conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know a description for a book titled The Spirit Keeper about York, Melissa with the genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Fantasy?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: the author is an author of adult and young adult novels. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, three children, and numerous animals. Melissa is currently hard at work on her next project.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know the first five paragraphs for this book?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The Spirit Keeper
  THIS IS THE ACCOUNT of Katie O'Toole, late of Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania, removed from her family by savages on March the 2nd in the year of Our Lord 1747.
  I wish I could say this is a true and honest account, but I see no way the likes of me can make such a claim. Still, I've no reason to lie in the pages of this ledger and plenty of reason to unburden my guilty soul. Mine is such a surpassing strange story. I honestly hope by writing it all down I'll somehow see the truth of it.
  I feared at first I might disremember how to write, especially in a language I no longer speak, but now that I've begun, I find my fears unfounded, as fears so oft prove to be. I wonder—what use is fear in a world where the worst catastrophes are those you ne'er see coming?
  Ah, well—I'm too practiced a storyteller to fall prey to my own impatience. I'll tell my tale apace, withholding my conclusions 'til the end.
  I was the thirteenth child my mother conceived—a circumstance of some significance for her, I believe, as she took great pleasure in reminding me thirteen was the number of Christ's betrayer. Her belief that I was an unlucky child was routinely cited as justification for beatings, and I grew to envy those children of hers who ne'er breathed air, believing they were, indeed, the lucky ones. Our home was always too full for comfort and there was ne'er enough of nothing—food nor clothing nor compassion—to go 'round.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know five more paragraphs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: I SLEPT THAT NIGHT CURLED UP beneath our upside-down canoe. When I awoke in the morning, I saw a pair of dirty little feet in front of my face. Behind those feet were other little feet, and others and others, and then there was a pair of large feet and I heard Hector yelling, shooing the children away. When I poked my head out from under the canoe, I found at least a dozen youngsters who had, apparently, been daring each other to peek under the canoe to steal a look at me.
  Hector's shouted words in a language they did not understand moved the children back a bit, but when they saw my face, they gasped and scrambled away. This made me feel terrible for many reasons, not the least of which was that I suddenly realized how much I missed my younger brothers and sisters. Since I was old enough to watch others, I had ne'er had a single day of my life when I was not caring for children, and I was surprised how sharply I missed them. Besides, these children were adorable. Naked, save for a few breechclouts, they stood off in clusters of twos and threes, gawking at me and whispering together. I crawled out from under the canoe and leant against it, watching the youngsters watch me.
  I asked if anyone spoke French, and when a lad who was perhaps twelve nervously said he did, I asked if he and his friends would like to play a game. He wasn't sure what I intended 'til I explained how my siblings and I used to pretend to be bears or bunnies. If a bear caught a bunny, that bunny became a bear, too, and the chase went on 'til there was only one bunny left, who was the winner. It took a while for my translator to explain the game, but as soon as the children understood they were supposed to pretend to be a bear or a bunny, they began acting out their parts with great aplomb. Soon we were chasing each other up and down the riverbank, hiding behind or under boats, teasing one another, acting silly. It was such a relief just to play, and the children and I laughed and laughed.
  Throughout this game, Hector stood motionless, his face blank as he watched. Eventually I ran away from a "bear" child and hid behind Hector. By this time all the children were after me, and when they descended, I told them this man was my Guardian who would drive off any beast who threatened me; therefore, our game was done. As the children wandered off, I looked at Hector and remembered the revelation from the night before. I dropt my eyes to the ground.
  Hector tightened his jaw, clearly trying to control his anger. "That was before. I will not leave you now." He stared off across the river, his dark eyes full of pain. His voice was so low I could scarce hear him, but it mattered not. I knew he was speaking to Syawa, not to me, when he added, "I will never leave you."
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Do you know the last three paragraphs?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: I knew I should be happy about this news, but I had been looking forward to being alone with my husband again. However, when he pointed out this plan should cut many months off our journey, I agreed it was an excellent idea. I am ready to leave the moment the river allows.
  It has been a year now, since Hector and Syawa burst into the loft and took me away from the miserable life I had been living. I have suffered greatly on this Journey, but I have also experienced exquisite joy, far more than I knew existed. As I look back thru the ledger I have filled with my words, I am struck by an obvious question: how is it possible for someone to know almost nothing, yet every day feel as if she knows less and less? Clearly no one could be as stupid as I seem to be and yet survive. Therefore, it cannot be that I am so stupid; it can only be that I truly am in a different world than the one into which I was born.
  So, Syawa, if you can hear me and e'en if you can't—I understand my mandate now. I will do whate'er I must to keep your friend, my husband, safe and sound. If, in order to protect him, I must lie to him, then I will ne'er again hesitate to lie. And tho' I may fret about what the future holds, I intend to enjoy the ride in any case, because life itself is, after all, such a glorious gift.