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Excerpt from the Book
Introduction
There is a village named Hudson in the northwest corner of North Carolina. About 300 people live there. It’s small
enough so that everyone knows each
other, but also so small that in a matter
of minutes, any and all kinds of gossip
spreads all over town.
My name is April. I am nine years old, and I have one brother and two sisters. From a distance I am just a normal young girl, swinging on a swing set, but once you come closer you may see another story. I am swinging as high as I can go; the wind is blowing through my hair. I can almost touch the sky, and that means I can hear God’s voice. I hope so, anyway.
I am swinging so high my stomach is getting funny feelings, but I keep pumping my legs. I look out over our yard and see Mommy’s garden, full of growing vegetables. I used to help her pull weeds out of it and then pick the green beans and carrots. As I am swinging I also keep passing the window to my Daddy’s garage. I am being very quiet because I don’t want to make Daddy mad. He spends a lot of time in there. Often we seldom
see him. Mommy says he is working hard to put food on the table.
I look to the back of my house, and I see the clothesline. I’ve spent a lot of time hanging clothes up and then pulling them down again. Sometimes even my school bus goes by, but I am at home taking care of the babies and housework. Did I tell you I was nine?
I don’t want to think, I just want to swing. When I swing, I am free. It means I’m free from that bad feeling – I get so scared and in so much pain sometimes that it makes me not able to breathe.
It is an absolutely beautiful day. The sun is shining, and for this moment I’m trying not to think of those things. I am not sure where Mommy is right now, but she is always sad or angry. I keep looking around because I am afraid…always afraid.
But I swing higher. I can see the sandbox! My brother and I played in it and made mud pies and castles. That was fun. I can’t see Daddy, but I know he is there…I can feel it. But for right now, I am going to keep swinging because I am free.
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