CroodsGirl

|2021 VERSION|
|23X WATTPAD FEATURED · 2X SPOLIGHT STORY · SHORTLISTED FOR THE SEASONAL CONTESTS!|

Mateo Brook, a young Pinta Park Ranger, must learn the legend of the Green Guardian to save the Paperblank Forest from a ruthless basilisk. What starts as an enjoyable mission soon becomes a matter of life or death.
                                                                                                   
***

The fae are an ancient race in Pinta Country, but no fairy is as old as the Green Guardian. Sixty years ago, she trapped a little boy in time. Now she begs for the Pebble Masters to rescue them.

Eleven-year-old Evie Amanda Madison and twenty-one-year-old Mateo Brook are part of a specialized camp aimed at training aspiring Pinta Park Rangers. Evie, who has a dream to be just like her hero, Ranger Anthony, is unaware of the danger she is about to walk into.

There is a basilisk loose in the Paperblank Forest. It's a creature of old magic that dates as far back as the Green Guardian herself.

Together with a talking Red-Crowned Crane, John, and Pinta's young king, Benjamin, Evie and Mateo must find a way to free the time travelers if there is any hope to defeat the monster. Little do they know that this is all part of a prophecy-a prophecy held dearly to the people of Paperblank Village.

Sixty years ago, history changed forever. A dark shadow is looming over Pinta Country, but Evie and Mateo are the only ones who can reverse the past.

The Green Guardian

        On August 17th, 2021, my mom and I got a call from my older brother (the inspiration for The Green Guardian's protagonist), a young and healthy thirty-one-year-old man, Matthew, who had been through so much in the past few years. He sounded the best he did in those few years. He told us he was excited about returning to Charleston, South Carolina after many years and spending time with me during my last leg of college. He said he was going to try to move his girlfriend down to Charleston and was thinking about marrying her. Mom and I were so happy for him. We told him that we loved him, and then... from out of nowhere, tragedy struck.


        Soon after Mom and I got off the phone with him, Matt (who had just returned from a trip overseas for his work) died unexpectedly from an accidental overdose of Fentanyl. Since he was suffering from jet lag, he thought he was taking a pill to help keep him awake. Little did he know, it was Fentanyl in disguise. He died within minutes, due to a lack of oxygen, but he had no time to yell for help; it happened so fast. The family was not notified until August 18th, 2021, after my brother's friend found him unresponsive on the floor of his bedroom. The coroner seems to think he collapsed out of his desk chair, which is just awful. My dad was hiking the Appalachian Trail, so the rangers pulled him off and brought him home.


        My brother is still here, in the form of Mateo Brook. This book is dedicated to him because of how much he suffered in the past few years. I even had plans to give him The Green Guardian's first copy when it eventually got published.


        My family will get through this (we are strong), but please, please, guys... Do NOT take drugs lightly! They will take your loved ones from you in seconds. That's what happened to us.


        I love you, big bro. In honor of your short life, I will stick The Green Guardian's first published copy on your grave. Rest in peace. I know that you are still here, and you will help us get through this difficult phase of our lives.


Written in Honor of My Older Brother (What Happened?)