Chapter 1
Dear Mr. Chupp,
Your letter was accidentally sent to my house. I didn’t open it but I thought it might be something important and you would want it back.
Sincerely,
Phoebe Bontrager
November 4
Dear Ms. Bontrager,
Thank you for returning my letter. That was very kind of you. Looks like I accidentally wrote the wrong zip code.
Sincerely,
Jalon Chupp
November 6
Dear Jalon,
I’m glad you received your letter and I hope you were able to send it to the right address. Sometimes the mail gets very messed up in this small town.
Sincerely,
Phoebe
P.S. I debated whether to send this to you. Maybe you didn’t want to hear from me again. If that’s the case, please let me know. Or if you don’t write back, I’ll know.
P.P.S. I assume by your name you’re Amish. I am too. I guess you figured that out, though.
November 8
Dear Phoebe,
I didn’t mind hearing from you. Actually, it was kind of nice.
Sincerely,
Jalon
P.S. Yes, I’m Amish.
November 10
Dear Jalon,
Thank you for writing me back. I hope you won’t think I’m being too forward in sending you another letter. I’m visiting my aunt in Dover and it’s nice to get mail. I’m not sure how long I’ll be here. I do miss my home and my family but my aunt is taking good care of me.
Sincerely,
Phoebe
November 13
Dear Phoebe,
Are you sick? Is that why you’re staying with your aunt? I hope you are doing well.
Sincerely,
Jalon
November 15
Dear Jalon,
When I said she was taking care of me, I meant we were helping each other.
She’s not as young as she used to be. She’s actually my grandmother’s sister, so she’s my great-aunt.
Have you ever been to Dover? Aunt Bertha doesn’t actually live in Dover, but on the outskirts of it, in a very small Amish community.
She’s lived here for a long time, as long as I can remember.
She never married, and since she’s getting on in years, I thought I would help her out and keep her company.
Dover is a lovely place, especially in the winter.
I remember visiting here when I was a child and how the freshly fallen snow sprinkled all over the branches of the tall oaks and maples.
It reminded me of thick layers of sugar.
In February they tap the trees for maple syrup.
Aunt Bertha doesn’t have many maples on her property, but if I’m still living here by then, hopefully we can go to the family a few streets down and help them gather the syrup.
I used to gather syrup with my brothers.
There are eleven of us siblings, so we make quick work of the job.
I’m the oldest and I usually spend more time in the kitchen than outside, which I don’t mind.
We’ve always been blessed with plenty of syrup for pancakes and waffles through the years.
Sincerely,
Phoebe
P.S. It was very nice of you to ask about my health.
I hope I didn’t worry you. Then again, why would you be worried about me?
We don’t know each other all that well, although I’m enjoying getting to know you better.
Wait, that might sound a little forward, and I don’t mean it to be.
I’m just glad someone cares, that’s all.
I should probably end this letter right now before I stick my foot farther into my mouth.
P.P.S. I hope you’re doing well.
November 17
Dear Phoebe,
Thank you for your letter. I’m glad you’re okay, and don’t worry, you aren’t sticking your foot in your mouth. It’s nice getting to know you too. I’ve never had a pen pal before. I don’t really like writing, to be honest. But I don’t mind writing to you.
You have a lot of siblings! I have only one sister. She’s a year younger than me. Where do you and your family live?
Pancakes and syrup? One of my favorite breakfasts.
Sincerely,
Jalon
November 19
Dear Jalon,
I used to wish I didn’t have so many brothers.
I’m twenty-three and they’re all a lot younger than me.
The oldest brother is Devon, and he’s fifteen.
I also have two sets of twin brothers. Zeb and Zeke are thirteen and Moses and Mahlon are three.
The rest of my brothers fall in between the twins—Owen is fourteen, Ezra is eleven, Nelson is nine, Perry is seven, Jesse is five, and Elam is two months.
They can be a pain sometimes. But now that I’m here with my aunt, I miss them.
They are all busy with school, except for Devon and the baby, of course.
And all the boys help my dad with the farm.
We live in a small district outside Fredericktown.
I love pancakes and syrup, too, but my favorite breakfast is eggs Benedict.
Have you ever had them? I don’t fix them very often because they’re kind of fancy, but they’re a nice change from a typical breakfast. I enjoy cooking a lot, and try to do it whenever I can.
I definitely know how to cook for a crowd!
Sincerely,
Phoebe
November 21
Dear Phoebe,
My father was a farmer, too, but he doesn’t farm anymore.
When I was a kid I used to help him, just like your brothers help your father.
I liked farming when I was younger, but as I got older I didn’t enjoy it as much.
By the time I was fifteen I wanted a different job, so I’ve been doing construction ever since.
I think I’m more suited to using a hammer and nails than I am a plow and hoe.
No, I’ve never had eggs Benedict, but they sound interesting. It’s nice that you enjoy cooking. I happen to enjoy eating.
Sincerely,
Jalon
November 23
Dear Jalon,
Do you mind if I keep writing to you? I don’t want you to feel obligated to write me back.
Sincerely,
Phoebe
November 25
Dear Phoebe,
I don’t feel obligated to write to you. Like I said, I like your letters.
I like them a lot. I have to be honest, though.
Sometimes I don’t have a lot to say. I mostly just work, go to church, and keep to myself.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a hermit. I’ve just been working a lot of overtime lately, so it’s made for a pretty dull life.
Your letters are a definite bright spot.
I hope you and your aunt have a nice Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Jalon
November 29
Dear Jalon,
Whew! I was worried I was being a pest. Can I ask you a few questions?
How old are you? Where is your construction job?
What size town is Birch Creek? I’ve never heard of it before.
I would look it up on a map but I don’t get to the library very much.
It’s a good thing I brought some of my books from home with me.
When you’re not working, do you have any hobbies?
One of my favorite things to do other than cooking is watching birds.
Sometimes I draw them in my sketchbook. I like having the reminder of what they look like.
Especially cardinals. I don’t see them very often here, so when I do I like to have a picture of them, even though my drawing skills aren’t great.
I can’t let my aunt know—she wouldn’t like it if she knew I was drawing.
The district here is very strict, and Aunt Bertha is even stricter.
But I understand. Breaking rules brings nothing but trouble.
On second thought, maybe I should get rid of my pictures.
Phoebe
December 1
Dear Phoebe,
To answer your questions: I’m twenty-five and I’ve lived in Birch Creek since I was eleven.
Before that I lived in Mesopotamia, which is near Middlefield.
Birch Creek is about an hour’s taxi ride from Canton.
It isn’t very big, but we’ve had a few more families join our district in the past couple of years.
I guess you could say we’re growing. Our district used to be strict, but we have a new bishop and he’s relaxed a few of the rules, which is nice.
I’m glad he hasn’t done away with all of them, though.
I agree with you that rules are important.
Right now I’m working on renovations on a library near Akron.
I work six days a week most of the time, since the project is taking longer than expected and we have a deadline.
I don’t mind, though. I’m happy for the work.
That doesn’t leave much time for hobbies.
I do like to fish. We have a pond near our property that’s well stocked.
I really hope you haven’t thrown your pictures away. That would be a shame. They’re for your own use, so I don’t think it’s a bad thing for your aunt not to know about them. We all need something that is just our own.
Jalon
December 4
Dear Jalon,
I’m so glad you understand what I meant by keeping my drawings a secret.
Growing up with so many siblings, I had to share everything—beds, toys, food.
My brothers also share clothes, and at least I didn’t have to share my dresses with them!
Still, it’s nice to have something special that belongs only to me.
I hadn’t thrown the pictures away yet, so I’ll keep them.
Maybe I’ll put up a couple of birdfeeders in the backyard.
That should bring a good variety of birds to visit. Thank you for encouraging me.
Phoebe
P.S. I have to be honest with you, too—I’m glad to find out you’re close to my age. I was worried you might be too old or too young, but you’re just right.
December 7
Dear Phoebe,
This is a first. I’ve never been compared to Goldilocks and the Three Bears before.
Jalon
December 9
Dear Jalon,