The parcel

The Parcel

Front cover just the words in old print:  The Parcel

 I'm thinking all in black and white sketches, except for the red ribbon on the parcel.
 

 blood hounds running, chasing towards the right side of the page (not too scary)

 

title page - showing obvious escape slave running, or looking back as they touch a tree. (running from the blood hounds on the other page.

 

Dedication: To Amitabh, who thanked me when I had nothing to give.

shows small circle of picture, slave, head down marching toward the left (back) with hands chained behind her back and the chain draping upward out of the picture, obviously being held by a master who has caught her.

 

Inspired by  Emily Elizabeth Parsons and all those whose lives give us courage to live our own.

shows small hiding place in same tree and the corner of an old handmade book sticking out.

 

Kid gets bad grade at school, his family, his teachers, everybody is berating him and acting like he is evil.  He runs off to hide, and cries.

 

As he is crying, he notices the part of the old book sticking out, and becomes curious in the quiet after a good cry.

 

He opens it curiously.

 

pages go to what he sees in the book.

 

(I'm changing the rest of these to civil war time, as I have revised the book since I wrote them)

 

A woman waves goodbye to her only son leaving on a boat to go to war (or should I have him arrested?). She returns lonely to her lonely room, the future looking bleak and lonely. Her cat runs out, and is chased by some kids, wanting to pet it. She is nice and lets them, and finds herself smiling, as the kids remind her of her own child. As she returns with her cat to her room, the kids hands her a parcel tied with string. Curiously, she opens it as soon as she's alone. Out comes the magic, and - "Hope!"

 

A convict finally gets out of prison. He is destitute and shunned by society. Everywhere he looks, he sees people hating him. He sleeps on a bench looking out to sea, and spends the day looking in garbage heaps for food. As he returns to his bench, he sees an old lady (the same one who received the parcel) sitting on it. She has taken his few belongings he carefully stowed by the bench, and thown them away. He sees her as more of the hatred the world has for him, but as he comes closer, he sees tears in her eyes, and that she is looking at a picture of her son. Something about her reminds him of his own mother, and happier days gone by. He sits by her and talks with her kindly. As the night wanes, she leaves, giving him the parcel tied with string. He opens it wonderingly and the magic comes out - "Forgiveness!"

 

A scrawny teenager is bombarded with snowballs from other kids his age - he is more well to do than they are, and just doesn't fit in. He has no friends. He sees a poor beggar (the same one who received the parcel) filing through garbage. After watching and thinking for a while, he goes to offer him something, but finds he has nothing with him. The beggar smiles, and makes a joke. They talk, and the boy finds a keen mind under all that filth. He ends up seeing the beggar every day. They get to know each other, and laugh often. As the beggar leaves to find a new life, he hugs the boy, and gives him a parcel tied with string. The boy waves goodbye with tears in his eyes, then opens the package, magic comes out - "Friendship"

 

A blind and mostly deaf lady with a strong limp, is a nurse in the war.  https://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Purpose-Blind-Abridged-Annotated/dp/1519059132
On a riverboat on the Mississippi.  She tries to command respect from the handsome head officers, but they dismiss her and treat her worse than a slave, for she is just an "old mostly blind, deaf lady with a strong limp..."
One of the officers (the same rich young boy) is brought back severely wounded.  As she nurses him back to health, he gets strong enough to reach out and grab her hand and place a parcel in it.
She opens it and reaches in (as she is blind) and grabs the contents and rubs it against her cheek.  Tears run down her face as the magic dissipates into the air. "Acceptance".
 

      Poor slave mother with lots of kids and no father knows they don't even have any food around Christmas time. They are dirty and ragged and live in slave quarters.  That night as the wind is howling and the snow is falling, and she is feeling sorry for herself and her poor starving kids - at Christmas no less - she sees a poor blind lady (our nurse from before) stumbling about in the storm.  It is obvious that she has no home or family close by. She is scared, as she is lost in enemy territory. The mother runs out in her scant clothing (for the storm) and guides her into their warm and cozy slave hut. The kids gather round and laugh and tell stories and the blind lady holds them on her lap, and she is given the "home" feeling she needed much more than something in her stomach.
In the morning, she has gone, and left a brown parcel tied with string (typical of packages and presents of that era).
The mother opens it in front of the children, gathered around the hearth, and seemingly magic comes out - "Gratitude" comes out. And the mother realizes that his visit has made her grateful for her beloved children and warmth and love against the cold.

Back outside of the book the schoolboy was reading... that is the last page.  He shuts the book, and there is a picture of the same parcel on the back of the book.  It is almost 3 dimensional it looks so real, and he is compelled to try to open it.  He reaches into the book and pulls on the red ribbon.  It smoothly unties and falls off as the package opens and the magic comes out: "Determination"

The next scene shows the boys father and mother distraught over their son.  The father goes to approach him, and gives the mother one last hopeless look before he puts on his stern face he believes he needs in order to help his son.  The angry father faces the boy, but the boy starts the faintest hint of a smile, as he starts to bring the parcel tied with a red ribbon, out from behind his back.

after page: red ribbon laying discarded, almost looking alive.

Back cover: Just like the back cover of the book in the book, a very real 3 dimensional looking parcel tied with a red ribbon looking like it is just waiting for the reader to open it.