Kate Hoffmann: The Pirate

She smiled winsomely and picked up an old volume from the floor. As she stared at it, she ran her fingers across the worn leather-bound cover and over the gold inlaid letters.

" Rogues Across Time ," Meredith read. Wistfully she recalled the first time she had picked up the book. If the hurricane hadn't driven her into the closet that night so long ago, she may never have found her pirate. The book had changed her life.

She moved to put the book in her keeper box, then at the last moment, she gently placed it inside the other box-the box meant for the library. "Maybe someone else will be lucky enough to find their soul mate somewhere in time," she said softly. "And maybe someday, they'll find the happiness that I have."

Satisfied with her decision, Meredith taped up both boxes and called her husband and son back in from the beach. No, she didn't need the book anymore. All her fantasies had become reality and she was living her dreams every day of her life.