The Gift

By David Pellegrino

Sixteen-year-old Anne faces radical change in her life after a supernatural encounter. When an unusual person makes an unexpected visit, Anne finds she is linked to a decision that was made three hundred years earlier, and her peaceful and predictable life is shaken. She must respond to a complicated request that challenges her own sense of morality and integrity. Anne seeks out help from a local seer and healer who reveals secrets about her birth and her destiny. But will this guidance be enough to help Anne see through the deceptions and traps that have been set for her by nefarious forces?

Behind the pastoral loveliness of the Vermont hills, Anne experiences an invisible world, populated by both good and evil presences who vie for her very soul. A special gift has been given to Anne, but her use of this gift can bring either joy to others or be a curse to all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jun 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9781528942126

David Pellegrino

When he is not working in his private practice as a psychotherapist in Bethel, Vermont, David Pellegrino enjoys writing poetry, essays, and stories, as well as composing music for guitar and piano. He finds inspiration hiking in the Green Mountains of Vermont and along the Maine coast. His story, The Gift, is inspired by the hills and old farms that still dot the landscape of rural Vermont.

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About the Author

When he is not working in his private practice as a psychotherapist in Bethel, Vermont, David Pellegrino enjoys writing poetry, essays, and stories, as well as composing music for guitar and piano. He finds inspiration hiking in the Green Mountains of Vermont and along the Maine coast. His story, The Gift, is inspired by the hills and old farms that still dot the landscape of rural Vermont.

Dedication

To my parents, Albert and Lois Pellegrino, who struggled on many levels throughout their lives, but never let the light of love go out of their eyes.

Copyright Information ©

David Pellegrino 2023

The right of David Pellegrino to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781528941907 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781528942119 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781528942126 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd®

1 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5AA

Acknowledgement

First and foremost, I must acknowledge my now-adult children, Sophia and Christopher. Throughout their childhoods, I told them stories of various types. Their keen attention and joy in listening led me to writing this story.

Also, I have to acknowledge my wife, Julia, who typed the story and corrected my grammatical errors. Her love stands behind any success I might have in any area of my life.

And last, I am grateful for the inspiration of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and George McDonald, for their writings created a clarity and guidepost to what is good, true, and beautiful about life. The Kentucky writer, Wendell Berry, taught me that family, place, and community are the foundation stones of a life lived with meaning and affection.

Chapter One

It was a cool, late Saturday afternoon in late October when Anne closed the barn doors, after finishing her weekend chores. The sun was already setting in the east as Anne scanned the hills around her parents’ farm. She pulled the head scarf she was wearing off her head and let her red hair fall across her shoulders. The cold air reached her nostrils and she immediately imagined the predicted frost covering the green grass with soft, cool whiteness.

It was 1968 and Anne lived with her mother and father on a hundred-acre hill farm in the northeast corner of Vermont, affectionately called the Northeast Kingdom. She was an