Also by J. Z. Colby:
Ariel’s Grove
Standing on Your Own Two Feet:
Young Adults Surviving 2012 and Beyond
Book One of J. Z. Colby’s original Lyceum story
by
J. Z. Colby
Copyright © 1995 by J. Z. Colby
All rights reserved, but freely distributable as this PDF file with attribution, without charge, in its entirety Cover art by J. Z. Colby
LYCEUM1EA23: Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), 8.25” x 11” (printable on letter or A4 paper), 489 total pages, medium print (12-point Georgia type) This special PDF edition has no ISBN.
For “Liberty”
who loved horses almost as much as boys.
For “Ashley”
whose landings were as light as a feather, but who never found the training she wanted.
For “Shawn”
who was born in the wrong century,
and whose love for Sarah was never known.
For “Sarah”
who took refuge in her music
for as long as she could.
Contents
1 A Twist of Fate ................................................................... 1
2 A Dream Come True ........................................................20
3 Against a Brick Wall ........................................................34
4 Fragile
Contact.................................................................38
5 The Beat of a Distant Drummer ......................................42
6 A Glimmer of Hope..........................................................56
7 Many
Questions...............................................................66
8 Perseverance
Rewarded ..................................................68
9 A Taste of Bitter Realities................................................ 76
10 Thoughtful Questions...................................................... 81
11 The Large Blue Envelope.................................................84
12 Serious Questions ............................................................90
13 A Journey of Discovery.................................................... 91
14 A Foot in the Door ......................................................... 103
15 But What Would I Do? .................................................. 123
16 Getting a Little Too Comfortable .................................. 134
17 Crossed Fingers and a Catalog ...................................... 143
18 A Winter Wonderland ................................................... 149
19 The Double-Edged Sword ............................................. 156
20 Breakthrough................................................................. 168
21 More Answers, More Questions .....................................171
22 The Stars Teach Me to Play ............................................175
23 A Growing Understanding............................................. 183
24 A Springtime Full of Hope............................................. 186
25 Special Olympics, Special Feelings ............................... 197
26 The Lucky One............................................................... 216
27 Behind the Scenes..........................................................228
28 Coffee and Cinnamon Rolls...........................................238
29 Regrets and Strawberries ..............................................253
30 Time for a Change..........................................................266
31 An Assignment and a Problem...................................... 281
32 Unexpected Successes ................................................... 291
33 A Badly Needed Lift.......................................................304
34 Welcome Interlude ........................................................ 313
35 The Big Apple.................................................................324
36 A New Language ............................................................346
37 New Words, New Insights ............................................. 357
38 Burning the Candle at Both Ends..................................370
39 A Second Chance ...........................................................394
40 Dwindling Numbers, Growing Understandings ........... 415
41 Values Clarification .......................................................439
42 The End of the Process ..................................................459
43 The Long-Awaited Decision .......................................... 473
“The crystal grows slowly, deep inside the Earth, adding to its substance molecule by molecule. Our gifts and skills slowly grow inside us, experience by experience, decision by decision.”
— Brother Timoteo
