Meet Chase

Lily woke up the next morning with a great pain in her neck and even more so where last night's food should have been. She'd slept right through dinner and through the night, and now it was already about sunrise. As magical as many say sunrises are, Lily did not find it even slightly magical to wake up so early, but figured since she was obviously not going back to sleep she would go down and make her dad a "magical" breakfast. She took the stairs slowly and carefully, dreading last night's wave of grief to slap her  backwards again, but in the daylight she could see that quite a bit had changed. As she turned the corner towards the kitchen, she was surprisingly relieved to find a mix of the familiar with just the right amount of change. She couldn't imagine how her dad had done it, but his fatherly wisdom had given him some sound advice on just the recipe for moving forward with life. Well, so she thought until she paused by the door to the den and saw him passed out on the couch.

She tiptoed past the door to the den and opened the refrigerator door to find almost nothing to work with. She was almost grateful for the excuse to go out on a Saturday morning. Amish food was attainable in the midwest, but there was nothing like the community close to the house she grew up in. She grabbed some of her own money and set out to dive into freshly grown veggies, eggs and milk straight from their animal sources, and the pre-made wonderful cuisine found almost exclusively in south-central Pennsylvania. She was ordering red beet eggs and some fresh meat when a pair of hands crept over her eyes. She reached her hands back, catching her stalker in the side where she knew he was very very ticklish.

"How do you always know it's me?" he faked a pout.

"Chase!" Lily exclaimed, jumping at him to give him a warm hug. "You're hands are always warm, even when there are meat coolers everywhere, and even if that weren't the case, you've got unique hands."

"You were made to be a CIA agent or something," Chase said with a teasing smile.

"I'm observant," she smiled back. The teasing eased into a comfortable conversation, which was a relief to Lily.  It seemed everywhere she looked, she dreaded running into someone familiar who would just want to make her dive into the painful memories of her last vacation. Lily could see the question lurking behind Chase's kind chatter and smile, but was glad he seemed to know just what not to go into. After almost 30 minutes of talking, however, Lily remembered that she'd left her dad not only in an empty house, but perhaps even a bit worried after last night's disappearance. She shared the concern with Chase and he agreed.

"Can we maybe go out with some of the old gang later on?" he mentioned before heading out.

"Let's give it another day," Lily replied. "I need to spend at least this first full day home with my dad.

What's in a Nook?

It was her first vacation since her mother had passed away, though she hated that phrase. What does it mean, anyway? Not that there's any phrase that made it better. Going back to college the previous January was a hard decision. Her mother had died shortly before New Years, and she worried about her dad. But he'd insisted and, looking back, she knew that college life had been a great distraction and her professors were not only supportive, but also helpful through her grieving. She dove deeply into the many activities and ministries that surrounded her at college and, most of the time, managed to keep any deep thought away from her brain. Her friends were also busy, though some had voiced concern that she wasn't doing anything to truly have fun. How could I have fun? she would mentally respond, though she hadn't the courage to voice her so-called logic. It was bad enough to keep on going through life, chasing after the same goals as before without her mother, but to enjoy it? To smile and laugh knowing Dad was home suffering alone? What did he have, afterall, to distract him from the emptiness in his house and heart?

Now she was home and she wondered if her presence made any difference after all. Dad seemed okay. Perhaps he had worked through his grief. Maybe he was just trying to make her vacation a vacation. Lily, however, felt the emptiness and grief wash over her again as soon as she walked through the door. It almost paralyzed her, and she certainly stumbled as she tripped back into her  father, who was walking through behind her. It was normal for him to drive the ten hours to pick her up. It was not only an excuse to see Lily's grandparents, aunts and uncles, but it gave them lots of quality time on the drive home, something both of them treasured. Perhaps that's why Lily loved traveling so much-- just as much for the journey as for the destination. This journey, however, was to a destination Lily didn't realize she didn't want to face. But walking through that door, seeing the small changes in just a swift glance around. She wasn't prepared. She made excuses to her dad that she was exhausted and wanted to take a nap before some of his church friends brought dinner, and swiftly slid up the stairs, through her bedroom door and into her sacred place.

She browsed the books at the foot of the nook for an ideal destination and decided to go with one she never tired of-- Persuasion. Of all Jane Austen's books, it certainly didn't make the biggest of splashes in the movie theaters, but it was Lily's go-to book for all moods. Granting she didn't want to delve into deep philosophical studies (which, after finals, was out of the question), it was a book that took her somewhere and made her feel part of herself at the same time. She sighed as she read the first lines.

Meet Lily Canon

Lily Canon slid in behind the curtains of her favorite reading nook. She'd dreamed about it for most of her teenage years and for her sweet sixteen, her dad had built it for her. It was her escape, and after three years away at college, she'd missed being able to slide behind those curtains, shut them behind her and turn on the sparkling yet relaxing oversized Christmas white lights and delve into worlds unknown and soon to be discovered. Now that she was home on vacations, she was ready now more than ever to escape the world, and was quite unsure whether she ever wanted to re-enter. It was tempting to stay in her perfect little hideaway, the only corner of something precious that now seemed to be hers and hers alone.....

Perhaps you readers can understand this feeling. I hope that together we can build a story that will be your escape as well as your inspiration to enter and interact with the world outside. This is a shorter entry because I have not yet crafted what she will be dealing with, though I have some ideas. But I have been so excited to introduce you to Lily, and did not want you to miss out.

Introduction: What I'm doing

Have you ever wanted to see your favorite novel in process? Well, this may or may not turn out to be a novel nor may it be your favorite. It could end up being the story that never ends, and it may be your daily (or weekly) escape that just keeps going. I hope I can keep it up, because I sincerely miss writing. I'm going to ask for your help and inspiration. I want this blog/story to be interactive and I want your dreams to be woven in. So all those things you dreamed about happening, your romantic hopes and wishes, real events and family stories.... Send them along and one day they may just pop into your daily novel indulgence. I have the middle of a beginning, so I'm going to give about a week before I post the beginning... or I could be inspired tomorrow. Dive in! I hope you'll come along with me ask we work for a masterpiece.