The Guardians and the POE

some differences. Bruce is obsessive-compulsive about keeping thing

mething to do with education. My brother and I both hope we can be like him someday. He seems to have an exciting life. His house looks out over the wide Mississippi River on the Missouri side. The hilly land rolls to the edge of the river, with ledges th

is goodbyes alr

ce knocked on the

you're both 16, I'm giving you an opportun

t each othe

ts and they are in agreement that we should offer this opportunity to you. Taking this challenge changed my life forever, as I know it has your father's. If you decide you are u

hanging open like we we

isolated locations, collect nine talismans that will earn you a chance to learn a last and final clue which w

alisman?" a

essage that will end your challenge...if you make it to the end, without giving up. This quest will be an adventure. It may even be a little scary and danger

ld we end up de

op those of us who have accepted the challenge. They are tricky and deceptive.

!" answer

to do it," remin

oked over at Bruce. "If he do

anything yet

'll go?"

t do we do first and wh

a small scroll showing us eight words written on it. Just below the words, it read: You wi

ing their definitions well; any and all of them. You must learn how they are used and if they have suffixes or prefixes. You

ive you a talisman and another set of words with the next destination. Don't lose the talismans! You'll need them all to get the whole message. Another pi

they?"

the Protectorate of th

ous name

what happens to us all. Elitists are people who believe that a society or system should

they get o

eping them ignorant and feel that the "common" man isn't smart enough to make their own decisions regarding the future of the human race and how we govern ourselves.

one know about t

uates never read another book after college and 80 percent of all U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year at all? Add to that; Fifty-seven

e so many people never

ant to be taken care of. It's easier if you don't have to make decisions or think for yourself but is it better?" asked Uncle David. "In some ways, th

renheit 411 to get an idea of wher

se is to guard the access to knowledge and help others who wish to find the

serious this quest was. I asked. "How does taking th

. People are being funneled into non-thinking activities like video games and movies. POE has become a big influence in Hollywood, and they keep us distracted from the truth

akes my head hurt to think about all

eeping screen time to a minimum and emphasizing reading. You guys are prime candidates, but we want to instill this value in as many people as possible, unlike the POE organization which wants to limit knowledge.

dy knew there was a problem. We've already been kind of

nding after the quest. I don't want to see my nephews sucked

h nodd

nce you have passed the first challenge though, they'll know what you

has to last the whole trip. It's money for traveling, food, and lodging

ckets of our cargo pants. We also hid some in our boots. The boots had little inside pockets to hol

need thes

be helpful in general to keep one on hand," said Uncle David. "Don't lose them and keep them in your boot out of sight unless you need to use them. I'll see you when you've completed the chal