The Battle of a Lifetime

Five young students at St. Mary's School for Girls are gathered around a grown-up Lucy Penn as she finishes the story of The Sword Lily Parables. It all began when her best friend, Francie O'Malley, was commandeered by a heavenly being to deliver a message to the world. Beneficent Angel said she had seen in them a tiny spark, a glimmer of hope that they could uncover the means to win The Battle of a Lifetime. Lucy confessed that 'spark' was more likely the lit cigarette they were sneaking behind Pastor's garage when Beneficent Angel zeroed in on them. That was back in 1962 when they were in 7thForn. Whatever the reason, they were 'chosen" and from that day on they would never be the same.One can only imagine Beneficent Angel's surprise when having applied to the Powers That Be for an exceptional backup team to help Francie and Lucy, a small beaver named Scout was selected. She was the runt of the litter really, undisciplined, easily distracted. If one were to analyze Beneficent Angel's team and the magnitude of the pending conflict, one could not help but think that Satan had the upper hand. And so, to bring peace to the world, the Queen of Revelation called a Great Gathering of the Communion of Saints, Triumphans, Penetans, and Militans to be held in the meadow atop Castle Cliff. The goal was to reassemble the Pink Skeleton, the only viable help to combat such evil. Things happened here, too awful to tell. But the story of how the earth shook and all goodness forsook the mountain, the riverbank, and almost the whole of the Midlantic Realm, cannot be understood without following the adventures of Scout and her cranky friend, Deer as they escape the fate of the others and earn a spot at the feet of St. Francis of Assisi, right there in Pastor's prayer garden for all time. With this last chapter of The Sword Lily Parables, Lucy wonders, for a moment, if she is sitting in a mist of Francie's saga - Is today St. Mary's-of-the-Future, or will it be another day?What does it matter? The brave characters of Francie's endless tales-angels and saints, the critters, Widow Miller, and the priests-they had seen Francie and Lucy through the growing pains of their lives; even the threat of nuclear terror and the assassination of their young president. Francie's characters were alive to the two best friends, they taught them how to heal and how to grow. And now, on this terrible day, Lucy must call on them again, in this mystical garden so chock-full of their memories, to see her through Francie's disappearance and to soothe her young audience stricken with sadness.