The words were scratched in bold print across the stone wall. Mrs. Cosgrove, our
teacher with hair as fluffy as a yellow chick, had read them to us. I could
read the words myself, even though I’d learned to do so late in school. I was
good at reading now because I liked words. Especially these. They beckoned to a
secret part of me that longed to believe such a thing.
Beneath this bold sentiment were
columns of engraved names, a list of local fallen. I touched one with the same
last name as mine, though I didn’t know the man. CARL HENRY FANCHER. The
letters felt cold to my fingers. Unloved. That was my first impression. I
thought it odd. This rock of beloved heroes ought to feel warm.
My father was never good to me. That’s
the truth in its tolerable form. A serious understatement in reality—in my
reality and my mother’s as well.
The first memories I have of the
man are unpleasant ones. Him screaming, standing over my mother with a
threatening fist. She would hold me tight to her chest when I was little,
trying to protect me… and herself too, I think. I learned at a very, very young
age not to cry. At least not out loud. Eventually, I learned to stifle my
feelings as well—as much as is humanly possible anyway. There was no sense in
harboring hope for anything. Fear and disappointment inevitably squelched it.
The fact is, the man who had
begotten me didn’t want me. In his eyes I should never have been born. And
perhaps that would’ve been best. As it was, my existence had proven to be
nothing more than a nuisance for everyone. I angered my father, brought strife
upon my mother, irritated my teachers, and annoyed the other children who were
forced to interact with me in school. All by simply being.
When you aren’t loved, you
aren’t real. Life is cold, like the stone against my palm.
I suppose that’s why I first
turned to books. I engrossed myself in them once discovered—creatively
assembled words that molded imagined stories in my head. They were always so
vivid, these kind characters in pretend worlds. People and places that also
weren’t real. I imagined I loved them. And sometimes, I dreamt that they loved
me back.
“Annabelle! Anna, where are you?
For heaven’s sake, child, must you always wander off alone? You should keep
with the rest of the class.”
I hadn’t wandered anywhere. I’d
simply failed to follow, but there was no use correcting an adult. The carving
of my last name in stone had distracted me, so perfectly straight and uniform
and appealing in design. My small hand covered up the CARL HENRY as I imagined
ANNABELLE in its place. It made me smile, the thought of being among heroes on
cold stone. I hustled toward the end of the commemorative wall where Mrs.
Cosgrove turned the corner to find me. Her fuzzy hair seemed to float around
disgruntled features as she hastily approached.
Her fingers slipped tightly
around my wrist when we met. She dragged me along to where the other boys and
girls were listening to a tour guide explain the recent history behind the
wall. He used photographs and newspaper clippings as visual aids. Mrs. Cosgrove
spoke to me in a strict, hushed voice. She didn’t bend over to my level to talk
as she would any other child. I knew why. I didn’t smell good. I never did.
“Stay here with Ginger,
Annabelle. She’s your assigned buddy for the day. It’s important that we stick
together on this tour. No more running off alone.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I whispered.
Ginger curled her upper lip
unattractively as two sapphire eyes peered over a shoulder at me. She had
pretty Cinderella eyes and hair. I tried to smile, but the gesture caused her
nose to wrinkle. My muddy brown gaze dropped to the floor. I watched her shiny
sandals move closer to her best friend, a redhead named Elizabeth. My eyes
lifted to catch a screwed-up freckled face. I scooted back a few feet until the
wall stopped me—keeping in company with the class yet exclusive of them. No one
would complain about me standing back. Not even Mrs. Cosgrove.
My fingers combed through my
dark hair, short and straight, landing in choppy, uneven ends nearly level with
my chin. The color reminded me of every evil character in any fairy tale. It
seemed all were characteristically black—black hair, black eyes, black
clothing, black demeanor, and black intent. I never thought I was truly a
villainous character, not like I knew my father to be, but I was his offspring
and devoid of any princess-like characteristics, so that left only the wicked
side of the story to play. In my dreams, though, I imagined myself more like
Snow White with wavy, raven hair, a perfectly fair complexion, bathed in rose
scents, and exhibiting a natural feminine grace that would dance musical
circles around both Ginger and Elizabeth. No, I never hoped for such a thing to
be real, but I dared to pretend it with perfect clarity in my dreams.
I tried to pull on my short
hair, wishing like Rapunzel I could extend it down to my toes. It had been past
my shoulders only weeks ago until my father had ransacked the kitchen in a
violent, drunken rage.
A stick of gum had been left on
the floor, unopened, untouched. For some reason it set him off. It was always
my aim, and that of my mother’s, to remove anything from his view that might
anger him, including my very presence. Usually I hid outdoors whenever
possible, but this time I’d been in my room in a corner of the closet reading a
book about hobbits and elves. I stepped up to my bedroom door when I heard the
first chair hit the wall. Mother hardly ever screamed, but I could hear her
trying to reason with the insane.
“It’s just a stick of gum, not
even opened. It… it must’ve fallen out of my pocket or something. I… I’ll pick
it up. I’ll throw it away.”
My father cursed at her,
hollering about how gum wasn’t allowed in his house… stuck on the furniture… ruining
his hard-earned junk… a waste of blood-spilt money… and other furious comments.
That’s when he started in on me. I heard him swaggering down our narrow
hallway, bumping into the wall, ranting about how expensive my mouth was to
feed while polluting every other word with foul expletives I’m not permitted to
repeat. Nor would I ever care to.
“Get your scrawny, little,
rat-hide out here!”
I stepped into the hallway,
having learned that disobedience always proved a worse decision. My mother was
right behind him, still attempting to reason with a drunken fool.
He had the stick of gum between
his thumb and forefinger, flopping it back and forth in the air. His words came
out slurred as he spoke over me.
“You like gum, do you?”
I didn’t answer. My gaze
flickered up, wary of the glassy look in his eyes. He was definitely
intoxicated… again.
“You think you ain’t done enough
damage around here? Eatin’ all my food! Stinkin’ up my house! Breathin’ my air!
Now you gotta be spittin’ out your gum on the floor with no respect for the
king of this here castle! No respect for the only one who earns his weight in
this pathetic family! I’m the boss of this dump, you hear me? I’m the one who
keeps a roof over your worthless head, you little beggar! You like gum, do you?
You like wastin’ my hard-earned money on this crap so you can leave it lyin’
around the house and ruin this scrapheap we gotta live in cuz your lazy mother
thought she had to go off an’ have a stupid kid?”
He panted over me, winded by his
own absurd lecture. The stench of his alcoholic breath stung my nose. Again I
didn’t answer. I hoped he’d tire out and end his speech and hobble back to the
living room without touching me. Such hopes were unlikely, as was the case this
time.
“Answer me, you good-for-nuthin’
wench!”
The pain bit instantly as his
hand connected with my cheek. I shook my head in answer to his crazy questions,
feeling a rise of warm tears.
“Johnny, please stop it,” my
mother begged. “Leave Anna alone. It wasn’t her fault, it was mine! It… it was
my gum!”
The interruption did nothing but
earn her a similar slap, as I’m sure she knew it would. Sometimes I wondered if
my mother spoke up at the wrong time on purpose. As often as we endured my
father’s abuse, she had to be aware that it wouldn’t save me from a beating but
simply earn her one as well. Or was it that sharing my fate made her feel less
guilt-ridden about those things that happened to me?
I tried not to squeal when my
father grabbed at my hair, holding it up in a tight ponytail that made me rise
to my tiptoes. The fringe along my neckline ripped out by the roots. It hurt.
“Get me the scissors, Lin.” It
was a growled command.
“Johnny, please don’t…”
My hair was nearly yanked from
my head as he turned to smack my mom again. I barely managed to keep my
balance, held up by my father’s firm grip. Mother slunk off to find the
scissors.
I endured a drunken lecture and
a few painful tugs on my hair until my mother returned and handed over the
scissors. I cried silently as my father chopped off every bit of ponytail,
leaving the ends jagged, falling at just below chin length. At least six inches
of dark black strands remained in his fist. He blubbered something about
getting gum stuck in your hair and suffering the consequences of such
stupidity, though it wasn’t nearly as coherently put. I could barely look at my
mother. She was bawling worse than I was—that horrid look of pitiful
helplessness in her eyes. The black wad was thrown at my feet before my father
stumbled off, hollering for me to clean up the mess I’d made. I wiped the tears
from my face with the back of my hand and let my mother gather the hairs alone.
I returned to the hobbit world waiting for me in the corner of my closet. Who
needed stringy, long hair anyway?
“Annabelle! Anna, come along,
keep up with the class. Where’s your assigned buddy?”
My eyes glanced from Mrs.
Cosgrove’s soft, blonde hairdo to Ginger’s long, golden waves, both glimmering
with a pretty sheen. My fingers fell from the brittle ends of my mangy haircut,
and I obediently stepped in line behind Ginger and Elizabeth.
Our tour guide marched us to
another area of the park where a crowned oak tree towered over a long, narrow
garden of colorful flowers. Among the blooms were heavy boulders, flat-faced
and polished until they glistened like a row of reflective mirrors. More names
were engraved in the stones. More provocative quotes scratched in bold print. I
silently read the one on the end beside me.
“DARE TO IMAGINE. DARE TO
BE.
BOOKS ARE THE SEEDS.
DREAMS ARE THE SOIL.
THE FRUIT OF THE HARVEST,
A WORLD REBORN.”
RUSSEL HARVEY ARNETT
FOUNDER / PHILANTHROPIST
“Phil ~ an ~ thro ~pist,” I
whispered to myself. I would have to look up that word in class. It sounded
impressive. Important. He must have been a beloved man to have his very own
cold stone.
“…and now we’ll head inside the
library where you can browse through a reserved section of children’s books. Your
teacher and I, along with two of our librarians, will assist you in checking
out one book apiece. Remember to keep your voices low. This is a
library.”
I looked up in time to catch a
friendly grin on the face of our tour guide. He was gesturing toward a set of
glass doors that led inside a brick building behind the flower bed. I stayed
with the group this time, as eager as the others to find a new book, but not
voicing my delight out loud. My ears picked up on Ginger’s conversation with
Elizabeth and a blonde girl named Charlotte dressed in pressed, yellow cotton. Spotless,
white daisy print smothered her sunny skirt.
“My mom brings me here every
weekend. It’s soooo easy to check out books. I’ve done it a hundred times
already.” Elizabeth’s red hair fell as gently as autumn leaves as she tossed it
over her shoulder, acting like an old pro at such things.
Ginger’s fingers spread out like
a fan. She nearly hit Lizzy’s nose holding her hand in her face. “I have five
library books at home right now. All of them are about horses. I love horses!”
Both the blonde and the redhead
hopped a few times, moving excitedly along with the crowd. “Me too! Me too!”
they exclaimed.
Charlotte bragged, “My dad reads
to me every night before bed. Sometimes I read to him. We’re finishing The
Black Stallion. We’ve read it before, but I asked to read it again.”
“I love when my dad reads to me.
He makes the funniest voices!” Elizabeth made a face like a freckled pig and
oinked.
“My dad too!” Ginger said. “Mom
lets us eat cookies when we read. We have our own story-time cookie jar.”
The other girls looked jealous.
Charlotte dared to challenge the
claim. “You do not.”
“Do so! My mom keeps it filled
with cookies just for when we read.”
There was a momentary exchange
of speculative glances. Then Charlotte piped up, “I want to come over and read
with you and your dad and eat cookies.”
“Okay.”
“Me too!” Elizabeth chirped.
All three girls chattered about
how fun it was going to be. I wished for long, pretty hair and shiny shoes and
a new cotton dress so I too could go to Ginger’s house and eat cookies and tell
stories and be wanted.
I recalled an earlier year,
sitting in the back corner of a classroom barely familiar to me, thumbing
through a book I couldn’t yet read. My mother sat up front, her frail figure
slouched in a chair too small for adults. Her black hair was pulled back in a
tight bun. Her dark eyes darted about like an anxious mouse, unwilling to make
eye contact.
My teacher, two prior to Mrs.
Cosgrove, spoke to my mother. It was my first teacher ever, with auburn curls,
high heels, and slim glasses. She wore colorful makeup and the same disgruntled
expression as everyone else. I tried to appear preoccupied with the book I’d
been given, but my ears couldn’t ignore the conversation addressing my numerous
faults.
“I’m afraid that it may take
years for her to approach the same performance level as other students her age.
Annabelle has missed out on so much. To have started her this late in school,
Mrs. Fancher, well… the child is years behind her classmates.”
There was a disapproving sigh
from my teacher and a moment of uncomfortable silence. My head stayed low,
facing the book in my lap, but my eyes flickered up every now and then to
observe the adults. They were separated by a desk stacked with papers. My
mother looked nervous. She always looked nervous.
“We can only hope that she picks
up on some basic math skills and an understanding of letter groups and their
sounds before the end of this school year. Perhaps she may even learn to read a
few simple sentences. But with so many other children in my classroom, there
isn’t the time nor the resources to give Annabelle the constant individual
attention I fear she requires. It’s imperative that she pay close attention to
the instruction she receives. And you, Mrs. Fancher, will need to help her at
home. There are some easy things you can do. First and most importantly, review
the alphabet with her. It seems a highly unusual thing for a child her age not
to have a knowledge of letters and at least a few simple words.”
I caught the reprimanding way my
teacher looked over her glasses. My mother, however, didn’t catch it, too busy
staring at the bunched hem of her dress kneaded by nervous fingers. She was in
trouble because of me. Because I couldn’t read.
“Have Annabelle practice writing
the alphabet while voicing the sounds of each letter. If you write along with
her it will provide an example to copy. Do you understand how important your
time and efforts will be to your daughter’s education, Mrs. Fancher? She has a
lot of catching up to do.”
My mother nodded in small, quick
moves. She was doing so nearly nonstop.
The teacher who had been leaning
over stacks of papers rose and rounded the desk, setting herself directly
before my mother. Her voice lowered, still hard-edged and judgmental in tone. I
had no trouble hearing this hushed conversation.
“Mrs. Fancher. I hate to bring
up personal matters, but in this case I feel it is necessary. Annabelle, well,
quite frankly she smells bad. The other kids have noticed and commented on it. This
fact will hinder her ability to interact socially and make friends at school. Many
students already don’t care to play with her because they can’t stomach the
odor. Does she take baths at home?”
My mother nodded vigorously, her
eyes downcast. I watched the teacher’s red lips press into a hard frown.
“Does your family have the means
for personal hygiene items such as soap and shampoos?”
My mother was still nodding, a
tight wad of skirt clutched in her fist.
“Such things can be provided if
necessary, Mrs. Fancher.”
Her head suddenly changed
directions, shaking strongly, adamant in declining the offer. My teacher’s lips
pursed together as she looked down on my mom.
“Mrs. Fancher, I can’t emphasize
enough how influential example is to young children. Annabelle will naturally
grow to take on the same personal habits that she observes her parents
performing, especially those of her mother. Regular bath time, clean clothing,
combed hair… such things should be routine for Annabelle. Is this something you
can do for her at home?”
I watched agitated fingers brush
flat the wrinkles on my mother’s dress. She looked up. “Is that all?”
My teacher sighed again, this
time a defeated sound. “Yes, Mrs. Fancher.”
We left abruptly.
Mother did help me with my
letters, reciting and writing out the alphabet every day for two weeks in a
row. We practiced the sounds associated with each character. She even spelled
out simple three-letter words for me to read. I memorized them eagerly.
I took four real baths in that
time with bubbles and bar soap and shampoo. It was the most I’d ever washed. I
liked how light my hair felt afterwards, almost as soft as Ginger’s
honey-colored waves. She was the girl who sat beside me in class—my first and
last hope for a real friend. The luxury of regular bathing came to a swift end,
however, when my father returned home from a long haul. He said it was a waste
of good soap and water on a filthy beggar, and he gave my mom a black eye for
spoiling me.
In school Ginger asked to be
moved. She was assigned a new seat beside a freckled redhead named Elizabeth. The
chair next to mine remained empty for the remainder of the school year.
The tour guide ushered our class
up a minor set of stairs to the main floor of a wide open room. He then
directed us further back along a sun-warmed window that swept around the right
corner of the building. Bookshelves were arranged in small boxed areas with
tables and chairs in the center of each square. The highest ledges were
reachable for kids our age, every shelf crammed full of colorful books. The
quantity was overwhelming. I could hardly decide where to begin.
Ginger, Elizabeth, and Charlotte
headed for the furthest boxed area at my left. Their steps seemed sure and
determined. I guessed that their treasured horse stories were filed away in
that corner. Charlie and Thomas sat on the floor thumbing through a book on
military vehicles. Leonard and Jake invited them to a table where they could
study the pictured trucks and tanks together. Mrs. Cosgrove was led by both
hands to the most congested section of the library among a circled display of
hardcover books standing on end. I wondered if those were the best stories or
perhaps the newest. I cringed instinctively when a man’s voice startled me from
behind.
“Oh dear, young lady, I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
I felt his hand on my shoulder. Though
the touch was gentle, I automatically pulled away. Turning around, I recognized
his clothes first—the grey slacks and pale, collared shirt worn by our tour
guide from outside.
My gaze lifted, expecting to
find some form of annoyance on his face. It was disconcerting when he actually
smiled at me. Not a forced expression either but a genuine, cheerful greeting. My
eyebrows slanted warily.
“Would you like some help
finding a book?” he asked. His smile remained fixed as he waited for an answer.
I froze, unable to reply. I felt
anxious, like I wanted to bolt and yet yearned to stay at the same time. It was
uncomfortable being treated in this manner. My heart pounded as my mind found a
word for it: kindness.
Only my mother ever made me feel
this way, and her actions were usually accompanied by jittery nerves. Never
relaxed. Other people normally avoided me. Any interaction was solely for the
purpose of reprimanding, correcting, punishing, or teasing.
“What’s your name, child?”
I was staring at him eye to eye
now. So close. He’d squatted down to my level, sitting on his calves, still
smiling. I stepped back and swallowed. I wondered if his nose worked. Could he
not smell how repugnant everyone else claimed my odor to be?
His eyebrows pulled up and
together in a brief show of pity. That was a look I saw often. The familiarity
of it calmed me.
“Do you like books about real
things like horses, gardening, or raising rabbits? Or do you prefer stories of
pretend things like fairies and dragons, flying children, or talking
creatures?” He ended his question with wide expectant eyes. The same big grin
recaptured his lips. I found my fear stifled by curiosity.
“I… um… I like pretend things. But
I do like rabbits too.”
I would have thought his face
couldn’t grin any wider, but it did. I felt my own lips mimic his to a smaller
degree, a natural response.
“Well then, I think I have just
the book for you.” He rose to his full height. “Come along… what was your name
again?”
I had never told him. “Annabelle,”
I uttered.
“Miss Annabelle. That’s the name
of a magical fairy princess. Did you know that?”
I shook my head. The thought
sent a rush of warmth throughout my body. It made my name seem instantly
prettier.
I followed the man to a square
of shelving two areas ahead of where Ginger and her horse-loving friends were
huddled. No one else stood nearby. The man scanned a row of books three levels
from the floor. He squatted while pulling an older volume out from among its
neighbors. The cover was brown with black print and had a black sketching of a
girl, a smiling cat, and a well-dressed rabbit.
He read the title. “Alice in
Wonderland.” His friendly eyes looked to me. “Have you ever read this
story, Annabelle?”
I shook my head.
“It’s wonderful. It’s about a
girl near your age who gets lost in a land of make believe where the animals
speak to her and all sorts of strange, fun things happen. It even has a talking
rabbit. I bet you’ll find the tale to your liking.”
I nodded, certain that I would. He
handed the book to me and then moved to a lower row of books at his right. He
scanned the bottom spine of each one, searching for something more. His throat
made a successful “ah-hah” sound as his fingers pulled another volume from off
the shelf.
He read this title aloud. “Peter
Pan and Wendy.” His eyes shifted to me. “Do you know this story, Annabelle?”
Again, I answered with a silent
headshake.
“Oh my!” he exclaimed. “Every
child should know of Peter Pan! Peter is a special young boy who can actually
fly and teach others to do the same. He lives on an island called Neverland
with other boys and a lively little pixie. He spends an eternal childhood there
playing with Indians and fighting ornery pirates!”
My eyes grew wide just imagining
such an adventure.
The kind man handed over the
second book. I took it and held it next to the first. One was brown. The other
an aqua blue. Both titles were printed in bold, black lettering.
“May I read them both?” I dared
to ask.
I understood his regretful
expression before he answered, but I couldn’t decide which story to give back. Wonderland
or Neverland?
“You can sign out one book
today. Then, when you finish, return it and check out the other. It will be
waiting right here for you.” He gestured to the shelving behind him.
I looked woefully at both
adventures in my hands. This would almost certainly be the only time in my life
I’d ever see the inside of a library. My mother didn’t drive, and my father
would never bother bringing me to a place as wonderful as this, let alone
actually read me a story.
“Which one should I choose?” I
asked the man.
He grinned wide. “That’s up to
you, Miss Annabelle. Look them over. Take your time.” He stood up and walked to
a square table in the center of our box of bookshelves. He pulled out a chair. “Have
a seat. Browse through both books until you decide which you’d like to read
first. I’ll help you sign one out when you’re ready.”
I nodded and obediently sat in
the offered chair. He left me alone to read.
I opened to the middle pages of Peter
Pan and ate up as much of the story as my hungry eyes could take in. It was
a simple thing to block out all surrounding distractions. It wasn’t until Mrs.
Cosgrove barked my name, too loudly for inside the quiet library, that I
focused back on reality. My mind shifted from a riotous pirate ship to the
vividly irritated expression on my teacher’s face. The class was already lined
up near the doors in the background waiting to walk outside.
“Annabelle, for heaven’s sake! Didn’t
you hear me announce that it was time to line up ten minutes ago? We need to
go, now. The bus is waiting.”
I stood up, letting the Peter
Pan story fall closed on the table. I picked up Alice in Wonderland and
hugged the book to my chest, hunching as I stepped past Mrs. Cosgrove. Her hand
reached over my head and swiped the treasure from my fingers.
I gasped, unable to protest any
further than that. Tears threatened to burn my eyes. My hand feebly reached for
the book, then fell, knowing better than to hope for anything. I focused on the
ground, ready to drag my sunken spirits across the floor. I would never know if
Peter defeated the pirates or if he grew up enough to understand how to win
Wendy’s heart. I would never have any inkling of whatever happened to Alice in
her crazy Wonderland.
“Mrs. Cosgrove, why don’t you
let me sign out that book while Annabelle joins the other kids.”
Something in my heart flickered
when I heard the offer from the kind man who had introduced me to Peter and
Alice. He was reaching for the treasure now in my teacher’s possession. His
other hand fell gently on my shoulder. My muscles tightened, but I didn’t
cringe from his touch this time.
“I’m sorry, but there’s no time.
The bus is waiting. Annabelle, get in line.”
“It will only take a minute,”
the man persisted.
“Maybe next time.” Mrs. Cosgrove
placed the little brown book on the table I’d been seated at. The man smiled as
he went to pick it up.
“I promised the girl. It’s my
fault it didn’t get checked out before now. Please, I’ll run it to the bus if I
must.”
Mrs. Cosgrove rolled her eyes
beneath closed lids. “It’s well above her reading level,” she argued.
The man argued back. “Annabelle’s
been quietly reading the book on the table there, Peter Pan and Wendy,
which happens to be at the same reading level. She seemed quite involved in the
story. I think she can handle this one.”
“I doubt very much that she
actually made out any of the more difficult words.”
“But I did! I can even read
philanthropist!”
Mrs. Cosgrove dropped her eyes
on me, looking both surprised and upset that I’d spoken up. I was shocked
myself, and shrunk from her reproachful glare.
The man covered up an amused
grin with the book that was now in his hands. “It will only take me a minute,”
he said.
“Alright, fine,” my teacher
sighed, a frustrated huff of resignation. “Anna, I’m certain I told you to get
in line.”
I nodded at my teacher, stealing
a glance at the stranger who had come to my rescue. He smiled before doing
something no one else had ever done to me before. He winked. I felt my heart
flicker again. This was so foreign, such misplaced kindness. I didn’t know how
to react. Urged by a shove from Mrs. Cosgrove, I hustled over to the line of
waiting students.
The man in grey slacks met us
outside and handed me the library book before half the kids were loaded on the
bus.
“Thank you,” I uttered.
“You’re more than welcome, Miss
Annabelle. Enjoy your time in Wonderland.”
I hugged the book to my chest
and stepped onto the bus. Ginger plugged her nose as I walked past. Lizzy
screwed up her freckled face disgustedly. Jake smashed his snout flat like a
pig. Thomas stuck out his tongue while Charlie uttered a lowly, “Ugly duck.” Leonard
tried to trip me near the rear, but I caught myself on the neighboring seat,
keeping a tight grip on my precious book. As usual, no one allowed me to sit
beside them. I found a seat in the very back all alone, but for some reason
none of those things bothered me. For the first time in my life I didn’t feel
like the cold stone outside my window. A peculiar sensation pressed against the
walls inside me, buoying me up as if I could actually take flight like the fairy
tale boy, Peter Pan.
I felt as warm as sunbeams. It
made my skin tingle.
This book is available on Amazon.com
Kindle / Paperback / Hardcover
Copyright 2012 Richelle E. Goodrich |
I'm hooked (-: loving it so far... poor little girl makes me want to cry. i feel for her
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