**FEATURED ON WATTPAD's UNDISCOVERED GEMS**
Janey Cameron's life is falling apart
Caught in the middle of her parent's tragic marriage she has no one to turn to and finds herself searching the woods at the family's summer lake house looking for c...
For three days the box stayed on the dresser. And finally on the fourth day Janey gathered it to her chest and with a sigh stuffed it in her book bag.
It was time.
The early morning light warmed her cold hands as she traveled by memory the overgrown path to the big oak, her first friend and the source of faith she had in all good things.
Her tree, her protector and confidant, the constant stable source, that created love, safety and and magic. Therefore life must have love, safety and magic, too. Even though all those things had been in short supply these last few years.
She gently moved the last spray of vines and greenery away from her face and stepped into the clearing. Entering with an awe she had forgotten, her heart immediately lightened, she brushed the dust from the bench and sat softly.
Looking up she smiled and laughed out loud for the first time in almost a year.
The great limb, the one that had broken during the storm, was reattached above her. A massive gnarled scar ran across the mossy bark at the splinter point, and the limb hung at an odd angle, but it was whole, and the ends had new growth.
The only remnants of the break were a half decayed pile of small twigs and branches that had broken off and added a few inches of mulch to the spongey forest floor beneath her feet.
"I knew you would do it, if left alone. I'm so glad you were able to fix it."
She sighed and her eyes lost focus. "I'm pretty lost right now, tree. Mama is sending off to school far away, and dad... dad, doesn't want to be around me right now. I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to come back here.
"I'm so tired of crying," she whispered. "I just want to be happy again."
Snuggled on the bench made by her great-grandfather, Janey brought out the box, and set it on the seat next to her. She drew up her knees, and wrapped her arms around her shins. Looking down at the box, she traced the tree on top and smiled.
"I wrote you a letter. I'm not very good at talking you know, and I wanted to get it just right. I want to give the box back to you for safekeeping, and you can return it when you have a response for me... is that okay?"
The breeze kicked up and a flurry of leaves and grasses swirled and danced around the clearing.
Janey yawned in the mid-morning sun. The breeze was warm and fragrant with late summer flowers, and fruits from the orchard. She had worried most of the night about this moment, but now that she was here she was suddenly sleepy.
Resting her head on the curved armrest, she closed her eyes for a nap. Lulled by the music created by the wind playing the leaves, like a harpist plucking strings, she slept.
A few hours later, the sun overhead shone directly in Janey's eyes and she awoke with a start. The echo of a fallen branch clattering to ground.
"Alright.. I'm awake." Checking her watch she saw that it was past lunch and mama would be calling soon. Putting her hand out for the box, she touched nothing but air...
Startled, she looked down at the bench and gasped in shock. For, yes... the box was gone, but in its place was a gold toned pendant of a tree that was hung from a delicate matching chain.
With trembling fingers Janey reached over and picked it up.
"Oh my tree... I'll never, ever take off. This is so beautiful, thank you so much. Janey fumbled the clasp a few times but managed to fasten the small pendant around her neck.
The precious metal felt like it was meant to sit there, as she tucked it inside her blouse to sit next to her heart. Janey knew that whatever happened in the undefined space where her future lay, this gift was forever.
Amid a flood of teenage sentiment, Janey touched the trunk and spread her hands on the warm surface. "Oh tree... you have always found me, whenever I was lost. You have given me more happiness than anything else ever has. "
She sniffed, trembled, "I keep finding myself here over and over again. Even though I'm going away, I hope I see you again. Maybe there are more like you in the world. I won't ever stop trying to find you."
She stood, tall and maybe a little bit stronger. Not quite as afraid to face whatever the days ahead would bring. The secret around her neck acting as a constant reminder of what faith and love can accomplish when properly watered.
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End - Part One
A/N: Thank you all for reading. More of Janey's story will be coming in this book. I just need a bit of intermission to get my thoughts in order.
