Never Grow Up

by Karen Kingsbury

  “Is he going to get better?” Kari felt tears in her eyes. She slid next to her dad and held him real tight. “I thought we raised enough money for him.… I thought he was getting better.”

  Dad ran his fingers over Kari’s hair. “We did. And that money helped his family. But Alex is just still really ill.”

  “But… we prayed.” Kari looked at her dad.

  Dad looked at her. “And we will keep praying. We have to trust God, even when we don’t get the answer we want.” Dad took a deep breath. “That’s called faith.”

  Kari closed her eyes. She didn’t understand. But she knew Dad was right. She could trust God… even when it didn’t make sense. If Dad could still have faith, then so could Kari.

  Dad stood. “Luke and the girls are playing basketball. He said he’d love for us to join him for a game of HORSE.”

  Kari hesitated. And it occurred to her that life was really special. How often did she wake up and take the morning for granted? She never wanted to forget about the gift of today. Because some people were sick in hospitals.

  “I’m gonna go outside.” Dad kissed the top of Kari’s head. “See you out there?” He headed out of the room.

  A minute later, Mom popped her head in. “Dad told you about Alex?”

  “He did.” Kari thought for a moment. “Let’s go see him again next week.”

  “Okay.” Her mom pointed to the notebook on the bed beside Kari. “Working on your essay?”

  “Trying.” Kari picked up her pencil. “I know something else I want to do.”

  “What’s that?” Mom’s voice sounded lighter. A nice change from the sadness about Alex.

  Kari held up the open notebook. “When I grow up… I want to be a professional dancer and… I want to be me.”

  Mom raised her eyebrows. “You want to be… yourself?”

  “Yes.” Kari loved this. “See… people have said I am fun, creative and a good friend. Those are my three supporting points. And that’s who I want to be. I could be a dancer. But maybe not.” She felt great about this. “Whatever my job, I want to be Kari Baxter. The girl who is fun, creative and a great friend.”

  “I love it.” Mom paused. “I think yours will be Ms. Nan’s favorite essay.”

  Kari nodded. “Me, too.”

  Mom stood. “If grown-up you is like young you, then the world is in for a treat.”

  “Thanks.” Kari almost told Mom about the contract. But that could wait. Plus it was just for the five Baxter children.

  “Okay.” Mom smiled. “We’ll be outside when you’re ready.” She left and shut the door behind her.

  Kari started to write again, but the project made her feel like she was going against the promise to never grow up. She closed her notebook. There was still time. For now, her homework could wait.

  Kari hopped off her bed, and joined her family outside at their basketball hoop. The game hadn’t started yet. For the next hour they all took turns doing trick shots and goofy free throws. They ate chicken and squash, and before Kari knew it, they were all seated on a blanket in the backyard, eating Mom’s fresh-baked pumpkin cookies and drinking hot chocolate.

  This was the moment Kari had been waiting for! The meteor shower was about to begin.

  “I can’t believe it’s finally here…” Kari stared at the sky. It was still too early. But she didn’t want to miss any of it. She took another cookie. “I’m so excited.”

  “Why are you so excited?” Luke sat beside her.

  “Because, I’ve never seen a meteor shower.” Kari took a sip of her hot chocolate. “I think it sounds spectacular.”

  “I’ve always wanted to see one, too.” Mom sat next to Dad, both of them in lawn chairs.

  Brooke took a cookie from the tray. “Carly said she and her family are watching it, too.”

  “Yeah.” Luke waved his hands in the air. “I bet the whole world is watching.”

  Erin was lying on her stomach, reading. “The whole world can’t watch. It’s about to be daytime somewhere else.”

  “Okay.” Luke laughed. “The whole city then.”

  Ashley had been quiet for the past few minutes. She pointed to the darkening sky. “I just wonder if we’ll see the second star to the right.” She rested her head on Kari’s shoulder, and hugged her knees. “I’m glad we’re doing this. Just in case.”

  Kari leaned her head against her sister’s. “Me, too.”

  The sun had now completely set and the first few twinkles of stars were coming out.

  Dad went back to the house and returned with more blankets. “Here… it’s getting cold.”

  Kari and Ashley shared one.

  “Seven fifty-five!” Mom almost sang out the announcement. “Any minute now.”

  Kari didn’t look down. She didn’t want to miss any of this.

  Suddenly streaks of light began zipping across the dark sky. One. Then two. Then another few. With each one, Kari’s mouth dropped a little more. A bright one fell vertically toward the ground, and it gave her goose bumps. Twinkling lights indicated that some were further away. A few of the meteors had long tails, while others didn’t have tails at all.

  The meteor shower was the most beautiful light show Kari had ever seen.

  No one said anything.

  The tails coming off the meteors were a wide range of unexplainable colors. Kari felt overwhelmed with awe and gratitude. All this waiting… and tonight one of her dreams was coming true.

  Ashley studied the sky. “I sort of feel like a meteor.”

  “You?” Kari kept her eyes on the sky. “Why?”

  “It’s all of us.” Ashley sighed. “Shooting across the sky… going through life so fast…”

  “I like that, Ash.” Brooke’s words were barely loud enough to be heard. “Enjoy the beautiful now… while we can.”

  Kari’s eyes were still on the sky. Maybe Alex had a view of the amazing show from his hospital room.

  A few more meteors whizzed overhead, making their way through outer space. The same way that Kari was finding her way through life. She hadn’t thought about it until Ashley brought it up.

  Kari hoped wherever she went, she left a beautiful streak of light, too.

  The meteors were fading away, meaning the show was almost over. For a few more moments, everyone stayed still and quiet.

  Luke was resting his head on his basketball. Erin’s book was closed. Brooke blinked a few times, studying the stars and petting Bo, who rested near her. Ashley played with some grass and Kari looked back at her parents. Even though they were sitting in separate lawn chairs, they were cuddled together under one blanket. It was a perfect ending to a very special day.

  Kari stared at the sky. She never wanted to forget this moment. The final meteors reminded her of her family. Burning bright till the very end. And because of faith and love, doing what the Baxter family did best. The same thing the meteors had done.

  Being very bright lights in the darkness.

  22 Us Five

  ASHLEY

  Ashley was still watching the sky. She picked at the grass that overlapped onto the blanket she shared with Kari. The meteor shower had been spectacular. Which was a spelling word for next week in Mr. Garrett’s class.

  Spectacular.

  Yes, that described everything about this weekend. She was deep in thought. So much had happened over the past few weeks. She was glad for a night to just rest and reflex. Or maybe it was reflect.

  Either way, that’s where she was. In her head, thinking about Neverland and Landon’s compliment. Sunset Hills Adult Care Home and Luke’s game… and all the adventures ahead.

  She looked at her sisters and brother, glad they had all made a decision to stay young. They sat there, under the starry sky, in total silence.

  The quiet of the night was rare. Especially for her family.

  But tonight, there was no game, no talent show, no practice or homework assignment. No church event or party to attend. Tonight was just real life stopping fo
r a meteor shower. Just the gift of sharing something special with the people she loved.

  “You know,” Ashley whispered. “This family is pretty spectacular.”

  It was true. The way Mom and Dad kept everything running and were there to celebrate every moment—even this one. The way Brooke had joined them at the rock yesterday even when she had homework. How Kari brought music and laughter to the family, and Erin added a layer of quiet and depth. And how Luke made every day a little more fun.

  Even Bo did a great job being everyone’s friend. Despite his thievery.

  Yes, her family was definitely spectacular.

  Just in case there was enough light from the moon, Ashley had brought her sketchpad.

  Pictures, stories, and movies of meteor showers never looked like the sky tonight. Because God would always be the best artist.

  Ashley looked up at the stars again. They twinkled and winked at her from their places in the sky. She saw one that burned brighter than the others. Maybe that was the star Peter Pan had talked about.

  A nearby owl did a loud HOOT! And it was followed up with a howl. Probably those crazy old wolves. A few weeks ago, the sound would have scared Ashley. But now… now the sounds were part of home. They comforted her and sang her to sleep each night.

  She could feel her neck cramping. Her head was still resting on Kari’s. But Ashley didn’t want to move. She didn’t want the moment to end. This very special meteor moment.

  “Well…” Dad broke the silence. “I am going to clean up the kitchen.” He stood, stretched and folded his chair. “That was an extraordinary show. Thanks, Kari. For keeping the countdown going.” He made his rounds, squeezing shoulders and kissing foreheads. “Love you, kiddos. More than anything.”

  Mom stood as well and Dad grabbed her chair, too. “I’ll come help.” Mom touched Ashley’s head. “Love you, kids.”

  Brooke sighed and moved to her feet. “I should probably go inside, too. I still have homework.”

  Ashley felt a sudden panic. “No, Brooke. Please stay!”

  Mom put her hand on Brooke’s shoulder. “Stay, honey. For a few more minutes. Homework can wait.”

  Brooke settled back down onto the blanket. “You’re right. I’ll stay.” She motioned for Ashley and the others to spread out. “Lay on your backs. Let’s look at the stars!”

  Forever Ashley would remember Brooke staying with them this way. She and Kari and Erin and Luke all did as she said.

  “It’s kinda chilly!” Erin’s teeth chattered.

  Ashley handed her one of the blankets. “Here. This will help.”

  “The moon looks like a basketball.” Luke pointed up. “I bet I could slam dunk on the moon. No gravity.”

  “True. It would be a boring game, though.” Brooke slowed down her words. “Everyone… would… play… in… slow… motion.”

  Erin giggled. “That would be boring. You think there are animals up there?”

  “What would they eat?” Kari looked at Erin.

  “Cheese!” Luke’s voice echoed through the backyard, making him and all the sisters laugh out loud. “The moon’s made of it. At least, that’s what one of the kids in my class said.”

  Erin sat up a little and looked at Luke. “I bet moon cheese is good.”

  “I don’t think it’s cheese.” Brooke was still laughing.

  Ashley turned to Brooke. “What exactly is it?”

  “Well… technically it’s a rock. And it’s white ’cause the sun shines on it. So, it looks like it’s glowing in the dark, but actually it’s just being lit up by the sun.” Brooke paused. “I read about it in my science book.” She turned back to Kari. “What do you think it is?”

  Kari looked up. “I think it’s God’s night-light.” She turned to Ashley. “What about you, Ash? What do you think it is?”

  Hmm, Ashley thought. The moon seemed like a lot more than a big rock. She smiled at her sister and then she looked up at the moon for a long time. She thought about how big it was. How bright it was. And then she thought about Dot. And the song. The moon really was so special. They wrote movies and songs about it. People put the moon in books and in jokes. She thought how the moon could be seen at some point by people all over the world.

  In fact, maybe tonight, her Michigan friend, Lydia, was staring at the moon, too. For that matter maybe Landon and Natalie, Elliot and Mr. Garrett and even Chris were looking at the moon right now. The same one Ashley and her siblings were looking at.

  Which made Ashley feel like they were with her somehow.

  In her heart.

  She pictured Dot staring at the moon tonight singing her “Blue Moon” song. Yes. The moon really was special.

  “Ashley? Did you hear the question?” Kari looked over at her. “What do you think it is?”

  “The moon?” Ashley took a breath. “It’s Neverland. I think it really might be.”

  They were all quiet, thinking about that. Erin broke the silence. “Look! That star cluster looks like Mom’s cat clock!” Erin pointed up.

  Ashley laughed. Erin was right! The stars looked just like the clock they’d bought and then broke… for Mom’s birthday.

  “That gift was a cat-astrophe.” Luke’s joke made all of them laugh out loud.

  Brooke pointed another direction. “The Big Dipper!”

  Ashley grabbed her sketchbook.

  “What are you doing?” Kari rolled onto her side and watched.

  “I have to get this down.” Ashley took a pencil and began to sketch. “Before I forget.”

  “What is it?” Kari put her hands under her head.

  Ashley didn’t answer. She was lost in thought. Thanks to the moonlight, she could see the paper clear as day… so she got to work. She wanted to draw tonight. Her siblings, from God’s viewpoint. She sketched them all on their blanket, heads close, watching the meteor shower.

  Still young. Still together.

  If she didn’t finish the sketch, she might forget. And when kids forget what it’s like to be young, they wake up one day as adults.

  “I wanna see it!” Kari poked Ashley’s shoulder. “Show me.”

  Ashley stared at the drawing. She loved it.

  “Here.” She turned it around and showed it to Kari. Brooke and Luke sat up to see it, and Erin climbed over Kari to get a better view.

  “Wow. Ash…” Kari’s eyes grew wide.

  “It’s us.” Luke said in a tone so soft and sweet, it almost sounded poetic.

  Brooke reached over and squeezed Ashley’s hand. “It’s perfect.”

  “Look!” Kari gasped and pointed up. “A shooting star!” They all laid on their backs again, keeping their eyes open for more.

  They spent a few more minutes laughing and stargazing and dreaming. Doing what they liked to do best as Baxter children. And in that moment, Ashley knew her contract had worked.

  The worry of Monday, the stress of school, and the weight of adult life were nowhere in sight. One day they would have to answer life’s big questions. They would have to carry heavy things. And pay bills. And fight monsters in the closet. But not tonight.

  Tonight, they were exactly where they were supposed to be.

  And, even if somewhere deep down Ashley knew that being a kid wouldn’t last forever, she was grateful they had right now, here, when the meteors were still streaking across the sky. And she was thankful they had each other. Because that was enough.

  That would always be enough.

  More from this Series

  Finding Home

  Best Family Ever

  About the Authors

  Karen Kingsbury, #1 New York Times bestselling novelist, is America’s favorite inspirational storyteller, with more than twenty-five million copies of her award-winning books in print. Her last dozen titles have topped bestseller lists, and many of her novels are under development as major motion pictures. Her Baxter Family books are being developed into a TV series slated to release soon. Karen is also an adjunct professor of writing
at Liberty University. She and her husband, Donald, live in Tennessee near their children and grandchildren.

  Tyler Russell has been telling stories his whole life. In elementary school, he won a national award for a children’s book he wrote, and he has been writing ever since. In 2015, he graduated college with a BFA from Lipscomb University. Soon after, he sold his first screenplay, Karen Kingsbury’s Maggie’s Christmas Miracle, which premiered in December of 2017 on the Hallmark channel. Along with being an author of screenplays and novels, Tyler is a songwriter, singer, actor, and creative who lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where he enjoys serving his church, adventuring around the city, and spending time with his family.

  Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Karen-Kingsbury

  www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Tyler-Russell

  Paula Wiseman Book

  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

  Simon & Schuster, New York

  Also by Karen Kingsbury and Tyler Russell

  The Baxter Family Children

  Best Family Ever

  Finding Home

  The Baxter Collection

  Love Story

  A Baxter Family Christmas

  In This Moment

  To the Moon and Back

  When We Were Young

  Two Weeks

  Inspirational Fiction for Adults

  The Chance

  Fifteen Minutes

  The Bridge

  Angels Walking Series

  Angels Walking

  Chasing Sunsets

  Brush of Wings

  SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS

  An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.