— “Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Andrew suggested.
Back in the living room, Sam sat next to Matthew on the sofa.
— “Matthew, your parents asked if I wanted to stay. Like, for real. To be your brother. What do you think?”
Matthew’s smile was the biggest Andrew had seen in two years.
— “I want that, Sam. You can teach other kids the way you taught me.”
— “How do you mean?”
— “You can use your gift to help other families who are going through what we went through.”
Andrew and Karen looked at each other.
— “That’s an interesting idea.”
— “Sam,” Andrew said. “Would you like to keep helping people?”
— “I’ve always wanted to. That was my grandmother’s dream. She said God gives people gifts so they can use them for others.”
— “Then that’s what we’ll do,” Karen decided. “You stay here as our son, and we’ll set up a space where you can help other kids who need it.”
— “You’d really do that?”
— “Absolutely. It’ll be our way of paying forward the good you’ve done for us.”
Three months later, the Walker house had been transformed. What was once just a beautiful suburban home was now also a foundation for children with emotional trauma manifesting as physical symptoms. Sam—now officially Sam Walker—had become a local hero. Doctors and psychologists came to study his methods, even if they couldn’t scientifically explain why they worked.
Matthew was back to his old self—actually, better than before. He was more empathetic, more courageous, and always ready to help Sam with the other kids who came for sessions.
— “Sam,” Matthew said one sunny morning, “do you think your grandmother knew all this would happen?”
Sam, who was organizing jars of clay for the day’s appointments, smiled.
— “I think she knew I’d find a family. She always said good people find each other when they need each other most.”
— “And she was right,” Karen said, stepping onto the patio with a tray of snacks. “You changed our lives.”
Andrew joined them, carrying reports on the cases Sam had seen the previous week. Four kids, all with issues doctors couldn’t explain, all showing signs of improvement after working with Sam.
— “Sam, Dr. Miller wants to talk to you today. He’s very interested in documenting your process.”
— “That’s fine, but I already told him I can’t explain how it works. I just feel it.”
— “And that’s okay,” Karen said. “Not everything needs a scientific explanation to be real.”
Just then, the doorbell rang. It was a local mother, Sarah, with her daughter, Lily—a seven-year-old who had stopped speaking after her parents’ divorce.
— “Good morning, Sam,” Sarah said. “Lily’s been looking forward to today.”
Sam knelt down to Lily’s level.
— “Hey, Lily! How are you feeling today?”
The girl didn’t answer, but she gave a shy smile.
— “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk yet,” Sam said gently. “Today, I’m going to tell you a story about a princess who hid her words in a magic castle. Want to hear it?”
