Book Preview

In the theater of my mind, I have watched this story unfold a thousand times. It’s a true story and I’m sitting in a theater anticipating the opening scenes. The
lights go dim and the screen widens. Its all gray now and there are strange sounds of something happening behind the screen. Then these words appear across
the screen; The summer of 1954 on an Amish farm in Lancaster , Pa.   As the words start to fade out, an out-of-focus picture starts to fill the screen. The sounds are getting much louder now and the picture is becoming clearer. Finally it becomes clear that the sound was that of a wooden wheeled wagon being pulled by a team of draft horses. There are voices of people talking and some laughter intermixed with the other sounds. But now you hear a sound that is not usually associated with such a rural scene: it sounds like an engine idling in the distance. The camera has now pulled back and the picture is in full view. There is a wagon, and it is almost completely filled with hay, and there are two Amish girls sitting on top laughing. There are Amish men and boys forking hay unto the wagon, and bits of hay are glistening in the sunlight as they float by in the air. Now you can see that there is a young Amish boy with his fork filled with hay and his head tilted back and he is looking skyward. The camera slowly turns to the sky and you can see a small plane flying over head. The young boy is named Gideon Miller and the wagon has passed him by. A voice suddenly penetrates the air.
“Gideon, Gideon get your eyes out of the sky and back on the hay.” his father shouts down at him from where he sits driving the team of horses. Gideon sudden comes out of his trance and lifts the fork over his head only to miss the wagon. The two girls on top of the wagon, who are two of his sisters are now hysterical with laughter. While missing the wagon with his fork his momentum had carried him forward causing him to fall to the ground. But now, that the wagon is now fully loaded and headed for the barn, Gideon picks himself up and races to catch up so he can help with the unloading process.
Gideon B. Miller was born to Eli and Arie Miller on October 22, 1938. He was the oldest of their eight children and the only boy. His sisters were: Sarah, Katie, Mary, Nancy, Rachel, Emma and Rebecca. Gideon was tall, slender and good looking with reddish brown hair and liked to be called “Gid”. He was very inquisitive; he loved to read and was eager to learn. Gid was a hard working teenager and always did his share of the chores. With the wagon unloaded and the chores completed, the ringing of the dinner bell sounded good to his ears. After gobbling down his food at a record pace, Gid asked to be excused from the table Sarah and Katie yelled almost in unison, “We know where you’re going! You’re going to Mel Glick’s”. Mel Glick was the man who had flown the plane over the field earlier that afternoon. Mel’s place was a couple of miles up the road from the Miller’s farm.
Gid’s father, Eli, interrupts, “Do you have all your chores done?”
“Yes sir,” Gid replies.
   Eli responds, “We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow: you need to be home and in bed early. We have to start early tomorrow”.
   “I know. Yes, sir. I will”. Gid replies as he pushes himself away from the table and heads for the door.
   The shortest way to Mel’s is through the meadow, and with Gid’s long legs he looked like a deer in full sprint. You see there was a reason for his excitement. He had a secret that his family didn’t know about, only a few of his friends - to be precise, the six Fisher boys......................to discover the secret you will need to read the book!

   "Stephanie, you startled me."
   "What are you doing?" Stephanie demanded, feeling protective of their home in her new role of woman of the house.
   "I thought I could get my clothes out before you got home." Jeanie had a hard time making eye contact with her daughter.
   "Where are you going, Mom?"
   "I don't know, Stephanie, I'm just going, that's all I can tell you right now."
   "Well take me with you then," Stephanie blurted out, taking Jeanie completely by surprise with the request. She hesitated
a moment before looking back at her daughter.
   "No, you can't go, Stephanie, I'm sorry," she stated flatly.
   "Why?"
   "Because you can't, that's all!" Jeanie yelled a bit too loudly as she looked around the neighborhood quickly to make sure
no one heard her shout.
   "But I don't want to stay here, Mom I want to be with you."
   "You have to, now get out of my way; I don't want your father to see me."
   With that Jeanie pushed past Stephanie and headed for the car. Stephanie bent down, quickly gathered up some stones
from the walkway and hurled them at her mother yelling, "I hate you!" Then she stood there stunned and sobbing as her mother
pulled out of the driveway and took off down the street, never looking back or waving goodbye.

Ralph was on his way home wondering how he was going to get ready for a teen girls' birthday party tonight, knowing he has
no idea what to do. When he got home and was sorting through the mail in the kitchen, Stephanie walked in an casually
announced, "Mom was here today."
   "She was?" Ralph turned around quickly to face his daughter, trying to read her facial expression because she sounded so
blase' about it.
   "How do you know?"
   "I caught her trying to sneak out with her clothes." Stephanie replied blandly.
   "Well ...Did she say anything?" Ralph felt desperate to know details, something, anything, especially if Jeanie had asked about
him.
   "No, she didn't say anything at all, she just had a piece of luggage in her hands."
   "Where is she staying?"
   "I don't know, Dad; I tried to find out but she wouldn't tell me."
   "That's it?"
   "Oh, and she was driving a little red car."
   Just then there was a knock at the door and when they opened it, there stood........................
                                                                               There is only one way to know who was at the door..........Read the book!