the ether: vero rising

8/14/2019 The Ether: Vero Rising

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-ether-vero-rising 1/20



http://bit.ly/1augN33

http://bit.ly/1ifUJNK

http://bit.ly/1bsGdvH

http://bit.ly/17yjmD9

http://amzn.to/1hLgtU7



ZONDERKIDZ

The Ether

Copyright © 2014 by Laurice E. Molinari

This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook. Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks.

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Ave SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

ISBN 978 – 0 – 310 – 73555 – 7

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy

Bible, New International Version®, ® . Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by

Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book

are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an

endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of thesesites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechani-

cal, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed

reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Zonderkidz is a trademark of Zondervan.

Editor: Kim ChildressCover design:

Interior design: David Conn & Ben Fetterley



For Naz, who taught me the power of words from a young

age. . . . . . . ’til we dine at the Bumbingba restaurant.



1

THE LEAP

OF FAITH

V ero Leland had been trying to fly ever since he was old

enough to stand. His earliest memory was standing on

the rail of his crib, perfectly balanced like an Olympic gym-

nast on a balance beam. He fully expected his mother to

clap when she turned around and saw him. Vero remembersstretching out his arms, intending to fly into his mother’s

outstretched hands. But instead of clapping, she turned and

let out a heartrending shriek. Startled, Vero hit the floor

with a thud and cried hard as his mother cradled him.

But what Vero’s mother, Nora, didn’t realize was that

Vero wasn’t crying in pain. He was crying tears of frustra-

tion from failing to get airborne.

Af h b d V d d ’ fl



12 ETHER

pretty much anything with a few feet of air below it. . . . . . .

until the winter of his fourth year. That’s when his flying

attempts reached a new and dangerous high.It happened late one afternoon when Dennis Leland,

Vero’s father, was standing on a ladder and stringing hun-

dreds of Christmas lights across the front of their two-story

suburban house. Dennis was very particular about his hol-

iday light display. Each bulb needed to hang exactly two

inches away from the next, and they all had to extend fully,to just beneath the gutter. Christmas displays were taken

very seriously in their suburban neighborhood of Attleboro,

Maryland.

The men who lived on Vero’s block had an ongoing com-

petition, and each December the holiday displays grew more

and more elaborate. Front yards were cluttered with inflat-able Santas, seven-foot tall snowmen, and animatronic rein-

deer. One dad even convinced his wife and young children

to perform a live nativity each night, complete with a live

donkey and goat. However, the goat was quickly sent back to

the petting zoo after it ate the plastic sprinkler heads, caus-

ing impressive geysers that drenched his family and ruined

the nativity.

It was a clear but chilly December day when Vero’s father

climbed down the ladder to test the magnificent light show.

Wearing his one-piece brown coveralls and his checkered hat

with earflaps, he rubbed his hands together and said, “This

is it, Vero.”

With great pomp and ceremony, Dennis dramatically

i k d h l f h i d ll f hi



13The Leap of Faith

into the outlet, nothing happened. The lights failed to illu-

minate. Vero heard him use a word he’d never heard before,

followed by, “I’m gonna have to check every stinkin’ lightbulb one at a time.”

A few minutes later, Dennis grumbled miserably as he

started to climb the ladder with some extra bulbs in hand.

Vero called down to his father and said, “It’s okay, Daddy.

I can help.” While his dad had been inside the house get-

ting some fresh bulbs, Vero had climbed the ladder and nowstood proudly on the roof. Being small and nimble, Vero

thought he could walk along the steep roof and check each

one of the bulbs for his dad, saving him numerous trips up

and down the ladder.

Vero could tell his dad was thrilled with the idea because

Dennis was standing completely still on the ladder and look-ing at Vero with huge eyes. But when Vero caught sight of

the surrounding neighborhood below, his penchant for fly-

ing took hold of him again.

“Daddy! I could fly from up here!” Vero shouted, grin-

ning wildly.

“No, Vero! No!” his father shouted. “Don’t move! I’m

coming to get you!” He took two more steps up the ladder

before his boot slipped, and he fell smack on his back. Luck-

ily, a small bush broke his fall.

“Daddy, are you okay?”

Then piercing shrieks were heard as Vero’s mother ran

out of the house wearing an apron splattered with powdered

sugar. Her cries alerted the curious neighbors.

M A d f d h fi h



14 ETHER

“For Pete’s sake,” he said. “Calm down the both of you.

It’s probably just a bum light bulb.” Then he glanced up

and saw Vero peering down at them. “Holy cow!” he yelled.“That kid’s crazy!”

When Mrs. Atwood arrived moments later, Mr. Atwood

wagged his stubby finger in his wife’s stunned face and said,

“I told you that kid was off, but you never believed me!

Remember that time I found him in our tree trying to jump

off a branch that was as high as the house? I almost brokemy neck climbing up after him!”

“Quiet, Albert! I’m calling 9 – 1 – 1!” Mrs. Atwood yelled,

cell phone in hand.

“Maybe it’s all a big stunt to draw attention to his

Christmas display?” Mr. Atwood muttered to himself as he

watched more and more neighbors gather. “I wouldn’t putit past Leland.”

Vero’s father, meanwhile, had regained his footing and

was attempting to climb the ladder once again.

“Yes, hurry!” Mrs. Atwood shouted into the phone. “The

wind is gusting. It could knock the boy clear off the roof!”

Mrs. Atwood ended the call and then turned to help

Vero’s mother, who looked to be in a state of shock. She

took off her coat and wrapped it around Nora’s shoulders.

“The dispatcher promised the fire truck would be here any

minute.”

“Vero, please don’t move. . . . . . . ” his mother said

weakly. Vero saw she had f lour on her cheek, streaked with

a teardrop.

“D ’ M ” V ld h “I k I d i



15The Leap of Faith

She’d been baking cookies with her mother, and she had

flour in her blonde hair and down the front of her shirt. She

opened her arms wide and called up to her little brother,“Jump, Vero! I’ll catch you!”

Nora quickly clasped a hand over her daughter’s mouth.

By now Vero’s father had reached the top of the ladder.

He tried to grab his son, but Vero was beyond arm’s reach;

so he only managed to graze Vero’s foot with his fingertips.

As Vero inched away from his dad, he became unsteadyon his feet, and a collective gasp rippled over the gather-

ing below. Yet somehow Vero regained his balance, and the

watching crowd breathed a sigh of relief.

It was all too much for Vero’s mother who fainted. Luck-

ily she landed in the lap of the inflatable Mrs. Claus.

Mrs. Claus is cradling Mommy like a baby , Vero thought. And that’s when a shiny red hook-and-ladder fire truck

pulled around the corner with its siren blaring.

Vero felt absolutely wonderful. He smiled broadly and

stretched his arms out wide, feeling the cold rush of the

oncoming wind. It was exhilarating!

The fire truck’s ladder swiftly extended, and a fireman

stood in the enclosed basket, ready to carry Vero back to the

safety of the ground below.

Vero watched as Mr. Atwood cautiously approached

the fire captain now standing beside the hook-and-ladder.

When the fire captain finished barking orders into his

walkie-talkie, Mr. Atwood said, “Captain, when this is all

over, would you mind helping me out next door? I really

d lif i b k Y I’ hi S h



16 ETHER

Fire Captain Conrad looked at Mr. Atwood incredu-

lously. “Absolutely not,” he said. Then he turned to the

crowd and shouted, “Clear the area! We’re trying to save alife here!”

Vero saw Mrs. Atwood slap the back of Mr. Atwood’s

head as they moved away from the truck.

“Hi, Vero,” the fireman in the basket said, as the basket

stopped level with the roof ’s peak. “Climbing onto a roof is

a first for you, isn’t it? We’ve done this in trees before, butnever on a roof — at least not with me.”

Vero looked at the fireman and smiled in recognition.

“Hi, Fireman Bob,” Vero said.

“It’s okay, Vero. Don’t be afraid. I’m gonna help you just

like I did before,” Fireman Bob said slowly, as he reached his

arms toward Vero.But Vero wasn’t scared. He looked down and saw that

his mother was slowly waking up in Mrs. Claus’s inflatable

arms. And just as Fireman Bob almost grabbed him, Vero

took a deep breath, jumped backwards off the roof peak, and

disappeared behind the house!

The neighbors gasped. Vero’s mother immediately passed

out again.

After Vero leapt off the house, the wind whipped against

his face, and he felt like a bird soaring through the sky! Free-

falling felt as natural to him as breathing.

But Vero’s flying ecstasy was short-lived. Some powerful

force — something other than the hard ground — abruptly

ended his peaceful flight. He felt a sudden tightening around

hi h lik b i k d b k d i



17The Leap of Faith

“Vero,” the man said, “that’s enough with the flying.”

Vero didn’t recognize him as one of the neighbors. He

was an older man with longish silver-white hair, a closelytrimmed beard, and violet eyes. He wore jeans and a red

puffy winter coat.

“I can’t always be here to catch you,” the man said. “I

need you to promise me you’ll stop.”

“But I have to fly,” Vero told him.

“In time,” the stranger replied, and he gently loweredVero to the ground. “Everything in its own time. But for

now, I need you to promise me you won’t try to fly again

until you know it’s the right time.”

Vero looked hard at the man. There was something

familiar and likeable about him, and Vero thought he could

trust him. Yet at the same time, Vero knew the man meant what he said.

“Vero?”

Four-year-old Vero nodded. “Okay, Santa,” he said, and

he grabbed the man’s beard with both hands.

“I’m not Santa Claus.”

“But you’re wearing a red coat. . . . . . . ”The stranger chuckled and said, “I’m too thin to be Santa

Claus.” As they heard the frenzied crowd rushing toward the

backyard from the front of the house, the man locked eyes

with Vero and said, “I expect you to keep your word.”

Vero nodded again.

“All right. Now, I’m sorry about this next part, but it hasl k b li bl ” h ld hi A d i h h h



18 ETHER

“I’m letting you off easy. It’s only a sprain. Protocol says

I should break both of them.”

The panicked crowd descended upon Vero who was nowsitting on the ground holding his ankle.

“He’s alive!” shouted the fire captain.

Vero’s father picked him up and hugged him tightly, and

his mother was right beside him. Vero saw tears streaming

down his father’s face, and his mom had flour-streaked tear

marks across both cheeks now. Vero felt bad for upsettingthem.

Clover walked up and said, “He’s okay. The man just

twisted his ankle.”

“What man?” her father asked.

“The one sitting in that tree,” she pointed.

Everyone looked at the tree. There was no man in it.

Mr. Atwood shook his head and muttered, “She’s just as

crazy as her brother.”



2

BIRDS OF

FLIGHT

V ero gave up his attempts to fly, but not because his par-

ents installed safety bars on all the upstairs windows.

Vero stopped because he didn’t want to break his promise

to the man who’d caught him. However, staying grounded

wasn’t easy.On the family’s vacation to Maine last summer, they’d

hiked along cliffs overlooking the ocean, and Vero had to

fight the urge to throw himself off the precipice and soar

over the magnificent deep blue water below. He quickly

jumped back and hugged the rock walls, as sweat poured

down his face.“V h ’ ?” hi k d



20 ETHER

“Wimp,” Clover said. “Do you need to be carried the rest

of the way?”

“Clover. . . . . . . ” Nora said in her warning voice.“Keep your eyes on your feet and don’t look up,” Vero’s

dad advised. “Follow the path that way, and you’ll make it

to the bottom just fine.”

Vero put on a good show. He did as his father instructed,

made it safely to their rented cottage, and then stretched out

on the sofa.His mom felt his forehead and said, “You’re a little warm.”

“I’m okay.”

Ignoring him, she spread a cool wet washcloth across his

forehead. “Lie here for a while,” she said.

Vero did as his mother instructed. As a matter of fact,

because the allure of the cliffs proved to be so strong, he

stayed on the sofa for pretty much the whole vacation, just

watching TV and playing video games.

“If I’d known you were going to spend our entire vaca-

tion sitting in this cottage, we could have saved the money

and stayed home,” Vero’s dad said.

He’s right , Vero thought. Just not for the reason he imagines.

Last year while on a field trip to a local amusement park,

Vero’s friends harassed him because he wanted to ride on

the Twirly — the giant carousel swings that rise up from the

ground and spin around and around.

“C V ! L ’ h C l !” hi b f i d



21Birds of Flight

watched the Cyclone pass by overhead, spinning its scream-

ing passengers upside down.

“I heard some kid puked on it earlier!” Tack said. “It’s soawesome!”

Vero watched the coaster spin away and said, “Nah, I

think I’ll stay here. Come find me when you’re done.”

“I think it’s lame, but whatever,” Tack said. Then he

ran off in the direction of the Cyclone, with his running

shorts slipping down and his strawberry blond hair stick-ing straight up. “Wait up!” Tack called to their buddy Nate

Hollingsworth.

Vero rode Twirly thirty-seven times that day. The attendant

kept track and let Vero know what number he was at. “I ain’t

never seen no kid ride it so many times,” the attendant said.

His name was Gary. He and Vero became friends that day.

“What can I say?” Vero said, shrugging. “I like to swing.”

But the thing was, if he closed his eyes and spread out his

arms on that ride, the sensation of the wind rushing against

his face and ripping through his hair made him feel like he

was f lying — if only for a few minutes. He didn’t care what

anyone else said. And that was a good thing because Tack

made fun of him the whole ride home.

Though he tried to avoid it, tried to ignore it, Vero’s

obsession with flying got him in trouble even with his feet

firmly planted on the ground.

V b d f h l l Th P



22 ETHER

big red line written through it. If an employee saw Vero, he

was to kick him out of the store immediately.

The Pet Place problems began one day when Vero andhis family were strolling the suburban strip mall, eating

ice cream they’d just purchased from the parlor boasting

forty-seven flavors. Vero walked past the Pet Place and was

suddenly overcome with such an intense and overwhelming

sensation of suffocation and sadness that he doubled over

and clutched his chest in pain. He’d been lagging behindhis family, so Clover and his parents didn’t see him when he

dropped his ice cream cone and walked through the open

doors of the pet store.

As he approached the bird section of the store, he saw cage

upon cage of birds — macaws, canaries, exotics, and plain old

finches. Vero locked eyes with a blue and gold Macaw.Help me .

Vero heard the voice as if the bird had spoken the words

aloud. Vero knew what he had to do.

Slowly, he reached out his hand and unhinged the cage

door. The Macaw bowed his head in gratitude and flew

straight through the open doors of the pet store. Vero thenopened the next cage, and the next, until all of the cage

doors were standing wide open. At first, some of the larger

birds blinked and hopped to their door, unsure of what to

do next. But when Vero opened the finches’ cage and dozens

and dozens of birds flew out through the main doors, the

larger birds finally followed — just as Vero’s family walkedi id h l k f hi



23Birds of Flight

scene from The Birds ?” Vero’s father asked. The pet store was

now pure pandemonium.

With each flying bird, Vero felt the weight on his chestgrow lighter and lighter.

Vero cost his parents a pretty penny that day, as the store

manager expected them to pay for the lost birds. Vero would

be doing chores for more than a year before his debt was

paid off, but Vero didn’t care. He’d do it again in a heart-

beat. But he was no longer allowed in the store.The local paper ran a story on the incident; but when the

reporter called the house, Vero’s parents wouldn’t let him

comment.

Vero was also banned from playing any neighborhood

games after dark — by the neighbor kids. One hot summer

night, Angus Atwood — only child to the Atwood family

and a year older than Vero — distributed the Atwood fam-

ily’s collection of canning jars to all of the neighbor kids for

catching fireflies. But Vero refused to take one. And he alsochased the fireflies away, making them nearly impossible to

catch, although a few kids still caught some.

“What’s wrong with you, Vero?” Clover asked, her green

eyes flashing dangerously. She stomped off for home to tell

on him.

After Clover left, Vero grabbed Angus’s jar and threw it

h id lk h i i d di h d f



24 ETHER

“How would you like to be trapped in a jar?” Vero shouted

back.

“Who cares? They’re just stupid bugs!”The other kids opened their jars and let the fireflies

escape after that, but Angus was determined. He caught a

firefly in his hand and stuffed it in a jar. Angus then screwed

the lid on tight and held the jar high above Vero’s head.

Vero watched as the firefly desperately smashed its body

against the glass, trying to escape its prison. Vero grewmore distressed as the firef ly’s light began to dim. As Angus

jumped up to catch another firefly, Vero charged him. He

ran headfirst into Angus’s stomach, knocking the wind out

of him and the canning jar out of his hand.

The jar rolled down the sidewalk, and Vero chased after

it, catching it just before it rolled into a storm drain. Then

he unscrewed the lid and set the firefly free.

“My dad’s right!” Angus yelled after him. “You’re a

lunatic!”



Also by Laurice Elehwany Molinari

Screenplays

My Girl (Columbia Pictures)

The Brady Bunch Movie (Paramount Pictures)

The Amazing Panda Adventure (Warner Bros.)

Anastasia (Fox Animation Studios)Bewitched (Columbia Pictures)



http://bit.ly/1augN33

http://bit.ly/1ifUJNK

http://bit.ly/1bsGdvH

http://bit.ly/17yjmD9

http://amzn.to/1hLgtU7

the ether: vero rising

Documents