"Annabelle, the girl who was overlooked, unwanted, insignificant, worthless." — Richelle E. GoodrichAnnabelle Fancher lives with her mother and her often-absent, alcoholic father. When he is not on the road, his presence at home creates heightened anxiety in his wife and daughter—fear caused by years of abuse. Annabelle copes with her circumstances by escaping into popular fairy tales where she dreams characters to life. When her dreams cross over into waking fantasies, and the ghostly image of a dreamed character appears before her, Annabelle begins a real struggle to separate reality from pretend and sanity from beautiful madness. This brave, young girl tenderly acquaints the reader with her lonely struggles while sharing her courage in the face of personal adversity. Hers is a story where realism and fantasy beautifully intertwine.This fictional tale does an honest job of mirroring the unfortunate reality of many young people whose home lives are private nightmares unobserved by the outside world. Most of the events in this book were taken from the lives of individuals known by the author.
Have you ever felt as if your dreams
were more memorable, more alive,
than what you knew to be reality?
Have your dreams ever seemed so tangible
as to make you question upon waking
if you’d truly only dreamt them?
Have they at times been addictive enough
to consume your waking hours,
blurring actuality and pretend together
until your wishes and passions
stare back at you with open eyes?
If only dreams could be reality,
that beautiful garden of sweet-smelling roses we all long for.
But reality for me is no such bed of roses.
It is nothing but a field of unwanted dandelions.
— From the thoughts of Annabelle Fancher
Copyright 2012 Richelle E. Goodrich
Wonderful writing! Brava!!
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly, Pamela! Those are sweet words to read.
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