MG Fantasy: The Broken Boy & His Patchwork Heart

35 Word Pitch: When Oak befriends a kitten and the teal-haired girl, his shattered heart begins mending. But the alchemist who covets misery senses opportunity. If Oak can't trick him, the alchemist will claim his friends too. 

Genre: MG Fantasy

Title: THE BROKEN BOY & HIS PATCHWORK HEART

Word Count: 62,000

Special Question: Yoda. No doubt about it, seeing as Oak prefers to keep to tradition and would rather be the one to know the secrets, not the poor soul trying to figure them out. Also, at first glance, Yoda's terribly underestimated. Oak would like to think he's the same.

First 250 Words: 

Oak’s little sister rubbed the top of his fingernail with the pad of her thumb. It had become ritual. She claimed it was her security blanket, her ‘wooby.' Secretly, it had become his too. It was long past lights out, especially for a school night, but Oak didn’t say a word. Instead, he waited for her to spit out the question she’d been working over.

Staring starry-eyed up into the sheet-tent she'd slept in since they’d moved to Aunt June’s house last month, Daisy asked, “What’s that lady called?”

Oak snorted. “Which one?"

“The one who rides the elephant . . .” She scrunched her nose so several V’s crinkled across the bridge. “You know! The one who’s all sparkly and turns cartwheels with a feather in her hair?”

“Oh, right . . .” He had no flippin’ idea. “The elephant rider.” He stole a peek across the small space to see if she’d bought it. He needed her to buy it, so he could keep on buying it too.

Daisy narrowed her eyes until her smile reached right up into them. “Yeah,” she whispered. “Elephant rider. That’s what Momma’s doin’ right now.” 

Their mom had been all forms of entertainers as of late: trapeze artist, horse acrobat, tightrope walker. Taking in the image, soft silence spread between them, spilling into this new life as they tried to rewrite their old one.

“Hey, Oak?” 

He’d known the quiet wouldn’t last.

“Yeah, Weed?”

“What d’ya think Daddy’s up to tonight?”

“Hmm . . .” Now that was always the big question.