of finding out the truth, he has to go to many places and meet all sorts of interesting people. Entertaining for people of all ages, Arthur P. Snittles will make you laugh and will make you cry. But in the end, you will realize that it's never too late to correct a mistake.

In Arthur P. Snittles: The Magic Barrel, Jeff Pasch created an amusing story of magic and adventure infused with short history lessons. The brilliant mix of history with fiction will surely keep young readers entertained while they journey along with Arthur through time.

--Brian K. Spychalla

Arthur P. Snittles: The Magic Barrel is a fascinating story. This story kept me glued to the pages to see what would happen next. It also made me feel I was part of the story. I was intrigued by the idea that it kept me in suspense.

--Kathy McGinnis

I read Jeff's book with great interest. He has combined adventure; positive relationships, especially between the children and their grandpa; moral values; and history in a great medium that can be enjoyed by children as they read it themselves or have a special person read it with them. I look forward to more exciting books from this author in the future.

--Kathy Kett

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 15, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890439321

Book preview

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Arthur P. Snittles

The Magic Barrel

J.A. Pasch

ISBN 979-8-89043-933-8 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-89043-932-1 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by J.A. Pasch

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 publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, descriptions, entities and incidents included in the story are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, events and entities is entirely coincidental.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

The Arrival

Chapter 2

Starting the Search for Grandma

Chapter 3

The Search in King Arthur's Court

Chapter 4

Last Night with Gramps

About the Author

To the memory of my mother. Throughout my life, she was always supportive in everything that I did. She saw in me at a very young age the ability to succeed at whatever I set my mind to. She was always very instrumental in making me feel good about myself and about my dreams. It was because of her that I became interested in the written word. She showed me what love is, and she always helped move me in the right direction. She knew me better than myself. So for all her love and support, I am much honored to be able to dedicate this book in her memory. I know she is smiling down from heaven with pride for her son's accomplishment.

To my father. He always showed me that with hard work, perseverance, and faith in God, you can do anything. He is a living example of what faith and trust in God is all about. I am proud to have him as my father, and it gives me great pleasure to have completed this book in his lifetime. So because I honor him as my father, I dedicate this book to him, and may he be proud of what I have accomplished.

Chapter 1

The Arrival

Hi, my name is Arthur. My little brother—Clyde—and I had to go stay with our grandfather for a week. Our father and mother had to go out of town on business, and they felt a week in the country with Gramps would do us boys some good. Both of us were excited about spending a week with Gramps; he was fun and always played games with us.

Our grandfather lived a few miles outside of town in a big old Victorian-style house, and there was a small pond behind his house which was fed by a creek. Clyde and I both thought the house itself was kind of spooky, but we had gotten used to it over the years.

We thought the house was cool because there were so many places to hide when we played hide-and-seek: two full stories and a big attic with lots of neat, old stuff in it.

When we arrived, Gramps was waiting for us outside. So once the car stopped, both of us got out and ran to give Gramps hugs.

Arthur and Clyde, it is always so good to see you. I think we will have a great week together. You boys had better tell your mom and dad goodbye and then take your suitcases up to your rooms. I will be up in a few minutes to help you unpack.

So Clyde and I said goodbye to our mom and dad and headed up to our rooms with our suitcases. A few minutes later, Gramps showed up and helped us put our clothes away in the dresser.

Well, boys, what would you like to do? We have two hours before dinner, and after dinner, I will read my newspaper, and after that, we can play a board game of some sort. Clyde and I both said hide-and-seek. No sooner had we answered, the doorbell rang.

I will go see who's at the door. Boys, you go ahead and start without me. Just remember, if you go in the attic, be careful not to break anything, and leave the old trunk and the wooden barrel alone.

Okay, Gramps, we will be careful. Don't take too long, Gramps. It's always fun when you come looking for us.

I will be back as soon as I can.

So Clyde and I played rock, paper, scissors to see who would be the first one to go hide, and Clyde lost. So he lay on his bed with his eyes shut and started counting. Being that it was a big house with a lot of places to hide, he had to count to one hundred to give me a chance to find a good hiding place. So when Clyde started counting, I started running. First I ran downstairs and went into the closet under the stairwell, stood there for a few seconds, and decided it wasn't the best place to hide. So then I ran into the living room, looked around for a second, and thought, Maybe the kitchen. After a few seconds in the kitchen, I decided no and went into the dining room.

Once again, it wasn't the right place. So I thought and thought, and finally I decided to try the attic. So I ran back upstairs, right past Clyde's room, and heard Clyde say, Eighty-one, so I knew I was almost out of time. I ran up the steps to the attic and looked around, but I couldn't find a good spot.

All of a sudden, I heard Clyde say, One hundred. Here I come!

So I ran to the back of the attic, where it was dark, hoping Clyde wouldn't see me. Well, Clyde must have heard the footsteps and knew that I was in the attic, so he proceeded to come up the stairs.

I heard Clyde coming up the stairs and thought to myself, He will find me. I need a better hiding place.

At that point, I backed into a big wooden barrel, and without remembering what Gramps had said, I jumped into it and bent down, hoping that Clyde didn't hear me.

Clyde reached the top of the stairs and heard some noise coming from the back of the attic. He must have figured it had to be me, so he started toward the direction of the noise. As Clyde was about to look into the barrel, I closed my eyes and thought to myself, I wish I was outside by the big oak tree next to the pond.

I sat with my eyes closed for a minute, wondering why Clyde didn't find me yet. So I decided to open my eyes, and when I did, I was shocked to see the pond and was really shocked to be sitting beside the big oak tree. I sat there for the longest time, trying to figure out what had happened, when finally I remembered the wish I had made. But how could that be? I must be able to do magic.

I sat there, all pleased with myself for the longest time, until I heard Clyde yell out the back door, saying, I give up, and now it's your turn to hide. So please come out wherever you are.

I got up and started walking toward the house.

Clyde looked and said, There you are. How did you get out of the attic without me seeing you?

I just looked at him as he walked by and said, It's a secret. Now it's your turn to hide.

So I went to lie on my bed and started counting, while Clyde went to hide. We switched off, doing this until dinner was ready. We heard Gramps yell, Time to eat! and both of us went rushing to the table. By this time, we were both getting hungry.

We all sat down, and Gramps said a prayer. At the