In fact, it was just an ordinary fall day, and I'd just come home from school.

    "Look at this, Annie," Peej said as soon as I walked into our room. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, surrounded by books, magazines, and papers. She handed me a piece of paper. "Don't just hold it, read it," she insisted. Something in her voice got my attention and I looked up. She was wearing the bed jacket Grandma had made her with strawberries embroidered all over soft flannel cloth the color of cream. Her wispy hair clung to her scalp like feathers, and she looked paler than usual, but her eyes were shining in excitement, almost glowing like dark coals.

    She was so serious I knew she wouldn't talk about anything else unless I read whatever it was, so I unfolded the paper and took a look. It was on the kind of glossy paper found in weekly news magazines, and one edge was ragged where it had been torn out.

    "Where'd you get this?" I asked.

    "In the doctor's office," said Peej. "Read it."

    I  looked down and read. "'Amazing Miracle Worker-Or Is She?'" My heart started to beat faster, and I felt a little sick. "Aw, Peej," I said. "This is just another one of those-"

    "Read it," my sister said fiercely.

    So I sighed, and read. The article told about a New York woman named Graciella Bujold, who was supposed to be able to heal the sick and work other kinds of miracles. Graciella, as everyone called her, had no idea where her powers came from, but assumed they were sent by God and refused to accept money from anyone she helped. People she claimed to have cured included a rock star, two politicians, and a lot of kids like Peej. There was a picture of her standing in a flower garden and smiling. She looked completely ordinary, like someone's aunt.

    I had finished reading, but I kept looking at the article. I could feel Peej's eyes on me. Finally I folded it up and passed it back to her.

    "Well?" she said.

    "Well?" I said.

    "What do you think?"

    "It's another crazy story," I said. "Life in the Raw." Life in the Raw was what we called  anything especially stupid or-as Peej would say-"typical."

    "What if she's for real?" said Peej

    "Come on," I said.

    "But what if?"

    I sighed again. "Are you serious about this? I'mean, you think this what's-her-name-"

    "Graciella," said Peej. She pronounced it "Grassy Ella."

    "Right, Grassy Ella. you'really think she might be able to help you?"

    Peej didn't answer right away. She just kept looking at me. She was wearing her "no nonsense" expression. It meant she'd made her mind up about something. "Look," I said. "There's dozens of faith healers all over the country. Hundreds. Maybe thousands. None of them impressed you before."

    "None of them seemed real before."

    "Why does this one?"

    "For one thing, she'doesn't take money," said Peej

    "A point in her favor," I agreed. "But it doesn't really prove anything."

    "Also the way she looks," said Peej. "Something n her eyes."

    "Her eyes?" I sounded more skeptical than I felt. Peej had always been a very good judge of character.

    "Besides," Peej went on, "I wrote her a letter. And last week I got this."

    She produced another document, this time in a crumpled envelope. I was totally surprised. I couldn't believe it-she'd written off to a faith healer and never said a word to me. I wondered what other secrets she was keeping.

    I opened the envelope expecting-I don't know what-a scrawl in crayon on lined paper, maybe. I was surprised to find instead a neatly typed note on blue paper:

Dear Peggy Jean,

    Thank you for your letter. I don't know if I can help you, but you are welcome to come see me. I don't have a phone, but I never go far from my house, so just show up.

    All best to you,

    Graciella

    I put the note back in the envelope and handed it to Peej. "Just show up?" I said.

    "I'm going to see her," said Peej

    I thought for a minute. "I guess it can't hurt to talk to Mom and Dad," I said finally. "They probably-"

    "No!" said Peej. "You know what they'd say. It's all superstition."

    "Well, it probably is."

    "Will you go with me?" Peej asked.

    "For heaven's sake, she's in New York."

    "Will you?" Her voice was very soft, like when she was a little girl.

    "You mean without telling them?"

    "I've got it all worked out," said Peej. "I thought for just a couple of days. While they're at The Conference."

    The Conference was an annual meeting of optometrists. Our parents shared a practice, and they were going to give a paper on a new kind of bifocals. The Conference was only three days, so they were leaving us alone, with Mrs. Armstrong from next door to look in on us.

    "You mean just go and not tell them?" I asked, hoping I was reading her wrong.

    Peej looked exasperated. "That's the whole point.

    "But they'll-"

    "I told you, I've got it all figured out," said Peej She probably did. Peej was a great one for figuring things out. If she weren't a twelve-year-old girl, she'd probably be a five-star general. So I started thinking. I'd never seen New York City. It might be fun. But to just run off without telling anyone, not to mention the expense....

    "How are we supposed to pay for it?" I said.

    "I've got five hundred dollars in my dog account," Peej said. Her dog account was the money she'd made walking, grooming, and baby-sitting neighborhood dogs.

    "But you're supposed to be saving that for college," I protested.

    She gave me another disgusted look. "If Grassy Ella or someone doesn't help me, I'm not going to be around for college," she said. "Besides, I've already made the reservations."

    "I don't know," I said. As usual, Peej was making me believe it was actually possible. "You're just a kid. What if-"

    "That's why I need you," said Peej. "If you do your makeup right you look practically sixteen. Besides, I have to go soon. I'm starting chemo again next month."

    That decided it for me. The last round of chemo had made her so sick she hadn't felt like doing anything for weeks. And now they were going to start some new kind that might make her feel worse. No wonder she wanted to see a faith healer.

    "I need to try," said Peej. "Please."

    A part of me was thinking, Oh, no, what am I doing? But another part was saying, Hey, maybe it'll work. Maybe Grassy Ella will cure her. Because it'sure didn't look like the doctors could. "Okay," I said.

    "Great!" said Peej, and her whole face lit up. "I'll give you all the details later. But right now you've got to listen to this really excellent CD Dad brought me this morning."

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