True Heroes

by Compilation

POKE POKE POKE went her pins.

  WHIRRRRRRR went her sewing machine.

  SNIP, POKE, WHIRRRRRRRR. It took many hours.

  “Voila!” said Annika. “Sadie, here is your fabulous gown for the Oscars!”

  Sadie Simone wrinkled her nose. She walked around the dress. “No, no, no. That’s not right for me,” she said. “It’s the wrong color. And . . . too sparkly! It just won’t work!”

  Annika’s measuring tape tumbled to the ground.

  “I’ll have to try another designer,” said Sadie. “Now, out you go. I guess not everybody can be a star fashion designer.”

  Annika flopped down on her sewing box and began to cry. “I ruined my big chance!”

  Momma picked up Annika’s measuring tape and wiped her tears. “Sorry, honey. Even little fashionistas have to deal with rude people.”

  “Come on,” said Daddy. “Let’s go home.”

  When Annika and her parents arrived back home, Annika dove onto her bed and sniffled. And for a long time she didn’t dream up any new designs. Or use her sewing machine. Not once.

  Days passed. Weeks. Then one evening when Daddy was watching television, the Oscar Awards ceremony was announced. Big celebrities were all arriving for the event. The ladies wore their loveliest gowns on the red carpet. A TV reporter was asking them, “Who is your designer?”

  “Prada,” said one.

  “Valentino,” said another.

  And suddenly there was a gasp, and everyone on TV stopped talking. Sadie Simone had arrived. Daddy, Momma, and Annika stared at the screen. “Hey!” Annika said. “She’s wearing the dress I designed!”

  “What a stunning gown,” the reporter said to Sadie. “Who is your designer?”

  “Annika, little fashionista,” Sadie said. “She made me this gorgeous dress, dahhhling. At first I didn’t like it, but then some crazy hummingbirds flew around my head and chirped at me until I tried it on. It was sensational! Oh, the fit, the glam, the glitz! It’s the perfect dress!”

  Sadie turned slowly around in place, and the paparazzi took so many pictures of her the television screen went white.

  The next morning, the phone started ringing at Annika’s house. It rang and rang and would not stop. Daddy said, “Celebrities keep calling. Movie stars. Annika, everyone wants you to design their clothes for next year’s Oscars!”

  Annika smiled. She dusted off her sewing machine. “I’ll think about it,” she said. “But right now I have to greet my real fans.”

  Ding-dong. All of Lily’s friends had shown up to Annika’s house. “Annika! Annika!” they cried. “We love your designs!”

  “My sister is the best designer in the world,” said Lily.

  “Please design me a new outfit,” said one friend.

  “Something fierce!” said another.

  Annika nodded. Then, like a true fashionista, she started creating new designs. Lots of hummingbirds flew in the window to help her.

  SNIP SNIP SNIP.

  POKE POKE POKE.

  WHIIIRRRRRRRRRR.

  When it was finally bedtime, Annika bounced on her bed. “Am I a star fashion designer now?” she asked Momma and Daddy. She pulled her nightgown around her legs like a mermaid tail.

  Daddy kissed Annika on the forehead. “You’ve always been a star to us.”

  “And to me,” said Lily.

  “But,” said Momma, “even little fashionistas have to . . .”

  “I know,” said Annika, getting her toothbrush.

  Kristyn Crow

  Kristyn Crow is the award-winning author of numerous books for children, including Bedtime at the Swamp, Skeleton Cat, and the Zombelina series. She is also the screenwriter for Clark Planetarium’s newest space adventure movie for kids, The Accidental Astronauts. Kristyn lives in Layton, Utah, with her husband, Steven, and their seven creative and musical children. This project is dear to her heart.

  http://kristyncrow.com/

  Cami

  “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” —Roald Dahl

  Marley

  (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia)

  Meet Marley! Marley is the oldest cancer survivor in this book. She was diagnosed when she was eleven years old, but even then she was already dreaming of playing soccer in college. Before her cancer diagnosis, Marley seemed well on her way to achieving her goal. After her battle with cancer, the lifesaving drugs had taken their toll on her body, making it that much more difficult to play soccer.

  Recently, Marley’s dream of playing soccer in college came to fruition when she was made a member of the Idaho State soccer team. Marley is an example of someone who not only defeated cancer but is now actually living her dream.

  www.anythingcanbeproject.com/dream-blog/2015/4/11/marley-soccer-player

  Marley’s Shot

  Stephen Reid Andrews

  Marley drove down the field, dribbling the soccer ball to the outside and then past the center halfback. Laura and Julie, the two strikers, were fanned out on either side so Marley could pass the ball to the wing if needed, but only the center fullback was between Marley and the goalie.

  I got this, thought Marley.

  “Pass!” yelled Laura, closing in on the goal from her left-wing position.

  Marley rolled her foot over the top of the ball to fake the pass to Laura but then abruptly tapped the ball to the other side. The fullback stuck out her foot, but it was too late. The ball had already passed, and, like a graceful dancer, Marley hopped over the fullback’s leg.

  She had a clear shot at the goal. She only needed to outsmart the goalie. Turning her head to the left, Marley looked off the goalie, who instinctively took a step to her right. Incorrectly anticipating the shot, the goalie had fallen for the fake as had been Marley’s plan. Marley pushed her foot toward the ball, connecting dead center and propelling the ball from her foot like a shot from a cannon. Though it seemed like the ball was suspended in the air for minutes, it only took half a second for it to reach the goal.

  Marley watched in total disbelief as the ball bounced off the crossbar, springing back at a forty-five degree angle with such force that it cleared the goalie’s box on the rebound. Marley’s plant foot had slightly slipped before the kick, causing the error.

  Without trapping the ball, Laura swooped in from the side and, cocking her leg back, put her force behind a kick. The ball went off her foot perfectly. As straight as a laser, the ball bounced forward. The goalie had no chance to stop the shot, and the whistle blew as the ball came to a rest inside the net.

  The Eagles had won the state championship.

  Immediately, the entire team mobbed Laura, tackling her to the ground with excitement. Teammates on the sidelines rushed onto the field, and students from the stands followed as the celebration intensified.

  Marley joined the celebration, happy for the win and happy for Laura, but devastated that her shot had not been true. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking that all the congratulations being showered on Laura should have been hers. She never missed that shot—in a hundred tries she would never miss. The shot was as routine as brushing her teeth. She had been inches away from being the hero. It should have been her.

  She looked to the stands where she knew the recruiter from Idaho State University had been sitting. The recruiter had come specifically to see if Marley was good enough for Idaho State’s team. The recruiter was no longer in her seat, and she was not on the field. Marley’s shoulders slouched in defeat, and she felt like crying, though not for the same reason that her teammates were crying. Since the first time she touched a soccer ball when she was a little girl, she had dreamed of playing for Idaho State, but that chance had slipped through her fingers—two inches too far to the right. Her dream had been crushed.

  Amidst the congratulations, the splashing of Gatorade, and the celebration of her teammates, she looked ar
ound for the next best thing. The recruiter from the University of Western Colorado had also been at the game. Marley spotted the UWC recruiter stepping onto the field. The recruiter, a slender woman with dark hair, was looking Marley’s way and smiling.

  Marley began to regain enthusiasm. It wouldn’t be like playing at Idaho State, but at least it would be playing somewhere.

  The recruiter started to walk toward her. Marley smiled and prepared herself, attempting to hide her previous disappointment.

  “That was some shot,” said the recruiter.

  “Tha—” Marley began to respond, but her words were cut off as the recruiter walked passed her.

  With more disappointment, Marley turned to see that the recruiter was talking to Laura, who had been standing behind her, preparing to squeeze Marley in a congratulatory bear hug.

  “We came to this game for other reasons, and I’m glad we did,” the recruiter said to Laura. “We would have never seen your talent. You are just the young lady we would like to have with us at UWC.”

  Laura couldn’t hide her excitement, and Marley had to swallow her disbelief. Before today, not a single recruiter had been interested in Laura. Marley’s miss had put Laura at the top of the list. Only inches to the left, and Laura wouldn’t be at the top of anyone’s list.

  “Really?” said Laura.

  “Yes. What do you say? There are a few other girls I was supposed to evaluate, but if you give me a verbal commitment now, I don’t see the need for anymore evaluations.”

  Laura jumped up and down, grabbing Marley in her excitement. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” yelled Laura. “Did you hear that, Marley? I’m going to play for UWC!”

  Marley’s heart sank. That should have been her offer. The verbal commitment should have been hers to give. Laura didn’t deserve the offer—Marley did.

  Marley faked a smile.

  Though Marley tried to be happy for Laura and the rest of the team, the celebration in the locker room was emotionally painful. The other girls begged her to attend the team party at the Doubletree Hotel, but she knew she couldn’t go. Watching Laura get congratulated and watching her talk about how excited she was to play for UWC would be too much.

  To avoid the situation, Marley acted like she would catch up with the girls but instead drove to a place where she knew she wouldn’t be bothered by anyone—a small, neglected park behind her home. She would often sit on the lone bench in that park when she needed to think.

  Marley sat on the bench and cried until it was dark, replaying the shot she had missed in her mind a hundred times. When she couldn’t cry any longer, she looked despondently into the night sky.

  Eventually, a beautifully clear shooting star streaked across the sky.

  What if that star was a sign? she thought. Though it seemed ridiculous, she couldn’t help the reflexive impulse to make a wish on the shooting star. “I wish,” she said aloud, making a childish plea, “I wish with all my heart that I could replay the last ten seconds of the championship game.”

  A more inexperienced soccer player would have wished to have simply made the shot, but Marley knew if she had a chance to retake that shot there was no way she would miss. She wanted to feel the euphoria of the shot going in. She wanted to experience the exhilarating joy she had seen Laura experience.

  She buried her head in her hands, wanting to cry again, but as she pressed her palms to her eyes, Marley’s head began to spin. She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head like she was shaking off a blow to the head. When she opened her eyes, she couldn’t believe where she was. She was back on the soccer field. She was in the game. Her wish had come true, and she had been given a second chance.

  “Marley!” called Julie as the ball went sliding in front of her. Julie had given her a perfect cross, allowing her to beat the center halfback.

  “Pass,” called Laura from the other side.

  Like before, all that was between Marley and the scholarship to Idaho State was the center fullback, and, also like before, she disposed of the center fullback quickly, tapping the ball to the outside and hopping over the player’s leg. This was it. She would not miss again. She could feel the excitement building inside her as if she had already made the shot.

  A split second before she took the shot, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Laura approaching the goalie’s box. Within that moment, an image flashed in her mind. She envisioned Laura’s perfect happiness and the smile that had stretched across Laura’s face as the UWC recruiter had extended the offer. She saw Laura jumping up and down in her excitement. Laura wasn’t good enough to walk on to a college program. If Laura didn’t get her chance now, she would likely never play competitive soccer again. Could she take that away from Laura? Could she be the reason that Laura’s dreams would remain unfulfilled?

  Marley did the only thing her integrity would allow her to do. Cocking her foot back, she aimed for the post, kicking the ball so it purposefully bounced off the post and back to Laura. As before, Laura was in perfect position to volley.

  To Marley’s absolute relief, Laura’s foot met the ball, and the ball shot into the net like it had before. The whistle blew, and the Eagles won the game a second time.

  This time Marley celebrated with the other girls, enjoying the moment. Everything happened as it had before. Everyone mobbed Laura for being the hero, and Laura got the scholarship to UWC. The only difference was that this time Marley was genuinely happy for Laura and the team. The fact that she wasn’t the hero didn’t mean her life was over.

  And instead of going to the park, Marley attended the team party at the hotel. She was glad she did. Enjoying her teammates for a final time before graduation and taking part in the celebration was something she couldn’t believe she had wanted to miss before.

  As she finished her glass of punch and put the cup on the buffet table, she couldn’t help but smile. Things were going to be all right.

  A hand on Marley’s shoulder got her attention.

  “Marley?” said Coach Taylor.

  “What’s going on, Coach?”

  “There is someone in the lobby to see you.” Coach Taylor was smiling.

  “Who?”

  “You’ll have to go see.”

  Marley rolled her eyes. With the way Coach Taylor was looking at her, she figured it must be a boy from school.

  Reluctantly, Marley walked from the banquet hall to the lobby, hoping that the boy was at least somewhat cute. Her jaw nearly dropped as she saw the recruiter from Idaho State instead.

  “Marley,” said the recruiter with reserved excitement. “Thank you for taking a minute from your celebration. That was quite a game.”

  Marley looked behind her, thinking there was no possible way this recruiter was speaking to her.

  “Yeah,” Marley stuttered.

  “I’m Cheryl Silver, the athletic director for women’s sports at—”

  “Idaho State,” Marley interjected.

  “Yes. That’s right. I’m sorry I didn’t speak to you earlier, but Coach Kay wanted to be here with me.”

  “Coach Kay?” said Marley with disbelief.

  From down the neighboring hall, a well-dressed woman appeared.

  “Marley,” said Ms. Silver, “this is Coach Kay Williams, head coach of the Idaho—”

  “Idaho State women’s soccer team,” finished Marley with even more excitement. She had done her homework on Stanford and recognized Coach Kay immediately.

  Coach Kay stretched out her hand, and Marley shook it.

  “I wanted to be the one to invite you to Idaho State,” said Coach Kay.

  Attempting to hold in her excitement, Marley wanted to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming.

  “That is,” continued Coach Kay, “if you haven’t already committed to another school. I noticed the UWC recruiter at your game. You haven’t already committed to UWC, have you?”

  “No,” said Marley, gathering her thoughts.

  “Well, then, what do you say?”

  “But
I missed the game-winning shot today,” said Marley skeptically.

  Coach Kay laughed. “We’ve been watching you all year, Marley. We’re not concerned with the one shot that you missed. We’re more interested in the dozens you’ve made. One single moment may define a game, but it doesn’t define a soccer player. So, what do you say?”

  “Yes!” Marley squealed, charging Coach Kay and Ms. Silver for a hug they should have been expecting.

  Stephen Reid Andrews

  Stephen Reid Andrews is the author of several acclaimed works including The Visions of David Palmer series, Remnant of the Beast, and The Bamberg Trials series. Stephen resides in the shadows of the red hills of Southern Utah with his wife and four children. His youth and young adulthood were scattered with creative works that evidenced his tendency to dream and tell stories, but not until 2011 did he discover his talent for communicating those dreams and stories through writing. He has been writing professionally ever since and will continue until the dreams and stories stop coming.

  Jacob

  “It’s not the size of the dreamer; it’s the size of the dream.” —Joshua Ryan Evans

  Jordan

  (Ewing’s Sarcoma)

  Meet Jordan! Three weeks after her father passed away, Jordan Kennedy was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of bone cancer. Jordan courageously fought with everything she had, but nine months after her diagnosis, Jordan found rest and peace.

  This image was taken two weeks prior to her passing. She was in so much pain but wanted to make this image. Together she and I imagined a better place—a wonderland, where pain and hurt were not a worry, where she was perfect and healthy.

  This is what we created together.

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PgDA4sbrEo

  Jordan in Everywhere

  Liesl Shurtliff

  The day was warm and beautiful and perfectly boring until the fish walked by.

  Jordan sat on a blanket by the lake, feeling quite pitiful.

  “Jordan! Come play!” Her sister laughed and splashed in the water, but Jordan was too tired for laughing or splashing.