Making wishes on snow, dandelions, and shooting stars is perfectly normal for Polly's family. But when Polly decides to try a different kind of wish, everything changes. Now she is spending her entire family vacation thinking she has lost her mind. Maybe Polly should have stuck with throwing a penny into a wishing well. While visiting Thomas Jefferson's home, she uses a nickel instead, silently wishing she knew interesting facts about President Jefferson to share with everyone on the trip. What happens next is something beyond Polly's imagination. In a matter of hours, Polly suddenly realizes that no one else in her group can hear the strange voices relaying fascinating historical facts. Unfortunately, her family thinks she is crazy. Could her wish really have come true? Or are the mysterious voices part of a clever practical joke? The Jefferson Wish is an entertaining tale that integrates little-known facts about one of our nation's founding fathers with the adventures of a girl about to find out what happens when a wish becomes reality.

The Jefferson Wish

By Wendy Tackett

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Wendy Tackett
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-3768-1

Chapter One

Another Wish

"I can't believe you're going to be gone for a whole week and miss school," whined Allie as she traced a circle on the carpet with her shoe. Allie is my best friend in the whole world. I'm totally going to miss her while we're on our vacation. I wish she could come with us.

I smiled and said, "It isn't that long. We can still text all the time. Remember, there's so much learning that's going to happen on this trip too. It's not all fun and games. I'm still excited, though!"

"You're just so lucky, Polly," said Allie. "Yes, I'm jealous, okay. I wish I could go on vacation. Virginia is so far away from Michigan!"

"I've wanted to go to Monticello for as long as I can remember. Monticello is this mysterious, magical place they go visit every year. Then there's this `conversation' that they like to go to, which is why we're going now and missing school. It must be really amazing because they keep going back," I explained.

"I just don't see what's so exciting about visiting the home of Thomas Jefferson. I mean, the guy's been dead for like two hundred years. But your aunt and uncle are lots of fun, so I'm sure the trip will still be a blast," replied Allie.

Jason came running into the living room with his duffle bag dragging behind him. "I'm all packed. Are you? I'm ready first!"

I hate it when he beats me at things. We're always competing, and it's pretty even. I'm better at some things, and he's better at other things. I guess it's a twin thing. There was a time, over a year ago, when we stopped competing for a while, but that was a very strange time. Lots of weird things were happening in our family, especially with Tayleigh, our older sister, and our older brother, Bryant, who left for college sooner than students usually do. It was definitely a strange year.

"You may be packed first, but I call shotgun!" I yelled back.

"You can't call shotgun. Aunt Leigh and Uncle TJ will sit in the front seat," argued Jason.

"Well, if one of them wants to take a break and stretch out in the far back, I get shotgun whenever it comes available," I interrupted.

"Whatever," Jason said. Then he turned to Allie. "Bye. Hopefully you can survive without Polly for a week."

"You just wish you had a best friend as awesome as I am," sassed Allie. Allie and Jason got along fairly well. Sometimes the three of us did stuff together, as long as it didn't make Jason look too uncool in front of his other friends. Sometimes his friend Scott, who we called Scooter, joined us, but he kind of bugged me.

"Don't forget to pack your raincoat!" shouted Mom from the kitchen. "May in Virginia can mean sunny and eighty degrees or rainy and fifty degrees. You need to be prepared for anything."

Jason took off running up the stairs back to his room. Obviously he forgot his raincoat. I already had mine packed, but I still needed to get a few other things like my iPod. I started to walk toward the front door with Allie as I said, "I'll miss you tons, but you'll survive. I'll even text you some pictures of whatever we're doing. I have to finish packing. We're leaving in just a few minutes. Have a great week at school."

"A lonely rest of the week is more like it. See you on Sunday," said Allie as she gave me a quick hug. "Oh look, there's your uncle's Jeep coming down the street. I guess you'd better hurry."

I waved at Allie as she got on her bike to ride home and waved at Uncle TJ as he pulled into the driveway. "I'll tell everyone you're here!" I shouted as I ran back inside. "Come on, guys! Uncle TJ and Aunt Leigh are here!"

I walked up the stairs to my room to finish packing, thinking about how lucky I was. I looked into the mirror and caught a glimpse of my long, messy hair. Mom always called it dirty blonde, but it looked light brown to me. I probably should've brushed it, but I had to hurry. I was so glad I didn't have to pack any homework, and I got to miss almost a week of school. Even though I liked school okay, it would be a blast going on the trip, and I knew we'd learn a lot. I'd get to see what was so special about Thomas Jefferson. We were even going to meet Thomas Jefferson. I wondered how the person playing President Jefferson knew how to act. It's not like they had video cameras to record what Jefferson was like. Maybe he wasn't really like Jefferson at all. I hoped I had everything I needed packed. It was hard to know what to pack for when we didn't know everything we were going to be doing. I mean, I knew we were going to Virginia, but I wasn't sure of what we'd be doing when we got there. I packed extra things just in case. Luckily Tayleigh and I wore almost the same size, so I could use some of her things if I didn't have the right stuff. She always packed too much.

"Are you daydreaming again?" asked Mom as she stood in my doorway.

"I guess I was. I was just thinking about the trip," I replied smiling.

"Well quit thinking and get started on that trip," ordered Mom. "Everyone is downstairs waiting for you." She walked over, grabbed the brush off my nightstand, and started brushing my hair. "I'm going to miss your messy hair while you're gone. Call me every night and tell me something special about the day. I'll look forward to those calls."

"As will I," added my Dad, standing behind her.

I hugged them both and lugged my duffle bag downstairs. Jason was already leaning against the Jeep, acting all superior since he got there first. "Wait!" Jason shouted. "Is it a jersey week?"

Uncle TJ laughed, looking first at Aunt Leigh's Chicago Cubs jersey and then at his own University of Michigan football jersey. They both loved sports and sometimes argued about which team was better. Recently, Uncle TJ had been wearing a different jersey every day of the week. "No jerseys on this trip, except on the drive down. We'll try to look like normal adults for you." I didn't mind them wearing jerseys. I thought it was fun. They were really like two big kids anyway. I figured because they didn't have any kids, they didn't have to act like adults all the time. Aunt Leigh almost looked like one of the kids, if it weren't for some wisps of gray hair. Bryant and Tayleigh were both taller than her, and I was getting close. I was pretty sure Bryant was almost as tall as Uncle TJ now. I'd have to make them stand back to back next time Bry visited from college.

Uncle TJ grabbed my bag and threw it into the back of the Jeep. "Two down, one to go," said Uncle TJ.

"Where is Tayleigh?" I asked. Tayleigh, Jason, and I were going on the trip together. Bryant would have gone with us, but he had his final exams that week. He and Tay had gone to Virginia before with Aunt Leigh and Uncle TJ, but that was a long time ago. I was glad Tay was going with us, even though she'd been before, because I really liked hanging out with her. We'd been spending more time together at our church's youth group. Last year, Mom made Tay go back to youth group even though she didn't want to. She was elected to a leadership role at her first meeting, and I think she'd even have admitted that she was having fun with it. At least I got to see her more often. I could only stand so much of Jason because we were together all the time at home and at school.

"She's out on the back deck saying good-bye to Leo," said Jason, making gagging sounds. Leo was Tayleigh's boyfriend. He wasn't too bad. I wasn't really into the "boy thing" yet. There were boys I had crushes on, but they just all happened to be movie stars. Tay and Leo had been dating forever, like almost two years, I think.

"All aboard!" called Aunt Leigh. "The Virginia Express is ready to hit the road."

"Oh wait, I gotta grab my bracelet. I wanted to wear it," I said before running back to my room. Aunt Leigh and Uncle TJ had gotten me the coolest bracelet with a blue stone in it when they went to Italy. I only wore it on special occasions, and I thought this trip counted as something special.

"Move it or we'll leave you!" yelled Uncle TJ. Of course he was just kidding, but I still booked it.

Tayleigh, Leo, and Marli walked out the front door. Marli, Tayleigh's best friend, was still begging to go with us.

"We'd love to take you, Marli, but there just isn't room in the car," said Aunt Leigh.

"I already gotta survive this trip with Polly and Tay. I don't think I could stand it with three girls the whole time!" yelled Jason. "I may be small, but I don't think there's room for anyone else in the Jeep."

"Well, send me lots of pictures, text me all the time, and have a great time," implored Marli as she huggedTayleigh. "One of these days, I'll go to Virginia with you. Maybe Leo can drive us down there."

"Enough of that craziness," laughed Mom. "Now scoot. All of you, get out of here."

Finally. I hoped the trip would be worth it. I planned to take many pictures, text Allie, eat, and sleep. I'd probably even text Allie in my sleep and not even know it!

* * *

"I want to listen to my podcasts ... please! Come on, I want to hear what they're saying about the new movies coming out," Tayleigh begged.

"We'll listen to your podcast first," agreed Uncle TJ. "Then Polly gets to decide if she has a podcast or music mix she wants to listen to next, and then Jason. Is that okay with everyone?"

"I don't care. I have earbuds, so I can do my own thing," I explained.

Aunt Leigh reminded us, "Don't forget that we even downloaded the Monticello podcasts so we can listen to stories about the little mountain and Thomas Jefferson on the way down there."

"Can the learning wait a little bit longer?" asked Tayleigh. "I want to hear the latest Hollywood gossip." I had to agree with Tay because I did love the gossip. While I tended to read, and Tay watched movies, I liked to know what was going on. I didn't think she cared too much about the podcast right then though, because all she was doing was texting. I guess I shouldn't make fun of her for doing that because I was texting Allie. It's not like we even had anything important to say. She was telling me how much she already missed me. I asked Allie to do some research for me behind the scenes while we were in Virginia. I wanted to impress Uncle TJ, so I asked Allie text me some facts about Thomas Jefferson that I could share with everyone. It would almost be like having her along for the trip.

"You did get all the special arrangements made for our visit, right?" asked Uncle TJ, talking a little more quietly to Aunt Leigh. I kept straining to hear what they were talking about. It sounded kind of secretive, so of course I wanted to know. I could barely hear them over the podcast, but I had good hearing.

"Of course, it's all taken care of. They're going to have an unforgettable time," whispered Aunt Leigh.

"What special arrangements?" Jason and I asked at the same time.

"I bet I know," saidTayleigh. I didn't think she was paying attention. She was good at texting and still listening to what was going on.

"Don't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough," laughed Aunt Leigh. "Now listen to your podcast."

* * *

Close to Charleston, West Virginia, where we were going to stop for the night after about seven hours of driving, a question popped into my head. I'd always known that Uncle TJ and Aunt Leigh—but especially Uncle TJ—loved Thomas Jefferson, but I wasn't exactly sure why. I mean, I knew many of the great things he did and that he was a president, but why him? Why not George Washington? Why not Benjamin Franklin? This was probably going to result in a long answer, but I just had to know. "Hey, Uncle TJ," I called out. He was dozing a little bit while Aunt Leigh drove. "I know that you've loved Thomas Jefferson your whole life, but why? What made you decide to make him your number-one president?"

Uncle TJ chuckled. "You mean you haven't heard this story a million times?" I shook my head. I looked over to Tay and back at Jason, but both of them were asleep. They were going to miss out on this story. "When I was a small boy, maybe four or five years old, we had a collection of history books. I would look at the pictures and read what I could. Sometimes I'd even get out a flashlight and read under my covers in the bed after I was supposed to be asleep. History just fascinated me. Anyway, I remember reading about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and I thought that Washington got quite a bit of credit for being so great. I mean, he was a great man, but he was doing what he was supposed to do as a general. Jefferson, on the other hand, was a thinker. He had big thoughts and worked to make some of them come true. He dreamed ideas, then invented the reality. He was the type of man I hoped to be someday."

"You thought all of this when you were that young?" I asked incredulously.

"He wasn't a complete oddball, hon," joked Aunt Leigh. "He did normal boy things like play sports and wrestle with his siblings too. You know, sometimes something just resonates with you and becomes your life's passion. It can happen when you're young or when you're old. You just have to be ready for it."

"I was. I read everything I could read about Thomas Jefferson, the good and the bad. There have been some very controversial things about Jefferson, including his ownership of slaves and the children he might have fathered with one of his slaves. While Jefferson wanted to set slaves free, as he wrote in the original draft of the Declaration of Independence, he also relied on his slaves to operate his planation, so he couldn't afford to free them when slave labor was so much a part of the economy of his time. Sometimes I have to put things in the perspective of the day to try to understand what was really going on. There's a quote from Jefferson that basically explains how he was frustrated and knew that slavery was wrong but needed the slaves to continue the way of life at that time. I think he was a brilliant man who contributed much to the way our country is today, and he represents many of the beliefs that I hold dear. He was multi-talented ... a farmer, a lawyer, an architect, a statesman, a scientist ... and he taught himself several different languages. Hopefully on this trip, you'll learn more about him and understand why I admire him so much."

"Probably a little heavy for almost midnight, eh?" asked Aunt Leigh. "Your uncle is lucky that he grew up with a love of history. I didn't find my love for history until I found your uncle. It just didn't interest me that much growing up. TJ brought it alive for me, especially through visiting many of the historical places across the country. That's what we want for you."

"I'm going to pay attention. This is going to be a great trip, and I'm ready to learn," I announced. I really was too. Tayleigh and Bryant loved their trip to Virginia all those years ago, so I knew I was going to love this trip.

"That's all we can ask for," replied Uncle TJ. "We're almost to Charleston, so why don't you wake the others up so we can unload the Jeep."

* * *

In the morning, after a filling breakfast, we hit the road for the last four hours of driving. It was a beautiful spring day with the sun shining and visibility for miles around the mountains.

"These mountains are enormous," said Tayleigh with awe. "My ears keep popping as we go up and down some of the roads. I gotta text a picture of these mountains to Marli."

"These aren't even big mountains here in West Virginia and Virginia compared to some out west in places like Colorado. Jefferson's home in Charlottesville is actually built on top of a little mountain, and even though it's one of the highest points in that area, it's still a fairly small mountain," shared Aunt Leigh.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from The Jefferson Wishby Wendy Tackett Copyright © 2011 by Wendy Tackett. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.