Burning Questions

Six year old Eliza Beth decided to sneak away to the park the other orphans were always talking about. Ordinarily, she remained secluded in the home because an unattended black child could lead to a lot of trouble, particularly if it came to light that she was living in an otherwise white orphanage. Eliza Beth caught herself after nearly tripping. Upon looking up, the burned-out ruins of a home startled her. The ominous building, and burned trees beside it, gave the young child the impression of a great figure climbing out of the ground. The dead branches waving in the breeze seemed like bony fingers reaching for her. Johnny, an older teen from the orphanage, startled Eliza Beth back to reality. He scanned about nervously as he led the girl back home. Johnny had always been there for Eliza Beth, and for the other children of the home, but soon he would graduate and have to leave. How long could her presence in the home be kept secret? How would the home's director keep Eliza Beth safe, if her presence were discovered? What more could Johnny do to protect her? So many burning questions swirled in his mind and his heart, and the passage of time did not bring any answers, but only more questions. What would become of Eliza Beth and the other orphans? Will the mayor's schemes threaten the very existence of the home? With the prejudice of his sweetheart's parents against orphans, how could they ever be together again? As Johnny strives to answer these questions, his courage and sacrifice lead others to places of repentance, forgiveness and redemption. Will the very character of the town be impacted?