Wonderful people throughout the author’s life provided unique and irreplaceable lessons and inspirations:
Juniper
Russell
Esther
Smith
Vicky Ball
Dottie Frisbie
Linda
Dezzutti Martha
Higgins
Jennifer Carolyn Gates
Susanne Koller
Rachael
Bleich Charleen
Cox
Paula Wells
Meredith Herzog
Sarah
Satterthwaite
Patricia
Sharp
Ashley
Riddle Peter
James
Antonya Pickard
Valuable readers gave the author feedback after digging through early drafts of the book:
Karen
Oster
Cecelia
Harper
Excellent critiquers commented on thousands of passages, then provided reactions during in-depth interviews:
Sidney Oster, 13
Dylan Oster, 14
Catherine “Cat” Harper, 15
Joshua Utter, 18
Alex Chalcraft
Careful publishing assistants, proofreaders, and technical helpers brought the final manuscript as close to perfection as possible: Cecelia Harper
Contents
1 The Education Service....................................................... 1
2 Advanced
Training ............................................................4
3 Another
Try........................................................................6
4 New
Insights .................................................................... 10
5 The Imperfect Solution.................................................... 13
6 Day of Rest....................................................................... 19
7 Witnesses .........................................................................23
8 No Longer Alone.............................................................. 27
9 Raison
d’être ....................................................................34
10 Listening Lessons ............................................................39
11 The Thinking Place ..........................................................44
12 Leaving Home..................................................................50
13 Spookville.........................................................................56
14 The Haunted Lodge .........................................................65
15 Westron.............................................................................71
16 Judgment Day.................................................................. 75
17 Similand...........................................................................83
18 Olde Towne......................................................................89
19 Machineland ....................................................................92
20 Castleland ........................................................................95
21 Forestland........................................................................98
22 Thrills............................................................................. 102
23 The Monkey-Mammal Cage .......................................... 107
24 Critter-Proof .................................................................. 110
25 No Equipment Needed ...................................................116
26 Water, Water Everywhere ..............................................121
27 Rini’s Investigation........................................................ 126
28 Moving Day.................................................................... 130
29 Changes.......................................................................... 137
30 Ghosts ............................................................................ 140
31 The Eagles Nest ............................................................. 144
32 A New Perspective ..........................................................151
33 Plea................................................................................. 154
34 Kibi’s Ghosts ...................................................................161
35 Badly-Needed Help ....................................................... 166
36 First Transport............................................................... 172
37 The Wilderness Outside .................................................175
38 A Recurring Dream........................................................ 183
39 It’s Back.......................................................................... 186
40 The Biggest Decision ..................................................... 192
41 Freedom......................................................................... 194
42 The Work of the Living.................................................. 196
43 Essays............................................................................ 200
44 The Celebration Begins .................................................203
45 Planetary Prince and Princess.......................................209
46 Heading Home............................................................... 215
The Magic Needle................................................................ 219
“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”
— Richard Bach
