Praying Home the Mantis

They lived for the magic of summers, until one disastrous winter took them down.

After my parents split, I spent summers with my dad, who lived next door to this huge family. Savannah was the first to find me, one of the girls my age, and she was sunny and happy and never let me get sad about my family. She made adventures, and her yard was magical, and summers became the best part of my year.

Nobody knew what my winters were like, and I didn't plan to tell them. Why would I want Savvy to stop smiling? And Dad tried, but there wasn't much he could do. Mom was a little crazy, and school was awful, but I could handle it because I knew summer would roll around again. I lived for summer, which fed my entire year.

Then Dad got married. There was a new baby on the way, and I had a new brother, a year older. I wished more than ever that I could live in my summer world with my good family, with Savvy next door, with magic all the time. Then Mom... Well, Mom did a few good things, and then she followed it up with a few bad, and winters got even darker. Lately I don't know if summer is enough to carry me. Winters get longer every year, and summers aren't long enough to warm up the ice they leave in my life.

But if I disappear in this world, Savvy will stop smiling. How can I live in my life and still keep Savvy smiling? Sometimes it all just feels impossible...

Read Sebastian and Savvy's story in book four of Terry's Garden, stories about a huge family, an enchanting garden, and a love story that touches generations. Christian coming-of-age/romance novels for teens and anyone who remembers those first wobbling steps into adulthood.