Ten year old Little Man wants to be accepted by Tico and Amon, but in order to do so he must pass an initiation first.  He must retrieve a piece of junk from the altar built by “crazy” Lucy Johnson. Everyone says Lucy Johnson is a witch. She calls her altar a “sanctuary,” a place where spirits of the dead can rest in peace. When Little Man gets caught by the old woman and comes to know her, he realizes that the sanctuary and Lucy Johnson are special. But the neighborhood block club wants to tear down her sanctuary because they consider it an eyesore. Little Man knows he has to do something.

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AUTHOR/NARRATOR
Ann E. Eskridge has been involved with media for almost 30 years. She holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma, an MA in Telecommunications from Michigan State University, and an MFA in Creative Writing at Spalding University in Kentucky.  Her book and play, The Sanctuary, Cobblehill, 1994, was chosen as one of the 400 best children’s books for that year and was optioned by Producer Bill Blinn (Fame), and Sundance. Two monologues from the play are included in Childsplay; an anthology of children’s play monologues. The Sanctuary was also the basis for a children’s grief and bereavement program at Detroit’s Children’s Center, funded by the National Funeral Directors Association.