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The Child - Seven The Child - Seven That spring, then, Ted went to the student placement office on campus to meet with a counselor. He sat in the wait- ing room, listening for his name to be called, and thumbed through magazines. As he scanned the pages disinterestedly, an advertisement grabbed his attention. It was a picture of a mountainous area, with ponds for ice skaters and snow- covered slopes upon which glamorous people skied. “Come to Sun Valley, Idaho, for the vacation of a lifetime,” the caption read. Ted was mesmerized by the scene. He decided that Sun Valley was the resort for him, and when he was ushered into the counselor’s office, he laid the magazine down before her and announced his desire to work there. “You and every other kid in America,” she replied. “I’ve been in this office for years, Ted, and we’ ve tried many, many times to get summer jobs in Sun Valley for our students, but we’ve never succeeded. Never.” “But I really want to work there,” Ted insisted. “Surely there’s some way you can help.” She shook her head. “That’s where the rich people take their vacations, and lots of celebrities have homes there. The wealthiest people use their connections to get jobs for their own children, that’s how exclusive the place is. Once we per- suaded a congressman to pull some strings for us, but he failed, too.” Watching Ted’s face fall in disappointment, the counselor tried to be realistic yet encouraging. “It’s a waste of time, Ted,” she said gently. “Let’s focus on what we can do, not on the impossible. I have several places you might be interested in, though. Any one of them would be fun.” She took out a folder and leafed through job listings, showing Ted a variety of resorts and vacation ranches in the south. And she gave him application forms, telling him to fill them out and return them to her for mailing the following week. Ted dutifully filled out the forms. When he went back a few days later to turn them in, however, he was still thinking of the beautiful place he had seen in the ad. That photo had captured his heart, and he couldn’t give up on it. Masquerade of Angels 56 “I know you don’t want to do this,” he told the counselor wistfully, “but I’d really appreciate it if we could send a letter out to Sun Valley anyway, just for the heck of it.” The counselor sighed and then shrugged. “If it will make you feel better, we will,” she finally replied. “But don’t be too disappointed, Ted. I’ve already explained the situation to you.” “Yes, ma’am,” he nodded. “Now, you probably won’t hear anything back from these resorts for a couple of weeks. And if nothing comes through on the first try, ’Il make a phone call for you to one place where I do have a good connection, a ranch in Georgia.” She smiled as Ted turned to leave. “We'll get something for you by summer, I assure you.” The semester was drawing to a close, and after mailing out his applications, Ted had to concentrate on preparations for final exams. It was a time of anxiety as students hurried through their tests and began packing up to leave for the summer. Ted watched this activity enviously, for unlike the others he didn’t have anywhere to go. His family had recently moved into Tuscaloosa, so Ted lived at home while going to classes. Without a summer job elsewhere, he’d have to spend those months there, too. One day after finishing a final exam, Ted came home and was greeted at the door by his mother. She handed him a telegram, and Ted ripped it open curiously. As he read the words, his eyes grew wide, and then he broke out in a huge grin. “Your application to Sun Valley accepted,” he read aloud. “Notify of day you can start, no later than June 1.” There was a name at the bottom and a phone number he was advised to contact. Wonderful forces seemed to be at work in his world, he felt, for his impossible wish had been granted. The beautiful picture in the ad flashed into his mind, and he imagined him- self as one of the skiers flying down those snowy slopes. He’d never skied before, but so what? The world was a miraculous place, after all, and there was nothing he couldn’t do. Ted immediately dialed the number in the telegram and reached a railroad office. The railroad owned the Sun Valley Masquerade of Angels 57