June: A Modern Tale

June, returned from the war in Afghanistan, is trapped in a self-imposed prison of isolation and harboring a secret that threatens to destroy her still. When Chloe, a young therapist, finds out that June has a grandmother in the deep woods of Big Chimney, Virginia, she is sure June's “Gran” and her cabin are where the healing will begin. Inspired by dreams and messages from her own grandmother, Chloe pursues this spiritual guidance over her clinical training as she sets out to reconnect June and Gran, in hopes of finding true healing, forgiveness, and ultimately redemption.

Chloe, adrift after the loss of the cherished grandmother who raised her, is newly graduated from college and searching for meaning in her life. She finds it in a small mental hospital where she meets a seemingly unreachable, nearly catatonic patient. June, returned from the war in Afghanistan, is trapped in a self-imposed prison of isolation and harboring a secret that threatens to destroy her still. When Chloe finds out that June has a grandmother in the deep woods of Big Chimney, Virginia, she is sure June's “Gran” and her cabin are where the healing will begin. Inspired by dreams and messages from her own grandmother, Chloe pursues this spiritual guidance over her clinical training as she sets out to reconnect June and Gran, in hopes of finding true healing, forgiveness, and ultimately redemption. In a straight-forward fashion this story tells of the bonds of love and family, past and present, surpassing the ravages of war on a young woman's mind. It speaks to the strength of relationship and the importance of the ties we make with the people in our lives.

Anna Esther Pearl is a writer, poet, artist, and photographer. She lives, along with her husband, in a small town pocketed between the mountains and the ocean. She finds inspiration there and in her travels. She is a lover of all nature, and an avid horsewoman. She writes with purpose, engaging the reader, bringing characters to life simply, yet deeply, in stories that are meant to encourage understanding and empathy.