Genre:Young Adult, Magical Realism

Word Count: 66,000 

Libby’s art comes to life, literally. Her painted skies turn from day to night and sometimes her mystery boy will appear. She’s determined to discover who he is, even if it means becoming trapped forever.

 

He vanished.

Again.

So did the rush of him appearing in my finished painting. My joy squelched by the expression on his face. Usually he had a smile–a sad sort of smile, but still a smile.

Today, he just looked sad.

As I paced my studio floor, the painting took on a life of its own, turning from a bright sunny day to a star-filled night. The scene on the canvas wasn’t anything spectacular. Just a field, with a few sparse oak trees casting shadows along the acorn-littered ground, the grass more brown than green.

But the shadows were gone now, faded with the sun…and my mystery boy.

I stopped pacing and stared at the image. Then reached out to touch the spot where he’d stood.  Maybe if I could feel him? Maybe if I knew where he went when he disappeared?

Then I won’t feel as hollow as I do now.