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All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from Fran Capo except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Second Edition

ISBN 13: 978-0-9724135-7-2

ISBN 10: 0-9724135-7-X

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First printing December 2004

Second Edition February 2013

Dedication:

To my fantastic fiancé, Steve --- You are number one in my book! I love you.

To my wonderful son, Spencer Patterson, you are the light of my life. I love you.

Hopeville: The City of Light

Everyone in Hopeville was born with a candle. It was not just an ordinary candle but a candle filled with magic. The candle was lit from the day you were born and went out on the day that you died. The candle was an external measure of life. Everyone could see how bright it shined.

Hopeville wasn’t always a town of light. In fact, it wasn’t always named Hopeville. Long ago it was just an ordinary town, filled with ordinary people living ordinary lives. Back then the town was called Acceptanceville. It was a place filled with all the human emotions: love, hate, joy, sorrow, happiness, fear, jealousy, and mistrust. Unfortunately, as time went on mistrust overtook the town. Those good souls who worked hard and tried to bring joy and happiness were shot down.

Then one night, a small boy, a widowed mother, a successful businessman, and an old man kneeled by their beds and prayed. Their prayers were all the same, “Dear heavens up above, I am trying my best. I work hard each day, try to be good to my friends, and yet I am not happy. It seems I have lost faith. I can’t tell those who are good from those who are bad. I am lost, and I need some kind of light to help me find the way.”

An angel of light appeared to each of them that night. “Your prayers have been heard and answered. You are not alone. From this day forth everyone in this town and everyone born in this village shall have a candle. The candle will reflect the person’s inner soul. If it is burning brightly you will know this is a person of kindness and happiness and you can trust this person. If the candle has a dark red hue, you will know that person is hiding something. You will know this is a person’s whose heart has been turned away from the true light, and you will know to keep away from this person, or at least to be careful when talking with this person so he does not lead you down the wrong path.”

The small boy said to the angel, “Thank you, dear angel, but without seeming ungrateful, how will I play ball if I have to hold a candle all the time?”

The angel was amused at the innocence of the question and said, “It will be easy. Each person will have a candle that will be small, light, flexible, and filled with magic. They won’t have to hold it, because it will be permanently attached to them. It won’t go out in the rain, or catch your hair on fire. It won’t burn out, and the best thing is that you can always control the size of the flame by your internal thoughts. Think good thoughts and the candle will shine for you always.”

The small boy seemed satisfied with this answer and went to sleep.

The widowed mother also had a question for the angel. “But how will I care for my young children and do all my chores if I always have to make sure this candle is burning?”

“My dear,” said the angel, “You have already had your candle burning brightly because of the joy you bring to your children. Your candle is well lit. You just carried it on the inside where it was hard for others to see. Now you will be a shining example for all in the village.”

The widowed mother thanked the angel and went to sleep, not sure if the angel was real or a dream.

The successful businessman was most startled by the angel and found the concept hard to grasp. “A candle is not practical. As a businessman I need to keep my feelings secret. People do not respect men who wear their hearts on their sleeves. It will ruin my business.”

The angel smiled. “People do business with people they like and trust. They believe people who speak from the heart. You have always done that. Don’t be afraid just because people will now be able to see your goodness before you even speak. You will prosper in business because now people will buy from you, the person they trust. The product is the same whether you sell it or whether the man down the street sells it. But the feeling of happiness that the customer will have when they leave from dealing with you will make the product seem a hundred times greater.”

The businessman realized the angel made sense and went to sleep satisfied.

Finally the old man asked the angel a question. “Dear angel, I have been around for many years. I have seen the hearts of people, and I have learned to distrust many. I have tried to tell people how important it is to be good of heart, but they laugh and think I am a fool, an old man who has lost his marbles. Maybe it’s because I am a lot closer to joining your area of the world that it concerns me so much. I am not sure how much light I have left to give to the world. People do not seem to respect what I have learned over the many years on this earth. Instead they act as if I am useless and scoff at my words. The old are not respected here.“

“My dear old man, you know the hearts of men and the wishes of the power above. You once had a brightly burning candle, but you let time and people douse your flame. The great thing is you and only you can control this flame. No matter what happens externally to you, know that the source of the flame comes from within. It may seem others have power over you, but they don’t. The struggles for you have been the longest and the hardest, but because of that, you, and you alone, know the value of the power within. Think back to all the times you were happy, and once you do, you will see the candle shine brighter and brighter. Once you see your power, you will never again be sad.”

The old man smiled. He fell asleep and had the best night’s sleep he’d had in a long time.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING!

“Hopeville is the next Alchemist! It shows that no matter who you are or where you are in life you can light up another person’s life and in the process transform your own. And, trust me, transformation is what it’s all about. This book is a must have for anyone looking to brighten their lives.”

Janette Barber

6 Time Emmy Award Winner, Best Selling Author, Sirius-XM Radio Host.

“As a forth stage cancer survivor I learned how precious life is. I practice everyday the art of gratitude and giving with my Comedy Cures Foundation. This book teaches you through parable how to give, how to love, how to follow your dreams. It’s a simple beautiful book that was given to Fran from above. I hope the world embraces it. I love it.”

Saranne Rothberg

Forth stage cancer survivor, CEO of Comedy Cures Foundation