Paranorman: The Beginning

Paranorman is a book about a school age kid,who can hear and see all dead things: both human and animal. This story is by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. It has 54 pages. I started reading it on Wednesday April 3, 2013. I finished it on April 9, 2013.

As soon as Norman was born, at one in the morning, the hospital had a blackout, there was a strange dog howl for miles around and two guys saw a rainbow, shaped like a question mark, after their shift at a restaurant known as Witchy Weiner.

When he was 13, he found he had the ability to communicate with the dead, and that dead animals had a lot more to say then there human companions. He found that out in a science class while they were dissecting frogs. Items were disappearing from his class, a hamster, Norman introduced the frog to Alvin. Alvin was the classroom bully. Then he introduced the frog to Selma, who was the brain of the class. The frog was trying to tell Norman he wanted a proper grave.

Neil Gorman, the student who mostly got bullied, said to Norman to shut up, because of the fact that he would get bullied immensely for days to a week following. Norman didn't pay him any mind. Alan taunted Norman, saying he was a frog whisperer.

Norman has been both hearing and seeing the dead for as long as he could remember. But he started communicating with them only when his Grandmother died a year ago. He didn't mind being made fun of. He even had the status of an outcast.

The hamster came out from the back of the cage. No one recognized it and it started a huge commotion in the classroom. Norman pulled the.fire alarm and he took advantage of this  commotion and put the frog under his arm and he went out of the classroom. He slipped out of the school and went to a swampy area of the school yard and let the frog loose.

Norman and his sister Courtney missed their grandmother very much. She died at a very old age. Normans father was afraid his crazy brother would attend. His father hated the wrong type of attention being drawn to them, although that happened a lot when Norman was around. In the funeral home Norman was the main attraction for the spirits. He was not there, for more than ten minutes and the conversations started.

Norman was getting refreshments to disguise his conversations with the spirits. A man was was trying to get in, however the funeral home director wasn't letting him in on account of his poor dress was not appropriate for the get together. He then saw Norman and wanted to talk to him. The man actually was conversing with the ghosts that Norman was conversing with. Norman ended up screaming though, "All of you leave me alone." Alvin, from his class, was there, and responded to this by saying, "Dude your the only one standing there. Who you talking to the vegetable dip?" Normans father was severely embarrassed.

A morning after the funeral, Grandma Babcock was watching a Zombie movie with Norman. She walked through a solid wall another morning as casually as walking through a door. She's been doing this for approximately eleven months, now and showed no sign of wanting to leave. Norman was asked to take the trash out by his father, during the Zombie movie he was watching. Then Norman was asked why he couldn't be "normal' and put a tent up in the yard or save his allowance money and get something cool? He responded with "I like Zombies." He even brushed his teeth with a Zombie toothbrush and had the toothpaste foam out of his mouth. His room was covered with Zombie posters. Norman told his father, Grandma wanted the heat up. Courtney Norman to prove grandma was talking to him.

Norman never liked to flaunt his connection to the dead. But his sister was really begging him, so he told her she had pictures of the varsity football quarterback shirtless in her underwear drawer. Courtney embarrassedly charged out of the kitchen, her parents couldn't hide their devilish smiles. Normans mother said that at least she was in a better place, to which Norman said, "What in the living room." After that he went back to watching the movie with his Grandma. He had to explain a few parts of the movie to her. After the movie was over Norman wished his Grandma good night and went to bed. He heard his parents from upstairs saying, "I hope he hasn't got what his crazy uncle got." His father got more annoyed when the incident that occurred in the funeral home got out to the rest of the neighborhood. When Norman went up to his room and heard what his parents were saying about him, he was communicating subliminally with a moth.

Norman dreamt about the mysterious man outside the funeral home. He was looking at pictures in Normans room, however Norman couldn't make them out. He awoke and had to collect himself, because of this he missed breakfast and rushed out to school. But he was late, and he hated that. He saw the usual ghosts on the way to school. He almost crashed into a ghost of a military man and his horse. He then saw a dead raccoon and said, "Your new." The raccoon pointed to a corner with no stop sign. Norman said "There used to be a sign, but someone hit it."

Norman found the word "freak" on his locker when he got to school after being knocked down by some Lacrosse players. Math was canceled for pageant rehearsal, which Norman hated. It was in the gym which smelled like sweat and old rubber as usual, but was worse in the morning. The pageant was staged with bad artwork from the colonial era. Norman was of course cast as the first narrator.

Selma, Normans friend was arguing with Mrs. Hershal about her costume. She was the only student, Norman knew, who would stand up and argue teachers. Then something strange happened, even for Normans standards. The script turned into parchment. The rest of his friends momentarily transformed into pilgrims. Then the real world emerged once more.

Norman sensed someone was chasing him. It was his friend Neil. They were both ridiculed by Alvin and his gang. They heard a man whisper "hey," from behind a statue in the town square. Norman and the weird man could both see ghost. On the 300th anniversary, which was coming up the gate between the living world and the dead.world would be open. Norman was one that could stop this. Neil rescued Norman by throwing an apple at the man.

Norman told Neal that he saw dead people. Neal was thrilled. He asked Norman if he could come over and find his dead dogs spirit. Norman saw the dead dog cut in half. Norman played "phantom" fetch with Neil and.his dog all after noon.

When Norman got home, he had a ton of homework and to learn lines for the play. Selma called, because they were lab partners, she wanted to make sure everything was alright. He dreamt of the weird guy showing him some books, and then woke up. The next dream he had  of doing the play in his underwear. In the real play he checked to make sure he had all of his costume off. From that moment, things went horrific down ally bad.

Norman, then saw a huge owl, then the gym ceiling crackles and disintegrated. Then Norman was magically teleported to the oldest part of the woods, just outside of town. He was in the middle of a witch hunt. The villagers started chasing him.

After Norman was back, he started screaming, "The dead are coming," and jumped off the stage. A mass panic arose, followed by laughter. After that Norman and his family went home and he was.grounded, just for being who he was.

The whole school was laughing at Norman the next day. If he thought he knew misery before, this was a whole new meaning. He only could get a moment to himself in the bathroom. Someone came in and he went up on the toilet seat to hide. Then his role of toilet paper suddenly began to be undone. Norman wondered what was going on. Then the toilet began to shutter violently. The water started spilling out. The face of the old man, Prendergast, appeared in the bowl. He gave him a book with business for him to finish.

Alphas

A radical transformation is on its way, it is as though the human brain is developing a new set of skills, significant change in its hardware since the appearance of language. A third wave of human adaptation. These so-called alphas are everywhere, but most have no idea that they are part of a larger phenomena. For reasons that date back to the cold war, policy makers have insisted on keeping this information from the public. Officially my mandate is to supervise a group of aphas, as they assist with cases suggesting alpha activity. But my goal remains the same, to help understand these very special people, and the revolutionary developments to the human brain.

WIZARD OF OZ

BY L FRANK BAUM

Dorothy brought laughter into Aunt Em and Uncle Henry's house. It was so long since they laughed that Henry forgot what laughter and fun were because of working so hard in the fields. Also Henry and Aunt Em were both gray from age and work and lack of fun. Henry looked solumn and stern and hardly ever spoke.Toto gave life to Dorethy and caused her to laugh and have fun. They played all day.

When the cyclone first appeared Uncle Henry ran to check on the animals in the barn. When Aunt Em ran to the storm celler with Dorothy Toto jumped out of her arms, so she ran to chase him.Dorethy never made it to the storm celler.

The house swirled around. Dorethy felt as if she was in a balloon. The house was carried as if it was light as a feather. Dorethy also felt like a baby in a crib. Toto didn't like what was happening. Toto fell out, but the wind pressure kept him up. Dorethy went to sleep to await the house to stop.

Dorethy was awakened by a shock that was so harsh that she would have fell out of bed if she wasn't in it. She ran to her door to open it. She went out and was welcomed by the Munchkins. Dorethy killed the Wicked Witch of the East and the Munchkins were overjoyed.

The land of Oz not being civilized still had wizards and witches. Oz is the greatest wizard who lived in the Emerald City.The Witch of West ruled over the Winkes in the West.

Dorethy must go to the center of the country to Oz. The Witch of the North will use all the magic she knows to protect Dorethy. No one would injure Dorethy for the Witch gave her a kiss.

Dorethy buttered some bread for her and Toto, then got fruit which completed her breakfast. She had only one dress. She took off her old leather worn shoes and put on the Witches silver shoes. The Munchkins houses all were blue, for that was the counties favorite color

At night, she went in the fields and found a party at a wealthy Munchkins house and a table with delicious food which she ate at. They were celebrating the demise of the Wicked Witch and their newly gained freedom.

They were pleased to see her wear blue and white, for blue was the color of Munchkins and white good witches

She wandered off the path at night and found a Munchkin named Boq having a party celebrating the defeat of the wicked witch. Boq let her rest in a room when she grew. When she woke she ate breakfast. She had to rest after several miles of the journey and climbed a fence and sat She saw a scarecrow. The Scarecrow winked and then nodded at Dorethy. Toto ran up and barked at him. He wasn't feeling well with the pole up his back. Dorethy managed to take him down.

The Yellow Brick Road road got scary. It had holes in it, which caused the Scarecrow to stumble and fall. However his humour made him laugh and kept him from embarrassment. At noon, Dorethy sat and ate lunch from her basket. She offered some to the Scarecrow who refused for having no stomach. The Scarecrow asked why she wished to go back to to Kansas because it was so grey. To which she responded because her loved ones were there. Dorethy asked him to tell her a story because he was made two days ago.

He tried to tell her about how he was made. His maker made him, and he luckily put his eyes in first, so he could see around him. His maker then painted the rest of his face on. He tried to walk after his maker was done with him, but found that he couldn't because of the pole stuck in his back. The crows soon became unafraid of him, because he couldn't get them.

It had become evening and Dorethy couldn't see, but Toto and the Scarecrow could. Dorethy asked if they could see a house or anyplace we could stop, could we stop? They found a place and Dorethy and Toto were soon fast asleep. The Scarecrow, who had no need for sleep stood guard.

When Dorethy awoke she and the Scarecrow searched for water, so she could bathe and have a drink with her bread. While they were getting water they heard a groan. Dorethy ran to the cottage, they had just spent the night in, and got the oil can for the Tin Man and oiled his joints. The Tin Man then joined the party to Oz and was going to ask for a heart, for he once had one. He almost married a Munchkin girl. However he was stopped by her mother. She needed assistance cooking and cleaning, and didn't want her daughter to get married and leave. She made a deal with the Wicked Witch of the East and gave her two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage. The Witch caused the Tin Man ax to slip, chopping off his left leg. He went to.the Tinner and he fixed him up. Then the witch slowly caused him to be all tin, by having him cut off all his parts. This being done he lost his love for the Munchkin girl.

They were going through a creepy dark part of the yellow brick road. They met the cowardly lion. The Tin Man cried that he crushed a bug, because he valued all life. He cried a bit and rusted from it. No one understood him when he asked to be oiled, except the Scarecrow, so he oiled him. That taught the Tin Man to look where he was going. For if he started to cry, he would rust. He knew he had no heart so he would.attempt not to be cruel or unkind to anything.

That night they camped out, for there were no houses near. The Tin Man chopped wood and Dorethy built a fire. The Lion said he would kill an animal for Dorethy's breakfast, to which she refused, because the Tin Man would cry. So the Lion went out and ate alone. The Scarecrow found some nuts on a tree and got them down for Dorethy. The Scarecrow dropped some because hands were just straw so he couldn't grip well. Dorethy was honored that he tried.

When they awoke they found a new obsticle before them. They found a deep stream. The Lion thought he could jump it with one of them on his back. To test he first took the Scarecrow. The Lion was able to, so he took everyone in the party over.

They came to another chasm which was bigger, so the Scarecrow said why the Tin Man could cut a tree and we could across it. Two tigers chased them as they crossed the bridge.

They sailing on a river they had to cross. They sailed to far from the land and were scared, they would sail to close to the wicked witch's territory, and become in a trance. The Scarecrows pole got stuck at the bottom of the river making him stuck. They were afraid they lost him. The Lion dragged the boat to shore.

A stork was flying by and asked where they were going. Dorethy said to Oz and asked the stork to save the scarecrow. The stork agreed and said she would try. The stork managed to rescue him. Then they found the field of poppies. Dorethy didn't know poppies made you sleep, so she fell asleep in the field. The Tin Man carried her out. The Lion who was getting tired had to run out of the field.because he couldn't be carried. The Lion didn't make it. They found him fast asleep.

The Tin Man saved a field mouse from a wild cat by chopping his head off. The mouse was the Queen of the field mice. The Queen made her horde serve the Tin Man and grant his every wish. Toto awoke and started chasing the mice, as he did in Kansas. The Queen asked if he would bite. To which the Tin Man responded he won't allow him to.

The Tin Man couldn't come up with anything to wish for, so the Scarecrow said the Queen could rescue the Lion, in the poppyfield. The Tinman made a cart out of wood and each mouse in the Queens horde brought some string to pull the cart. Dorethy awoke from her long sleep and the Scarecrow filled her in on what was happening. All the mice returned with pieces of string within there mouth and they tied to their necks. They tied one end to their necks and the other to the cart and they were able to pull it quite easily. Then the Scarecrow and the Tin Man put the Lion on the cart quite easily. Dorethy thanked the mice because of their heroic feat, of saving the Lion. The Queen said if they ever needed their help again to just call out and she will come.

They spent the night with some Munchkins, who were first scared of the Lion, until Dorethy promised he was a tame lion. They gave Dorethy some.porage and eggs for dinner and Toto some bread. Dorethy said they were on there way to see Oz. However they said no one ever saw Oz, in fact no one even knew what he looked like. The Munchkins are all scared of his grandness. They say he takes on many forms.

The next morning they continued they're journey to Oz. Before long they saw the beautiful green glow of the Emerald City. However it took them all morning to reach it. There was a bell to enter the city. The gate opened when the rang it. There was a little green man, about the size of a Munchkin that met them as they entered. They told him they wanted to see Oz. He responded, it has been many year since anyone has seen Oz, let alone asked to see him. Oz was so bright the man gave them glasses.

Only one was admitted to see the Wizard alone. They had luxurious sweets to stay in until the Wizard was ready for them. In Dorethy's room she found a fountain of green tinted perfume water, and green books and all the dresses in the wardrobe fit her exactly. The same nicitys were in the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lions room.

Oz appeared to Dorethy as a great head, and asked Dorethy where she got her shoes, she told him and she told him about the kiss from the Witch of the North. The Wizard asked Dorethy to kill the Wicked Witch of the West and he will grant her wish. Oz appeared to the Scarecrow as a beautiful woman and asked the same. The TinMan saw Oz as a horrific beast. It was the size of an elephant, it had a rhinoceros head with five eyes. It had five arms and five legs as well. It also had a thick woolly coat. The lion saw him as a great ball of fire. The same condition was given to all of them, to kill the Wicked Witch of the West.

Dorethys dress turned white when they left Oz. They soon left the houses and the land wasn't taken care of. Dorethey, the Lion and Toto slpt after that with the TinMan and the Scarecrow standing watch. The Wicked Witch had only one eye, but could see through it like a telescope. She first set her wolves on them. The TinMan tookbcare of them by chopping their heads off. In the morning Dorethy thanked him for saving them. This made the Witch madder. She called her crows and set them on the travelers. This time the Scarecrow protected them by scaring them away.

The Witch sent a sworn of bees to sting them. The Scarecrow said "Take my straw out and scatter it over the girl, the Lion and Toto," which prevented them from being seen, this caused the bees not to sting them, Then Dorethy helped the TinMan put the scarecrow back together. The Witch called her slaves the Winkes and set them on the travelers. The Lion roared and scared them away. She then used her magical golden cup which was in her cupboard to call upon the flying monkeys to kill all but the Lion, for she would put him to work for her. They picked up the TinMan and through him on jagged rocks, where he became all dented and couldn't move or grown. The flying monkeys picked the Scarecrow apart. They threw rope around the Lion and on a tall tree, so he couldn't get away. Then they carried him to the Whiches castle. They only could carry Dorethy, because she had the Good Witches kiss, and that protected her from harm. She also had the silver shoes of the Witch of the East. Since Dorethy didn't know the power she possessed, the Witch tried to take advantage of her. When the Witch got hold of one shoe, by tricking Dorethy, Dorethy got so made she threw water on the Witch. She melted from this.

The Winkies help save the Tinman. The Winkies fixed the TinMan. They even repaired his ax and refurbished the handle out of hold. After this the TinMan chopped the tree to get the Scarecrows clothes down. The Winkes took him back to the castle, and restuffed him with the best straw they could find. Then they decided to Ho back to Oz. However, the Winkies begged them to stay. But they bid them ado. Dorethy filled her basket with treats from the witches cupboard.

Dorethy called on the field mice to help them find the Yellow Brick Road. The Queen suggested, Dorethy to use the cap because they could get them there in about an hour. So she did. On the trip she asked the Monkey King why they had to obey the wearer of the crown. He told her about the mischief they used to cause. There lived a beautiful and great sorcerus in the North. She helped people with all her magic. She was called Gayellete. She never hurt anyone. She was extremely lonely though. At last she found a boy, named Quelala. When Quelala grew up, was the best and wisest man.

The Winged Monkeys lived by the castle and loved to joke and play tricks. They dropped the prince in the water, on his wedding day. The water ruined his clothes, but he survived. The princess grew angry at the monkeys. She tied their wings. Knowing that would kill them the leader begged hard to have another punishment. So they got another, they had to grant three wishes for the crown. The monkeys were sent to stay away from her, which they gladly accepted because they were afraid of her. The story was completed as they reached the Emerald City.

The travellers were back in the Emerald City. Greeted by the same man, they told him they melted the Witch of the West. There was a huge parade that followed them to the Wizards Palace. They waited for days, then the Scarecrow sent a message to the Wizard that if he didn't see them they'd send the flying monkey's after him. So he asked to see them at nine the next morning. The Wizard did not show himself when they entered the throne room. He said to visit tomorrow while he considered what he should do. The Scarecrow responded with "You had many days already." The Lion roared to scare him, that knocked the curtain down, and the saw The Wizard was just a man. The TinMan was ready to strike the man with his ax, but he said please don't and the TinMan put his ax down. The Scarecrow called him a humbug. He explained all the forms he showed up in were just illusions.

He was a balloonist, a person who got people to go to events. One day his balloon got away and came to Oz. The people of the land thought he was a great wizard, so he played along. He told them to build the Emerald City and his palace. He ordered the people to wear green spectacles. The Witches protected everyone from their East and West counterparts.

He said to the Scarecrow experiance is what gives you brains. To the Lion he said everyone is afraid of something, to have courage you must act even when you are afraid. To the TinMan he said that a heart makes you sad more often then not. To Dorethy he asked her, to give him a few days and he would figure something out.

The Wizard took the Scarecrows head off to put the brains in the right place. He mixed bran and needles in the Scarecrows head and put it on. The Scarecrow thanked the Wizard. Those nails sticking out of his head were proof that he was sharp, the Lion stated.

Next the TinMan went in to get his heart. The Wizard had to cut a hole in his chest. The the Wizard got a heart from his drawer made of silk and string stuffed with sawdust. The TinMan asked if it was a kind heart. To which the Wizard replied it was.

Then the Lion walked in for his courage. The Wizard put green liquid in a dish and for the Lion drink. He asked what it was. To which the Wizard responded "If it were in you, it would be courage. You know, of course, that courage is always inside you, so that this really cannot be courage until you have swallowed it. Therefore I advise you to drink it as soon as possible. So the Lion drank it. "How do you feel" asked Oz, "Full of courage," said the Lion.

The Wizard said he would make a balloon for Dorethy and himself to get back to civilization. There was no helium to make the balloon fly. So they were going to fill it with hot air. The only problem with that was if the air got cold they would sink and be lost. But they had to try. They sewed different shades of green silk together to make a balloon within three days. He put glue over the silk to make it air tight. He put the Scarecrow in charge, while he was away, for he said he was visiting a brother Wizard of the sky. However Dorethy couldn't find Toto so she missed the balloon.

Everybody mourned Oz's departure. They all were proud to have Scarecrow as their new leader. The Scarecrow gave her the idea to ask the Flying Monkeys for help, for her travels to Kansas and they belonged to the country of Oz. Next they tried the Wise Green Soldier. He suggested they travel to see Glinda, the Witch of the South might be able to help. Dorethy had a long journey to the Which of the South. The Lion, Scarecrow and TinMan went with her of course.

The traveler's made it to an enchanted forest where the Scarecrow was thrown and landed on his head. Then the TinMan chopped a branch and scared all the trees. So they let them through. At the edge of the forest they found a high wall made of, what appeared to be, smooth white China. Because of this the TinMan made a ladder, so they could climb over.

Everything; the houses, fences, barns, animals and people were made of white China. The people wore white with yellow spots. Dorethy, the TinMan and the Lion got down by jumping on the Scarecrow after which they stuffed back into shape. The startled a cow, which broke its leg and dumped the bucket with milk, and the milkmaid was annoyed with them because now she had to get her cow fixed up.

It was difficult to walk for the grass was so thick. There were a lot of muddy holes. They had to be careful not to fall in for, the grass hid them from sight. They went through the field and found themselves in a thicker, older forest. The Lion felt right at home, but the Scarecrow was afraid. Dorethy, Toto and the Lion fell asleep for the night. As usual the Scarecrow and the TinMan stood guard.

They heard a low rumble after they awoke. Toto was the only one afraid. They kept going. Hundreds of beasts, of every kind, were making the rumble. However the Lion said they were just holding a meeting and by the sound of it they were in danger. A Tiger told the Lion about a huge beast like a spider was attacking them. The Lion asked if there were any other lions, to which the Tiger answered no, the monster ate them. So the Lion asked the Tiger to take good care of his friends while he fights the monster.

The great spider was laying asleep as the Lion approached. It was so ugly that the Lion turned away in disgust. He jumped on the monster as it slept and tore its head off. The Lion went back to his friends and the animals of the forest, and promised to return when Dorethy was on her way to Kansas.

On their travels to the Good Witch, they were stopped by a man with no arms or legs. After they were stopped and told they couldn't pass, they saw hundreds of them. The traveler's however went forth. The men laughed as the Scarecrow fell. The Lion became.so angry at that he let out a mighty roar. Dorethy ended up calling the winged monkeys, with her last golden cap wish, to help. They carried the travelors over part of the countryside. When they left them, they saw it was a beautiful countryside with fields of ripening grains, rippling brooks. Everything was painted the brightest shade of red the travellers had ever seen. The residents were short, fat and chubby but they appeared healthy and in fine spirits. When they knocked on a farmer's door, the wife opened it. She gave them a great and scrumptious dinner with a dessert of cookies and cakes. Toto even received a large bowl of milk. Dorethy asked how far Glinda's castle was. To which the farmer's wife responded it wasn't a dreat distance. Just take the road to the south and you shall reach it. They walked a little and soon reached it. They walked to it and saw two female guards. They told them they were there to see Glinda and were soon let in.

Before they saw the Good Witch, they were cleaned up as they were in Oz. Glinda wanted the Golden Cap in exchange for granting Dorethy's return to Kansas. She asked the Scarecrow what he will do to which he responded he will return to Oz, so with a wish from the golden cap, she returned to Oz by way of the Flying Monkeys. Then she asked the TinMan who thought for a moment and said he shall go rule over the Winkies, since they wanted him to rule over them when the Wicked Witch died. Her second wish on the crown were for the monkey were to take the TinMan to the Winkies. Now she asked the Lion who wanted to go back to the forest, where he was going to rule. So her third wish on the crown was for the monkeys to take the Lion over the Hammerheads and to the forest he was asked to rule. Then the Good Witch gave the Crown to the king of the Flying Monkeys. The Witch asked Dorethy what she wanted. She said to go back to Kansas. To which the Good Which said you had the ability all along. Just click your heals together, and say, "There's no place like home." So she clicked her heals, and said, "Take me home, to Aunt Em."