Marvelle Zollars

The Refuge Marvelle Zollars

Sara Franklin is seventeen and, at first glance, seems to have everything. She is beautiful, she is rich, and she is adored by her father. But she is also spoiled and willful and arrogant. And she is pregnant. Her Daddy must NOT know-nor her hateful new stepmother, Caroline! The election is fast approaching and she can only imagine what the media would do with this piece of news. She must make some sort of decision, and do it quickly, for Caroline has already made arrangements to send her back to Miss Priscilla's Academy for Girls and she certainly can't arrive there in her condition. Sara remembers the girls at that dreadful academy speaking of abortion, and how it is "quick and easy" and that "everybody is doing it these days"! She thought it sounded barbaric at the time, but now it would appear that it is her only option. As the taxi pulls to a stop, she sees a sordid building before her and the decrepit sign that reads: The Women's Clinic of Abortion. She shudders with dread, then reaches for her purse. At that moment she notices a discarded magazine on the seat beside her. The picture of a great white house catches her eye, the headline above proclaiming it as THE REFUGE: A Christian Alternative to Abortion. "Hey, Miss! You gettin' out"? But she is busily scanning the caption under that wonderful picture. " . . . a beautifully rambling old home where women can find Christian direction, warm understanding, and medical care during an unplanned pregnancy". Sara glances again at the unkempt street outside her window and slowly shakes her head. "No" she answers with sudden determination. "No, I . . . I've changed my mind".