Dreaming of Books

Follow your dream! 

Jenny Roberts has many dreams, but will she be able to fulfill them all? She says, “Dreams are an important part of life, and without them, life would be dull. If we can envision it, then I believe it can be accomplished.” Jenny Roberts yearns to escape her small hometown of Paris, Idaho and accomplish many dreams. Her dreams include falling in love. After she realizes that Will means more to her than she thought, she must now choose which dream to follow. Jenny soon finds herself in the middle of drama, adventure, and romance as she struggles to gain the power of forgiveness and the ability to face new possibilities.

Allison King, from Allison’s Attic, wrote, “Linda Weaver Clarke has captured the essence of reaching for your dreams, no matter what happens to throw you off the path of getting there. Jenny’s Dream is a book for all ages that can wrap you up and make you feel all warm inside with the love and hope that dreams can come true if you believe hard enough.”

The Enchanted Meadow

As Jenny rose from the grassy meadow, she laid her book and straw hat on the grass, kicked her shoes off and then curtsied to an imaginary person. She smiled a charming smile and said, “Did you say you’d like to dance with me? You have chosen me out of all these lovely women?” Her hand gestured toward some imaginary ladies. “Of course, I’d like to dance with you.”

Jenny gracefully placed her arms in a semi-circle and began dancing. As she danced and twirled with the breeze, in the arms of her imaginary prince, all worries and cares disappeared and she felt exhilarated. She was dancing to the music of her dreams and each step she took brought joy to her soul. Jenny’s charming and delightful laughter rang through the meadow as she danced to the imaginary music in her heart.

Little did she know that she was being watched. Will had passed by on his way home and saw movement through the branches of the trees. When he stopped to peek through, he noticed an imaginary person asking Jenny for a dance. When he heard what she had said, he grinned and tried to stifle a chuckle as he watched in secret. As she danced, Jenny looked as light as a feather with each movement she made. Her charm and gracefulness seemed like fairy-gifts from heaven. She had purity about her that he could not describe, such that you would imagine in a child. Her large blue eyes seemed to bring out her innocence and charm. Even from his distant hiding place, he could see they were the color of the clearest blue sky he had ever seen.

As Will watched, he realized that each movement seemed to have confidence and purpose, as if she were revealing her emotions through her dancing. Each step she took was full of grace and elegance. As she danced, the combs that held her hair in place fell to the ground and her long wavy tresses softly cascaded to her shoulders and floated with the breeze. Will’s eyes widened with delight as he saw the beauty of this young woman. He could not tell which was the greater pleasure to watch—her graceful movements or her natural beauty. She was absolutely charming!

He noticed this field had an enchantment about it, one that she was clearly a part of. He watched her pale blue dress as it floated gently around her ankles with every movement she made. Her throat was long and slender and her dark eyelashes seemed to flirt with the breeze. When he looked at her eyes, they seemed to be far away in a dreamland.

They had never been formally introduced but he had heard plenty about Jenny from Melinda. She had told him that Jenny just returned from college and this impressed him a great deal since most young women did not consider college as an option. Will had seen her in passing and was interested in meeting her, but had not had a chance as of yet. Maybe he could take the opportunity to meet her now.

When Jenny stopped dancing, she held her skirts with her fingers and curtsied. With a charming smile, she said, “Thank you, my prince.”

Will smiled at her gesture. He was about thirty feet away from her when he stepped out from his hiding place and took a chance to speak to her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jenny saw movement from the thicket. She was startled and gasped. She whirled around to see who had trespassed upon her reverie. When their eyes met, her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened with surprise. She was instantly embarrassed and her face flushed a rosy color. There was an awkward pause, and then she quickly grabbed her shoes and dashed out from the meadow leaving her book and hat behind.

Will felt terrible. He didn’t mean to startle her and wanted to call out to her. But it was to no avail because she was out of sight before he had a chance to get his senses about him. He had intruded on her privacy and embarrassed her. He felt awful. It had not dawned on him how she might react to his presence. Why had he been so bold as to step into her solitude and disturb her, especially right after dancing with an imaginary person? Will looked down and noticed that she had forgotten some of her belongings. He picked the book up, looked at the title, and then he placed it on a large flat rock for Jenny to retrieve later. Then he went to the field and picked up her combs and put them with her book, placing the hat on top of them. This would protect them from the damp dew of the night. Will knew that she would be back tomorrow to regain her possessions.

Jenny ran all the way home without stopping and was out of breath when she burst through the door. Melinda looked up from the salad she was preparing and was instantly concerned. “Is anything wrong, Jenny?”

Jenny shrugged her shoulders and walked toward her room to get washed up. She didn’t want to tell anyone about the encounter. In fact, she was not quite sure what had happened. She didn’t know why she ran away, but that man had invaded her privacy unnoticed and uninvited. How embarrassed she felt!