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I hope you enjoy reading a excerpt from 'The Land Beyond the Clouds'
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h, nuts!” Anna exclaimed, seeing that the clouds were about to burst. She ran for the open door of the barn. Jed, her old hound dog, was close behind. He really could move when he wanted to. They made it, right before the heavens opened up. Anna was so absorbed with watching the ant that she hadn’t even noticed the dark clouds that had formed in front of the sun.
Now, she watched as the rain came down in buckets, upset that she had to leave the little ant before he’d reached his destination. The dry earth greedily drank in the rain.
Anna could tell from the look of the clouds that it was only a sun shower and would soon be over. Her grandpa had taught her how to read the weather. “You can’t be a farmer, if you can’t read the sky,” Grandpa used to say.
Sure enough, within a couple of minutes the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started. The pastures were glistening with raindrops. The air had that sweet smell that only happens after it rains. Anna walked back into the barnyard to check on the little ant.
“Wow!” she exclaimed, abruptly stopped in mid-step and stared straight ahead.
There in the distance, through an opening in the clouds, was a brilliant beam of sunlight streaming down to earth. It created a radiant ladder of light. The bottom of the ladder landed somewhere in the little forest beyond the pasture.
“Look Jed, Jacob’s Ladder!” Anna exclaimed pointing. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
Anna remembered the first time she’d seen Jacob’s Ladder. She was six or seven years old and was with Grandpa on the farm. The ladder had also appeared right after a sun shower. Grandpa pointed to it and told her it was a weather phenomenon known as Jacob’s Ladder. The ladder of light had disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. When she asked her grandpa where it had gone, he said, “The Ladder Keeper that lives in the clouds has pulled it up.”
“The Ladder Keeper?” Anna questioned.
“Yes, he is the one responsible for putting down and pulling up the ladder,” Grandpa explained.
“When will he put it down again?” Anna asked.
“That’s up to the Ladder Keeper. The trick is to get to the bottom of the ladder before he pulls it up.”
Anna wanted to know what was at the top of the ladder.
“Nobody knows, because nobody has even made it to the top the ladder. Or, if they have, they never lived to tell about it,” her grandpa had said with a wink and a smile.
Anna had seen many Jacob’s Ladders since then, but none had ever been this close.
“Come on Jed. Let’s go find the bottom of Jacob’s Ladder.” Jed just looked at her, but didn’t budge.
“Never mind, I’ll go myself.” Without thinking twice, Anna turned and hightailed it towards the little forest; where the bottom of the ladder was sure to be. Running as fast as her spindly legs could carry her, she galloped through the pasture.
The long, damp grass tickled her legs. Anna never once took her eyes off the golden ladder of light. She was out of breath by the time she reached the edge of the forest, but Anna knew there was no time to spare and rushed into the forest.
“Oh, please, Mr. Ladder Keeper, don’t pull up the ladder, not yet,” Anna begged.
She then heard Grandma calling her in for lunch. Anna paused, but only for a moment. She was determined to find the ladder before it got pulled up.
Now, well into the forest, Anna could no longer see the ladder when she looked up, only trees. She left the well-worn forest path and headed deeper into the woods. The underbrush made it difficult to run, but this didn’t deter her. Anna darted to and fro, first one way then another. She just had to find the ladder; it had to be here somewhere. She kept looking until she couldn’t look any longer. Exhausted she stopped to catch her breath.
“Nuts!” she cried out in frustration. Anna wasn’t one who gave up easily but by now the Ladder Keeper had surely pulled up the ladder.
As she turned back to find the path, Anna froze. There, in a small clearing in the middle of the forest, stood the radiant ladder of light. Anna stared at it in wide-eyed wonder. It was even more beautiful than she had imagined!
Translucent rays of light were woven together to form the rungs of the ladder. It looked as delicate as a spider’s web. The light shining from the ladder was so bright it almost hurt Anna’s eyes. She could barely believe she had actually found it. If only her grandpa could be here.
Now what do I do? she wondered. Fear momentarily held Anna, but she realized that there was no time to waste. If she was going to climb the ladder, she had to act now. Any moment the Ladder Keeper could pull the ladder up. Anna seized the opportunity and ran to the ladder. Trembling, she reached out and touched one of the rungs. Her fingers tingled and glowed. It was a pleasant feeling, like being tickled from the inside.
Mustering up a bit more confidence, Anna placed her other hand on the ladder’s rail. The tingling spread through her like a wave. The ladder looked very fragile but was surprisingly sturdy to the touch. Anna cautiously placed her right foot on the first rung and was instantly engulfed by radiant light. Her whole body shone.
She hesitated only a moment before she began to climb. The shimmering ladder, although soft as a rose petal, was extremely strong and easily supported her.
She would have been far more frightened except that the light somehow gave her a sense of confidence and inner strength. Slowly, one by one, she scaled the radiant rungs. Is this real? she wondered. Am I really climbing a ladder made of light?
Anna rose steadily, confidently, rung by rung until she was above the tree tops. She stopped to look out over the land.
“Wow! I’m so high,” Anna thought as she watched Jed wandering around the barnyard, looking somewhat lost. Anna couldn’t see her grandma; she must have gone back into the house. From up here, everything on the ground looked the size of ants.
Anna looked up. High above her the ladder disappeared into a ceiling of thick, white clouds. It was still a long ways up and Anna began to doubt her decision to climb the ladder. What had she been thinking? But she couldn’t give up, not now. She just had to find out what was at the top of the ladder. She took a deep breath and was about to start climbing again when the ladder began to quiver then shake.
“Oh no,” Anna cried. She knew exactly what was happening. The Ladder Keeper was getting ready to pull up the ladder. Anna momentarily thought about climbing down but she knew it was too late. She grabbed the shimmery rungs with both arms and braced herself.
With a violent jerk and the speed of lightning, Anna and the ladder were pulled skyward towards a small opening in the cloud. Anna screamed as she held on for dear life.
Within seconds, Anna was whisked through the clouds. The ladder instantly disappeared, but not Anna. She still hurtled skyward. Higher and higher she flew.
Finally, Anna began to slow down, then stop—traveling neither higher nor falling—perfectly suspended in air. It seemed like an eternity before she started to fall, but fall she did, slowly at first, then picking up speed with each passing moment.
“Ohhhhhhhhh noooooo!” Anna screamed
Now, she watched as the rain came down in buckets, upset that she had to leave the little ant before he’d reached his destination. The dry earth greedily drank in the rain.
Anna could tell from the look of the clouds that it was only a sun shower and would soon be over. Her grandpa had taught her how to read the weather. “You can’t be a farmer, if you can’t read the sky,” Grandpa used to say.
Sure enough, within a couple of minutes the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started. The pastures were glistening with raindrops. The air had that sweet smell that only happens after it rains. Anna walked back into the barnyard to check on the little ant.
“Wow!” she exclaimed, abruptly stopped in mid-step and stared straight ahead.
There in the distance, through an opening in the clouds, was a brilliant beam of sunlight streaming down to earth. It created a radiant ladder of light. The bottom of the ladder landed somewhere in the little forest beyond the pasture.
“Look Jed, Jacob’s Ladder!” Anna exclaimed pointing. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
Anna remembered the first time she’d seen Jacob’s Ladder. She was six or seven years old and was with Grandpa on the farm. The ladder had also appeared right after a sun shower. Grandpa pointed to it and told her it was a weather phenomenon known as Jacob’s Ladder. The ladder of light had disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. When she asked her grandpa where it had gone, he said, “The Ladder Keeper that lives in the clouds has pulled it up.”
“The Ladder Keeper?” Anna questioned.
“Yes, he is the one responsible for putting down and pulling up the ladder,” Grandpa explained.
“When will he put it down again?” Anna asked.
“That’s up to the Ladder Keeper. The trick is to get to the bottom of the ladder before he pulls it up.”
Anna wanted to know what was at the top of the ladder.
“Nobody knows, because nobody has even made it to the top the ladder. Or, if they have, they never lived to tell about it,” her grandpa had said with a wink and a smile.
Anna had seen many Jacob’s Ladders since then, but none had ever been this close.
“Come on Jed. Let’s go find the bottom of Jacob’s Ladder.” Jed just looked at her, but didn’t budge.
“Never mind, I’ll go myself.” Without thinking twice, Anna turned and hightailed it towards the little forest; where the bottom of the ladder was sure to be. Running as fast as her spindly legs could carry her, she galloped through the pasture.
The long, damp grass tickled her legs. Anna never once took her eyes off the golden ladder of light. She was out of breath by the time she reached the edge of the forest, but Anna knew there was no time to spare and rushed into the forest.
“Oh, please, Mr. Ladder Keeper, don’t pull up the ladder, not yet,” Anna begged.
She then heard Grandma calling her in for lunch. Anna paused, but only for a moment. She was determined to find the ladder before it got pulled up.
Now, well into the forest, Anna could no longer see the ladder when she looked up, only trees. She left the well-worn forest path and headed deeper into the woods. The underbrush made it difficult to run, but this didn’t deter her. Anna darted to and fro, first one way then another. She just had to find the ladder; it had to be here somewhere. She kept looking until she couldn’t look any longer. Exhausted she stopped to catch her breath.
“Nuts!” she cried out in frustration. Anna wasn’t one who gave up easily but by now the Ladder Keeper had surely pulled up the ladder.
As she turned back to find the path, Anna froze. There, in a small clearing in the middle of the forest, stood the radiant ladder of light. Anna stared at it in wide-eyed wonder. It was even more beautiful than she had imagined!
Translucent rays of light were woven together to form the rungs of the ladder. It looked as delicate as a spider’s web. The light shining from the ladder was so bright it almost hurt Anna’s eyes. She could barely believe she had actually found it. If only her grandpa could be here.
Now what do I do? she wondered. Fear momentarily held Anna, but she realized that there was no time to waste. If she was going to climb the ladder, she had to act now. Any moment the Ladder Keeper could pull the ladder up. Anna seized the opportunity and ran to the ladder. Trembling, she reached out and touched one of the rungs. Her fingers tingled and glowed. It was a pleasant feeling, like being tickled from the inside.
Mustering up a bit more confidence, Anna placed her other hand on the ladder’s rail. The tingling spread through her like a wave. The ladder looked very fragile but was surprisingly sturdy to the touch. Anna cautiously placed her right foot on the first rung and was instantly engulfed by radiant light. Her whole body shone.
She hesitated only a moment before she began to climb. The shimmering ladder, although soft as a rose petal, was extremely strong and easily supported her.
She would have been far more frightened except that the light somehow gave her a sense of confidence and inner strength. Slowly, one by one, she scaled the radiant rungs. Is this real? she wondered. Am I really climbing a ladder made of light?
Anna rose steadily, confidently, rung by rung until she was above the tree tops. She stopped to look out over the land.
“Wow! I’m so high,” Anna thought as she watched Jed wandering around the barnyard, looking somewhat lost. Anna couldn’t see her grandma; she must have gone back into the house. From up here, everything on the ground looked the size of ants.
Anna looked up. High above her the ladder disappeared into a ceiling of thick, white clouds. It was still a long ways up and Anna began to doubt her decision to climb the ladder. What had she been thinking? But she couldn’t give up, not now. She just had to find out what was at the top of the ladder. She took a deep breath and was about to start climbing again when the ladder began to quiver then shake.
“Oh no,” Anna cried. She knew exactly what was happening. The Ladder Keeper was getting ready to pull up the ladder. Anna momentarily thought about climbing down but she knew it was too late. She grabbed the shimmery rungs with both arms and braced herself.
With a violent jerk and the speed of lightning, Anna and the ladder were pulled skyward towards a small opening in the cloud. Anna screamed as she held on for dear life.
Within seconds, Anna was whisked through the clouds. The ladder instantly disappeared, but not Anna. She still hurtled skyward. Higher and higher she flew.
Finally, Anna began to slow down, then stop—traveling neither higher nor falling—perfectly suspended in air. It seemed like an eternity before she started to fall, but fall she did, slowly at first, then picking up speed with each passing moment.
“Ohhhhhhhhh noooooo!” Anna screamed