Return to Crutcher Mountain
No one with Jessie’s history ofchildhood trauma could make it through unscathed, and Jessie is noexception. As recounted in Appalachian Justice, Jessie is an adultsurvivor of horrendous childhood abuse. At the age of thirteen, on a stormy night on top of Crutcher Mountain,Jessie was rescued by Billy May Platte, a reclusive mountain woman whounderstood only too well what Jessie had suffered.
Now, at the age of forty-seven,Jessie is a success, at least by all outward appearances. Though divorced and childless, Jessie hasbuilt a successful career as a producer of big screen historical dramas and hasa reputation as a hardworking perfectionist. But underneath it all, Jessie still struggles to reconcile the brokenpieces of her past. As she explains:
I did attempt psychotherapy, not once but twice. The first therapist outlined a meticuloustreatment plan designed to encourage me to be an active participant in my ownhealing. We discussed my shortcomingsand spent weeks devising action steps to assist me in reaching my goals. In the end, when confronted with so muchpaper and ink proof of my own issues, I did what any rational person would dowhen confronted with such insurmountable odds. I quit.
The second therapist took a different track. He assured me of my inherent worth. He validated my feelings, no matter howterrible, how frighteningly horrid they were. He accepted me unconditionally, regaled me with never ending positiveregard, and sat in nonjudgmental acceptance of me. I quit him, too. If he couldn’t see the flaws so obviouslyapparent within me, I didn’t trust his abilities as a therapist.
It’s hard to find one’s way out of a circle.
Little does she know, Billy May’sdying wish may just bring her the peace she so desires.
In honor of Billy May’s finalrequest, Jessie has invited an agency that works with children withdevelopmental disabilities to establish a wilderness retreat for special needschildren on top of Crutcher Mountain. Everything has come together beautifully, until a series of strangeevents threatens to shut down the operation. Petty vandalism, a mysterious fire, and an anonymous note left forJessie, demanding that she return to Crutcher Mountain.
Unsure what to expect, Jessiereturns to West Virginia in search of answers and finds more than she bargainedfor. Along the way she falls in lovewith the residents of the Platte Lodge for Children, none more so than ten yearold Robby O’Brien, a freckle faced, earnest little boy who was diagnosed atbirth with Down Syndrome and who, upon the death of his grandfather, findshimself alone in a scary world.
Robby knows a secret.
Used to being misunderstood, Robbylongs for someone to tell his secret to, someone who will listen andunderstand.
As Jessie searches for answers,determined to save not only the Lodge but Robby as well, she must open herheart to the truths she discovers and place her trust in a lonely littleboy. It’s only by doing so that she cansave herself.
