Chapter 34
Diamond
Not long after the revelation of our relationship, I made a decision that would impact not only my future, but also Fern’s and Calvin’s. I took Grammy’s diamond from its sanctuary in the toe of the old lady shoe and traded it for a beautiful dappled grey horse and a small carriage. Calvin and his brothers came over to help us build a corral and a lean-to for the horse and even brought us two goats to keep it company as well as to give us milk.
After years of living on her own, only making it to town once or twice a year with Lauren, Fern was excited to be able to go to town again in the carriage. She reconnected with the few of her old friends who had survived the aftermath of the PF days and got reacquainted with some of the younger people of the town like Mrs. Littleton, who had bought her greenhouse.
I enjoyed taking her to town and showing her around, and she was happy to stay at the guys’ house while we worked on our inventions. Sometimes she would even cook us meals or make us snacks in the solar oven the guys had built. The guys doted on her and called her Grandma, and she in turn spoiled them like the grandsons she never had.
Many days when we were not in town and didn’t have any pressing chores at home, I’d ride the horse to Calvin’s house. I enjoyed spending time with Lauren and Skylar almost as much as being with Calvin.
I’ve come to love that horse almost as much as Spook. The more time we spend together, the more we understand each other. I thought about all the names that would fit him—Ice, Ghost, Spirit—but in the end I decided to name him Diamond in honor of Grammy’s contribution to my freedom and also the glass mere-horse, which I now realized was so much more practical and desirable than a unicorn.
Ben was right about writing my story to dull the pain of my losses. It is quite cathartic to get the ghosts out of one’s mind and on to paper. It doesn’t lessen the pain or remove the thoughts of lost loved ones, but it helps to make it all manageable. Although my life seems to be on a good track and Fern and I are managing survival better than most, I often find myself wishing that I could share our successes with Grammy, Irv, and Mom, and even Dad before the ghosts had eaten away his sanity.
My goal in life now as I approach the age of seventeen is to find the treasures hidden in mundane things—the new things that can be made from junk, things that were once considered worthless that now are priceless, people who were once thought of as plain but are now the real beauties—just like my broken glass unicorn and a pair of old lady shoes. Life isn’t about the worth that any given society assigns something or someone, but rather the value that one can discover in everything and everyone if he or she digs deep enough.
As I breathe in the heavenly scent of the lilac bush under my window, I dream of the possibilities of our new life and what it means to survive now. And I’m filled with hope. Not just for myself, but for humanity. Maybe the devastation of PF Day will be the saving of the human race from the trap of vanity and indulgence we relished before. I hold my mere-horse up to the light streaming in my window, and I smile as the rainbow is released once again, knowing that it will always return.
If you liked Taylor’s story,
you might like to read Bracken’s story,
How I Became a Teenage Survivalist
Bracken soon realizes how lucky he is to live on a farm in the Midwest. What seemed like a dull and backwards life before is now the greatest chance for survival in a powerless world. Food, water, and heat are readily available, although hard work is required to make use of them. Bracken and his family must learn to survive like their ancestors who settled the land.
Or Ben’s story,
Time Lost: Teenage Survivalist II
Ben discovers that living in the middle of a big city makes survival nearly impossible. Starvation, dehydration, disease, freezing temperatures, and out-of-control fires imperil the desperate population. After facing unimaginable losses, Ben finds hope for the future when he meets Sara, who has endured her own share of agonizing loss. But when a murderous gang threatens to take away everything Ben has left, he and Sara flee to a wilderness area of a large city park where they learn to live off the land for survival.
Although each book reveals very different aspects of survival in often contrasting situations, Bracken, Ben, and Taylor prove they have what it takes to survive. Their lives eventually entwine in ways that none of them could have foreseen. The books do not have to be read in any specific order.
www.amazon.com/Julie-L.-Casey/e/B00943SWXQ
Discussion Questions
1.What were some of the themes throughout the story? How did those themes affect the story and help move it along? (Examples: ice, the unicorn/mere-horse, rainbows, ghosts, the sense of smell, etc.)
2.Why did Taylor say she had been in survival mode all her life?
3.How would you describe Taylor’s personality? Is she shy, sensitive, and introverted or outgoing and gregarious? Does she confront problems head-on or try to avoid thinking about them? How does her personality type help to shape the story?
4.How smart do you think Taylor is? What clues in the story inform you about her level of intelligence?
5.What do you think about Taylor’s parents? Are they bad people or good people with insurmountable mental health problems?
6. What did Grammy mean to Taylor, other than being her grandmother?
7. Why did Taylor like spiders? Why did she dislike hogs?
8.Why did Taylor refuse to eat pork from the hog farm after Uncle Owen’s death? Why did she tie a towel around her face as she was frying the pork chop?
9.What were some of the personality differences between Irv and Taylor? How did it affect their relationship?
10.Why did Calvin and Taylor feel drawn to one another?
11. Why do you think Calvin and Taylor were reluctant to tell anyone besides Fern about their budding romance?
12. What do you think happened to Uncle Owen’s body? How about Libby’s body?
13. Why did Ben and Taylor feel an affinity toward each other? What circumstances in their lives made them understand each other’s pain?
14.What do you think the future holds for Taylor?
Find Out More
"Our sun is approaching a period of high turbulence, referred to as the solar maximum, with many scientists suggesting a peak in activity around 2013." This activity could result in a coronal mass ejection which, under the perfect circumstances, could cause the collapse of the power grid as portrayed in Ice Queen: Teenage Survivalist III.
Find out more about solar superstorms and coronal mass ejections (CME’s):
NOVA Secrets of the Sun
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/secrets-sun.html
The Sun's Wrath: Worst Solar Storms in History
http://www.space.com/12584-worst-solar-storms-sun-flares-history.html
NASA Science: A Super Solar Flare
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2008/06may_carringtonflare/
Solar Superstorm Could Knock Out US Power Grid
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/04/us-solar-superstorm-idUSBRE8721K820120804
Learning how to survive without electricity is all about creative problem solving. Think about everything in your life that runs on electricity and try to figure out a way to replace each of them. The links below show how Taylor and Fern solved some of their most pressing problems.
Find out how to become a survivalist:
How to build a gravity powered light
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6q1oOflJT8
Top 10 Off Grid Food Preservation Methods
www.theprepperproject.com/top-10-off-grid-food-preservation-methods/
How to Make a Solar Powered Fan!
http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Amazing-Solar-Powered-Fan-A-Green-Gadget/
Hugelkultur
https://www.niftyhomestead.com/blog/hugelkultur/
4 Ways to Use a Cold Frame
http://www.finegardening.com/4-ways-use-cold-fr
ame
DIY Solar Panels - Air Heaters Made of Pop Cans
http://www.instructables.com/id/Solar-panel-air-heater-made-of-pop-cans/
How to make a homemade washing machine
www.off-grid.net/2010/04/22/diy-washing-machine-and-homemade-laundry-soap/
A Message From the Author:
Thank you for taking the time to read my book. I would be honored if you would consider leaving a review for it on Amazon.
I’d like to shout a big thank you to all my family, friends, and fantastic supporters of the Teenage Survivalist series.
You all are the best!
About the Author
Julie Casey lives in a rural area near St. Joseph, Missouri, with her husband, Jonn Casey, a science teacher, and their three youngest sons. After teaching preschool for fifteen years, she has been homeschooling her four sons for ten years. Julie has Bachelor of Science degrees in education and computer programming and has written four books. She enjoys historical reenacting, wildlife rehabilitation, teaching her children, and writing books that capture the imaginations of young people.
Find out more at www.julielcasey.com.
Check out these other titles from
Julie L. Casey
How I Became a Teenage Survivalist
Time Lost: Teenage Survivalist II
Defenders of Holt
Stop Beating the Dead Horse
In Daddy’s Hands
Check out these Middle Grade and
Young Adult Books from
Amazing Things Press
How I Became a Teenage Survivalist by Julie L. Casey
Time Lost: Teenage Survivalist II by Julie L. Casey
Convolutions by Vashti Daise
Nikki’s Heart by Nona j. Moss
I, Eugenius by Larry W. Anderson
Defenders of Holt by Julie L. Casey
A Thin Strip of Green by Vashti Daise
Trade of the Tricks: The Tricks’ Brand by David Noe
I Am Currency by Whitney L. Grady
Pass of the Crow by Whitney L. Grady
Owners of the Sky by Whitney L. Grady
Tales of an Alien Invader 2: Camp Orion by Michelle Brown
Entwined Courage by Tracy Lane
John Henry’s War by Larry W. Anderson
www.amazingthingspress.com
Teenage Survivalist Series [Books 1-3] Page 39
