I dedicate this book to my parents and friends. They all gave me an extra boost in the game of life.

Preview audio:

storyj.mp/ac5gvykwxswc

Once upon a time in the castle of Ajedrez, there was an epic journey:

John is a pawn; you may wonder, what is a pawn? Well, a pawn is a class in the castle of Ajedrez. At the top of the metaphoric pyramid are the king and queen, the rulers of Ajedrez. Then there are their advisors, rooks, as well as simple villagers, bishops, and knights who protect the realm. Pawns are at the bottom; they do the basic jobs of the town. John's father, Alex, for example, is a candlemaker, providing a healthy income for the family. Knights are better paid, risking their lives and battling the opposing castle of Dams.

John lives a simple life, doing chores and helping his father. On an average day, he went out to buy some food. As he approaches Jenna's fruit store, he realizes that the BPK is approaching. The BPK is what John calls the "group" of boys, Bob, Patrick, and Kyle. They are known as the wealthiest and most annoying pawns. He has personal grievances against them as he endeavours to lie low and secure his fruit. As he feels accomplished, he lowers his guard and lets the BPK notice him. "Hey, candle pawn," Kyle shouts, "How is melting away feeling?" "Fine, Kyle," mutters John. "What was that?" Are you too poor to buy candle wax?" "No," "Well, you will be," boasted Patrick, "At least tomorrow you will."

John attempts to dash away and escape. However, the other boys are more limber and powerful, and they easily catch up. "Stop following me!" John shouts, but he knows it is futile; BPK will stop him and engage him in a tussle, probably making his knees bleed and dirtying his food. As he predicted, the BPK caught up and started repeatedly shoving and insulting him. As he returns home with the groceries, his parents come out to greet him. "Oh, John, what happened?" Catherine, his mother, shouts. As John enters his home, he explains what happened but leaves out the part about the BPK; he doesn't want to worry them. After a sad dinner, he goes to bed.

You may wonder what Patrick meant when he said, "Well, you will be," boasted Patrick, "At least tomorrow you will. "Well, what he meant was that Alex's father's workshop would mysteriously burn down. It was suspicious because there was only one other candle maker, Patrick's dad. As dawn came and Alex went to his workshop, he quickly realized that it was no more. "Curses," he shouted and fell to the ground, breaking his leg. John and Catherine rushed to the scene, and they all felt despair. As the family's only form of income depleted, there was no way to get any food, and no way to survive.

"Why couldn't Alex just get another job?" you ask. The problem was that Ajedrez was ruthlessly efficient; everyone had a job. And if you lost that job, the next opening could vary from 1 day to infinity. The only job with an infinite number of positions was that of a knight; however, the promotion ceremony was nigh impossible.

You had to complete the obstacle course with a couple of seconds of margin from the record, and had to best the weakest knight in a sparring match. As all the knights had either been born or promoted themselves, the ceremony was deemed impossible and a waste of money. Oh, did I mention you had to pay to get in? Even though all of these setbacks existed, the pay of a knight was much better than his dad's old job, even in knight school.

As the family despaired and tried to ration their food and water, John decided to train. "Even (he reasoned) though I can't get into the knight ceremony, the strength and agility training I get can help me have a life of crime". When saying "crime," he flinched. He had a noble heart, perfect for a knight. And as he ventured into the forest, under the cover of darkness, he felt not hopeless, but ready for the hardships that would come. He dragged an old, rusty sword that was on the street. It was heavy, old, reeked of fish, and was chipped. As he approached a moonlit lake, he set his sword on the ground and sized up the land, when suddenly.

His sword fell and plunged into the murky dark waters, and as it fell, John quickly got ready to dive. However, to his utter surprise, the sword rose majestically from the waters and shone with its newfound brilliance. As a result, it illuminated the dark forest and attracted the attention of many rabbits and voles. As soon as it rose vibrantly, it fell into the sweaty, greasy palms of John. As he grasped its perfectly manicured grip, it was feather-light, shone like the stars, and looked brand new, from the hands of a master craftsman. It was especially sharp. But even more surprising, it spoke...

I hear a scratchy, rough voice shout at me, "Rrh, what doth we has't h're?" The sword suddenly pulsed, and John felt his heart beat faster for a beat, and he wondered what was happening. The sword spoke again, "I seeth thee wanteth to becometh a knight, this shall taketh lots of training at an expense." "How did you read my mind, sword?" "yond pulse gaveth me all the inf'rmation I did need." And so John began training with the sword as his instructor; he had many tasks, lifting tree trunks and swimming laps. Every night, John snuck off to train until he passed out, then he was transported home fully rested. This routine continued for 3 months.

John got ready for the knight ceremony and felt confident. As the date approached, he learnt sword combat from his sword and got quite good. Finally, the date arrived, and John was able to sneak into the obstacle course. With his newfound speed, he set a record time on the course. This made everyone interested, and the Knight captain wanted to personally spar with John. He accepted on one condition, that I could use my own sword. The captain accepted, and we started the sparring match. John was wearing really torn-up clothes, but he was holding a sparkling sword and not backing down. The knight captain charged at him, swinging his big sword down.

John dodged to the side just in time, and his sword scraped against the captain's armour, leaving a little dent. The captain looked angry and swung again, but the boy was fast. He jumped back, then quickly jabbed his sword at the captain, making the knight step back. The captain charged at him, and sparks flew when their swords clashed. They kept fighting, both of them trying to land a hit. The boy was scared but kept joining, fighting with everything he had. Finally, with a quick move, the boy dodged the captain's next swing and managed to hit him on the chest armour one more time. The captain looked winced and yielded. John had managed to get into the Knight Academy! His parents were very proud. The end

About the Author:

My name is Xavi, and I am an aspiring 12-year-old. I like to play soccer (or football) and volleyball. I have a knack for science and a plethora of friends. I love reading, and I wrote this book so you can love reading too.