Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper
    Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper
    Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper
    Ebook147 pages2 hours

    Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper

    By Richelle E. Goodrich

    4.5/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Meet a curious young man whose calling it is to guard the gates of his homeland. As keykeeper of Dreamland, Gavin comes across many outsiders referred to by his people as dreamers. Through a variety of bizarre and creative antics, Gavin steers these roaming trespassers away from the borders of his magical world—a world where ogres bowl for their dinner and pirates sail the clouds to plunder diamonds from the night's sky and bubbleberries make a person burp out loud. It is a place where anything imaginable is commonplace. All the while, the young keykeeper finds himself increasingly intrigued by stories of the outside world. Snooping about, he is captivated by a dreamer who piques his interest in the ordinary.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRichelle E. Goodrich
    Release dateMay 4, 2015
    ISBN9781310194955
    Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper
    Author

    Richelle E. Goodrich

    Richelle E. Goodrich has been writing poetry, short stories, and novels since her debut in April 2012. In her twenties, she graduated from Eastern Washington University with bachelor's degrees in liberal studies and natural science / mathematics education, but she has always had a strong love of the arts. Along with writing original stories and poetry, Richelle sketches, paints, plays some piano and guitar, keeps a running blog site, and has acted in theatrical plays. Her quotes have been published in numerous places including the Oxford Philosophy Being Human course book, in eight separate Chicken Soup for the Soul books, in a Revlon magazine advertisement campaign, and on a television episode of ALONE (season 7 episode 3.) Richelle's written works include: Smile Anyway, Making Wishes, Slaying Dragons, Being Bold, Hope Evermore, A Heart Made of Tissue Paper, The Tarishe Curse, Secrets of a Noble Key Keeper, Dandelions: The Disappearance of Annabelle Fancher, and a six-book series referred to as the Harrowbethian Saga. This author describes herself beautifully in the following quote: "I like bubbles in everything. I respect the power of silence. In cold or warm weather, I favor a mug of hot cocoa. I admire cats—their autonomy, grace, and mystery. I awe at the fiery colors in a sunset. I believe in deity. I hear most often with my eyes, and I will trust a facial expression before any accompanying comment. I invent rules, words, adventures, and imaginary friends. I pretend something wonderful every day. I will never quit pretending."

    Read more from Richelle E. Goodrich

    Related to Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper

    Related ebooks

    Fantasy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      A Good Samaritan

      Dec 6, 2022

      It was hot that day, hot for the morning and hot for April and with a stickiness in the air that suggested something had to break. I was headed up the street to ask my neighbor Meech to give me a jump when I heard a scream come from the fourplex next

      10 min read

    • Article

      Lineal Gaps

      Apr 6, 2021

      Lineal Gaps
      15 min read

    • Article

      The Traveler

      Oct 1, 2020

      The Traveler
      7 min read

    • Article

      WINNERS APRIL 2023 STORY CONTEST Pet

      Sep 1, 2023

      Danah Jang, age 10Westlake, OH Finn, the Goat Picasso I had a tawny-colored goat named Finn. I raised him after finding him in the fields. He was in poor condition, calling out with miserable, piercing wails. The heart-melting scene convinced me to

      9 min read

    • Article

      Trick or TREATERS

      Oct 19, 2022

      Trick or TREATERS
      2 min read

    • Article

      Kids & Angels

      Jun 25, 2019

      Kids & Angels
      4 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2022

      First prize 10 and under Tang Li, age 9 Palmetto Bay, FL My name is Anisa. I was in Hawaii on vacation. I enjoyed sipping refreshing drinks, overlooking the turquoise ocean, and dancing with others, before I overheard that the priceless Fire Ring wa

      10 min read

    • Article

      Treasure In The Henhouse

      Feb 1, 2024

      Treasure In The Henhouse
      5 min read

    • Article

      Stay and Fight

      Jul 9, 2019

      Stay and Fight
      16 min read

    • Article

      Benji’s Magic Boots

      May 8, 2019

      Benji’s Magic Boots
      4 min read

    • Article

      Alpharetta

      Jun 1, 2020

      My brother William, 10 years old to my 13, visibly shook in the big feather bed and gave me his famous zombie gaze; he had a way of somehow flattening his face so that his dark brown eyes, science-fictionally wet at all times, nailed you—a look of di

      17 min read

    • Article

      A PRECIOUS Moment In Time

      Jun 17, 2019

      There’s something about Lambrook Hall that always draws me back and I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been here. I don’t really care if it’s hundreds, to be honest. I can’t resist it. I’m in the dining room again now. Not the ballroom or the lib

      6 min read

    • Article

      Welcome To My Gothic House Of Horrors

      Feb 9, 2022

      An echo of Arthurian legend has visited my home – and, purely for the variety, thanks must be given for that. For so long, the literary flavour clinging to the property has tended exclusively towards the Gothic. Anyone glancing in from the street wil

      3 min read

    • Article

      Simply Blessed

      Oct 27, 2022

      Simply Blessed
      3 min read

    • Article

      To the RESCUE!

      Feb 17, 2021

      To the RESCUE!
      6 min read

    • Article

      When Good Gifts Go BAD

      Nov 21, 2022

      ’Tis the season for gift guides and mall car parks, for emergency vet visits to get the tinsel out of the cat and for absolutely refusing to roast chestnuts on open fires. As the magic of Christmas washes over us with the force of an All Blacks’ fron

      3 min read

    • Article

      Echoes Of The Bunny Man

      May 18, 2023

      Echoes Of The Bunny Man
      5 min read

    • Article

      Glad Tidings

      Apr 10, 2024

      I unwrap my grandmother’s tinkling candle carousel without incident. We’ve used the same bubble wrap for years, and I’m not sure what good the airless plastic does to protect it, but anyway, the metal is tarnishing. Next, I arrange the poinsettias my

      12 min read

    • Article

      My First Pet

      Feb 2, 2020

      My First Pet
      9 min read

    • Article

      Human Contact

      Aug 10, 2022

      Beer tasted like wet money—or maybe just bad beer did. Viola had never tried any other kind. She preferred white wine, but there was no white wine at this party. “Drink it like medicine,” the guy manning the keg said. “It’ll loosen you up.” He wore a

      18 min read

    • Article

      The Change

      Feb 2, 2019

      The Change
      3 min read

    • Article

      Nostalgia, Secrets & Lies

      Aug 12, 2020

      Nostalgia, Secrets & Lies
      7 min read

    • Article

      Come with Me

      Dec 1, 2022

      Come with Me
      12 min read

    • Article

      The Education of Mrs. R.

      Sep 6, 2022

      An adolescent shriek woke her. Cockerels, she thought, cockerels, with a wry twist to the word. She lay in the dark listening. There was no use in covering her head; the screaming still came through. The soloist was suddenly submerged in the chorus.

      13 min read

    • Article

      Animals And Origami

      Oct 10, 2021

      I miss the sea breeze mussing my hair and the feel of cold sand worming between my toes. Even now, in autumn, the shoreline has its charms, like the squeals of the oystercatchers and the rhythmic ebb and flow of the tide. My dreams are of swimming in

      11 min read

    • Article

      No Luck With the Duck

      Jun 1, 2021

      In my Good Old Days, the highlight of July was Sacred Heart Church’s summer festival. Many of the churches in Fremont, Ohio, would hold their festivals on a particular weekend every year. Sacred Heart’s festival was held the third weekend in July. Th

      4 min read

    • Article

      How To Defend Against Vikings

      Aug 5, 2021

      How To Defend Against Vikings
      7 min read

    • Article

      House Of Horrors

      Nov 26, 2020

      House Of Horrors
      4 min read

    • Article

      Advent ANGEL

      Nov 8, 2023

      Advent ANGEL
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper

    4.5/5

    2 ratings1 review

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This book brought me right back to my childhood. It's a good old fashioned fairy tale, with big bad wolves, pirates and swashbuckling, bears, and little girls running around the forest with red riding hoods on.

      It's a chapter book, but each chapter is reasonably short, and upon reflection, I think it would be a perfect story for parents of young kids to read to them at bedtime, or for slightly older kids to read themselves.

      I had some extremely minor issues with it, and it didn't exactly hold my attention a hundred percent of the time, but for what it claims to be (A fairy tale), I does its job perfectly!

    Book preview

    Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper - Richelle E. Goodrich

    Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper

    -The Story of Dreamland –

    Secrets of a Noble Keykeeper

    -The Story of Dreamland -

    ––––––––

    as imagined by

    Miss Annabelle Fancher

    Edited and amended for publication by

    Richelle E. Goodrich and Michael D. Lundstrom

    All Rights Reserved

    Text and illustrations copyright © 2015 Richelle E. Goodrich

    No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, or used in any form or by any means including photocopying and recording, whether electronic or mechanical, now or hereafter invented, without permission in writing from the author.

    All artwork provided by Richelle E. Goodrich.

    For Gregory Hill

    and especially Gavin

    Table of Contents

    Chapter One – The Little Boy

    Chapter Two – Swashbucklin’ Pirates

    Chapter Three – Brotherly Love

    Chapter Four – The Trouble with Parents

    Chapter Five – A Traveler’s Tale

    Chapter Six – Dreamers’ Void

    Chapter Seven – Ogre Bowl

    Chapter Eight – Prince Lyarg

    Chapter Nine – Brown Eyes

    Chapter Ten – The First One

    Chapter Eleven – A New Friend

    About the Author

    Other Books by This Author

    There are things

    that make no sense,

    that seem unreal,

    that can’t be grasped

    or understood

    or explained,

    that maybe don’t even exist...

    And still, somehow, those wonderful things

    touch and change our lives.

    Isn’t it strange?

    —Miss Annabelle Fancher

    Chapter One

    The Little Boy

    ––––––––

    Never in your wildest dreams would you think it a good thing to be swallowed whole by a big bad wolf. That is, until you met Gavin. But he is an unusual boy, as you will soon find out; one with a dizzy imagination and crazy powers and secrets no ordinary person would think to have. This includes a fascination for exploring inside the bellies of ogres and gargoyles and other scary creatures such as big bad wolves—which is exactly where this story begins. Unbelievable to you, perhaps, but quite believable to me.

    It was inside the belly of a big, bad, hairy wolf that Gavin was roaming about, searching by flashlight for something important the beast had swallowed. Something other than himself.

    Um... are you okay down there? someone squeaked in a loud whisper from outside. It was the frightened voice of a younger boy.

    Of course I’m okay! came a sure answer. The response rose from the throat of the sleeping wolf, yet the wolf’s mouth didn’t move to form any words.

    Gavin spoke again from deep inside a full belly that smelled of dead fish and rotten apples. I still don’t see a truck in here—not one. Are you sure he ate it?

    "Oh, oh yes, I’m sure; I watched him swallow it whole! That big bad wolf told me he was going to eat me next, just like he ate my toy truck! I really do want it back; it was a gift from my Grandpapa."

    Well, I don’t see it. There’s a lot of other stuff down here—a soggy baseball, an empty turtle shell, some crocodile teeth, a perfectly good rabbit’s foot, and a dead frog. Would you rather have one of those?

    Oh, no, no, no! I really want my truck, please.

    A minute didn’t pass before the sound of success burped up from the wolf’s belly. Ah-ha! I’ve found it!

    With big eyes, the hopeful little boy watched a large blob work its way through the sleeping beast, slowly maneuvering from tummy to throat. The moving blob caused the wolf’s hairy back to arch and its neck to swell three times normal size. Long, skinny fingers reached out from the mouth, taking hold of a wet snout. Gavin wriggled and pulled and climbed until at last his lanky body emerged—a young but tall figure with dark brown eyes and a messy mop of curls on his head to match.

    It took a moment for the little boy to snap out of a reasonable case of shock, but soon enough his wide eyes dropped from Gavin’s triumphant grin to the clunky, red fire engine held out in offer.

    My fire truck! Oh, oh thank you! The boy ran to reclaim his precious gift. I could never have faced my Grandpapa had I lost it. He’d be so angry with me.

    Gavin shrugged casually. It was nothing really.

    Oh, oh no! said the boy, "It was something! You were so brave to let that wolf swallow you whole! And how clever to knock him in the head with the heel of your boot on the way down. He may have eaten me if you’d not come along!"

    And what fun it would’ve been had you been eaten!

    Gavin smiled cheerily, but the little boy failed to share the same expression.

    Oh, oh no, no, no! I don’t want to be eaten! No, no, never ever!

    And why not?

    Well... because it might hurt! the boy exclaimed. His round cheeks turned red as he admitted in a small voice, And I’m afraid of the dark.

    If that’s the case, maybe you should keep a flashlight in your pocket. Then dumb, old wolves couldn’t frighten you and chase you up really high walls. Each boy glanced over his shoulder at a tall, white, stone barrier covered in ivy and blue blossoms. It stretched out of sight in either direction.

    I hadn’t thought of that before, the little boy said, skewing his eyebrows.

    Gavin presented an open palm where a small flashlight suddenly appeared.

    For me?

    For you.

    Oh, oh thank you! The child repaid his giver with a tight hug around the waist. He stepped away quickly enough, wearing a look of puzzlement on his face. You’ve been so very kind to me, and I don’t even know who you are?

    The older boy lifted a pointed chin and jerked his head in a proud manner before announcing, I am Gavin, the keykeeper.

    His admirer’s face brightened. The youngster was highly intrigued. Oh, oh, a keykeeper! And how many keys do you keep?

    Just one.

    That’s all?

    That’s all I need.

    The child considered this, unsure what to ask next. He decided to let every question in his head tumble out of his mouth at once. Is it a big key? Can I see it? Does it open everything or just one thing? Will it open a treasure chest? Or a hidden safe? Or a prison cell? Or is it meant for a door to a secret room?

    The keykeeper reached into his shirt to fish out the item in question. Yes you may see it. A bronze skeleton key appeared, pinched between two fingers. The polished surface shimmered over detailed engravings. He answered the last question asked. And, yes, you might say it opens a door... of sorts.

    The boy went to touch the key, but Gavin held it out of reach.

    Oh, oh, does it unlock an important door?

    Gavin nodded assuredly, making his dark curls bounce.

    Oh, oh please, may I watch you open it?

    The keykeeper took a moment to think while the smaller boy wordlessly begged with his adorable eyes for the privilege to see the decorative key in use. Gavin slipped it back beneath his shirt where it hung safely from a braided chain. He was never without that key around his neck—both night and day.

    I suppose you could come along and help search for the right door.

    Oh, oh thank you! Thank you! I won’t be a bother, oh, oh, I promise!

    Within a blink, everything about their surroundings changed. The sleeping wolf, the forest, the ivy-laden wall—it all vanished, giving way to a never-ending hall of facing doors. As Gavin stepped between the closed doors, his follower kept very near. There was no ceiling to look up at and no floor to tap a shoe against, yet the two were able to walk with ease down the peculiar corridor of shut-off entries and exits.

    Sounds and fragrances as well as whiffs of sweetness strong enough to taste emanated from the doors. Each was unique in appearance and color. Each hid secrets on the inside.

    A glossy white door with a brass ball knob appeared to swell and shrink repeatedly as if breathing in air. Singing, soft and womanly, penetrated the painted wood. The little boy stepped closer. His ear perked to hear a lullaby.

    "The stars can’t put on a sparkly show,

    The fullest moon can’t reflect a glow,

    The hottest sun cannot burn, you know,

    Bright enough to outshine my dear child."

    He stepped away easily enough, not enticed by a mother’s song of admiration.

    The next entry that appealed to the boy was a high, wooden set of double doors. They were encased in arched framing. Polished, bronze handles reached out from the center in swirled figure eights. Behind these doors a stringed orchestra erupted into glorious music-making. Gavin looked sideways and watched the child creep close, behaving as if tempted to steal a peek at the auditorium inside. But the curious listener backed away without trying the handles. He glanced back at Gavin.

    "Which door will your key unlock? I

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1