Story Setting

Papa has no choice but to send Fayze and Brother to live in the Mankato Orphanage on the edge of a small mining town. Losing all hope they can return home soon, the children expect nothing more than endless chores, no schooling, and the cruel demands of a headmistress who has dark secrets of her own.

Fayze's Experience

When Fayze is sent to clean the cellar, she is terrified. She knows it is a place of punishment, a place where no child should be forced to go. Pulling hard on the iron handle of the cellar door, she suddenly tumbles backward when it decides to spring open. As she stares into pitch blackness, unable to see the stairs, her feet pull her down one dusty step after another, down into the dark stillness.

The Mysterious Light

Tugging at cobwebs that tangle in her hair, Fayze sees a glowing light below and a boy. But in an instant, he is gone!