The Well That Never Runs Dry

Book excerpt: After a package from an antiquarian bookshop in Frankfurt, Germany arrives in Dorset, Vermont, the recipient finds that it contains a mysterious note and rare book. Efforts to translate the book result in The Well That Never Runs Dry, a companion to The Book of the Shepherd and a journey of discovery that leads to a place of faith, hope, and love. The story begins with Elizabeth, a midwife, who discovers the body of a small child drowned in a rain-swollen river. Left alone to care for her adopted brother, David, after the shepherd, Joshua, has gone to resettle the victims of the flood, Elizabeth is plagued by age-old questions: Why do the righteous suffer? Why does God take children before their time? Does a man soweth as he reapeth? Elizabeth sleeps and dreams of "The Well That Never Runs Dry," which she is called to seek out and which she hopes will provide solace in this time of sadness. Together with young David and her cousin, Miriam, they set out to discover the Well. En route, they meet a cast of characters including The Story Teller, The Lamp Lighter, and The Beggar Woman, each of whom imparts a story and provides clues that lead to the sacred well where Elizabeth and her companions uncover one of the greatest lessons of all—the absolute power of love.