Editing Set in Stone (section)

== Chapter 1 ==
  ''August 5th, 2000''

  ''Mom gave me this journal ages ago but I never used it. I guess now I’m bored enough to write. I’m sitting in my room, on the carpet, because there is nothing else here yet. All my stuff, besides this journal,  is in the other truck. I don’t know why Mom brought this journal. I never used it.  I guess now I have something to do though. We just got here this morning, and Mom is downstairs unpacking or something, but she told me I couldn’t help with anything. I guess it's all breakable or something like that? But anyway, I’m just sitting up in my room, doing nothing. Except writing. This is really boring… I’m gonna go ask Mom if she has anything else I can do.''

  I heard the sounds of Mom working in the kitchen as I walked downstairs. She was sitting in the middle of the room, with cardboard boxes strewn all around her.

  “Hey, Mom? What else can I do? I’m tired of writing in this stupid journal.” I complained.

  Mom sighed.

  “Honey, I’m pretty busy. Why don’t you explore outside a bit? Stay within shouting distance. Maybe you could check out the empty lot next door?”

  I’d seen it through the window in my bedroom. It was relatively empty, with some abandoned wood stacks scattered around, and a big rock in the middle.

  “But Mom,” I whined, “There's nothing to do out there!”

  “Well, Alex,” She said in a no-nonsense voice, “your options are to sit there and do nothing, write in your journal,” Which earned a sigh from me, “Or explore that lot. Try telling me everything about that giant rock I saw if you can’t think of anything else to do.”

  None of the options thrilled me, but at least if I explored the lot, I wouldn’t be stuck inside.

  “Fine, I’ll go outside.” I said reluctantly.

  “Thanks, Honey. Have fun! Tell me about the rock!” She chuckled.

  “Okay, Mom.”

  I stepped outside, walked around the corner, and was on the sidewalk outside of the empty lot. Just like I had seen from my room, there were piles of wood scattered about, and that one giant rock. The only different thing was that now, I could see the trash and junk that was piled along the edges of the fence that went around the lot. The only thing that was even a little bit interesting to me was the giant rock, which to my ten-year-old eyes, was enormous. I couldn’t tell how far back it went, but it was about two times my height,  and as wide as a school bus. While I stood there wondering what to do, and observing the rock just so that I could tell Mom I had, I was knocked to the ground!

  I found myself lying on my back, with a dog breathing in my face, and a female voice asking me if I was ok. Disoriented, I tried to respond, but I found the breath had been knocked out of me. I sat up and opened my eyes. A girl with messy hair, and freckles dotting her concerned face, was again asking,

  “Are you ok?”

  “I-” I gasped, trying to regain my breath, “I’m ok.”

  “I’m so so sorry!” She exclaimed sorrowfully, “I was just running with my dog,” She gestured towards her golden retriever, which had gotten off of me, and was sitting curiously on the sidewalk nearby, “And wasn’t paying attention! I’m so sorry!”

  She then seemed to realize that she didn’t know who I was.

  “Who are you? Oh!” She said, answering her own question, “You must be the new kid!”

  I nodded my head, still trying to figure out what had just happened, and overwhelmed by her energy.

  “Awesome! There aren’t any other kids our age in this neighborhood,” She sighed, “But you’re here now! We’ll have tons of fun together! Wanna see my castle?”

  I just stared at her, confused.

  “Just come with me,” She laughed cheerfully, already forgetting our little run-in, “I’ll show you!”

  She ran towards the rock, gesturing for me to follow.

  “This,” She said solemnly, putting her hand on the side of the rock, which was straight up and down, but with lots of notches and bumps that looked like they would be climbable, “is my castle.”

  “But it’s just a rock…” I said, confused.

  “No,” She said firmly, “it’s a castle. Or a pirate ship. Or maybe it’s Mount Everest! It could even be a superhero HQ! But whatever it is, it is not a rock.”

  Then, I heard Mom calling me for dinner.

  “I have to go, sorry!” I said, already walking backwards away from her. “Talk to you later?”

  “Okay, bye! And of course, we are gonna be best friends!” She yelled back as I started moving quickly home. 

  “Hey, I don’t know your name!” I realized, looking back.

  “LESLIE, MY NAME IS LESLIE’!” She yelled as I opened my front door and walked into the living room where my parents were sitting on the floor, munching on pizza.

  I sat down with my parents, and grabbed a piece of pizza, grinning.

  “You’re awfully smiley,” My mom said, “Did you have fun? Did you make a friend?”

  “Yeah,” I said, still grinning, “Yeah, I did!”