Happy Birthday Rylan

Rylan’s Key

By

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy Seventh Birthday Rylan. I love you so much. Can’t wait to see you soon!

Rylan is a seven-year-old boy who lives in Pennsylvania. His grandparents live far away in Utah. One day Rylan received an intriguing letter from his grandmother that read. . .

Dear Rylan,

There is an extraordinary key at the cabin waiting for you to discover it. It is hiding in plain sight A mysterious person gave this key to me long ago when I was just your age.

This person said, “Janene you are full of stories. As long as you continue to write and tell your stories, you may keep the key. But when you stop telling stories, you must give this key to an uncommon child who will honor the gift of the key and continue the legacy.”

 I have chosen you Rylan. I am giving this key to you. With this key you will unlock a door that will take you to a world only you can discover. There are three tasks that will help you find the key:

1. Read lots of books.

2. Write in your journal

3. Tell your brother and sister a bedtime story every night.

The next time you come to Utah and go to the cabin you must search for the key until you find it. This key will unlock a hidden door only you can find. Then you must go through the door alone. This magical key is a secret only you can discover. Good luck completing your tasks. I hope you find the key.

Love, Grandma

Rylan folded the letter and put it in his pocket. Then he found his mother.

“When are we going to Utah?” Rylan asked.

“Next summer,” his mother answered. “That’s nine months.”

So Rylan began task number one…read lots of books.

Rylan soon found that the more he read, the more he wanted to read. Sometimes his parents had to take away his books and tell him to go to sleep when they found him under the cover with a book and a flashlight at night.

Then Rylan began task number two…write in your journal.

The more Rylan wrote in his journal the more he thought everything that happened during the day. He wrote about all the details like the crunchy autumn leaves, the geese honking in the blue sky and the smoky bonfires he noticed as he gazed out the window while he rode the bus to and from school. He wrote about pumping so hard and flying so high in the swings at recess that he almost flew over the maple trees.

Then Rylan began task number three…tell your brother and sister a bedtime story every night.

Rylan noticed that his brother Griffin liked silly poop stories and his sister Alice liked stories with animals that made funny sounds. Every night he got better and better at holding their attention. Pretty soon Griffin and Alice begged for more and more stories from Rylan.

One night Rylan called his grandmother on the phone.

“I’ve been working on the three tasks,” Rylan said. “Do you think I’ll be ready to find the key when I come to Utah in the summer?”

“What are you learning with your tasks?” Rylan’s grandmother asked.

I’m learning that the more I read, the more I want to read. The more I write in my journal, the more I pay attention to everything I see, hear and smell all day. The more I make up my own stories, the more Griffin and Alice sit still and listen. They never sit still and listen. It is like magic.

          “I think you’re ready to find the key,” Grandma answered. “Rylan, I can’t wait for you to come to Utah this summer.”