By Dawn Antonis

Copyrighted

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ISBN #: 978-1-300-09902-4

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Book Title: Beaverland

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The spring day was warmer than most, but the sky was grey and cloudy. Jessica Chapman, wildlife advocate and environmentalist, stood on a grassy hill, wearing worn jeans and a light faded jacket. Her blonde hair, pulled back in a pony tail, was blowing in the breeze. She held her binoculars up to her eyes, and panned the landscape, looking for something, searching carefully. Back and forth, again and again, looking.

“Jessica, you better stop searching for those beavers. We’ve got bigger problems,” said Scott, her boyfriend and work associate, as he pointed down the road. Driving towards them was a small jeep, loaded with business people in suits and driving very quickly.

“Well, OK,” said Jessica. “They are here now, so let’s get this show on the road.”

The jeep pulled over once it got close enough to where Jessica and Scott were standing. Three of the suits stayed in the car, and one came running over to them.

“Ms. Chapman,” he started. “You have to vacate this land. We have an injunction, you see, and we fully intend…”

Jessica cut him off.

“Intend? Let me tell you about intentions. I intend to prevent you from putting up lousy condos in this beautiful countryside. I intend to prevent the harm of the animals who live here, and I fully intend to protect the large beaver population and their dams.” She marched towards him as she spoke, her voice getting louder and louder as she walked. “So, Mr. Suit wearing lawyer guy, tell your judge that I intend to call every newspaper in the country and report on how your company is killing innocent beavers just to make a profit. Once that gets out, see how much money you make. “ She started to turn around, and then she stopped, looked at the lawyer right in the eyes, and said, “Now get outta my wetlands, before your rotten smell kills all the flowers.”

The man in the suit didn’t know what to say. He just stood there.

Scott raced over, to try to calm down the situation.

“Ms. Chapman,” the lawyer asked, “why are these beavers so important to you anyway?”

Jessica Chapman grew very quiet, and her eyes got that very faraway look that people get when they think about something from their past. And she remembered about that time, when the beavers became her friends, so very long ago.

Chapter 1:

It was a very cold winter already. It wasn’t even Christmas, and the Chapman family had already seen three snow storms. But that was okay for Jessica Chapman, because it meant there had been three school closings. And as any 12 year old would know, a school closing is always a good thing.

Thanksgiving had just passed, and the Chapman family was getting ready for Christmas. The newly fallen snow had created a warm, holiday feeling. Outside, the snow made everything clean and white, and the air was crisp, clean and cold. Inside, it was warm, safe and smelled of cinnamon. Jessica knew that pretty soon, they would be decorating the house, and making the famous Christmas cookies. Jessica also knew that this was the perfect time to start dropping hints about what she wanted for her Christmas presents.

Jessica Chapman lived with her family in a large white farmhouse, just outside of town, in Middletown, Indiana. She was a typical, happy 12 year old. Very smart, funny, and sometimes lazy. She was small for her age, but strong, feisty and healthy. She was a pretty girl, with bright, cornflower blue eyes, and her mother’s wavy blonde hair. Her parents, who had been born and raised in the city, came out to this area on vacation. They fell in love with it, and when the farmhouse one day became available, they bought it. Jessica lived there, in their cozy home, with her Mother, Father, two older brothers, Chip and Brad, and a younger sister, Gwen. The family had a dog, and two cats, and it was a surprisingly peaceful home. Well, usually. Sometimes, the dog got out, and chased the cats into the neighbors duck pond. And once, her older brothers tied their youngest sister to the clothes line, to see who could hit her the most times with snowballs. And boy, were they grounded a lot for that one! But all in all, the Chapman home was a happy home, and Jessica Chapman was a very bright and happy young girl. Who always knew how to get what she wanted.

One morning, over breakfast, Jessica began her well planned out Christmas gift hinting system. Last year, she had subtly hinted for weeks that she really really needed that new video game about dogs, the Labrador Retriever one, because, why, they themselves had a Labrador Retriever named Rosie. And if she had a game about it, she would become a better dog trainer, and take care of Rosie and teach her tricks and everything. And, last year it worked, because she definitely got that video game about dogs for Christmas, and played it so much that she occasionally forgot to take Rosie out for her nightly walk. Well, only occasionally.

So, as her mother was flipping the flapjacks, Jessica began.

“Good Morning, Mom,” sang Jessica in a very happy way.

“Well, good morning, Sunshine!,” said her Mom. “You seem in a very good mood today.”

“Oh, I am,” said Jessica. “Just look outside. It’s a beautiful day, and our lake is starting to freeze over! In just a few weeks, it would be good to skate on. Well, for, you know. Kids with ice skates.” Jessica said that last part especially sadly, and the expression on her face went from very happy to very sad. She only glanced up for a Moment to see if her Mom was watching. She wasn’t. So, Jessica started again.

“You know, I read that Nancy Kerrigan started ice skating when she was just 5 years old. Boy, isn’t that amazing?” Again, a glance, and again, her Mom wasn’t watching her.

As she turned the bacon that was sizzling in the pan next to the flapjacks, her mother said, “Jess, honey, did you finish that report that was due today?”

What? Jessica thought. She wasn’t even listening to anything I said! Report? What report?

“Oh, yes, Mom, I finished it last night!,” Jessica said. Whew, good save. She did finish the report alright, but she really needed to get this conversation back on track. “So, Mom, what do you think about Nancy Kerringan?”

“Oh, I love her, she’s a very pretty ice skater. Why do you ask?”

“No reason. I just noticed that the lake was almost ready for skating, you know, if someone were to actually want to ice skate on it. If someone was to, you know, it’s almost ready.”

“Well,” said Mom, “you know, that lake has a long way to go before it’s frozen solid. It’s very dangerous to skate on lakes, until you know for sure that it’s frozen completely through. Otherwise, a little girl on ice skates could fall right through. I guess it’s good that you don’t own ice skates, now isn’t it?”

From where Jessica was seeing things, this conversation sure was a disaster. Oh, well, there was still plenty of time before Christmas. At least this was a start!

The next few weeks buzzed by, and as Jessica had expected, the fun, special activities that were only reserved for Christmastime were happening all around her. As her parents drove her home from her after school activities, it was dark, so you could see all the houses in town lit up and glowing. They were so beautiful, and Jessica couldn’t understand why they were only decorated one time a year. Why not decorate the houses all year round? They looked so beautiful! Oh, well, she thought. Grown ups probably have their reasons why not.

The weekend was approaching, and Jessica’s mother had told her that it would be cookie baking day. She also had told her it was her last chance at a Christmas wish list, so she had better have it all completed by the weekend. And Jessica knew what that meant. She’d better take the time to write out that wish list, or end up with last years Barbie’s – so uncool! She wrote out her list, and it was pretty simple:

5) No new dolls!

4) No new clothes!

3) New version of video game about dogs!

2) Ice Skating Lessons

1) Ice Skates! Size 10, classic white.

There it was. The most perfect Christmas wish list ever! She made sure to give it to her Mom, well before the imposed deadline.

While they were making cookies, Jessica tried to bring up the skates again.

“So, Mom,” she started.

“Yes, Jess?”

“Well, I was just wondering. Did you read my wish list yet?”

“Oh, your list, um, I don’t know. I am sure I put it around here somewhere.,” Mom replied, with a little grin, hidden from Jessica.

“What?? You lost my wish list??” Jessica was astounded. This couldn’t be happening. “Mom, are you kidding me?”

“Well, sweetheart, I mean, I am sorry. But I am really sure it will turn up. Can you pass the butter, please?” Her Mom had to hide her face behind the bag of flour so that Jessica couldn’t see her laughing silently.

“Butter? Butter?” Jessica was so shocked, that’s all she could say. She walked out of the kitchen, leaving her mother to bake the cookies all by herself. She walked slowly up the stairs to her bedroom, shaking her head, and mumbling “She lost the list. She lost the list.”

After that horrible day, Jessica thought it best to not bring up Ice Skating or Christmas gifts again. She kept it to herself which was actually pretty easy. She was so busy with the Christmas activities. The Christmas pageant, not to mention the shopping! The weeks flew past, quicker and quicker, until suddenly, it was Christmas Eve.

On Christmas eve, there was a special, blue sparkly color in the dark night sky. And although it was very cold out, it was lovely, and the air smelled of pine and snow. As it was tradition in the Chapman family, Christmas Eve was pretty low key and quiet. Jessica and her Mom prepared a very nice ham dinner. The family went to as special children’s Christmas Eve Mass at their church, where they acted out the Nativity live, and had real live animals, too. It was one of Jessica’s favorite events. Afterwards, they went home, and by that time, the ham was roasted to perfection. When they walked into the house from the crisp, cold air, they could practically taste the sweet ham as the scent wafted through the air.

Then, they ate. They all ate together, happily and gleefully.

They sang Christmas carols around the tree, until finally it was time to go to sleep. Of course, none of the Chapman children ever actually wanted to go to sleep. But they all eventually did.

And then just like that, it was Christmas morning!

The normal calmness of the Chapman household turned into utter, joyous chaos! The children all awoke earlier than usual, before Mom and Dad even. They were banging at the door to their parents room, “Mom and Dad, it’s Christmas! Get up, get up!!”

Mom and Dad Chapman rose, slowly but happily, to the noise outside of their rooms.

Soon, the whole family, dressed in pajamas and robes, was gathered around the tree. Although Christmas Carols played in the background, the sounds that were actually heard where of paper being ripped off packages, and squeals of delight. One present was barely opened, oohed and ahhed at for approximately 5 seconds, then it was tossed to the side and it was on to the next package. The entire process of making lists, picking out just the right gift for your family members, shopping, wrapping, and hiding the gifts, took months. And it was all over in just a few, crazy, joyous minutes.

Most of the gifts had been opened already. Jessica's sister, Gwen, had gotten a very pretty doll that looked just like her, and lots of clothes for it. Her brothers had received some sort of athletic equipment that she didn’t recognize, but seemed to thrill them. Jessica herself had gotten that very cool MP3 player she’d secretly admired – well, maybe not so secretly. She was starting to worry, because none of the gifts left were the size of a pair of skates. And that was the one thing that she had really, really wanted. She reached for the next gift under the tree, and saw that it was rather strangely shaped. She opened is slowly at first, and then faster. Once she saw the white leather, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest! It was one skate. The pair of skates had been split up and had been cleverly wrapped. As she frantically scanned under the tree for the second skate, she nearly knocked her little sister over.

She finally found it, unwrapped it, and when she put them on, her feet seemed to glow! They were so beautiful. They were brand new, white leather skates. The blades were gold, and she felt just like Nancy Kerrigan. She closed her eyes, and could see herself… skating along the ice, skimming the surface, gracefully and athletically. She could even imagine the color skating costume she was wearing, a beautiful blue with tons of sparkles. And most of all, she could see herself smiling.

Her mother allowed her to keep the skates on with the blade guard on, and as long as she only wore them in the kitchen. Later, she would have to put them in the new carrying case that she later also opened. But she didn’t ever want to take her new skates off! She helped her mother prepare Christmas breakfast, leftover ham, fresh eggs, toast and juice, and ate breakfast, all while wearing the skates. She was about as happy as a kid could be. Until, of course, someone had to go and ruin it. Chip. Naturally, it would be Chip.

“So, Jess. Ya like them skates, huh?” He was smirking, that amused little smirk when he is up to no good.

“Yes, of course… why?” Jessica asked suspiciously.

“Well, you know, it’s gonna be a long time before that pond is frozen good enough to skate on.” He nodded his head towards the direction of the pond. It was just at the edge of their property. “Besides, the blades on new skates always need to be sharpened before you can use them.”

“The pond is frozen,” claimed Jessica.

“Not enough for skating,” said Chip. Again, with that smirk.

“Jess, honey, unfortunately, Chip is right.,” her father chimed in. “You know as well as I do that the pond may look frozen solid, but it’s really not frozen all the way through. Just the top.”

“Well, I am little. I think it’s strong enough to hold me.,” Jessica countered.

”Jess, look at me.” Mom said. This was her very serious tone, not to be ignored. Everyone looked up at her, not just Jessica. “Jessica, you are not to go anywhere near that pond, do you hear me?”

Jessica looked down and nodded.

“Jess, I mean it. Your father and Chip are right. But honey, there is plenty of winter left. Trust me, you’ll get lots of time on those skates. OK? Promise?”

Jessica looked up at her Mom, straight in the eye, and said, “Yes, Mom.”

That darn Chip.

The rest of Christmas day passed happily. Jessica finally took her skates off so they could go and visit her Aunt Millie for turkey dinner. And when they finally did arrive home, it was so late, and she was so tired, she could barely carry her skates to her room. But she did, and they laid on her bed right beside her while she slept. And while she slept, she dreamt of skating, and the blue sparkly costume.

Chapter 2

In the morning, she awoke in a very happy mood. She put her skates on, just to try them on again. She looked out her window, across the lawn, to the pond. The pond shimmered and glowed in the distance, with the early morning sun shining on it. It sure did look frozen to her. But of course, her parents were probably right. Probably.

She began to get dressed, and ignore the pond. But it was irresistible. The pond kept calling her, “Jessica, come skate on me!”… She kept ignoring it, and it kept nagging at her. Then, she had a brilliant spark of an idea! What if she just put on the skates, you know, to break them in, and then just walked over to the pond. Just to sort of stand at the edges, where it must be iced through and through by now. So, quietly, Jessica dressed, and as quickly as she could, without even waking the dog, snuck out side.

She was amused as she walked on her skates in the snow, at the funny little single line tracks she made. As she took a deep breath in, she admired the beauty of the morning. She let out a deep exhale, and her breath was frosty in the clear sky. She walked closer and closer to the pond, and as she did, her excitement levels grew.

Finally, she reached the pond. She took one small step, sort the way she dips her toe in the pond in the summer to see if it’s too cold to go into. But she felt under her foot the smooth solid ice, instead of the soft warm summer water. “Feels solid, I guess,” she said out loud to no one. Shakily, she put all of her weight onto the foot that was already gingerly on the ice. And to her surprise, she stood. Then, she put her second foot down as well, and there she was, still standing. She felt so proud! She began to shimmy her legs in a strange sort of pattern, somewhere in between skating and walking. She imagined that if her brothers were watching from the house, that they would be laughing their heads off at how funny she must look. She imagined that she looked like a penguin. The ice below her skates felt strong, and her confidence began to grow. She began to skate around the very edges of the pond, where she knew the ice was completely frozen. As she skated, she began to feel more relaxed. She then began to move her legs more in a skating motion, pushing off with her toe-pick. The feeling of the wind through her long wavy hair was pure exhilaration, and she loved every second of skating. Without paying attention, Jessica began to move closer and closer to the center of the ice. She was having such fun, she didn’t even notice the cracking sound the ice made when it began to give way.

She felt like she was flying, so very happy. It was like she was breathing in joy with every breath of fresh icy winter air. She was floating. The cracking underneath her had been so gradual she didn’t hear or see any sign of danger. Then gradually turned to suddenly. Suddenly, without warning, her body crashed through the ice. She heard a sound like a giant truck hitting a glass store front, very loud and in her ears. She heard the sound of someone screaming, and as it turns out, it was her. Then, she felt it, the piercing ice cold of the water, she was surrounding by freezing, rushing water all around her. She was in such shock, she didn’t move, she didn’t know what to do. She struggled, tried to swim to the ice, but still, she couldn’t move. The current of the water, and the icy cold, kept her frozen. She looked up, and saw the hole from which she fell. And then a Moment later, the hole was gone. The water current pulled her down stream so very quickly. She was suddenly not cold any more, she felt nothing but fear. She had held her breath when she fell through the ice, and now, she felt her lungs pounding. She needed to breathe, but there was no air. She felt terrified, and thought that she might die. She thought of her mother, and of her father’s last words to her, “the pond may look frozen solid, but it’s really not frozen all the way.” She new she should have listened, and she was so sorry. So very sorry. She thought about how beautiful Christmas had been, and how sad her family would be now. Then, everything went dark, and she felt nothing at all.

Chapter 3:

At 7:00 am, Jessica’s mother rose. It was a normal day, the day after Christmas. She knew that she would have to get up, make breakfast for the family, and then begin planning her day. She looked over at her husband, still asleep, and she smiled. She leaned over, and brushed the mess of brown hair from his eyes, and kissed him gently on the forehead. She swung her feet out of the comfortable, warm bed, and onto the cool hardwood floor. She gazed around her bedroom, and thought how cozy and warm it felt. She scanned the framed photos on her dresser, of her children, her parents, her in-laws, and smiled a warm comforted smile that comes from knowing that one has peace of mind. She new she was a very lucky woman, and was very proud of all that she had. She slowly put her slippers on, got up, and wrapped herself in her thick, raspberry, terry cloth bathrobe. Her new robe, that had been given to her only yesterday morning, but felt as comforting as though she’d worn it her whole life.

She walked into the kitchen, and started the coffee. As she walked around the house, she saw the remnants of Christmas day all around her. The boxes, the wrapping paper, the leftovers, all things to yet find a home, and a place in the family. Soon to be used, soon to be critical. Like the new garlic peeler in her stocking, and the new ice skates for Jessica. She smiled as she recalled the pure glee on Jessica’s face yesterday. Her daughter had been so happy, and that made her feel all warm inside.

She began to turn the lights on in the house, as was part of her morning routine. First the coffee, then the lights, then the rounds. The rounds of going from room to room, gently waking the children. At this point, she heard the shower go on, and knew her husband was awake.

Normal. Very day-after-Christmas normal. She began to walk back up the stairs, to wake the children. Sometimes, she didn’t wake them right away. Sometimes, she waited until the coffee was brewed, and sat out on the porch, all alone, sipping her coffee, and waking up all alone, enjoying the peaceful, quiet Moment. It rarely lasted long, and today, the stirrings of the holiday were still in her. So she skipped that private ritual, and instead went to wake the children while the coffee was brewing. As she got halfway up the stairs, she felt a strange, pang, in her heart. Very sudden and quick. It was alarming, and then, just like that, it was gone. She figured it was nothing, since it had come and gone so quickly. She got to the top of the stairs, and woke the boys first. She was met with their morning grunts and groans. Then, she went to Jessie’s room.

At first, she thought Jessica was soundly sleeping. And then, as she got closer to the bed in the early winter morning light, she saw that Jess was already up. ‘Hmm, strange,” she thought. And then remembered how Jessie was always so excited about her presents for either her birthday or Christmas, that she was probably already downstairs, bowl of cereal on her lap, playing her newest video game, and listening to her ipody thing. So, her Mom quickly turned, and went back downstairs. Into the family room, and stood alone in the darkness. ‘Where could she be?’ she wondered. She walked back up stairs, and looked in on the boys. They were slowly rising. Then, she went into Gwen’s room. She thought that perhaps Jessica had gone into her sister’s room for some reason. Gwen was there, and Mom watched the slow, steady rhythm of her breathing, her chest rising up and going down. But no Jessica. Now, the tiniest little bit of worry started to creep into her brain.

She walked down the hall, and her husband was just getting out of the shower. “Coffee ready?” he mumbled. “No,” replied Mom, then added with a concerned look, “Have you seen Jess?” Dad just looked up while drying his hair with a towel, with a puzzled expression.

The two went back into Jessica’s room to search for an explanation. The worry expanded every so slightly in Mom’s brain.

There was nothing out of ordinary. Nothing out of place. And then, there on the floor. There it was. When Mom saw it, she couldn’t speak, she could only point. She raised her arm slowly, and pointed directly at the empty carrying case, without ice skates, on the floor near Jessica’s bed.

In an instant, Mom and Dad had called the police, and were outside. When they hadn’t seen her from the house on the pond, they had panicked. A few minutes later, there were adults everywhere, surrounding the pond. There was nothing on the ice. Only a large, cracking hole, with lines extending from it in all directions, like a swiggly sun.

The other Chapman children were told to stay in the house, and they did. A neighbor came over to stay with them as they watched helplessly from a window.

They saw all the grown-ups, they saw all the confusion. They saw all the lights from the ambulance and fire truck. They saw Mom and Dad, and it looked like they were holding each other up.

Chapter 4:

Jessica woke up, feeling very groggy and confused. Her head hurt, and her vision was blurry. She felt a coldness she had never felt before. Her body was achy, and her lungs ached when she breathed. When she opened her eyes, she saw above her a brown wall of sticks. It seemed only a few feet from her head, and she didn’t think she could get up without hitting her head. Jess felt as though she must be dreaming, that this couldn’t be real. Where was she? She rolled her head to the right, and saw a large round room, filled with what looked like sticks, branches and leaves. Walls and walls of it. And a huge open space inside. Tucked over in the side of the round room, furthest away from Jessica, she spotted two large brown and furry animals. They were larger than raccoons, but all brown. With very large teeth. Just sitting there, sort of watching her. “Beavers,” Jessica realized. “They are beavers.”

“You are beavers,” Jessica said to the beavers, “and this must be your lodge.” And there they stayed, on the other side of the room with their warm, bright and inquisitive eyes, sharply on Jessica. She took a deep breath, and tried to sit up. But it didn’t work, because she was too dizzy. Again, she felt she must be dreaming. She laid back down. And then, the most amazing thing happened. Very slowly, one of the beavers came waddling over towards her. Jess stayed very still, because she didn’t want to scare the beaver… and also, because she was kind of scared herself!

As she looked more closely, she saw the two gentle looking animals had small rounded ears, large orangey/yellow teeth, and a large flat, scaly tail. When the beaver got close to Jess, it just sort of looked at her. Jess noticed it was the bigger of the two, so she figured he was the male. “Hello, Mr. Beaver,” she said. And to her surprise, Mr. Beaver smiled at her. As clear as day, he smiled. And then, even more amazingly, he held out a branch to her. As she looked more closely at it, she saw it was really bark from a tree. She moved slowly to take it from him, and was surprised to see how gentle he was towards her. She sat there with a piece of tree bark in her hand, and didn’t quite know what to do with it. “Um, thank you?” she said. Then, she glanced over at Mrs. Beaver, and saw her hold up her piece of bark, and begin to eat it. “Gosh, are you are feeding me?” she asked in wonderment. She was amazed, and began to nibble at the bark. She was hungry after all, and she didn’t want to be rude. She thought, yuck, bark? But then she tasted it, and realized it sort of tasted like root beer! It wasn’t so bad after all, just really really hard to chew. So she took her time, and ate the bark. Mr. Beaver walked back over to Mrs. Beaver, and they again, looked like they were holding hands. This time, it was Mrs. Beaver who attended to Jess. Mrs. Beaver walked over to a little section of the lodge, where the ground was lower than the rest of it. In the bottom of the floor, water had collected. And Mrs. Beaver, went there to take a sip. She did it very slowly, as though she was teaching Jessica how to drink the water.

Again, not to be impolite, and because the bark did make her thirsty, Jessica tried again to get up, to go over to the water. This time, she was able to rise. She couldn’t walk, as the ceiling was too low, so she walked on her knees. And then she leaned over, and drank a sip of water from the little beaver water cooler. “Oooh, yummie! So cool.” As she drank, she noticed the water never drained out of the little beaver sink. It seemed to fill automatically from the bottom. “Pretty impressive,” thought Jessica.

She went back over to her section, and closed her eyes. Again, she felt tired. She also felt a strange sense of calm and peace, as though she knew she was safe here with the beavers, in this comfortable lodge.

These beavers were much more human like than Jessica could have ever imagined. Over the next few days, she would watch them, and they would watch her. And they would become friends.

Chapter 5:

In the middle of the night, Jessica woke up, and thought she was still dreaming. She had a light headed feeling, and was very confused. She opened her eyes slowly. She blinked a few times, and rubbed her eyes. Was she asleep? Where was she? She looked around, and only saw that same small dark room that she remembered from earlier. She looked at her hands, and saw that she only had one glove on. She felt warm, and was surprised by that.

“I must be dreaming,” she said. So she closed her eyes, and tried to go back to sleep. Maybe then, she thought, she’d wake up in her own room this time.

A few minute later, she awoke again in this strange place, feeling foggy. And again, she opened her eyes. She knew this time, though, she was awake. And she remembered about the beavers. She tried to stand up, and remembered the ceiling to this room was only a few feet high, and she had to crouch. She looked at the walls, and touched them with her hand. She saw that they were delicately woven together, what looked like millions of sticks, twigs and branches. “What the…?,” she said aloud to no one.

There, in the middle of the night, Jessica was feeling very confused. The near total darkness didn’t help either. She rolled around, and sat up. Surprisingly, she could sit upright, and not touch the top of the lodge with her head. Her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and in the night, she got another look at the inside of the lodge. It was round, and very large. She noticed that the inside walls of the lodge were smoother than the ceiling, that the sticks and reeds were even and organized. She saw that the home of the beavers was very clean, and in fact, seemed quite tidy. It surprised her that the space was as large as it was, and that it seemed to be sectioned off – a place to eat, a place to sleep, and a living area. It was just like her house, she thought to herself. Her house. The thought of it made Jess’ heart sink.

‘Mom and Dad must be so worried about me’, she thought. She laid her head back down on the makeshift bed that she was sleeping on. She noticed it was a neat pile of straw and leaves, and thought that the beavers must have made it for her.

She thought of her home, and her family, and her own bed. She closed her eyes tight, and imagined that she was back home in her bed, in the nice white room, with the white washed furniture. She could picture it all in her head, and she could feel the soft pillows and comforter. She could smell the lilac scent of her sheets. She felt safe and warm, and then once again, Jess fell asleep.

The sun coming through the branches and leaves in the lodge woke her up. She sat up again, and still felt dizzy. She looked around, and saw no beavers this morning. “They must be out getting breakfast,” she said to no one. She smiled, and in the morning light, could see more of the lodge than she could at night.

She saw that it was much larger than she had thought in the darkness. It appeared to have several rooms, and she could see what appeared to be little tunnels that went into different areas. She looked at the ceiling, and figured that she might even be able to stand. So she tried to stand, and realized that she could only stand if she hunched her head down, and sort of crouched. But it was ok, she could still walk around in it a bit. She felt better than she had before, and actually even started to feel hungry and thirsty. That is when she noticed what she began to call the kitchen. It was the little area in the main part of the lodge, where the beavers kept what appeared to be their supply of food. Lots of smaller twigs and branches, of what looked to Jess to be a lot of different varieties. As she crouched and waddled her way over to the kitchen, she noticed some berries, radishes and carrots. She was surprised because she didn’t think beavers ate them, and decided that since she was hungry she would try them. She ate the few vegetables, and they made her feel much better. Now, she was thirsty.

She continued to make her way around the lodge, and then she remembered that in the far corner, opposite where she had been sleeping, where the floor dipped way down, was where Mrs. Beaver had shown her the water. It was amazing to her, and as she got closer to it, she realized that the floor dropped all the way down into the lake! ‘Not only is it where the beavers get their water, but it must also be how they get in and out of the lodge,’ she thought. She was quite proud of her deduction, and put her hand into the water and felt for the first time, how freezing cold it was! She hurried, and scooped some out, because she was thirsty, but next time, she’d have to find some sort of cup or something. ‘Man, how do those little animals swim in that cold cold water!’ she wondered.

And that made her wonder some more.

‘How did I swim in that cold cold water’, she asked out loud to no one.

But Jessica didn’t remember swimming. She just remembered skating, and then the ice cracking, and then waking up here, in this place.

“So, how did I get here?” she asked, again, to know one.

Chapter 6:

It was dark and cold in the Chapman house. Almost 2 days since Jess fell through the ice, her family was still in shock. The police had stayed around for a long time, and the divers searched for a full day. They found nothing. They thought that they would find Jess, deep in the center of the pond, frozen. But they didn’t. In fact, they found no trace of her. It was strange, because the tiny streams and brooks that flowed to and from the pond didn’t seem wide enough to carry a body as large as Jessica’s. And so, she should still be in the pond. But no sign of her at all.

Her Mom and dad were numb. They walked around saying very little, and looking sad, tired and pale. The Chapman boys, who were old enough to understand the tragedy, also looked like they were in a state of shock. Gwen, who was too little to fully understand, was puzzled more than anything else. Puzzled, and missing Jess, and wishing she was home.

At night, Mrs. Chapman couldn’t sleep. She would try to go to bed with her husband, but instead would toss and turn. Then, she would get up and softly, quietly, and almost without even realizing it, make her way into Jess’ bedroom. She would walk around, looking at all the photos and posters, and would gently and lovingly pass her fingers over Jess’ prized possessions. She saw the life that Jess was leading, all there in that room. The photo of Jess and her best friend Barb, taken at the photo booth in the Middletown County Mall, a few miles away. Tucked in the frame of the mirror, was a photo of Jesse McCartney, torn from a teen magazine, with a little heart next to him, in pink pen, in Jess’ handwriting. Below that, a blue ribbon, from a pie baking contest 2 years earlier. Yes, all this was the life of Jess, for her beautiful 12 years, her golden happy life. “Not over yet….,” she whispered to herself. “Her life can’t be over yet. It’s only just begun.” A tear fell from her welled up eye, and trickled down her chin.

As Mrs. Chapman wandered around Jessica’s room, she felt as though she were in a daze. She felt a sadness deeper than anything she had ever felt in her life.

She sat on the edge of Jessica’s bed, and sat there staring at nothing. She clutched Jessica’s pillow, and sniffed it, and it had the warm comforting scent of Jessica.

At some point in the night, she fell asleep. When the sun came up, she woke up and found herself in Jessica’s bed. Not wanting her family to see what she was doing, she quickly ran from Jessica’s room, and jumped into the shower to wake herself up. After the shower, she went down to the kitchen, and started a pot of coffee. The warm delicious fragrance woke up her husband, and in a few minutes, he joined her down in the kitchen.

The two of them sat, drinking their coffee, saying nothing. Just leaning into each other. They knew that they always had each other no matter what. They had always been there for each other. When Mrs. Chapman lost her mother, it was all she could do to get out of bed in the morning. Mr. Chapman took over, got the kids ready in the morning, and made sure everything flowed in the Chapman home. When Mr. Chapman lost his job, Mrs. Chapman was always supportive, telling him the money didn’t matter, and that everything would be ok. And you know what? It was. It always was. But nothing had ever happened to them as bad as this. They both wondered how they would survive. Mrs. Chapman put her head on Mr. Chapman’s shoulder, and out of instinct and love, he gently petted her silky blonde hair.

Mrs. Chapman abruptly sat straight up.

“Brian,” she began, “I know this is a horrible situation, but I feel right now, that the best thing to do is to do what’s best for the rest of the kids.”

She looked at him directly in the eye.

“What do you mean?,” he asked.

“Well, I mean, I know I want to mope around and cry. All I want to do is sleep, and I can’t even do that. But I mean, I am thinking about it, and how good can that be for the kids to see? I think we need to get things back on track here quickly, for their sakes. Get them back in school. Get things normal.”

“But Beth. Things aren’t normal. Things won’t be normal again. I think the kids are like us, in a state of shock. And I think they need time.”

“Time for what? Things aren’t changing back to the way they were..” Mrs. Chapman leaned back into her chair, staring at the wood floor beneath her feet. “Things will never be the same again. I want the children to…. to….. well, I don’t know, try to keep on living their lives. I am sending them to school today.”

“But, Beth,” he said again. “We’ve not even had a fun….” His words broke off, he couldn’t even say it. He just looked at his wife, and she looked back at him. He started to cry, and she couldn’t bear to watch it. She turned away, and he got up and walked away.

Alone in the kitchen, Beth Chapman sipped her coffee.

Chapter 7:

A few days had passed, with Jessica sleeping on and off for most of it. One morning, Jessica awoke feeling good. She had a few solid hours of sleep the night before, and her mood was upbeat.

Jessica saw the beavers on the other side of the lodge. “Well, hello…” Jess whispered softly to them. She smiled as she sat up and leaned towards their direction. “Good Morning, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver.”

“So, if you are beavers, and this is your lodge,” she slowly said. “Where, exactly, is your lodge?” The two beavers still didn’t move, they just watched Jess. They watched her very carefully. In fact, Jess noticed that they never took their eyes off her. “But, how did I get here?,” she asked them. They only continued to look at her.

It had been a few days that Jessica was aware of, that she had been living with the beavers. She had explored the lodge during the short periods that she had been awake. On one of the days, had discovered Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s secret. In a smaller room off the main lodge, were two tiny and adorable baby beavers, or kits. At first, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver didn’t let Jessica anywhere near the babies. Of course, they didn’t know her that well, and she couldn’t really be trusted. But over a little bit of time, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver let Jessica at first let her see the babies from the main room in the lodge. Jessica could see them from a distance, and hear their tiny squeaking sounds. “Oh, so cute!”

After a day of that, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver let Jessica in the same room with the kits. She was able at first to stand in the room, but with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver standing in between her and the kits. And closer, and closer, and closer, Jessica got, until finally Mr. and Mrs. Beaver let Jessica touch the babies. Jessica fell immediately in love with them. They crawled on her, so tiny and furry, and snuggled with her, and made sounds sort of like cats purring. It seemed to Jessica that the kits grew fond of her too, and very quickly. They took care of her, feeding her carrots and bark, and flowering plants, and giving her cold water, and warm bedding.

Jessica had lost track of how many days she had been here. She guessed 5 or 6 days at the most. By now, the babies followed her everywhere. Not that there were too many places to go in a beaver lodge! But when she ate, or got water, or went to rest, they were there.

During the days, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver would go out and do beaver things. Jessica did not know what that meant, but she assumed they were very busy gnawing down trees or something. Of course, they always came home with food for the babies, and for Jessica. They brought home bark, twigs, leaves, and some things that looked like roots of a tree. Sometimes they brought home flowers and berries, and Jessica was very happy to eat that over the bark.

At night, the lodge grew very dark. Jessica would lay in her corner of the lodge, and watch the busy beavers go about their activities. She watched silently as they fed their babies, and gave them baths. As Mr. and Mrs. Beaver got comfortable with Jessica in their home, they began to show her more of their world. A magical world that not only had Jessica never seen, but she had never even imagined.

Tonight, Jessica was ready to sleep, growing very tired, and went to sleep over in her bed area. The beavers were doing all their beaver busy things. It looked to Jessica, as though Mrs. Beaver was cooking and cleaning, and doing the same things that her Mom did for her back home. ‘Home,’ Jess thought, and her heart sank a little. She wanted to go home, but had no idea where she was, or how to even get out of this lodge. The beavers got out, but they went under water first. Jessica had touched the water, and it was freezing. She knew she would think of something. As she got more and more strong and back to normal, she would come up with a plan. But for now, she entertained herself by watching the beavers.

Mr. and Mrs. Beaver had finished eating, and were taking care of their two precious babies. Mrs. Beaver fed the babies, and the both parents gave them a bath. Then, the two beaver parents played with the kits, rolling around and snuggling. She could hear them making little sounds, like little giggles and squeals. They sounded very happy. Jessica had no idea that animals lived this kind of life. She always thought they just existed. But she was learning that they did so very much more than that. These animals lived, and these animals loved.

After some time, the babies were tired out. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver put them to bed, in their little safe separate room. Then, they returned to the main room area. The moonlight was shining through the tiny holes in the ceiling of the lodge, making intricate designs on the walls and the floor. The effect was so soft and beautiful, Jessica thought, even romantic. And the beavers must have thought so too. They glanced over at Jessica, who pretended to be asleep. But she secretly watched them, because she was so curious.

As she watched from her little area, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver hugged, and snuggled, just like people. And the wind outside was howling, and it blew through the walls, making a lovely sound, like music. With the music and the moonlight, what else could two beavers do, but dance? Jessica watched so quietly, as the beavers standing on their hind legs, hugged and swayed in the lodge. Lovingly, holding on to each other, danced and swayed. It was so beautiful, Jessica thought. She heard them too, talking to each other, little coos of love and laughter.

Over the weeks that Jessica stayed with the Beavers, she watched many nights like this. Many magical, warm nights in the secret animal world. Nights that no other human had ever seen.

Chapter 8:

After watching the enchanting beavers, Jessica laid down in her usual spot in the den. Her “space,” had made it very comfortable for her by the beavers, even more so as the time went on. Now, it was layers of soft leaves and brush, and nice smelling twigs of lavender. Where they found lavender here, and in the middle of winter, Jessica did not know. They had also brought in for her, large soft branches, from the evergreen tree with the long wispy needles. She used this as her blanket. The beavers also were careful to not tread on her space. They never walked over it, always around it. And they never ever woke her up while she slept there. Jessica got the feeling that they liked having her around. And she liked being there. But… but she really wanted to go home. These last few days, she was beginning to feel better. To sleep less of the day away, and eat more. As she lay there that night in her bed, laying there tired after a long day, all she could think about was home. Her Mom. Her dad. Here home. She began to cry for the first time since she’d been missing.

Mrs. Beaver was asleep in her section of the den. She heard the sniffling and crying sounds coming from Jessica’s area. She was puzzled at first, and scurried over to check on her babies. They were of course, fine. The were soundly sleeping, one laying on top of the other, both very comfortable. So what then, was that sniffling, squeaking sound? Mrs. Beaver scurried out into the main area of the den, and there she saw poor little Jessica, laying there all alone in the dark, crying. Mrs. Beaver wasn’t sure what to do. After all, her babies did very little crying and sniffling. She slowly walked over the Jessica’s area. She was very careful, because she didn’t want to startle her, and you know how jumpy humans are. She inched closer and closer, until her cold nose was right up against Jessica’s cheek.

“Wha?” Jessica jumped a little at the touch of the cold and slightly wet nose. “Huh?” But when she saw it was Mrs. Beaver, she immediately relaxed. “Oh, hi,” she said, through her tears and runny nose.”…. She reached out her hand, very slowly, because she didn’t want to startle her, you know how jumpy beavers are. And she began to pet her along the top of her head, behind her ears. Mrs. Beaver got closer, and snuggled up under Jessica’s chin, just like Jessica’s little kitten used to do. Mrs. Beaver was surprised at how nice this stroking sensation was on her head, that she let out a little sound, much like a little purring. She was very contented, and Jessica, too, was very happy. The two friends fell asleep just like that. And just like that, Jessica had stopped her crying.

The two awoke the next morning, just the same way they had fallen asleep – all snuggled and cuddling together.

After waking, and having what had become Jessica’s normal breakfast, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver went out for the day. Jessica was alone with the babies, and she felt very happy about that. She knew that the beavers were now really and truly her friends. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver could trust her, and Jessica was very proud about that. It made her think back to a time when she hadn’t been so trustworthy.

***

It had been about a year ago. Her older brother Chip was going away for a few weeks in the summer to baseball camp. As he was preparing for the trip, he was doing all the normal things. Packing, laying out all the stuff he was going to bring, like his baseball mitt, and his cool new sunglasses, and his comic books. At dinner one night, he asked his mother a favor.

“Mom?,” Chip asked.

“Yes, honey?”

“Well, since I am going to camp next week, I was wondering. Would you take care of Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde when I’m gone?”

“Chip,” Mom started. “You know that when you got those rodents…”

“Hamsters,” Chip interrupted.

“Hamsters.” repeated Mom. “You know that when you got those HAMSTERS, I told you I would not be taking care of them at all, under any circumstances. And so, sorry, but no way.”

“But Mom!,” Chip cried. “I can’t take them with me. And they have to be fed and watered, they need to or they’ll DIE,,” he said with great drama. “Mom, you don’t want to be responsible for the deaths of 4 innocent hamsters, now do you Mom?”

Just when Mom was about to reply, Jessica jumped in.

“I’ll do it!” she shouted.

Everyone turned to look. They all seemed sort of stunned. Jessica didn’t often volunteer for chores. But she loved those little hamsters. And although Chip banned her from touching them, she would often go and watch them play in their cage, and run in their wheel.

“You can’t do it’, said Chip, grumpily.

“Yes, I can!” replied Jessica defiantly. “I can, really.”

“Jess, honey,,” Mom began. “It’s sweet that you want to help Chip out, sweetie, but it’s a lot of work. And you can hardly finish the chores you already have.”

Mom was right. Jessica really hardly got her own chores completed. It was always so much work, when there were so many very fun distractions!

“But Mom,” Jessica began, “I can totally do it. I can squeeze it in in the morning, while I am waiting for everyone in this crazy house to finish in the bathroom. All I do in the morning is wait and wait and wait anyhow. And Chip can show me how, right Chip?”

Chip shrugged.

“Oh, please, please, I love Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde. And beside, who else is gonna do it?”

And with that, the table was silent. No one else would volunteer, so no one could argue any longer. The chore belonged to Jessica. Maybe, thought Jessica, if I do this really really well, Mom will let me have a hamster of my very own! Or maybe even a baby pig like Wilbur. Or my own pony. Or…

Jessica’s daydreaming was interrupted by the clanging of plates in front of her, as her Mom began the clean up. After dinner, Chip began training Jessica on the proper care and feeding of hamsters. He showed her every detail, and even made up a checklist, so that she couldn’t forget. And for the next week, they took care of the hamsters together, so that Jessica could watch and learn.

Finally, the day came when Chip went to basketball camp. He was so excited, and the family all went with him to meet the bus. As he got in the bus and found his seat, he seemed very happy. As the bus pulled away, he stuck his head out of the window, red curls waving in the breeze, and waved good bye. He shouted to Jessica “Take care of my hamsters!,” and Jessica shouted back “They are in good hands!!” Everyone was very happy and excited for what laid ahead!

The first few days that Chip was gone were uneventful. Not much happened around the Chapman house. Jessica very happily played with and took care of the hamsters. And then one day, Jessica invited a friend over from summer school to play. Jessica and her friend, Emily, played for a long time after school. They played hopscotch, and catch, and tag. They played with the Chapman’s many animals, and they even for a while played school. And then Emily ate dinner with the Chapman’s, and of course, then they played some more. After a long while, Emily’s mother came to pick her up. And then Jessica, because she was so tired, went straight to bed. She skipped her homework, which was bad enough, but she also had skipped her chores. Which meant, she also forgot to feed poor little Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde.

The next morning, she overslept. And had to rush off to catch the school bus that picked up the Chapman children and the end of their long, winding driveway. Which of course, meant that they didn’t feed poor little Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde again.

The days went on, and little Jessica was busier and busier. Each day seemed busier than the day before. What with friends, and homework, oh, why oh why did she have to take school in the summer?? It was so unfair, and kept her so busy, leaving not nearly enough time to play. My, my, so little time, and so much to do. So much, that young Jessica completely forgot about Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde. That is, until the day Chip came home.

Chip was so happy when he got home. He was telling the whole family about his activities, how much fun he had, and how much he had learned. Jessica noticed, to her surprise, that her at-times-mean-to-her older brother seemed actually happy to see her, and the rest of the family. He was very happy to be home, and be with everyone, safe and sound at home.

After a while, and after many stories had been told and everyone was laughed out, Chip asked Jessica how the hamsters were. For a brief Moment, Jessica actually thought to herself, “what hamsters?”, but then quickly remembered them. She remembered that she hadn’t fed them in a while. She remembered that she forgot them. She panicked. But then she figured, she had probably only missed a day or two. And that it really should take way more that a day or two to harm healthy hamsters. As she told herself all of that, she hoped and prayed that she was right. Chip ran to her room, and Jessica waited. And waited. And then suddenly, there it was, a horrible scream. The poor hamsters, all 4 of them, Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde, had died. Next was the sound of Chip running down the hall, to get Jessica. And Jessica ran as fast as she could to escape him. She thought that he was so angry at her, that he might actually kill her! She ran, and hid, and well, stayed hid for a long time.

Once Jessica’s parents found her, well, as you might imagine, Jessica was punished severely. And Chip, well, Chip never forgave her. He didn’t talk to her for weeks, and what was worse than all of that to Jessica, was that she thought she heard him, her big, tough brother, crying, near the sad empty cage, in the middle of the night.

And it was a long, long time before any one in the Chapman family had trusted Jessica to do anything, again, no matter how small.

***

So, now, at this very Moment, Jessica was very proud to be trusted at all.

She knew from over the past couple of days, that Mr. and Mrs. Beaver didn’t really every leave the den for too long. She quietly snuck into the small, side area that was the mini bedroom of the two baby beavers. She watched them sleep, and was amazed to see how they snuggled together, so close and content. She was almost hypnotized, watching them breath in and out together in perfect unison. She watched them, their blackish brown fur, shining, their little bodies nestled within each others. Suddenly, she heard a noise.

“Ah, you’re home!” she said, expecting Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, but as she turned around, she got a very unpleasant surprise!

Chapter 9:

At the Chapman house, the family was struggling to move on. Inside the home, everything looked the same, but nothing was the same at all. The large brown sofa in the family room with it’s toss pillows. The big screen TV with the X-box attached to it. It was all still there, exactly as it had been. Before.

It had been a long, cold week. The Christmas joy that was just a week ago, had vanished like a puff of smoke. The skies were always grey. The mood was dark. No one laughed, no one smiled. Ever. The once beautiful and fragrant Christmas tree was now brown, with needles falling in a pile underneath. Ornaments scattered on the floor underneath, were next to opened presents that no one had the heart to use.

Yesterday, the Chapman children wore there very best, and the family had a memorial service for Jessica. The school was closed, and all the children had come, bringing home made cards. There was a large poster sized photo of Jessica, in a frame, by a closed, empty casket. By the end of the ceremony, that poster had almost 100 of those sweet and colorful cards stuck on to it.

Today, the house was filled with out of town relatives who could not find it in their hearts to leave yet. They wanted to stay, to help, to comfort the Chapman family. Yet, with all their good intentions, they didn’t realize there was really nothing that they could do.

Mrs. Chapman was in the kitchen, where she seemed to always be lately. She was always doing something with her hands, always keeping busy. Peeling this, cutting that, putting something in the oven, or washing something in the sink. Anything to keep busy and take her mind off, well, off the bad things.

The out of town family was gathered at large wooden Chapman family dinner table. All around them, the house looked normal. Aunt Christine, who was Mrs. Chapman’s sister, was there, looking around. Nervously stirring her tea, over and over again, making little clanging noises. Aunt Christine’s eyes swept over the kitchen walls, taking in all the detail. The loving family could be identified by this room. All the children’s drawings and crafts on the refrigerator and the walls. The snapshots of happier times, in frames, on the walls. The decorations on the walls, the rooster clock, the coffee mugs, everything had been hand picked by one member of this family. It portrayed a warm and happy family. Her gaze stopped on a particular piece of kid-art, on the refrigerator door. It was a drawing of an animal, something brown and furry, and it was signed my Jessica. Aunt Christine didn’t want to cry in front of her sister, although it was hard not to. She forced the tears away, and in it’s place, came a fake smile instead. She watched her sister fiddle around the kitchen, and tried so hard to think of something to say or do. But there was nothing. No words would come.

Chapter 10:

As Jess turned around, she saw a horrible sight! A large, red fox had found it’s way into the beaver den. She was shocked, and for a Moment, froze. She was terrified, and she thought the fox was going to try to hurt her. She watched the fox, and saw that the foxes eyes were not fixed on Jessica – instead, they were fixed on the babies! The babies!

In an instant, Jessica’s heart beat raced up, and her blood began to pump! She knew that she had to protect those little beaver babies. She could hear them squealing with fear. The sound had awoken then, and now, they saw the fox too. And their instincts told them that this was a very dangerous situation. Fearing for the babies, and disregarding her own safety, Jessica sprang into action. She looked around quickly for something, anything that she could use to chase away this mean fox. She saw, to her left, a large stick. It looked big enough, so quickly, Jess ran to the stick, picked it up and began swinging it wildly at the fox, while screaming at the top of her lungs! She just kept swinging and swinging, and moving closer and closer to the fox. The fox at first, remained still and unfazed. But then, the fox saw that Jess was serious. She was moving in on the fox, at a quick pace. The fox looked at Jessica, then at the babies. Jessica never stopped, just swinging and screaming.

Outside, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver heard the noise, and began to race to their dam. They were frightened for the lives of their little babies.

Inside, Jessica finally got close enough to the fox to hit it with the end of the stick. It struck the fox lightly, not appearing to hurt it. But it was enough for the fox. As Jessica took one more step closer, the fox took it’s first step towards the water pool, which is how it got in. Then suddenly, it turned and ran, jumping into the water, and up out into the outside.

At that same Moment, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver had just arrived to see the fox climb out of the dam, and into the woods. Even more frightened now, they hurried into the dam. When they got inside, they saw Jessica, now on her knees, holding a stick and crying. She had been so scared, and now that the danger was gone, it all came out in sobs and tears. Behind her, at first, they saw nothing. As they slowly inched closer, the finally and happily saw, their little babies. Safe, and unharmed. Jessica crawled over to the babies, and so did Mr. and Mrs. Beaver. Jessica slowly reached out to pet them, and said. “You are safe little babies, you are safe.” With that, she put her head down and fell asleep. Watching this, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver knew what had happened. Just as they had saved Jessica a few short weeks ago, Jessica had saved their babies. Jessica had saved the lives of their babies. Mrs. Beaver scurried over to where Jessica was sleeping, and gave her a lick on the nose. Mr. Beaver knew that it was scary and sad to think of losing his babies, and that Jessica’s parents must be very sad too. They had to be missing Jessica very much. Now that Jessica had grown well and strong, Mr. Beaver knew that it was time. The time had come to help Jessica again, this time, to find her way home.

Chapter 11:

Later that same night, Mrs. Chapman had a very strange dream. She had gone to bed very early, too tired to keep her eyes open. The rest of the family had gathered in the family room, by the fireplace, all together, as they had recently become prone to doing. And at night, they would often fall asleep there. On this night, after she went upstairs to bed, Mrs. Chapman fell asleep almost instantly.

At first, she didn’t dream at all. Then, slowly, her mind began to form pictures and images. In the beginning, it was just images of her day, things that she had done and seen.

But then, the dream started, foggy at first, but then became so real, so very real. Mrs. Chapman was in a forest, where it was very cold and dark. But the full moon shone brightly, casting a bluish glow all around her. As she walked through the forest, she could hear her footsteps crunching in the white snow, and snow was lightly falling around her. It was so beautiful and still. A deer stood alone in the moonlight, just ahead of her. She looked at the deer and smiled, and the deer nodded in her direction. Just then, she heard a rustling noise from behind her. She turned to look, and there was Jessica. Oh, it was Jessica. Looking like an angel, like a porcelain frosted angel, shimmering and glowing.

“Jessica!,” cried Mrs. Chapman, as she ran to her.

She reached Jessica, and knelt down in front of her, hugging her. “Jess, honey, I thought you were gone! I missed you so much! Where have you been?”

“Mom!,” said Jess, as her Mom hugged her. It was the most strong, warm and safe feeling hug that Jessica had ever felt. She didn’t want her Mom to let her go. And her Mom didn’t ever want to let go either. Jessica smelled the scent of her mothers perfume, and Mrs. Chapman smelled the scent of Jessica, the clean shampooed scent that was her, it was Jessica. When Mrs. Chapman finally did let go, she cupped Jessica’s face in her hands, and looked at her face, her beautiful face.

She asked again, “Where have you been, baby?”

Jessica replied, “I never left, Mom. I am still here. I am helping some friends right now, and they will soon help me come home.”

“Come home with me now,” said her mother.

“I can’t,” said Jessica. “But Mom, I miss you. I will come home soon.”

And Jessica leaned in to hug her Mom, and the two held onto each other, feeling the love and hearts from each other. And before they could let go, Mrs. Chapman woke up. And for a Moment, she smelled the scent of Jessica, her hair and skin, just as she had in the forest, in her dream. It had been so real, this dream, it didn’t seem like dream at all. It made Mrs. Chapman happy to be with Jessica like that, to see her, to touch her, to smell her…. She smiled for the first time in weeks, and drifted off again, happily to sleep.

Miles away, in the middle of the woods, Jessica Chapman had a dream too, of hugging her mother in the woods. She woke up for a Moment, and smelled her mother’s sweet perfume in the air of the den. The scent made her happy, and she too, in the dark, miles away from her mother, smiled, and drifted off again, happily to sleep.

Chapter 12:

The sun was very bright, and the light shone through the twigs and branches of the warm beaver dam. When the light hit her eyes, Jessica woke up. She ate her usual breakfast, supplied by Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, and drank from their water well. She had no idea how long she had been here, days, weeks, maybe even months. But she knew that she felt strong and well, and she also knew that the weather seemed warmer than it did when she had first magically arrived here. She thought that she should try to find her way back home, before it was too late. The fox incident had scared her. What if one day a mountain lion found it’s way into the den? She surely could chase away a fox, but nothing too much bigger!

It seemed that Mr. Beaver had some similar thoughts. Today, Jessica noticed, he seemed to be acting a bit strangely. He seemed nervous, for a beaver. He was pacing in circles, and seemed to be in a hurry. Just last night, Jess had watched again, as Mr. and Mrs. Beaver had another one of their romantic dinners. Again, hidden in the shadows, she smiled as she watched, and fell asleep to the soft purrings of beavers in love. It had made her think of her parents, how they often were goofy and silly, and romantic like that. Jessica had been embarrassed watching them spontaneously waltz around the kitchen, or worse yet, at the supermarket when their song had come over the loud speaker. Yuck, Jessica had thought then. But now, she would give anything to be embarrassed by her parents again.

As Jessica watched Mr. Beaver, he rushed up nervously toward her.

“What do you want, Mr. Beaver?” Jess asked. No reply, naturally. Instead, Mr. Beaver looked at her very directly in the eye. And for a long time, stared at her. Then, just like that, he jumped into the well, with a big splash. Jess was puzzled. But then, his little furry head popped out of the water, and he swam bag to the edge of the well, and climbed back into the den. And again, stared at her.

“What are you doing? Are you trying to tell me something? Do you want me to do something?” And again, no answer, just his warm brown eyes staring straight into her blue eyes. And again, Jess was puzzled. Then, again, Mr. Beaver dove into the water, and climbed back out. Only to march directly up to Jessica, and stare at her again.

“What?? Are you crazy?” Jessica finally caught on. “You want me to go into that cold water with you? Listen Mr., you have a fur coat, and I don’t. Sorry.” Mr. Beaver just stared, and didn’t move. This little standoff continued for a few minutes, until Mrs. Beaver had to step in to help. She waddled over to Jessica, and stood up on her hind legs. Looking at Jessica directly in her face, she leaned in and rubbed noses with her. Jessica took this as some sort of encouragement, and knew that in all this time, these two sweet creatures had only helped her. They had taken care of her, and in fact, had saved her life. She surely had to trust them now.

So, without even thinking about it any longer, Jess decided to jump into the well. She looked around the den, thinking that it might be the last time she would ever see it from the inside. She walked over to the babies, and as they lay sleeping, gently kissed them on their brown, soft furry heads. They stirred only a bit, and never woke up. She then walked over to Mrs. Beaver, who was still standing on her hind legs. Jessica leaned down, ever so slowly, and gave her the biggest little hug ever. And as sweetly and as strongly, Mrs. Beaver hugged her right back.

OK, it was time to go. “Home? Am I going home? Or is this all some crazy dream?” Jessica asked herself these questions, as she stood at the edge of the water well. One – two – three, and with a deep breath, SPLASH! Jessica was in the well. Cold!! She though. In a flash, Mr. Beaver was in the well too, and ducked under. Jessica could see him, and then has he began to swim further down, she had no choice but to follow him.

Mr. Beaver swam down, as far as the well went. And then, at the very bottom was a hole. A bit bigger than the beavers, she saw. “Ah, that’s how you get in and out!,” she thought to herself, while holding her breath under the water. “But that hole is too small for me,” she thought. The hole got bigger and bigger as they got closer and closer to it. Quickly they swam, and Jess felt the cold water rushing past her. Her lungs were beginning to ache from holding her breath so long. But they swam and swam, and finally were at the hole. With ease, Mr. Beaver swam quickly and easily through. It was not so easy for Jessica, who was a bit larger than a beaver. She tried to swim through it. Her hands, arms and head got through, but she got caught on her shoulders. “Oh, no!,” she thought. “I am stuck! I am going to run out of air any second!” Jessica tried hard to push herself through, but couldn’t get any leverage. She was really very worried, when all of a sudden, she felt a giant shove at her backside! A big push out of no where, from behind. “What the?” she couldn’t turn to see, because her front half was entirely through the hole. Just then she realized, it was sweet Mrs. Beaver, pushing her through the hole, and out into the water to safely. Another push came, and Jess moved more through the hole. Her shoulders were through, and now her waist. Another push, and yes, her hips were through! As she swam from the hole, she glanced in and saw Mrs. Beaver, one last time, and gave her a wave. Then, she looked up and saw Mr. Beaver swimming towards the surface. She was running out of air, and so she followed him. She swam as hard and fast as she could. She held her breath and swam with all of her might. Faster and faster, and faster… until…. Finally, Jessica broke the surface! She took a huge breath, and the sun, the warm beautiful sun, shone on her face.

There they were, two tiny heads popping out of the water, in what appeared to be a huge lake in the middle of no where. Mr. Beaver swam towards the shoreline, and Jessica followed. And within just a few minutes, Jessica Chapman was safe again, on dry land. Mr. Beaver stood on the shore for only a Moment. Being the male, he didn’t seem to be as sentimental as Mrs. Beaver, and made no move towards a good bye hug. He looked at Jessica and again, she at him, in those kind and knowing brown eyes. There were no words to be said. After all, what words are there to say when you have to say good bye to a friend? With that, Mr. Beaver turned and splashed into the lake. He was gone, and now safe on land, Jessica was totally alone.

Chapter 13:

Mrs. Chapman was sitting alone on the faded front porch of her home. It was a beautiful morning on the farm. The early morning sky was blue and clear, and the bright sun was just climbing into the sky. The last few days had been unusually warm for this time of year, and so Mrs. Chapman took this opportunity to enjoy her morning coffee outside, breathing in the beauty of the farm.

Years ago, she and Mr. Chapman had lived in the city. They had come out to this area for a vacation, and always dreamed of coming back some day. Then, out of the blue, Mr. Chapman lost his job. But you know, out of something bad, something good always comes. Mr. Chapman had gotten enough money from his job when they laid him off, that they decided to move out to this dream land. They had found the house on the internet, and bought it without ever even seeing it in person. They just new it was their house.

When the moved in, they had a lot of work to do. They spend months fixing it up and decorating it, and clearing the land for planting. They bought animals that were easy to care for, since they didn’t really know what they were doing. And except for the one year that they were only able to grow broccoli, they had thrived ever since. The move had been hard, but it had been worth it. This was their home, and it was a beautiful place to raise children. Lots of land, fresh air, and nice neighbors. All had been perfect, for a long time. Until just a few weeks ago, when it had all changed.

Mrs. Chapman just sat on the porch, in her warm bathrobe, sipping her coffee, watching the horizon. Watching, almost as if somehow, expecting Jessica to come running over the hill in their yard, up to the porch - as she had done thousands of times before. But no Jess, nothing. Just Mrs. Chapman, sitting and watching.

Inside, Mr. Chapman got the children up and ready for church. He looked out the window at his wife, and saw her sitting and rocking in that old chair. She tapped lightly on the glass, and she turned to look. He waved and smiled, but she didn’t smile back. She hadn’t smiled in a long time. Mr. Chapman knew that it would take a long time for his wife to heal. In the meantime, he just took care of the children, cooked the meals, and tried to keep the family all together. And he prayed. Prayed for this to be a nightmare, prayed for it to be all over… prayed for a miracle.

Chapter 14:

Jessica stood up and took a look around. She saw nothing familiar. And she was soaking wet, which made her freezing cold! The lake was calm and peaceful, with frosted reeds peeking out of the surface of the water. She was worried that since it was winter, there might not be any around for miles. It was definitely off season at the lake! Then, she saw what looked like a station of some sort, maybe a lifeguard station in the summer. Perhaps there was someone there, maybe a phone or something. She walked over to it, and found it all locked up. All the windows were locked, too.

Jessica didn’t know what to do. She sat down on an empty park bench and began to cry. She was lost and cold, and all alone. Part of her thought that this was still all some crazy dream. Falling in the pond, being rescued by beavers, and living with them! It all seemed so far away now that she was safe again on land. But it had happened alright. She smiled as she thought of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and the baby beavers. Her warm feelings made her feel better, and made her realize that the hardest part was over. Now, all she had to do was find some one, or some thing to lead her back. Back home.

Having found nothing at the empty building, Jessica began to walk towards the road. She didn’t know where it would lead, but it was a road after all, and it had to lead to somewhere. She followed the gravel road, and paid attention to her surroundings. She was definitely in a place she had never been before. And it was definitely still winter, with patches of snow on the ground, and the frosty chill in the air. She was cold and hungry, so she walked quickly.

And she walked and she walked. And still, nothing, no signs of life.

Until, out of the corner of her eye, Jessica thought she saw a man walking in the woods, a few hundred feet away from her. Yes, as she looked closer, it was a man. He was hunting, he had on that bright orange color that she had seen her dad wear once or twice, when he had gone out hunting with her uncle. Jessica’s heart began to beat faster, and she ran towards the man.

In the woods, the man heard a rustling sound racing towards him. He was out in the woods looking for deer, and for an instant, he thought he had the good luck of a buck passing right by him. He listened for a Moment, as the sound got closer and closer. He raised his rifle to his eye in expectation of seeing a deer. The sound got closer and closer, his finger was on the trigger of the gun. He held his breath and then…he heard…

“Wait, hello, help! Please don’t shoot!!”…

It was a little girl running towards him! “What the…,” the man thought. “What in the world?” Immediately, he put his gun down, and locked it so no shot could be fired, even accidentally. The little girl, wet and dirty, ran to him as fast as her little feet could fly. Jessica, running with all her might, and screaming “Please, please, help me!,” finally reached the strange man in the woods. She couldn’t believe her luck, a man out here in the middle of no where. The man knelt on one knee, and seeing how frightened the little girl was, held his arms up and open to her. Even though Jessica did not know who this man was, she ran to him so hard, into his open arms, that she almost knocked the two of them both over. She felt the warmth of his arms, as they wrapped around her, and pressed her face into his chest. She began to cry even harder now, and he, being a dad himself, rocked her gently, patting her hair. “It’s alright,” he whispered. “It’s alright.” And for the first time, Jessica knew that it was. It really was alright.

Jessica told him how she was skating, and fell in, and about the beavers, and of being lost. The kind man walked her safely out of the woods, and to his truck. He used his cell phone to dial the police, and poured Jessica a hot chocolate from his thermos. He had an extra jacket in his truck, and wrapper it around her. By the time the police arrived, Jessica had fallen asleep, feeling warmer and safer than she had in a very long time.

Chapter 15:

It was Sunday. Inside the small and warm church, the Chapman family knelt and prayed. They never said so out loud, but each member of the family always prayed for the exact same thing. Mrs. Chapman looked around at the beautiful church. She had always loved this church, with its lovely statues, and brilliant and colorful stained glass windows. It gave her a sense of peace and calm just being here. A few short weeks ago, they had celebrated Christmas here, attending midnight mass. Then, they were here for a sad funeral. And now, it was regular Sunday mass, just like every Sunday. Mrs. Chapman tried to put everything out of her mind and just focus on the beauty of the church. She looked at her family with pride and love. The children had all been so brave and strong during all of this. And as she watched them now, in their Sunday best, trying to go on, she felt a swell of love in her heart. And today, there was something else in her heart. A feeling that anything could happen. In this life, miracles did happen all the time. It was a glorious feeling, that made her smile.

Just at that moment, the church doors at the rear of the church burst open wide. It was late in the service, and unusual for anyone to enter at this point. And so loudly that everyone turned to see who it was. It was the sheriff. Very strange, and everyone in the church, all the friends and neighbors of the Chapman’s, began to whisper, “what’s going on?” and “what’s happening?”

The sheriff walked quickly up the aisle and towards the minister, who had stopped preaching by this point. He knew something had happed. “Dear Lord,” the Minister said to himself, “Please let this be something good this time.” The sheriff rushed up the pulpit, and greeted the minister warmly but quickly. Then, he leaned into the minister, and whispered something into his ear. “What?!,” the minister almost jumped when he heard what the sheriff said. The sheriff only nodded. The two men were beaming with a joy that is rarely felt.

The minister turned to the people, facing the Chapman’s.

“My friends, today is a blessed day. Today, there is a miracle. Today…,” the minister couldn’t speak, he was too choked up. He found no words could come at a time like this, and could only say, “Brian, Beth…,” and he sniffled some more as he rushed down to where the Chapman’s were sitting. “Today is your miracle.” Then the minister looked towards the door at the back of the church, and pointed. Mr. Chapman rose slowly first, and the doors opened again. This time, the deputy sheriff came in, holding the hand of someone very small, wrapped in a thick and gray blanket. They walked together slowly at first, and the little person under the blanket began to run up the aisle. In a second, it all happened. Mr. Chapman rushed to the center aisle, and Mrs. Chapman, too scared to move, slowly followed. They were so afraid to dream, that they almost couldn’t move. They reached the center aisle, and by this time, the entire congregation was on their feet. The Chapman children followed their parents, and then they saw. The little person was running up the aisle, still wrapped in the blanket. And then the blanket fell to the ground. And underneath, it was Jessica. It was Jessica. She saw her parents, and they saw her, and without even the briefest pause, she ran faster than she ever had in her life to her Mom and dad. The collided in the most wonderful embrace ever felt by anyone.

“Mom, Dad!” Jess cried. “I missed you so much!”

They were hugging, and rocking, and crying, and Mrs. Chapman said to her husband, “Brian, is this a dream?” with tears streaming down her face. And Mr. Chapman said, “I don’t think so, Beth, because if it is, I’m having the same one,” as he smiled and kissed Jessica all over her face.

They all wondered where she had been, what had happened. But for now, they were just happy knowing it was real. It was a real miracle, and Jessica was really back with them. As the Chapman children joined the hug circle, in the aisle of the church, everyone in the church, who were crying with joy too, began to sing. Softly at first, just one voice. And then another, and another. And then loudly enough to fill the whole church…. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost and now I’m found, was blind, and now I see...” Song, smiles, love, tears and laughter filled this church to the rafters.

Never had any family been happier.

***

Miles away, in a secret lake, in a magical dam, 2 baby beavers slept soundly. And two adult beavers snuggled happily together, having a feeling of joy and contentment, knowing all was right in the world.

Chapter 16:

Days later, after all had settled down, Jessica was recovering nicely. She was clean and warm again. She had a full stomach. She was home. Her Mom and dad tucked her in every night. She had been to the doctors, and given a clean bill of health.

They had asked her what happened, where she had been. She had told them about falling through the ice. They understood that part. She told them about waking up in a beaver dam. They understood that part too. Then, Jessica told them about the beavers, about the babies, and about how they took care of her. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she explained how the beavers had fed her and kept her safe. And she told them about the magic she had seen, the beavers dancing and playing, and how she had protected the babies from the fox. But that, that they didn’t understand. That, her parents and her doctors believed, was a wild dream, a hallucination. That, she told her, could never be real. It had all been in her imagination.

But Jessica Chapman knew the truth. And because she didn’t ever bring up the beaver family again to anyone, did mean she didn’t often think of them. For the rest of her life, Jess would remember the magical, sweet beaver family. And she smiled to herself when ever she thought of them, and the lessons of love, life and friendship that they had taught her. Yes, her friends, her secret enchanting friends, would live on in her memory forever.