,,,"That girl Sandy," Jenny shook her head while talking aloud to herself. "She's one of the sweetest customers I have. She's got a heart of gold. Always satisfied with my work. She never complains about one thing. I adore her. She's one of my best friends...makes me feel good all over inside."
Jenny went back to pulling the clump of weeds that didn't want to come out of the ground. She used two hands to et the grass out and it wouldn't budge. All of a sudden, Jenny screamed so lous, her voice was heard in the shops that surrounded her little cottage and in Walmart.
"Joseph, there's a big snake right here! Help me! Hurry!"
"Jenny, don't move. I'm coming, honey." Joseph heard her yelling for help over the sound of the riding mower. People came running out of their shops, including Sandy from Walmart. jenn's voice seemed to echo to Sandy's ears and she knew it wasn't good.
"A snake bit me, Joseph. Help me!"
Joseph cut the riding mower off and went running to Jenny. She was terrified. She saw others standing around her and no one knew what to do.
"Where did it bite you, honey? I don't see any marks...and I don't see any snake."
"I saw a big snake, Joseph. It bit me on my leg and slithered away."
When she saw Sandy, there with five other people from inside the surrounding shops, she asked, "Sandy, did you see the snake. You just left. You had to see the snake. It was big and tall, standing right in front of me."
"No, Miss Jenny. I didn't see any big, tall snake while we weretalking... or after I left."
"Joseph, I think it went under the house. Look for the bit marks. It's right here on my leg." Jenny had shorts on and gloves to pull weeks, but the way she was sitting, Joseph couldn't see the snake bite. Her hat was still a foot away from her, still on the ground. She turned her leg to show Joseph.
"Oh my God. It's beginning to turn blue and it's getting swollen. Stay calm, honey. It's not good to get your heart rate up if it was a poisonous snake. I'll call 911. Did you see what kind of snake it was."
"I don't know what kind it was, but it was huge. It was tall, Joseph. It looked like it was standing in front of me." Jenny was trembling with fear.
...Jenny's eyes were beginning to give a blank stare at Joseph.
"Jenny, don't pass out. Please, please don't pass out on me. Stay calm, honey. The paramedics are on their way here now. They's on the phone with me. They said to stay calm and take deep breaths. They're almost here."
"I'm trying. My leg hurts and I'm getting dizzy."
"Stay calm, honey. I can hear the sirens now. The hospital isn't far. Everything will be okay. They're almost here."
Sandy and the rest who were standing around began to cry seeing Jenny like this and not being able to help her.
Still trembling, all of a sudden Jenny managed to say, "Joseph I don't want to die, but I'm not afraid anymore. Everything is so good for us now in this screwed up world we live in. I've cried a lot of tears in the past two years that were nourishing my soul. I'm ready to harvest those tears into peace of mind. We're so lucky to have each other. Remember, I don't want to die, but I'm not afraid. Hold me, I'm cold..."
!!!
The Small Chandelier
By Mary Lynn Plaisance
I found it fascinating that this author, taking a concern from her present life, could pound out a story of how she would fix things if her fantasy could come true! I was told that the small chandelier presently resides in her Louisiana shop. Yet he takes that one item and builds around it to represent "good" and moves on from there...
Jenny and Joseph, the main character couple, have been able to build up sufficient funds to buy a small, cottage for Jenny to open her own shop, "Jenny's Parlor of Beauty... Everybody was excited about the new location. And with a little chandelier that was already in the house, Jenny had been able to create a small cozy waiting area for her clients...
They had been both shocked when they learned that the chandelier was always lit and had been since built years ago...There was no power lines and no light switch. Yet the glow welcomed all who came...
Until one day, it was Joseph who came to the shop, looking for something--anything to help Jenny... And the chandelier talked...
Jenny had been bitten, it was thought, by a large snake as Jenny and Joseph were working in the Shop's yard. Jenny had screamed and screamed when the snake came toward her and she cried that she had been bitten. Joseph looked but there were no bite marks and no sign of the snake. Before long, however, Jenny's leg was turning blue and she was losing consciousness...
When the doctors came back out from their check, they verified that she had not been bitten...but there was definitely something that had been done to her leg...Most surprisingly, they discovered that her blood was blue...but had concluded that everything else was working fine and that she should regain consciousness soon... But they were going to call in specialists to check on her blood color...
But while she slept, Ruth, her mother, started talking to Joseph about what was going on in the news. New York was being bombed... They talked about Jenny having felt concern for something like this for years, and both had realized that Jenny had a sixth sense about things beyond what they felt.
But Jenny didn't awaken. Finally, in desperation, Joseph visited Jenny's Shop... First, he went back to see if he could recover Jenny's hat which had been swept under the house when the ambulance left. Immediately he heard a hiss and went to get a broom...He pushed that under, heard another hiss, and realized that there was no way he could pull her hat out at this point...But there was definitely a snake living there!
Later he went into the shop and heard a soft feminine voice telling him to sit under the chandelier. She told him, "I am the light..." Holding his breath in amazement and distrust, he still was willing to hear what she said... First she explained about the snake, that the snake had chosen Jenny because she was good, and that her hat served as a connection to Jenny...
But she explained that Joseph had a part too...She gave him instructions that he had to follow because Jenny was needed to help save the world from destruction. She was the 20th person needed and the time had finally come to move on a plan that had been put into place decades ago... The time was now--as long as Joseph was able to do what he had to do to help Jenny evolve...
Even after I finished this book several days ago, I am still amazed as to the creative imagination needed to fold today's world, into a fantasy realm that was found on another planet, so that our world could be saved...through magic... For surely we know that is not the way of earth...war after war and deadly radicals and leaders have proven that... Sure, it's fantasy, but, you know, I loved how the book ended... Sometimes justice takes somebody with blue blood, different from we humans that can't seem to make our way through to peace...
Meaningful, insightful, unforgettable. The book is just plain fun. I loved it and might even say it's my favorite of Plaisance's books...at least until I read another one... Highly recommended!
GABixlerReviews
Jenny and Joseph, the main character couple, have been able to build up sufficient funds to buy a small, cottage for Jenny to open her own shop, "Jenny's Parlor of Beauty... Everybody was excited about the new location. And with a little chandelier that was already in the house, Jenny had been able to create a small cozy waiting area for her clients...
They had been both shocked when they learned that the chandelier was always lit and had been since built years ago...There was no power lines and no light switch. Yet the glow welcomed all who came...
Until one day, it was Joseph who came to the shop, looking for something--anything to help Jenny... And the chandelier talked...
Jenny had been bitten, it was thought, by a large snake as Jenny and Joseph were working in the Shop's yard. Jenny had screamed and screamed when the snake came toward her and she cried that she had been bitten. Joseph looked but there were no bite marks and no sign of the snake. Before long, however, Jenny's leg was turning blue and she was losing consciousness...
When the doctors came back out from their check, they verified that she had not been bitten...but there was definitely something that had been done to her leg...Most surprisingly, they discovered that her blood was blue...but had concluded that everything else was working fine and that she should regain consciousness soon... But they were going to call in specialists to check on her blood color...
But while she slept, Ruth, her mother, started talking to Joseph about what was going on in the news. New York was being bombed... They talked about Jenny having felt concern for something like this for years, and both had realized that Jenny had a sixth sense about things beyond what they felt.
But Jenny didn't awaken. Finally, in desperation, Joseph visited Jenny's Shop... First, he went back to see if he could recover Jenny's hat which had been swept under the house when the ambulance left. Immediately he heard a hiss and went to get a broom...He pushed that under, heard another hiss, and realized that there was no way he could pull her hat out at this point...But there was definitely a snake living there!
Later he went into the shop and heard a soft feminine voice telling him to sit under the chandelier. She told him, "I am the light..." Holding his breath in amazement and distrust, he still was willing to hear what she said... First she explained about the snake, that the snake had chosen Jenny because she was good, and that her hat served as a connection to Jenny...
But she explained that Joseph had a part too...She gave him instructions that he had to follow because Jenny was needed to help save the world from destruction. She was the 20th person needed and the time had finally come to move on a plan that had been put into place decades ago... The time was now--as long as Joseph was able to do what he had to do to help Jenny evolve...
Even after I finished this book several days ago, I am still amazed as to the creative imagination needed to fold today's world, into a fantasy realm that was found on another planet, so that our world could be saved...through magic... For surely we know that is not the way of earth...war after war and deadly radicals and leaders have proven that... Sure, it's fantasy, but, you know, I loved how the book ended... Sometimes justice takes somebody with blue blood, different from we humans that can't seem to make our way through to peace...
Meaningful, insightful, unforgettable. The book is just plain fun. I loved it and might even say it's my favorite of Plaisance's books...at least until I read another one... Highly recommended!
GABixlerReviews
This is what I was looking for. Thank you so much for this review. I was checking Amazon and saw it there too. I love your reviews!! This one is special to me.
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