Ellie
The Awakening
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
John took Evelyn's hand and they wept. On the way home, they made a pact to be strong so that Ellie would not see them cry. They would get a second opinion -- this one from God. Before going to the house, they stopped at the church and prayed beneath the cross near the baptismal well. This was the most difficult prayer either of them had ever made. They had sent their message to God. Now they would wait for an answer. They would look for a sign. - Excerpt from Chapter 7, Ellie
There beneath the grieving father was an open grave. The white casket sat upright and open in the space where it had lain for the last seven years. Ellie was gone. Only the indentation where her head had rested remained. A few strands of light brown hair lay within the crease. Then, a hauntingly familiar sound broke the silence: "Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me." John looked into the casket and saw the music box with the tiny ballerina spinning as the music played on. - Excerpt from Chapter 15, Ellie
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
For a parent and a community, there is no greater loss than the death of a child. This was the nightmare that Ellie Lane’s parents endured seven years ago in the enchanted land of the Cherokees deep in the Smoky Mountains.
Then the miracle occurred. Seven years after her death, Ellie returns.
Her still-grieving parents confront fear, superstition, and suspicion as Ellie begins her new life, the second life she has somehow been given. In a world where people are divided by the contradictions of skepticism and fanaticism, science and religion wage war to claim the answers. Cults are born to worship the young girl as a deity. Legends and apocalyptic visions come to life. Celestial signs portend that something beyond comprehension is coming. A rough beast to end all days? Ancient astronauts in chariots of fire? Winged seraphs strumming harps of gold?
Does Ellie’s return mean a new beginning for mankind – or its end?
About the Author
Dan Marsee is from the Smoky Mountains region in the southeastern United States, where Ellie takes place. His first novel, Bucklee, explored the spiritual shortcomings of man that led to the tragedy of the Trail of Tears. He is a practicing attorney who lives in northern Florida.