• The Spirit Lives is a beautifully written children's book that explores the sensitive topic of death and grief. It tells a gentle story that helps children understand that while a loved one's physical presence may be gone, their spirit and the love they shared will always remain. The book uses a comforting and metaphorical approach, offering a message of hope and lasting connection that is designed to help children navigate their feelings of loss and sadness in a healthy way.

Chapter 1: The Sunshine Girls

Faith and Clara were the kind of best friends who didn't need words to understand each other. They were a pair of opposites that fit together like a perfectly assembled puzzle. Faith, with her quiet, thoughtful nature, was the careful planner, the one who meticulously drew out blueprints for their backyard forts and secretly organized their collection of colorful drawing pens. Clara, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of motion, a brilliant splash of energy and ideas, with a laugh that tumbled out of her like a cascade of silver bells. She was the one who could spot a perfect stick for a fort pole or invent a brand-new game on the spot, complete with complicated rules and imaginary creatures.

Their world was a masterpiece of shared imagination. Faith's backyard was a kingdom, their bedroom a gallery. A towering oak tree, which they had christened "The Whisper Tree" because its leaves always seemed to murmur secrets on the breeze, was the centerpiece of their adventures. In its tangled roots, they had hidden a small, metal box filled with their most precious treasures: a smooth gray stone shaped like a heart, a half-eaten lollipop wrapper from a particularly great afternoon, and a note they had written to their future selves. The note simply said, "We are forever friends".

Their friendship had its own language. It was a secret dialect of sideways glances, knowing nods, and a complicated handshake that involved three claps, two finger snaps, and a final triumphant wiggle of their thumbs. They called themselves "The Sunshine Girls" because, as Clara once proclaimed, "When we're together, it's always sunny, even when it's raining!".

Faith remembered one of their best days. It was the last week of summer, and the heat was a thick, humid blanket that settled over Cincinnati. They were sprawled on the grass in the backyard, their sketchbooks open. Faith was carefully drawing a highly detailed, intricate castle, complete with tiny flags and a drawbridge. Clara, true to form, was sketching a wild, fantastical dragon with a goofy grin and wings that looked like they were made of rainbows.

"He needs a name," Clara said, her charcoal pencil smudging her cheek. "How about Sparky?" Faith suggested, without looking up from her castle. Clara shook her head, her blond hair bouncing. "Too simple. He's a big, friendly dragon. He should have a big, friendly name. Like... Archibald!".

"Archibald the dragon," Faith mused, a small smile playing on her lips. "I like it".

"He's going to be the guardian of our castle," Clara announced, holding up her drawing. "He'll sit on the highest tower and breathe rainbow fire at anyone who tries to get in".

"Only bad guys, right?" Faith asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Only bad guys," Clara promised, her smile as wide and bright as the sun. "And maybe some squirrels. They're kind of sneaky".

Their afternoons were a symphony of such moments. They would spend hours in the attic, surrounded by the dust motes dancing in the sunbeams, digging through Faith's grandmother's old trunks to find treasures. They would wrap themselves in old lace curtains and pretend to be queens, or find old hats and put on a silly, impromptu play. They didn't need expensive toys or big plans; they had each other, and that was all that mattered.

As the sun began to set, casting long, purple shadows across the grass, they would lie on their backs, counting the stars as they began to freckle the darkening sky. They would talk about everything and nothing-school, their favorite foods, what they wanted to be when they grew up.

"I'm going to be a world-famous artist," Clara said one evening, her voice full of a confident certainty. "And I'll have a studio with giant windows and lots of canvases. And you can come visit me and we'll draw all day".

"I'm going to be a librarian," Faith said, her voice soft. "A quiet one, who knows where to find all the best stories. And I'll have a secret reading nook where you can come and read all the books you want".

They giggled, their dreams intertwining under the vast, starry sky. As the moon began to rise, Faith's mother would call them in for dinner, and they would reluctantly leave their imaginary world, promising to return to it tomorrow.

Their final act of the day, before parting ways, was always a pinky swear.

"Forever friends?" Faith would ask, her small hand reaching out.

"Forever friends," Clara would answer, their pinkies locking in a tight, unbreakable knot. It was a simple gesture, but it held all the weight of their hearts. The promise of an unending friendship, a bond that nothing could ever break.