Billy Cooper’s seventh grade class has been given a last
minute, weekend assignment. They must
all draw a piece of paper out of a box and do an oral book report on the person
or event that was drawn. Billy draws
the name, William Tel, whoever that is.
He has a
full weekend planned, but figures he will do a ten minute search and will be
able to skate through the assignment, still having plenty of time for his busy
weekend.
His outlook
changes when he finds himself in the fourteenth century, standing in front of
William Tell’s house. Billy’s twentieth
century style and lingo has William Tell thinking the lad a little unbalanced,
but asks him if he would like to go along with him and his son to the town of
Altdorf. It is here; Billy learns just
who William Tell is and why he is a legend.
Excerpt
Billy jumped up, took two steps
backward and fell hard on his back from about four feet up, knocking the wind
out of him. He was seeing blue sky and
rolling green hills. An old,
two-wheeled wagon was what he had fallen out of.
The old man hurried over. “You alright, lad?”
Billy jumped to his feet before the
old man could help him up.
“Who…who….who are you? Where am
I?” Billy stuttered, panic shooting through his body.
“Easy lad,” the old man said. “I was to bring you here.”
“Bring me where? Who said to bring me? Who?
This is crazy! I’m not supposed
to be here!” Billy’s voice got louder.
The man pulled out a satchel of
coins, smiling. “Your mother paid me
well to bring you to your aunt in Uri.”
“Uri?” Billy asked. “Dude,
there’s no Uri in Arizona, I don’t think, and my aunt lives in Cottonwood.”
“Jonathan is my name, lad, not
Dude.” The old man reached for Billy’s
head. “Maybe when you fell you
became…addled in your thinking.”
“I did not become…whatever. You’ve kidnapped me! I
want to go home!” 
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