Bumblestook: Book 1, The Accidental Wizard by Sheri McClure-Pitler

the plates, the ebb and flow of magma, the formation of mountain ranges.
    Still later, its world-view was shattered, as a series of violent earthquakes caused it to split off from the original vast form, severing its connection to the Core. There followed a period of disorientation as it moved with unaccustomed speed; flying, bouncing and rolling over the Earth’s buckling crust. Eventually it came to rest, settling in a valley at the foot of a newly-formed mountain range.
    Gradually, it became aware of itself as a separate being, with considerably smaller physical boundaries. As if to compensate for the decrease in size, the speed of its thoughts (though still slow by Human standards) increased. It developed a sophisticated system of electromagnetic sensing, in order to “view” the world above-ground.
    It became aware of life-forms it had never noticed before. These creatures lived lives that were fast and furious; nearly incomprehensible to the age-old being. Some had roots that anchored them to the Earth’s crust; enabling the rock to establish a limited form of communication. Others were constantly on the move, not properly rooted to the Earth; making communication difficult, if not impossible. It turned its attention to the study of the mobile beings; storing the data in its vast, silicon memory.
    In time, the rock discovered its connection to the Core was not completely severed. Throughout the soil, minute particles of rock (chips off the old blocks) were deposited as wind and rain eroded the mighty boulders. These served as conduits through which data, regarding the state of the planet, flowed back and forth.
    The rock learned that a few others of its kind had also engaged in studying the strange life-forms, that moved so quickly over the skin of the Earth. These few had named themselves “Earthbound”. Over the centuries, they pooled their information, developing a vast store of knowledge. Most of the creatures they studied were oblivious to the existence of the rock beings. Rarely, one came along with the ability and the patience to see beyond a rock’s rough surface, to the sentient being within.
    Farley Bumblestook was such a one.
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    Farley laid on his back atop the big granite rock in his front yard. It was mid-afternoon and its broad, flat surface was warm and welcoming. Earlier that day, he had come home from school bubbling over with tales of Second Grade. After filling his mother’s ears with all the news, he still longed to share his experiences with one other. He told his mother he was going out front to talk to Big Grey. (This was Farley’s name for the rock. Its true “name” was a long, complex string of numbers, designating the rock being’s distance from the Core and exact position on the Earth’s outer crust).
    “Of course, dear, if that’s what you want,” she had said, but her eyes had been troubled and the corners of her smile quivered.
    “You can come too,” Farley invited, thinking, maybe she felt left out.
    But his mother had declined, telling him to go on without her. Farley was beginning to notice that his parents never spoke with the big rock, though they passed by it nearly every day, nor with any of the smaller rocks and pebbles that lay in their paths. In fact, he suddenly realized, they never spoke to
any
of his rock friends. As he mulled this over, his mental discomfort translated into an upset stomach and he began to feel a bit queasy.
    The big grey rock sensed minute fluctuations in the electromagnetic field that surrounded the Human called Farley Bumblestook. It processed this information slowly, methodically checking it against previously stored data regarding Human reactions. It came to the conclusion that his friend was in a state of distress.
    Determining that the young Human required conversation, it began the process which enabled it to speak. Having no mouth or vocal chords, it first tapped into the source of heat available to all