Cassandra and the Crystal Cave

By Deborah ShiningStar

When disaster threatens the family farm, Cass and her dog rush into the burning barn to help rescue the cows and her beloved pony. But tragedy strikes and Cass's world comes crashing down. While hospit

• Language: English
• Publisher: LightHeart Healing Arts, LLC
• Release date: Jun 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9798986081724

Book preview

PRAISE

for

Cassandra and the Crystal Cave

Cassandra and the Crystal Cave is a ticket for your soul to take flight with a young girl who must come to terms with much grief and loss. Cass is a relatable character with the dreams of flight and freedom to which we all aspire.

Deborah’s descriptions and prose weave a spell upon her reader, ensuring that your heart is bound to Cass and her family. Don’t hesitate; get your copy now! Deborah has saved you a seat on a journey I promise your soul needs to experience.

-Toni Marie Morrison

 Digital Artist and Game Designer

Cassandra and the Crystal Cave is a page-turner, with Deborah’s very informative and magical descriptions throughout the book. As Cassandra engages her initiations as a Shamanic Priestess of Light, she is mentored by Grandmother Shining Stars through sacred ceremonies and the great mysteries of the Universe. When Cass is severely tested while recovering from personal and family trauma, Grandmother counsels Cassandra, "We know Love is the most potent and creative energy of the Universe. No matter what happens, focus on the power of Love." 

Well, I loved this book! It’s what the world needs right now!

-Nancy Clark - Art for Peace

www.nancyclarkartist.com

Cassandra

and the

Crystal Cave

Deborah Shining Star

Copyright © 2022 Debra Holloway, LightHeart Healing Arts, LLC

(Deborah Shining Star is my given spiritual name and my author pen name.)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process or in any form of audio or video recording: nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use, without prior written permission of the author.

This book is a work of fiction. Descriptions about ceremony and healing are part of the storytelling. However, this book is not intended to serve as an instructional resource for shamanic healing or ceremonial practice.

Readers seeking further information about shamanic healing arts are invited to visit the author’s website at DeborahShiningStar.com.

ISBN eBook 979-8-9860817-2-4

ISBN Paperback 979-8-9860817-0-0

Printed in the United States of America.

Dedicated to the Children

Mother Earth

and the

Next Seven Generations

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapters

1. Destiny Calls

2. Tragedy Strikes!

3. Unicorn and the Magic Tree

4. Land of the Forgotten

5. The Path of Power

6. Warrior of the Heart

7. Grandmother Shining Stars

8. A Sister’s Love

9. Saving Seeds

10. Mother Earth Calling

11. I’m a Misfit!

12. The Sorcerer’s Curse

13. Shattered Hearts

14. Trust the Great Mystery

15. The Star Seed Orb of Truth

16. The Christmas Wish

17. The Troll Invasion

18. The Wisdom Crystal

19. My Life Sucks!

20. Return to the Light

21. Coming of Age

22. Summoning the Ebony Frieshorn

23. Cassandra and the Crystal Cave

24. The Golden Puma Returns

25. Shamanic Priestess of Light

About the Author

About the Artist – Kimberly Webber

Acknowledgments

Preface

The original seed for this book was planted when I wrote and illustrated a handmade book titled The Magic Tree, for a writing course I enrolled in as a teenager. That initial little book still lives in a file drawer and has survived numerous moves and life transitions; as I never let go of the dream, it could be something more.

Fifty years later, during a writing retreat weekend, my Magical Inner Child -Teen confirmed she had a story to tell. Over the course of the weekend, thirty-five thousand words came pouring through me so fast that I could barely keep up on my keyboard. All the magical realms, creatures, and encounters in this book came flooding through this aspect of me, including the return of the Magic Tree, now more fully developed in meaning and purpose. My writing experience during that retreat weekend was one of pure flow and joy.

Then came an editorial critique that felt discrediting to my creativity, imagination, and lived experience as an avid young reader. Although I tried to accept the feedback as constructive criticism, my Magical Inner Child-Teen shut down, slamming, and locking the door to her creative expression. The Cassandra book project sat on the shelf for months. Like many creatives, this vulnerable aspect of my being was not prepared for sharp critical assessments, no matter how valid or well-meaning.

Finally, I reached out to a fellow shamanic healer to help me clear the energy block and related patterns that were paralyzing me from moving forward. I also conducted a fire ceremony and other processes to clear stuck energies and restore flow. A few weeks later, I was finally able to move forward. I picked up the pieces, and the storyline for Cassandra and her family began to flow and weave into the narrative in a natural and satisfying way.

I’m grateful the heart and intentions of this story have prevailed and will finally find an audience after decades in a drawer. While the crafting of the book for publication has taken more than two years, I hope the sharing of this story and its purpose will continue for many years to come.

I offer this peek into my creative writing process as a point of encouragement for every reader who has a vision, a dream, or a sense of unrealized higher purpose. Believe in yourself, reach out for support, and trust that your unique voice and creative expression are gifts to the world.

Blessed Be.

Deborah Shining Star ~ April 2022

Taos, New Mexico

Chapter One

Destiny Calls

Cass didn’t know, on that fateful evening, a family tragedy would soon turn her world upside down. She was savoring the twilight, her favorite time of day. She reveled in the light bronzing the fields and hillsides as birds drifted in small clusters and settled into the treetops for the night.

Cass listened to the crickets tuning their chorus as the lightning bugs sparkled where the glen met the forest. She heard a coyote yip, announcing its evening’s hunt.

Cass’s ponytail glimmered with copper highlights in the evening light and her green eyes flashed as she gazed into the west. Her thin floral dress clung to her slim figure as the sun set, cradled by the rolling hills. Cass loved resting in the cool, damp grass to watch the stars pierce the darkening sky. But after record heat and months without rain, the grass crackled as she walked; the baked soil was unforgiving underfoot, and the hot winds sapped what little moisture remained in the trees. Cassie felt the tension in the air, suggesting the mere snap of a dry twig could spark a fire.

It was the eve of the weekly farmer’s market, and Cass had sought relief from the suffocating kitchen where she’d been helping her mom with baking and jam-making all day. She’d needed a break from the oppressive heat and worry that permeated life on their family farm these days.

She took a deep breath, savoring the fragrance of late summer as she tried to forget her anxiety about starting high school in a few weeks. Instead, she spread her arms wide and sprinted a short distance through the field with her eyes closed, imagining she could fly.

In her dreams, Cass loved to fly! She would run with open arms, lifting off and floating over the farm and the forest. Sometimes a magical winged horse or unicorn would swoop into her dream, carrying her over the mountains and into the clouds. Tonight, however, she remained earthbound in the pasture, catching her foot in a gopher hole. She fell hard, twisting her ankle.

Ow! Ow! Ouch!

Cassie yelped in pain, sitting up, trying to massage the pain away. But now, it was eerily quiet in the twilight. She sensed a presence nearby. The hair on the back of her neck stiffened. Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart pounded. She had fallen by the parched farm pond where the forest stitched along the meadow’s edge. On a rock outcropping, just three stone throws away, crouched the mountain lion, with its gaze fixed on Cass.

How could she have been so careless? Her father had warned her about wandering into the back pasture at dusk. Several neighbors had sighted bears and cougar on their farms in recent weeks. Cass’s mind raced. She scrambled on her hands and knees, looking for rocks or sticks she might use to scare off the lion.

Cass gathered some stones and put them in the pockets of her dress. She found a baseball-size rock and crawled a short distance to where a tree branch lay on the ground. Cass trembled, trying to catch her breath. She had to look and sound big and scary to have any chance of frightening this cougar, whose attention was pinned on her every move.

Cass summoned her courage, praying she could stand on her ankle. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she stood up to face the mountain lion with her feet planted a few feet apart, holding the tree branch overhead. As the cougar took a tentative step out of the shadows, a shaft of evening sunlight illuminated its presence. Cassie locked eyes with the big cat for several heartbeats, captivated by its raw, wild power and beauty. As fear rose in her, Cass tried to shout, but no sound came from her throat. She threw the stones she’d gathered in rapid succession. Then she waved the tree branch, yelling fiercely.

Go away! Get out of here! Go home! Leave me alone! Go on! Get out of here! Go on!

The mountain lion froze, holding her gaze for several seconds. Then it slowly turned away from Cass, slipping into the brittle underbrush. The late-day sun flashed on the white streak marking its long, black-tipped tail. Cassie shivered with the thrill and terror of the encounter, and she limped for home. It was now dusk, and she knew her mother would be concerned. Her father was finishing his evening barn chores and wouldn’t know of her absence. Her younger brother, Zack, might already be in bed. Scout, their farm collie, bounded out to greet her, barking excitedly.

Hey, Scout. Good boy! I’m so glad to see you!

Cass had broken the branch down to the size of a walking stick and limped along, with Scout escorting her to the house. The lights were on in the barn, and she could see her father bent over, tending the cows. She sensed how the farm, once his passion, was now sucking the life out of him. Cass pushed aside these thoughts as she entered the kitchen, savoring the aroma of baked bread and fruit pies.

Cassie, where have you been?! You missed supper, and I’m almost finished labeling and packing everything for the market tomorrow. What happened to you? We were worried.

Yeah, Mom, I’m fine. Sorry, I’m late. I tripped in a gopher hole and fell, twisting my ankle. It’s no big deal. That’s why it took me a while to walk home. Scout came to my rescue, didn’t you, Scout?

Let me have a look. You better get some ice on that, Cass, and stay off it. I’ll finish loading the van tonight. There are some leftovers in the fridge. Better get to bed early. We need to leave by 5:30 to set up in time for the market’s early birds.

Yeah, I’ll see you in the morning. Sorry I wasn’t here to help. You look exhausted, Mom.

It’s been a long day.

Is everything okay?

We can talk about it tomorrow. Best we both get a good night’s rest. There’s some aspirin and arnica in the medicine cabinet upstairs.

Ok, thanks. See you bright and early.

Night, Cass.

The back door slammed shut. Cassie heard her father’s heavy footsteps echoing toward her down the hall.

Where the heck have you been, Cass? Your mother needed your help tonight. I hope you weren’t daydreaming down around the back pasture again. Bob Albright just called. He lost a calf to a damn cougar. Fish and Game told him there was nothing they could do about it. That’s all we need right now; to lose our calves to half-starved cougars and bears. You stay out of that back pasture! Do you hear me? Day or night, stay out!

Okay, Dad. I will. Sorry about Bob’s calf.

Yeah, me too. It could be our calves next. I’m keeping all the cows and calves in at night, including your rascal pony, Pickles. I put him in with the calves for the night, and it didn’t bother him one bit.

Okay, Dad. I’ll set up a stall for him tomorrow after the market.

Hey, what happened to you? Why are you limping?

Oh, nothing. I just tripped in a gopher hole. I’m fine.

Cassie’s dad reached into his gun case, pulling out his shotgun and a few cartridges. We’ve got to nip this problem in the bud. Now that a cougar’s got a taste of a nice young calf, there’ll be no rest until we get rid of it. Bob and I are going out with his hounds to track the varmint down before it attacks any more calves.

Dad, you can’t. How do you know it’s a cougar and not a bear or coyotes?

Bob knows a cougar-kill when he sees it. It should be easy to find it and put it out of its misery.

But Dad!

Cass, I know you’ve got a soft spot for all animals, even those that could kill you or our farm animals. But we can’t afford to be losing our calves. We’re barely hanging on in this drought as it is.

I know, but this one’s different, Cass blurted out with immediate regret.

Different? How the heck is it different? And how would you know, anyway?

Well, I saw it. I saw it on my walk. And it turned away and slipped off into the woods. It could have attacked me, but it didn’t. It’s not a vicious killer!

And where did you see this cougar? Was it in the back pasture?

It was only there to drink water at the pond. The cougar looked right at me, but it turned around and went back into the woods. That thirsty mountain lion just wanted to get out of there!

You went to the back pasture when I’ve repeatedly told you not to? That cougar could have mauled or even killed you! You took a ridiculous risk. It could have been you instead of the calf!

Maybe it’s not even the same cougar, Dad. I didn’t mean to….

Cass, there is zero room to move me on this! I am grounding you right now! You’re to stay in your room except for meals and help your Mom. I can’t believe you would disobey me on this!

What’s all the commotion about, Chuck? You’ll wake up Zack.

I’ve grounded Cass until further notice. She’s only allowed to help you with the market and her chores. She took off to the back pasture tonight and had a close encounter with a cougar. It could have killed her! I’m heading over to Bob’s now to see if his hounds can sniff out the lion that got one of his calves today. With a little luck, we’ll shoot it tonight.

Dad, why can’t you ask Uncle Scott to tranquilize and move it? Why do you have to kill it?

I don’t have time for this, Cass. We need to take care of this now to protect our calves. It’s time you grew up to the realities of farm life. The animals we raise aren’t pets. They supply food and income for our family. We’ve got to deal with any threats, including wildlife!

Her father was already heading out the door at the end of the hall.

Cass yelled in frustrated anger, But why won’t you try a different way to deal with this? It’s not the cougar’s fault; it has to risk being shot just to get food and water! I hate you!

Her father slammed the door, climbed into his truck, and roared up the gravel driveway into the night.