In one of the quiet moments of our conversation, we hear it. A muffled cry.
“Help.”
We look at each other.
“Where’s that coming from?” I latch onto her arm.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
“Help! Help!!”
Racing through the forest, we follow the pleas for help. The call reverberates around the rocks, making it hard to pinpoint.
The good news is I only have one mishap as we frantically search—a scraped-up knee after tripping over a fallen tree. The better news is that my scream scared away any lurking wildlife. And the best news is that when we burst through the woods, coming upon the tall rocky formation we had dubbed Sophie’s Stonehenge a few days ago, we find our person in need. Huddled against the base of the two large boulders sits Jet.
I stand staring at him, my hand squeezing my aching side. “What’re you doing out here by yourself?”
“Exploring.” Tears streak his filthy face.
“Are you hurt?” I kneel next to him.
“My foot’s caught.”
I lean over to examine the situation. His right foot is wedged between two smaller boulders. I push on them, but they don’t budge.
“Will they have to cut off my foot?” Panic fills Jet’s eyes.
I reach for his dusty hand. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. We need some help though.”
“Don’t leave me,” Jet pleads, clamping onto me.
Sophie smiles at the frightened boy. “Don’t worry, Josie will stay here with you. I’ll go get Ryan and Jake.”
After a nod of encouragement, she disappears through the trees.
Jet sniffs. “Thanks for staying. Most people end up leaving me.”
I pull him into a hug. “Jet, you know your brother didn’t want to leave you, right?”
“He still did.”
I glance at his foot. All week I’ve been praying that someone would be able to reach him; now he’s stuck and can’t leave. Maybe God provided this golden opportunity for me to talk with him.
“Do you think your brother would be happy that you’re not taking full advantage of the opportunities given to you, like the chance to come to this camp?”
He pushes me away. “I’m here ain’t I?”
“True, but you’re not really making the most of it. Your brother was working hard to give you a brighter future. Maybe you could honor him by doing more with your life.”
“But I can’t stop being angry,” he quietly admits.
“I know, but you’ve got to find a way to forgive, or the anger will consume you.”
The glare I receive is as poisonous as Romeo’s potion.
“Forgive? Forgive the people who killed my brother?”
Please God, give me the right words.
“Yes. If Jesus forgave the people who killed Him, we can forgive, too. Give your burdens to God. I know about holding onto anger and, believe me, it’ll destroy you. And then those men will have killed both you and your brother. You have a chance to live your life for the two of you and make a real difference.”
He runs his fingers through the dirt. “You make it sound easy, but you don’t have to go back to my neighborhood.”
He’s got a point. “Do you think we could keep in touch? You could call and text when you need someone to talk to. We all need friends to help us through the rough times. Ryan helped me once, and now I can help you.”
His little shoulders rise and fall in a shrug.
I lean into him. “I believe we all have unique talents from God. You said you like music. Maybe there’s some way we can use that to help you get out of that neighborhood. I mean, you could learn to be a DJ or be in a band or something. Do you play any instruments?”
His eyebrows furrow as he stares at the ground. “Well, kinda.”
I stare at him. “Really? That’s great. Too bad you didn’t bring it. We could’ve put you in my amazing talent show.”
The edge of his mouth turns up into a slight grin.
Soon Sophie appears, followed by Jake and Ryan. “Found them in the middle of a very intense game of ping-pong.”
“I was winning.” Ryan pats himself on the shoulder.
Jake shoves him aside. “By one point. I call for a re-match.”
Sophie rolls her eyes and walks towards us. “Can you two stop competing for one moment and come help us move this rock?”
After assessing the best course of action, Ryan and Jake push against the smaller of the boulders. After the third attempt, the rock shifts enough for Jet to pull his foot out.
I gently examine his ankle. “I still don’t get what you were doing up here by yourself.”
“I kept thinking about those dumb love letters you showed me. That guy mentioned the giant heartbreak, and it made me think of this rock formation.”
All eyes travel to the two huge rocks jutting out from the earth. The boulders both start out narrow at the base and widen toward the middle. Their slightly rounded tops give them a bit of a heart shape, a narrow crevice between them breaking the heart in two.
“Whoa,” Sophie whispers.
“What did Hans say about the broken heart again?” Ryan asks.
“All the gold in the world can’t mend the deep chasm created by a broken heart, but finding it can create a new life.” Sophie impressively recites the words from memory.
Jet shoots us a mischievous grin and then reaches between the two rocks that make the heart shape. He stretches his arm far into the space, plastering his face against the rock.
“Careful!” I yell. “We don’t want you to get your hand caught this time.”
“I feel something! But I can’t reach it.”
“Here, let me try,” Sophie offers.
She moves into position and reaches into the dark crevice.
“Jet’s right. There’s something here, some sort of cloth.” She strains to reach a little further. Her face scrunches then she pulls out a wrapped bundle and hands it to Jet.
“Since you’re the one who had the idea to check here, you should be the one to open it.”
His wide eyes and shocked expression transform into a huge smile as he takes the bundle from her and slowly unwraps the dirty material. The cloth crumbles apart revealing a leather pouch. Jet drops the disintegrating rags and opens the pouch. He pulls out a cross, sunlight highlighting the intricately-carved details.
“Wow!” I cling to Ryan’s arm.
Sophie hugs Jet. “This is amazing!”
“Way to go, little dude.” Ryan messes up Jet’s wild hair.
I smile at his beaming face, which is more precious than the beautiful gold cross. “You did it, you figured out the secret no one else has ever been able to solve!”
FRIDAY
After a chaotic day of interviews with the police, mayor, and local newspaper, the excitement of Jet’s discovery has died down a little. Now it’s time for the big event. The talent show.
From the side of the stage, I look out to see Ryan, Sophie, and Jake sitting with the kids in the audience.
When the first strains of “Food Glorious Food” from the musical Oliver fill the room, the kids take the stage and attempt the choreography we’ve been rehearsing all week. They are so cute. Not sure any of them have a future in musical theater, but they do a great job.
One by one, I introduce the talent show contestants. One brave fellow tries a stand-up comedy routine. Another boy burps the alphabet. Two girls dance to a popular hip-hop song. When one of the little girls stands frozen in place, staring at the audience, I join her, and we sing her song as a duet.
After the last planned act, I take center stage once again. “We have one final act this evening. While I set it up, will you all please help me encourage Ryan to come up on stage?” I hold out three oranges to him.
I hadn’t told him my plan but knew he wouldn’t mind. He shoots a grin towards Sophie. She starts laughing as he comes on stage and begins his juggling act.
> Once he’d told me why he had learned to juggle. It was years ago, after Sophie informed him she wasn’t going to attend their annual summer trip because she was going to circus school to become a trapeze artist. He believed her and, not wanting to be alone on the vacation with the adults and their younger siblings, he spent months teaching himself to juggle so he could be admitted into circus school as well.
The audience oohs and aahs at his impressive tricks. Assured everything is set behind the curtain, I come back to the side of the stage and watch as he ends the routine by tossing the oranges to kids in the audience. Then he bows.
When the applause dies down, everyone’s eyes turn to me.
“Before we end tonight, I’m excited to announce that we have a surprise last-minute performance.” With dramatic flourish, I pull back the curtain. The crowd murmurs in surprise as they slowly recognize the clean boy with slicked back hair, sitting at the piano in the center of the stage. Jet.
His huge round eyes stare at me. I smile and nod. Then he begins to play.
The notes come out quietly at first as he tentatively hits the keys. Then his shoulders relax, and he focuses on the song. The music that pours from this troubled boy is incredible. When he told me he wanted to play tonight I had no idea that this boy, so full of hurt and fear, was a musical genius. I guess more than one secret was discovered this week.
When he finishes, the room remains silent for a moment. Then everyone leaps up in a heartfelt ovation. Jet’s eyes glisten with tears as he scans the applauding crowd. He beams at the genuine love and admiration. Somehow, I know he’s going to be okay.
Thanks, God.
###
This short story combines the lead characters from two of Leslea Wahl’s award-winning Catholic YA novels. Jake and Sophie’s exciting story about finding and using your gifts from God, can be found in The Perfect Blindside, a first-place winner of a 2016 Catholic Press Association Award, as well as a 2016 Silver Medal Illumination Christian Book Award. Josie and Ryan’s adventurous tale about finding who God wants you to be, is titled An Unexpected Role, and is a recipient of a 2017 Gold Medal Moonbeam Children’s Book Award.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LESLEA WAHL lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and children. The furry, four-legged members of her family often make cameo appearances in her novels. Leslea’s writing career began when she was searching for faith-inspired books for her own children and the idea for her first novel popped into her head. That divine inspiration has led to a successful writing ministry that she hopes encourages teens to grow in their faith through fun adventures. For more information about her faith-filled young adult mysteries, visit www.LesleaWahl.com.
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Boring Legal Bit
This book is a work of fiction. Characters and incidents are products of the authors’ imaginations. Real events and characters are used fictitiously.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web – without permission in writing from the publisher.
First Edition
Cover design by Theresa Linden and Corinna Turner
Edited by Cynthia T. Toney
The following short stories are the work of the individual authors. Their inclusion here does not imply endorsement either by Catholic Teen Books or its individual authors.
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Collection Copyright © 2018 Catholic Teen Books
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018906010
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