The river was flowing calmly southward. My feet were hanging over the edge of the rock I sat on, dangling into the cool, blue water of the rushing river. My head was hanging low over my book. ''Done, " I finally shouted. Oops, maybe that was a little too loud, I thought. The sun was glowing beautifully underneath the clouds, close to sunset. I slowly walked back over to my tree. I tucked the book into my schoolbag and then pulled out a picture that I had sketched of nine children that I once had a dream about. I tucked it back into my schoolbag and then hung it on a branch. I laid my head down on my pillow and pulled my blanket over my me. The next morning, I grabbed my school bag and headed off for the river. I found my spot on a rock by the side of the river. The stones at the bottom of the river were cool and slippery. I set my bag down on the riverbank. I glided through the cool water. Fish swam around my feet and frogs glided over the rocks. Something shimmered out of the corner of my eyes. I turned. A small, shiny emerald was sitting at the bottom of the river only a few feet away from where I stood. I waded over to where it rested and tugged it from the ground. It came loose and glowed for a few minutes then dimmed. I tucked it into the pocket of my school bag, then hurried off to my dad's farm. The horses were out in the pasture. I walked up to my horse, Gemma. She kneeled down and I climbed on to her back. She stood up tall and then took off. She ran around the pasture about five times. Then, we jumped over the tall fence and rode off into the west field. We stopped by a small pond to get some rest. I grabbed some apples for us. Then, we set off for the south fields, where my dad grew the carrots. I grabbed some carrots and gave them to Gemma. I sat down nearby and pulled out the emerald I had found earlier that day. I wondered where it had come from and how it had gotten in the river, but most of all, I wanted to know why it had glowed. Gemma nudged me. I tucked away the gem and set off for home. I slipped through the gate and let Gemma back into the pasture. I went to the hayloft. For as long as I can remember, I have been living with my dad on this farm. My dad didn't exactly like me very much. If he had found out that if he had found out that I snuck out he would have been really mad. I climbed the ladder into the hayloft and pulled out my books. I sat for a few hours there, just reading. I felt safe up there. My dad brought a desk up there before I came along. Now, I use it as my workstation. I felt odd and strangely connected to a mysterious force. I pulled out the emerald. It was glowing again. I figured that the gem keeper would know something about the odd gem. The gem keeper was the oldest man on Earth. He had devoted his life to finding out everything about gems that anyone could ever know. I had read the books that he had written. I refocused my mind on the task at hand. I had to find a way to get out without my dad seeing me. If he saw me or noticed I was gone, he would probably ground me in my bedroom. "Izzi get down here and muck out the stables for me," my dad shouted up. I climbed down the ladder and grabbed the shovel I pulled the wheelbarrow up in front of the first stall. I scooped up the dirty hay and added new hay. The job was done in half an hour. I needed to decide how I was going to get to the gem keeper without my dad noticing. It seemed pretty simple, since when I was here he never seemed to notice me. But I always ended up getting in trouble for sneaking out alone. I'll have to sneak out at midnight, I thought. That way, my dad won't catch me. I went out to do my chores of harvesting all of the crops that were ready. By now it was eleven thirty. I kept some of the crops that I harvested (I would need something to eat on my journey.) I stored the crops that I kept in saddlebags. I also packed some spices into my saddlebags. I put in a box of matches for lighting fires. I stashed all of my personal belongings in my schoolbag. In the other side of my saddlebags, I put a cloak, a blanket, and spare clothes. I also grabbed my horse's blanket. The last thing I packed was a sword that my mother had given me when I was really little. That night, I slipped into the stables and let Gemma loose. I lit a lantern and held it high as we rode off into the darkness. We stopped at the mountains about five miles away from my dad's farm. I took out our blankets and we slept peacefully. The next day, I pulled out some apples to start our morning. After that, we started off through the mountains. The ride was smooth. Gemma was graceful. I took out a book once and started to read.