A Prayer for Paisley

By Amy Montana

This is a sensitive, moving depiction of a girl passing through adolescence, individuation, self-destructive impulses, and a devastating sense of love, pain, and loss. Like a phoenix, the reader follows Paisleys resurrection of sense of self, and worthiness through hard work and dedication. Most importantly was Paisleys willingness and faith to believe in the gift of prayer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465389466

Amy Montana

Amy Montana was born in Burlington, Vermont, and along with two older brothers, spent an idyllic early childhood in the country. She moved to Newton, Massachusetts, where she excelled in high school and continued her lifelong interest in writing. After attending Vassar College, where she majored in Psychology, English, and Secondary Education, she returned to her roots and now happily resides on four acres in rural Timberlake, North Carolina. Amy has three grown children and five wonderful grandchildren. She is widely accomplished in many domestic skills and crafts, and her interests include embroidery, sewing, cooking and baking, wine making and cheese making, and other down-to-earth pursuits. She lives contentedly with her three dogs and numerous chickens and adores simple country life. She is a prolific author and has previously published two novels and a memoir. This is her first foray into Children’s literature and will not be her last.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Amy Montana.

ISBN:          Softcover                                 978-1-4653-8945-9

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-8946-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

106772

This book is dedicated to Paul

Who will live in my heart forever

And whose prayers I feel and give

Everyday

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

     If I die young bury me in satin,

         Lay me down in a bed of roses,

             Sink me in the river at dawn,

                 Send me away with the words of

                      A love song.

                    —The Band Perry

Chapter One

WHEN PAISLEY WAS fifteen, there wasn’t one thing she could name that actually touched her heart. All her so called friends loved either their best friend, their boyfriend, if they were lucky enough to have one, and as a fall back they could always say their brother, sister, mother or father. Some even had deep unplumbed feelings that caused them to catch their breath about a teacher or someone’s older brother. Not Paisley.

Paisley knew some girls from her classes but they had never quite gotten under her skin. She had parents, but somehow although she knew she should, they never, if really examined closely, opened her heart to what she considered deep emotions. She didn’t hate them or anything, but if pressed she could, in all honesty, say that she wouldn’t really grieve if they were to suddenly disappear off the face of the earth. When she was younger, she had thought that she had loved her brother, but now he seemed so alien to her that what she thought she used to feel, did not still pierce her in any way.

She seemed to be trapped in one of those glass snow globes where she could not touch anyone, and no one could touch her. No one else seemed to notice, but it was not unperceived by Paisley. She had always felt that something deep inside of her was missing, and the bitch of it was, that the missing hole of this unknown piece, made her feel devastatingly lonely.

She had tried to fill up her time with sports, or hobbies like crochet, or rug hooking. She even went to all the parties she was invited to, but it did no good. She worked hard at her classes and always got good grades, but she always had the overshadowing feeling that she was about to slip off the merry go round of life. And once off, she would never be able to get back on again. Even if she miraculously did climb back on, it would be way too late. She would never be able to catch up, so what would be the point. Actually what scared Paisley the most was that nothing really felt like it mattered, even herself.

Paisley knew that in a few years, she would be required to make important decisions regarding her future, what school she would go to, what she wanted to study, and what she would want to do for work and for the rest of her life. She categorically had not one single clue as to the answer to even one of these questions, and to tell the truth, she didn’t think she ever would.

Her brother Cody seemed so rooted. Between school, his friends, and his job, not to mention his wrestling fixation, he came and went unfettered by parental examination. He wasn’t around her