Dave Casler
PO Box 98
Ridgway, Colorado 81432
Young Adult Novels by Dave Casler...
I've been told by publisher after publisher that there's no market for Young Adult novels. I think they're wrong! So I'm putting my novels on-line for you. Forget the publisher! Read to your heart's content--it's free! And, I'd like to hear from you, too! Contact Page.
You're reading About Dan. Be sure to check out About Phillip here.
Dan is a normal kid who loves his soccer. Except everything goes wrong. Everything.
About Series Home
About the About Series
Index to All Chapters
Here are all the chapters, disguised as asterisks. Hover your mouse over an asterisk to see the title of the chapter. Click on the asterisk to go straight to that chapter.
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(About Dan Home) (Last) (Next)
Found Out What?
Dan was silent.
"Found out what?" pressed Peter. "Found out what?" he said again, leaning forward.
Oh, boy, thought Dan. No way out but forward. His words tumbled out.
"Found out that Ernesto, our dear friend from the Anderson soccer team, who I met up close and personal in September, has AIDS. That's what."
Peter's sat back in his chair. His mouth worked a few times, but no sound came out.
Dan hastened on. "Don't worry. Dad snuck me down to Denver for an AIDS test. I'm negative. I didn't get it. I'm clean." He decided not to mention he'd be doing another test in a couple months.
Peter's face showed genuine relief. "You had me going there for a minute, my dear Dan Cook!"
"But you can imagine how I felt after I found out. I was frantic. Mom really got on my case. She wanted to know everything. I wouldn't tell her. After all, she won't tell me anything. We had a big argument. I was frantic. I tried really hard to pray, but I didn't get an answer."
"Doesn't the test result count as an answer?"
Dan thought for a moment. "Well, I guess it sort of does," he said pensively. But then he was adamant. "Everyone talks about more direct answers. They say they had a feeling about this or that. I can't get there. It's really shaken my testimony."
"Your testimony is like your faith or something like that?"
"Close enough."
"Ok, if God, I mean if Heavenly Father can't answer you in words, what other ways can he communicate. How about feelings? Or music or something like that to manifest his presence."
Dan thought back to how he felt on Halloween as he pled to the Lord. "I don't know. There was something in my chest, sort of like heartburn, except it didn't hurt. It was just sort of warm."
"Did it feel good or bad?"
"I don't remember, but I sort of feel it now."
"Is it good or bad?"
"It's good, I guess. I don't feel this very often. Only three times that I can remember where it was this strong."
"What was the third?"
"When I was in the Bishop's office. I was telling him about Ernesto's news. He gave me a blessing. I felt it then."
"Could that be some sort of an answer to your prayers?"
Dan thought hard. "I don't know. Maybe. People in Testimony meeting talk about feeling the Spirit. Sorta peaceful and warm. But I wasn't feeling peaceful. I was really torn up. The feeling came, but I ignored it. I didn't know what it was."
"Do you know what it is now? You say you feel it now?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe not. I don't know what to think."
"Is there someone you can ask?"
"Yeah, maybe Brother Sam; he doesn't start giving advice so soon."
"So I think you should go to your church on Sunday."
Dan hung his head a bit. "I'm still not sure I want to."
"Dan Cook! Now look here. We've established that something is happening to you when you try really hard to pray. You feel something. So why is this the time to quit? Do you give up soccer just because you haven't had time to practice a new technique? Young man, that's idiocy! So there!"
Dan laughed in spite of himself. "I have been put in my place!"
Peter shook his head ruefully. "And besides, Phillip Maceda is counting on you."
"Oh, I forgot about him."