Her name was Theresa, but
everyone called her Terry.
Miss Terry was a lifelong fan of
mysteries, thrillers and suspense fiction. These stories, charged with
adrenaline and larger-than-life characters, reflected the chaotic world in
which she lived. These stories were pulse-pounding journeys that usually ended
with the moral universe intact. Justice, unfortunately, was often missing in
reality.
That’s why Terry loved fiction.
She loved a tale of terror, right versus wrong, heroes and villains. It was an
escape from gritty reality.
One day her sister, Mary, gave
Terry a mystery novel titled: “Jump In.” A single quote adorned the back page.
“Truly immersive reading,” said a reviewer, “you’ll get lost in the pages.”
Terry sat alone in the den by a
sunny window, and cracked open the book. For her, each book began with an
unspoken promise. She could almost hear the author whisper, “This story is an
unforgettable journey. It will change you. I promise.”
Terry smelled the fresh paper,
and looked down at the sunlit first page. The prose pulled her in. She lost all
sense of time. Her daily world disappeared.
At dinnertime, Mary entered the
room. Her sister was gone. She called out, but received no answer. The mystery,
“Jump In,” lay on the armchair, splayed open. Mary picked it up. She flipped a
few pages and saw an illustration of a crowded street, which included a woman
who resembled Terry.
A single quote adorned the book
jacket. “Truly immersive reading,” said a reviewer, “you’ll get lost in the
pages…I promise.”
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