A Story About Sea Animals; but Really About Us

By Yvonne D'Costa and Jennifer Angelo

Laura and David are just like every other sister and brother. One beautiful, sunny day while on their way home from school they discover an under-water world thats just outside their backyard. Well, they dont just discover this world, they fall INTO it.

They are befriended by a big blue whale who turns out to be their tour guide on a journey into a secret world where normal sea creatures arent normal after all. These creatures have very special gifts that they use to care for each other and even care for us on land.

Laura and David discover something else. They have special gifts, too... and, guess what, so do you!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512760958

Yvonne D'Costa

Yvonne lives in Maryland with her husband and their four teenagers. She is registered nurse who has spent most of her career working in the Baltimore area but her true love has been for weaving stories. This is Yvonne’s first book which was written during a time when she did not believe in Jesus Christ. Now, as a Believer, she rediscovered, what she calls, “the original design” of this book. This story is not just about a brother and sister who learn the importance of doing good deeds through a talking seahorse, mermaids and a giant squirrel. It’s about learning that we all have gifts that the Holy Spirit has given us. These gifts bring glory and honor to God when we show love for one another. Inspired by authors like C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia and Betty Macdonald’s Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Yvonne ventures into storytelling. Her first book is dedicated to raise money for Tsunami survivors.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 Yvonne D’Costa.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-6096-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-6095-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016917593

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/13/2017

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Contents

CHAPTER 1

JUST LIKE YOU

CHAPTER 2

BARNACLES

CHAPTER 3

BLUE CRAYONS ALL IN A ROW

CHAPTER 4

EVEN MERCREATURES HAVE TO WORK

CHAPTER 5

THE COLOR OF MIDNIGHT BLUE

CHAPTER 6

THE ABYSS OF NO REGRETS

CHAPTER 7

THE COLOR OF BLUE-BLACK

CHAPTER 8

THE TINIEST TOWN

CHAPTER 9

OPENED WITH A KISS

CHAPTER 10

CASTLES AND SEA DRAGONS

CHAPTER 11

MUFFINS AND MANNERS

CHAPTER 12

A SEA DRAGON’S FIRE

CHAPTER 13

THE SHORTEST CHAPTER

CHAPTER 14

THE LONGEST CHAPTER

CHAPTER 15

SKY BLUE AND FRESH AIR

CHAPTER 16

HOME?

CHAPTER 17

THE FAMILIAR BRIDGE

CHAPTER 18

PENELOPE

CHAPTER 19

HOW TO USE YOUR GIFT

CHAPTER 20

CALLING THE HUMAN CUBS

CHAPTER 21

LAURA AND DAVID’S GIFT

CHAPTER 22

SANTA’S BROTHER WORKS AT THE BANK

CHAPTER 23

THE ACORN IS MISSING!

CHAPTER 24

THE PURPOSE IS REVEALED

CHAPTER 25

BELIEVING IS THE STRONGEST POWER

Preface, acknowledgements and the source of this gift

How do I explain all the fantastic slices of time that had to coincide in order for this story to evolve? I wrote this preface in December of 2004 – a year blessed with the seventeen-year cicada and a Venus eclipse, yet cursed with a tsunami that awakened our world.

This story was born one birthday-party night amongst a disheveled heap of sleeping bags and sleepless eyes. Eight little women and one four-year-old, man-waiting-to-happen sat in a circle and created this extraordinary tale.

Sitting in the almost-dark, we went around the circle. Each child took turns helping the story unfold by naming the characters, deciding what the creatures would be and what they would look like. I admit that it’s odd to have two characters in the same story with names like Jack and Jakal, but I can’t change that which isn’t mine to do so. This story was their vision; I am only their narrator.

That Divine night I sat amongst our future. They sat as jurors of our world – a world that I’m not sure has been made good enough for them. Still, they came back with the verdict of compassion and love. They believed in the secret power that lies within us all – young and old – and they decided to believe in the gift that rests inside the beauty of our hearts.

My most sincere thanks to my nine little muses

First, I want to give thanks to the hand that stirs our tide, for allowing me the sweet privilege of peeking into the minds of these nine people; nine little people whom I can’t wait to inherit our world!

Shantha – my teacher and secret weapon in life

Mateo- my whimsical companion who helps me laugh in the face of adversity

Hailey – who wears her heart on her sleeve and believes in unicorns

Michaela- who has a ravenous imagination, rivaled only by her appetite

Amanda- who struggled and believed and honored me with her presence

Jesse- who speaks with the clarity of one wise beyond her years

Valerie- who was the first to sleep at the sleepover

Samantha – who seeks endless perfection

Chelsea- who gives endless affection

~ Writen Dec. 2004

These kids had decided that if this story ever made any money it would all go to tsunami victims. I’m not sure where these kids are now; it’s 12 years later and we’ve lost touch. Still a promise is a promise and sometimes this and Divine timing is all God needs to do His thing.

Thank you for your reading our story and most importantly, thank you for your donation.

I also need to thank the artist, Jen, who has never allowed me to give up hope in my dreams and Laurie, who did the final edit and hand-picked commas and shored up sentence structures. This moment wouldn’t have come without you both.

Peace and blessings,

Yvonne

~ Sept. 2016

CHAPTER 1

JUST LIKE YOU

Once upon a time, not so long ago, in a land not so far away, there lived a girl and a boy who were just like you…

Laura was a robust little girl of eleven years. She wore a beautiful crown of brown, curly hair that, more often than not, wore her instead.