Seventeen year-old Ellie Kincaid had always looked older
than she actually was. As flattering as her short high-lighted blonde pixie cut
was to her face, it made her look at least three years older than she actually
was. Just yesterday, Ellie had received a truly bizarre personal notification
on her Facebook page from someone who
had identified herself as “Lovely Lady Leaden.”
Her message was simple, but profound at the
same time. It said, “Look for direction in a place of wisdom that will provide
you with what you need most in your life right now.”
It was a stifling hot Saturday morning in
June when Ellie decided to begin her treasure hunt at the
bargain bin right outside of The Things of Value Bookstore on the main
thoroughfare of Destiny Town on East Lavena Drive. For Ellie, this clue sounded
like a bookstore.
Ellie saw the
old map that had been sandwiched in between two books by religious inspirational
author, Karen Kingsbury and Christian horror author, Ted Dekker. She pulled it
out, and couldn’t believe her luck in what she’d discovered on her first
mystery adventure. The map didn’t say what the treasure was, but it was within
driving distance from here just underneath an oak tree. Ellie knew exactly
where that big tree was.
Ellie got her
iPhone out to look at the picture she’d taken of the map at the bookstore as
she drove there. Once she retrieved the shovel from her car trunk (that she was
sure would be needed as is part of any good mystery). Ellie quickly (and
efficiently) dug up a deep dinner plate size hole where the map indicated. Out
of the dirt came a medium size rose-colored bottle full of small pink pills.
The ornate old-fashion
printing on the label read, “McFarland’s
Health Vitamins.” The directions on the back of the bottle said, “These
vitamins are one hundred percent guaranteed to eliminate any human illness (large
or small) that inflicts you. Take one vitamin a day for one month, and notice what
happens.”
It would not be
herself she would use the vitamins on. Ellie would give them to her paternal
grandmother (Serena). Grandma Serena and Grandpa Claude had raised her since
she was an infant.
That’s when her
parents (Lorna and Al) were involved in a horrible car accident that had taken
their lives. She was an orphan. Thank goodness for her loving grandparents, who
had raised her. Ellie was scared because Grandma Serena was going to die in the
near future. Her rare form of cancer was spreading quickly throughout her
entire body. Ellie had nothing to lose at this point in helping her.
Ellie grabbed
the bottle, and took them home to her bald, sickly grandmother, who listened to
her story before agreeing to take the pills for a trial period of a month
(after reading the dosing instructions). Within the next thirty days, Serena Kincaid’s
transformation was nothing short of miraculous.
According to her
doctor, CAT scans indicated the cancer had disappeared from all areas of her
body. Grandma Serena’s color, hair, and strength were all back in abundant
amounts. She had once again become the person everyone remembered prior to the
cancer.
Ellie worried if
Grandma Serena’s cancer would return once the pills ran out. She’d looked on
the Internet to order more, but that search came up empty. Ellie guessed
Grandma Serena’s life was now all in the hands of the Heavenly Father. [i]
[i] This original piece was written for a writing contest with www.writing.com that I decided not to enter.
The piece had to be fewer than 2000 words. (Mine was approximately 613 words) When
I discovered there was a required membership fee for joining the premium side of www.writing.com (if I wanted to enter the
writing contest), I decided against it and wanted to let my blog family enjoy
it my writing creativity instead.
The story was inspired
by a picture of a short-haired blonde female (young adult) reading some kind of
map in front of an outdoor bookstand, which I could not copy for you to see. If you wish, you
may go to the link below to see the writing prompt picture. https://www.writing.com/main/handler/first_in/1/item_id/1221635-Short-Shots-Official-WDC-Contest
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