The Sara Chronicles: Awesome picture

Found this on the ABC News site today and was surprised to learn that this photo had not been retouched. The caption states that this is the original picture with no emelishment. How cool is this!

Book 5

Dying was easier than she expected; there was no pain, no lingering horrific death scene in which she realized she would never see her loved ones again, just total silence and the nagging question of what she was supposed to do next. Standing perfectly still in the nothingness, Sara thought about the events that brought her here; Vincent had just touched her and she was gone. Gone, as not in the somewhat stable plain of the living world; but her limbs had feeling, the ground beneath her was hard and she was clasping two very solid hands in front of her while a cool breeze caressed her face.
Should she feel different somehow being dead; a little angry, sad, or happy that she was beyond all the misery going on with the living? Should she stop and mourn herself for a moment, after all she had been so young when she died. Stupid random thoughts for such a serious moment, but she couldn’t seem to make them stop tumbling around her head.
Everything she had ever heard about the afterlife was totally at odds with what she was feeling at the moment, like a lightning bolt waiting to burst through the clouds. Death shouldn’t be this way; it was more like eternal night wasn’t it, the end of it all. It was so strange to feel more alive than when she was actually alive and it made absolutely no sense at all.
Sara stood in her little spot in the middle of white cotton candy-like clouds waiting for sadness and regret to overtake her but was surprised to feel happy, loved and definitely not alone. Puzzled, she turned her head slightly and was overcome by joy at the sight of two very familiar people standing next to her staring at the same overcast scene she was. Thomas and James had somehow managed to pass through the barrier with her to the land of the dead. How had that happened?
She struggled to find a good reason for this; her brief moment of happiness shattered by the reality of what their presence here meant. For them to be here, it could only mean one thing, they were dead also. As they turned pasty pale faces towards her, she fell to her knees wailing in despair at the realization that they must have done this to stay with her. Thomas’ eyes showed startlingly bright green against his pale skin as he knelt down to hug her tightly. James light brown skin an ashy color against the darkness of his eyes; joined him as they all huddled together; no one spoke as she cried for the sacrifice that had made to be with her.

Book 4 Chaos Confusion and Changing of the Guard

Sunlight so bright and yellow, it could have been melted butter, shown down on trees crisp, green and breathtakingly alive. These trees rose toward the sky as if to touch the sun, their leaves vibrating softly in the air in silent communication with the bright yellow orb, giving thanks for the privilege of being in this beautiful place. Grass, thick and green sprouted from dirt dark, soft, moist and teaming with an army of fat juicy earthworms and other assorted insects. Sparkling blue water bubbled from the ground to flow into a rocky stream bed to gurgle its way toward distant hills, like a blue ribbon winding its way across the emerald green grass.
The sound of birds chirping sounded from the tree-tops as they launched themselves into a sky that was bright blue with a few puffy white clouds added almost like decorations. Deer and rabbits cavorted freely on the ground below not accustomed to seeking refuge in the brush for they had no enemy from which to hide. This world was clean and unspoiled; no litter cluttered the landscape, the air was pure and unseen, as air was meant to be. Man had not yet ruffled Mother Nature's feathers by dumping the products of his existence in her lap. In short, this place was as it had been intended to be, paradise, a fresh start, the beginning of it all.
As the sun shown down on this idyllic scene, a small hairline crack appeared in the perfect sky and gradually began to widen. Darkness spilled from the ever-widening gap, spreading its way across the treetops to slither serpent-like towards the ground leaving a trail of decay in its wake. Brittle black branches snapped and fell from trees that just moments before had been healthy and thriving. Grass shriveled and sank into soil now crumbled and dry from contact with the descending darkness, leaving dead worms and beetles littered throughout.
The animals noticed the change immediately. Ears perked up as they shuffled nervously, deer broke into a run; pursued closely by the inky stain that now resembled a skinny arm. Slender fingers groped frantically for thin brown hindquarters as they scrambled out of reach into the forest. Birds took to the air; wings flapping so hard feathers were knocked loose, falling to the ground in a crazy slow motion spiral. Dozens of footfalls shook the ground as the formerly calm creatures ran for their lives; most made it away in time, the will to live giving them incredible speed. The formerly crowded field was almost empty, a few of the slower animals hesitating, unsure of the direction of the threat, noses twitching and ears perked up to detect the slightest movement, seeking a source for their unease.
A white long-haired rabbit pushed itself into the air with its powerful back legs only to be pulled down into the soil, its terrified squeals quickly muffled by the thick dry crust of dirt that covered it. A large buck sprinting for the trees met a similar fate, its antlers being the only object still visible above its earthen grave. A dead mole, having tried to escape the hardened crust below lay pale and sightless on the ground, surrounded by several small black ants, and a large brown spider.

Book 3 The Return

The sun rose and set, seasons passed. People got up in the morning, went to work, celebrated holidays, took vacations, and went about their daily routines. In short, life went on for everyone except a young golden haired girl named Sara. She slept as life continued for the rest of the world, unaware of the events taking place around her.
Four years passed, she got older, grew taller, and went through the changes people do as they grow up but she wasn't aware of any of this. She missed of all the birthday party's Rianna celebrated at her side as she sat holding her hand. Her lovely face remained relaxed and expressionless as her friends visited day after day, hoping that Olie had found a way to reverse the spell that Braccus, their mortal enemy, had placed upon her. Yet, after all this time, she still slept and as always, Thomas was there.
Thomas sat in a chair, sunlight warming his face as he stared at Sara's sleeping form. It was strange watching her sleep year after year. He knew that Olie had done the only thing he could to ease her suffering when he put her in this deep sleep. Her every waking moment would have been misery if he hadn't stepped in to help her. Braccus had invaded her mind and made it impossible for her to communicate with her friends. She couldn't touch them or listen to them without experiencing intense pain and nausea. Worse still, it seemed that she was absorbing the powers of the other children when she came in contact with them. She had been afraid and alone when Olie stepped in and placed her under a sleeping spell.
Olie said she was safe in this sleep state, she wasn't aware of anything, but Thomas wasn't so sure. He had been here at her side every day since she had been put to sleep. He had slipped in and out of her mind. He felt her in there. He could hear her sometimes, in the distance, just out of reach, and yesterday, the first time in years, he was sure that she had been aware that he was there. Just like the first day when she had pushed him out of her mind. He was also aware that there was something else there, lurking outside the edge of the protective barrier, waiting for an opening, an evil presence looking for a way to get to Sara's soul and destroy it. He was not going to let it happen, he was so close, he could feel it. He was going to have to get through to her soon before it found a way to break down the barrier.

Book 2 Evolution of Us

It was by all accounts a very strange day in the history of the community called Fairville. True, the weather had been a little unseasonably cool the past couple of weeks, especially for the month of May, but today it had actually snowed on the west part of town. What was even stranger was the fact that just a mile away from the snowstorm, residents reported temperatures to be at least one hundred degrees with bright sunshine and high humidity.
Driving between the two areas was very interesting to say the least, and officials of the National Weather Agency were dispatching scientists to observe the phenomenon. Several reporters from various news agencies were also rushing to the area to record the weird weather activity.
There was talk now of other strange weather incidents that had been occurring in and around the area for about six months, incidents that the residents had been able to reason away until this extreme event. Little things, like rain that fell on only one city block and not in any other part of town; and the time that fog filled the area around the local school, but nowhere else.
The local weatherman had attributed all this to atmospheric changes caused by the ocean current due to their close proximity to the sea. Blah, blah, blah… No one understood a word he had said, but went along with it because he had to know what he was talking about, right? He was, after all, the weatherman.
So now, the town was becoming an area of much interest to several important national agencies and the normally small population was about to increase dramatically in a short time.
It was all everyone talked about now. For whatever reason, they were now to become celebrities, known for living in the town with the funny weather. The town buzzed with excitement at the imminent arrival of all these important people.
There were two people in town, however, to whom the excitement did not extend. These two people, a young girl and her guardian, had just arrived in town six months ago and had settled in to enjoy the relative peace and quiet of the town, when these events began to take place. And frankly, they were not happy with the sudden interest shown to their new home.

Sara Chronicles Book One

Someone had made a terrible mistake twelve years ago and had placed a homeless child in the care of Janet and Hugh Finklestein. How the infant grew to be a remarkable young girl, despite the minimal attention given to her care, was a downright miracle. She was a well-mannered, sweet child, well thought of by all who knew her. But the trouble was no one really knew her.
This girl, Sara, was a rather unique character in a world of ordinary people. She had an inner glow about her that made her stand out in a crowd. One never only looked once at her, they often looked second and third times as she made her way through a room. She carried herself well, shoulders straight, perfect posture, always so very careful to please. In fact, too careful; like she was walking on eggshells.
In conversation, she spoke slowly as if she were afraid to say the wrong thing, and she never made eye contact, even when speaking directly to someone. She never sought out others to speak to, but many people seemed to want to speak to her, to be near her. Many children tried to get to know her, but she remained as distant as ever. There was always an underlying fear in her, like she was a little rabbit in a world of rabid wolves.

Practice short story from years ago

The Big Game

The big game is tomorrow. It’s finally here. All that hard work, those extra hours spent practicing on
the basketball court when I could have been doing something else. But I didn’t want to do anything else,
this was about basketball. I love basketball. It all leads up to this, taking home the trophy at the state
championship tomorrow will prove we are the best team; the best players in the entire state. All these
thoughts were going through my head as I sat on my bed gently smoothing out my bright blue jersey
with the matching shorts before rising to carry them into the bathroom to hang them on the towel rack
where they would be ready for use tomorrow.
Sitting on the bed, I reached over to open the window beside it. It’s getting a little hot in here, I
thought sitting on the bed once again and fanning my face with my hand.
The phone started to ring then so I looked at the Caller I.D. and picked it up after seeing it was Jimmy.
Jimmy is my best friend. I’ve known him since I was in second grade.
“Hey, what’s up,” I said
“Nervous?” He asked me
“Yeah, but it’s only because I want to get this over with. How good do you think Hopewell High is
really.?”
“I think they’re a good team, but I think we’re better. Their defense is a little bit lame if you ask me,”
Jimmy answered with confidence.
“Yeah, you’re right. We have a pretty unbeatable team this year. All the guys are in top playing form.”
“Well, about that, Frank won’t be playing with us tomorrow. He got really sick and coach is going
to replace him with Hank Barton.”
“Now that you mention it, Frank has been a little green around the gills lately,” I stopped to
cough into my hand. “But Hank is really a good player and he’s attended all of the practices, so I’m
sure we’ll still do really well.”
“Of course, you’re right. Nothing to worry about, the game is in the bag.” Jimmy coughed into the
phone.
“Hey, you alright man, you sound a little rough,” I asked as I covered my mouth to muffle a sneeze.
“Oh, I’m o.k.” Jimmy said “My throat’s just a little bit dry. Did you just sneeze?”
“It’s just a little bit dusty in here that’s all. No problems with me.” I turned my head and wiped my
suddenly drippy nose on my shirt sleeve. “What are you going to do when this game is over and we have
a little down time?”
Jimmy told me he was interested in a girl in his geography class and he was planning to ask her out. I
told him that I was planning to ask out Sandy, the pretty blonde cheerleader. Maybe we could double
date. Jimmy said he thought that was a great idea, and we talked for a little longer before Jimmy said his
mom wanted him to get off the phone.
I’d better get to sleep soon. I thought glancing at the clock. I turned to pull back the covers, decided
it was chilly and shut the window before falling into the bed and into a deep sleep.
I woke up the next morning, feeling like me head was on fire. I could feel my hair sticking to my head
like it had been glued there with a super sticky substance. Raising my hand, I wiped off about ten gallons
of sweat from my forehead. I felt like I had been out in the sun all day and had a bad case of sunburn.
My eyes were burning like crazy as I focused on the door of my room.
I could hear Mom knocking and calling “Harvey, honey are you up yet?”
“I’m awake,” I croaked, trying to clear my throat, Please, please don’t open the door Mom! If I can
just splash a little cold water on my face, I know I’ll be o.k. I can’t miss this game. I can miss this game.
I can pull myself together, I know I can. So I tried to push myself out of bed real quick because I knew
if I made it to the bathroom, I could get ready and she would never know I had a little fever.
That quick move was a bad idea, cause now I felt dizzy and the doorknob was turning and in she
comes. She takes one look at me and shakes her head.
“Harvey, you look terrible!” She cried and rushed up to the bed. Now she was touching my head and
saying,” Oh, baby you’re so hot!”
She left the room and came back real fast with a thermometer. She slid it between my lips, which by
the way are so sore I want to cry. When she pulled it out again, I hear her say, “One hundred degrees!
I’m going to get you some medicine.”
How did I get so sick? I was in tip top shape when I went to sleep, well practically. There’s no way I’m
going to stay home. I’m not missing the big game! So as soon as she left the room to get the medicine, I
got up to make my way to the bathroom; because I knew that I could still play this game. I’d just have to
man it up a little. I’ll bet Michael Jordan wouldn’t have let a little fever stop him from playing. I stopped
to salute his poster on the wall before continuing my two mile journey to the bathroom. My feet were
so heavy, I felt like I was dragging ten pound weights on my ankles.
Finally, I reached the bathroom doorway! I felt a chuckle bubble up in my throat. This was so going to
work. I turned on the faucet and splashed the wonderfully cold water on my face. Boy did that feel
good! O.k., so a look in the mirror tells me that I look pretty crappy. But who cares as long as I can play.
A few careful moves has me in my uniform and once I get my sneaks on, I’m halfway there.
I was on my way to get them when in walks my mom. She takes one look at me, shakes her head
again and points to my bed.
“Mom!” I tried to say, but my throat was so sore, it was more like a squeak and a grunt. So I waddled
back to bed on legs that suddenly felt like soggy sponges and fell back into the covers. I think I fell asleep
shortly after she gave me some cold medicine.
I was so mad when I woke up. Boy was I going to give Frank a piece of my mind, that germy jerk had
Caused me to miss the state championship! It was then that I learned that not one single player had
been able to attend the game. It seems Frank has a cousin who just transferred to Hopewell High and
joined the basketball team. Apparently, he recently visited Frank and; the rest as we say is history. Since
both teams were sick during the game, it has been rescheduled for next week. Now all I have to worry
about is how I’m going to ask Sandy out after we win the game.

The End