Chapter 1

Writer’s block. It’s a funny little concept that has plagued me since I was a small child. All my life I’ve wanted to write a book, but it always seems like I lose the words as soon as I pick up the pencil. Every day I sit down to write, and every day I give in to the block. It never seems to make sense; the words always flow perfectly in my head.

My name is Colinnn, and if you haven’t caught on, I’m a fan of writing. Books have been a part of my life since the very beginning, so it’s no surprise that I want to make them someday. Every summer I would come down to the Lush River, tucked safely away in the valleys, and read until I often fell asleep. But something inside of me always wanted to be in control of the stories that get passed on through the years. So when I decided to walk through the Valley of Lush one day, I wasn’t expecting to become one of the characters in a greater story that started at the beginning of time.

But as with any story, you don’t just get thrown into it. You’re slowly pulled in until you look back and realize how far you’ve come. So when I dropped by beloved journal as I walked along the Cliffs of Lush, I should have known that this was only the beginning of a very long adventure.

“Dangit,” I muttered to myself as I watched my journal slide down the cliff. Now I’m not the most agile person in the world, but I am capable of pulling a few stunts. So I leapt off my narrow walkway and began to slide down the inclined wall of loose dirt, desperately chasing my journal as it slid away from me.

Just a little more speed I thought as I grew closer. And just as I thought that… my journal stopped. And then I realized that it had hit a small rock sticking out from the slope. Just as soon as I was thankful it stopped, I realized that I was heading for this rock at full speed. My attempts to slow failed, and I ended up tripping on this pathetic rock. With a few seconds of airtime, I landed, somersaulting down the hill. Having no idea where I was rolling, I closed my eyes in dizziness.

At that point, the icy yet refreshing chill of the river hit me. Thankfully the current wasn’t strong, so I was able to recover quickly and tread water there. Letting out a sigh of relief, I climbed up the bank and back up the slope. Dripping wet, I picked up my journal.

“Not a scratch,” I mutter as I climb back up the hill. Little did I know, this would only be the beginning of my adventures.