John Julius Candelaria

Inspiration, Population 66 John Julius Candelaria

In this 21st Century, satellites are whizzing overhead and able to detail every millimeter of Earth's surface. When this story took place, the age of the USA was around 115 years; not that long ago. It may be difficult to understand that very little was known about the geography south from where the original colonies declared their independence from England in 1776. People from the northern part of America headed south for many reasons; one reason was for gold that had been discovered in central California in 1848, not far from where this story took place. The protagonist of this tale is an imaginative and outspoken girl named Anna. She is well-read and possesses a highly developed sense about people, and their agendas. Due to Anna's health, a respiratory condition, her family decided to move south from Vancouver Washington to a mild and dry climate. Upon arriving by train to a town called Inspiration with a population of 66 people, Anna meets a woman named Faith whom Anna believes is somehow involved in the disappearance of the woman's parents. A further mystery surfaces when two other people cannot be accounted for. Although, no one else in Inspiration believes the disappearances of four people was due to foul play, Anna thinks otherwise and is convinced gold lies at the root. Anna's sleuthing nature places her in grave danger.