Review: "A Tender, Heartfelt Story"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 12, 2012
Author Regina Puckett is very talented in writing many genres.  Many of her short stories are horror stories, but this is a very romantic short story.  At a fund raiser, Jacob Horn, English teacher and head football coach for Rockford High School has been assigned to work at the "Booth of Wishes."  He's not too happy about this task as school has not yet started, and he feels uncomfortable about meeting students and parents in this fashion. But Principal Lincoln knows that Jacob can meet the task just like he's met all in his past.  Jacob had been a professional football player, but gave that up to serve his country as a Marine.  He was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq causing to lose half of one leg.  He witnessed his fellow soldier's death after making a promise to tell the soldier's wife of his love for her and her unborn child.  Jacob delays doing so because he does not want to cause her more pain.  He then moves forward with life by completing college and becoming a teacher in a small community. His job at the booth is to sell wishes for one dollar and to tie the individual's written wish to a balloon to float away in the sky.  But as it turns out, this, again, is a life changing event for Jacob.  A wonderful, magical story expertly expressed by the author.