When Angels Sing: Chapter Four
Welcome Back!
As I’ve explained before, this series of chapters will most likely become the prequel to my first novel, The 12/59 Shuttle From Yesterday to Today. It is about the central character in the 12/59, Sheila, as a child, and the events that led up to the action in the 12/59.
Yes it is a fantasy and yes it is a metaphor.
I’m writing this in third person, my first attempt to write a full-length novel in third person. All of my other novels were written in first person, so be patient with me as I stumble along using a new style. I may or may not do this again (third person); the jury is still out on that style question.
So, when we last visited Sheila, she was five years old and had just helped Mrs. Kramer to return from the dead. Now, one might expect Sheila’s parents to be a bit shocked by their daughter’s powers but, as is their nature, they are more inquisitive than shocked.
Let’s listen in as they toss around possible reasons for Sheila’s incredible abilities.
Returning Home
There was silence in the old Chevy as Sam, Heather and Sheila made their way back home. Sheila, of course, was sleeping in the back seat, for raising someone from the dead is, after all, a bit tiring. Sam and Heather, however, were not tired but rather deep in thought.
They knew, of course, that their daughter had gifts. The nuns at the orphanage had told them as much, and they had certainly seen signs of those gifts as Sheila grew older, her vocabulary was so advanced, and her breathing life back into dead creatures insects and animals, so seeing Mrs. Kramer bouncing back from a heart attack was really the next step in the evolution of Sheila….but….how was it possible? That question weighed on their minds as they drove the back roads of Olympia. How, in a world of finite beginnings and endings, had Sheila managed to toss aside all scientific laws?
What, then, was death? What was life? Were they connected and if so, how? Where did a human go after breathing the last breath, and how could they return from that place so easily? Somehow Sheila was able to tap into those hidden answers and unlock all manner of mysteries.
At Day’s End
Even after they put Sheila to bed they were obsessed with these questions.
“Come, husband,” Heather said to Sam. “Let’s go sit by the stream and talk more about it.”
They went to their favorite spot on the property, a lovely grove underneath elms and maples, with a small stream gurgling and bubbling nearby. They sat, and Heather kissed Sam a hungry kiss, a kiss filled with promise of so much more, a kiss worthy of curled toes and breathless anticipation. Her eyes sparkled as their lips parted.
“There will be so much more for you, Sam, when we finally have some answers to these questions, so put that brilliant mind to work and help us to see the light regarding Sheila.”
It was true, Sam was brilliant, brilliant in a way that left others wondering if they all belonged in the same species. He collected Phds like others collected baseball cards, and his wonderful mind saw connections rarely glimpsed by mortal man. Truly if anyone could unravel the mystery of Sheila, it was her adopted father Sam.
He began to postulate out loud.
“Perhaps death does not exist. Perhaps, what we see as death, the crumpled bodies in car wrecks, the gaping gunshot wounds of domestic violence, the aftermath of battles, perhaps those are just the physical remainder, but the essence of who we are moves on to another realm…another dimension….wait….another parallel universe. And perhaps that parallel universe is separated from this universe by the slimmest of slims, and Sheila has found a way to reach into that other universe, snatch the dead, and return them to this present day and time.”
Heather kissed her husband again because, well, she was a tease of mythical proportions and also because she knew, as all women seem to instinctively know, that the most certain way to get results from a man is to promise him, as Heather’s parents loved to say, nookie. Besides, she found Sam to be sexier than hell.
“But Sam,” she said upon releasing his lips. “If that is so and believe me, I do not doubt your theory for a moment, then why does Sheila only save certain creatures and not all creatures? If it is so easy to do so, as you state, then it would be simple for her to save every single road kill, all the possums, all the raccoons, all the dead dogs and flattened cats. Why does she pick and choose, my sexy partner?”
And the Answer Is Delivered By a Five Year Old
“Because they don’t all believe, Mother,” the child said as she approached her parents.
Sheila was like that, light of foot, ethereal in so many ways, seemingly drifting through life without actually being tethered to the ground. Her parents were accustomed to her suddenly appearing without making a sound, so her sudden appearance by the grove under the elms by the stream did not surprise them.
“What do you mean, Sheila?” her father asked.
Sheila smiled and, to her parents, it was as though the sun increased in candlepower.
“They don’t all believe, Father,” the child repeated. “They must believe in the healing powers of love in order for me to reach them.”
“Love,” sighed both Heather and Sam at once.
“Yes, Mother! Yes, Father! Love is the most powerful force in the universe. It can bring light to the darkest of darknesses. Love is not a word. Love is not a concept. Love is a reality, a living, breathing crucial part of all universes and the key which can unlock all mysteries. Yes, Mother, Father, love! Mrs. Kramer was a loving human being. I heard her cry for help as her heart failed her and, because I believe in love, I was able to reach out, grab hold of her spirit, and bring her back. It really is quite simple, my loving parents.
“Father, you are correct, there are other universes, and I can tell you now, one day, in the near future, you will become famous for your teachings of alternate universes, rich and famous with a church of your own and bestselling books and oh, my, won’t that be exciting?”
“Love,” sighed both Heather and Sam at once.
“Yes Mother, yes, Father, love!”
“But Sheila,” her mother asked. “How can you see into the future and know what will happen to us?”
“Alternate universes, Mother! There is a future universe, a past universe and a present universe. I see all three. I do not know how this is possible. All I know is when I was very young, at the orphanage, something happened to make me this way. It happened during a storm but I do not know what caused it all and oh, what a future we have in store for us. Now really, Mother, Father, I’m very, very hungry. Could we go home so I can eat some Cheerios?”
“Love,” sighed both Heather and Sam.
More to Come
We should probably leave our characters for now. I can tell you that Heather delivered on her promise to Sam. Later that evening she rocked his world with some world-class sex while their daughter bounced between universes, studying the future and learning from the past. It was, to say the least, a very busy, exhausting and enjoyable evening for all three.
Join me next week for more in the life of Sheila.
Thank you!
2016 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)
Questions & Answers
Comments
Picking right back up on this story, dear Bill - I'm feeling the love (but not at HP as my first comment was lost...)
Looking forward to catching up... Love, Maria
I'm going to enjoy catching up with my morning coffee, dear Bill.
Despite the length of time between visits, your story pulled me right back in - and I'm feeling the LOVE...! Love and thanks, Maria
It''s a good thing this chapter ended. For a moment there I was deeply pulled into Sheila's alternate universe. This story has me considering all kinds of alternatives about life and death. But one thing is very clear. Love rules the universe.
I certainly hope Sheila knows when not to pop in on her mom and dad. That would be embarrassing!
Do you plan on doing a flashback showing us what physical event took place to give Sheila her powers?
"If I can understand all the mysteries of the universe yet haven't got love, I'm just a 'clanging symbol'"
I think that about sums it up really.
Great stuff (Now I'm gonna go back and take a look at those YouTube clips)
Lawrence
Now is the time when this story is needed more than ever, with the turmoil that this world is in...
Sighing. One family has a deep interest in things eternal values...
Seeing generosity of the "Alternate Universe" a world of unrestricted potential expands around us at our finger tips to apply by the power of love according to Sheila. Why not more is done? A stunning accusation "they don't all believe"...
Interesting and challenging article my friend. Thank you.
Blessing and peace with us.
Hey Bill,
I love all the questions this story poses. I, myself, am at a stage in my life right now that I am questioning religion and what I believe in. I wonder of alternate universes and such. So, this story is becoming more and more fascinating to me as I read it.
There is something I came across today on YouTube that is about questioning how we view religion or why we believe in one religion from another, or how some don't believe in religion or a god at all. I think I will write about this subject soon.
My brain is on a fast ride these days. I'm in one of those places in life where I know I'm making another change in where my thoughts are at when it comes to why we are here, and what I believe in myself.
I'm excited to keep reading this story as my time permits and thank you again for your gift of storytelling. :)
I had to go back and read a couple chapters to catch up.. you know this story opens your heart and kind of help find the true meaning of realistic fiction..
This could be the makings of a film. Love is the greatest gift of all, good angle on this story.
I'd love to bounce between universes like Sheila! Although your story is fiction, I find it fascinating because it deals with some ideas that I've thought about. I'm off to read the next chapter and get caught up in this interesting story.
How intriguing. I like the explanation of love being a living thing. And in Sheila's hands, it truly does conquer all.
I was always convinced that love had amazing powers.
I like the idea of alternate dimensions.
LOVE the story so far :) Waiting to read more :)
Great story, spellbound from beginning to end. Wonder what is going to happen next.
First, second, third person and beyond, it's all great writing, Bill. And I agree that love is the most powerful influence in the universe -- all universes. I just loved that paragraph. And how Sheila said, "It really is quite simple, my loving parents." Some physicists theorize that the past, present and future are all one, but perceived as separate via different dimensions or universes in time. By the way, how heartwarming that Heather and Sam are in love, and in a healthy relationship. :-)
The parents are gifted as well!
So many thoughts about life and death to consider. What would I do having and living with a child like Sheila?
Bill this is wonderful. In all my travels and throughout all my life there has been a constant. Love. We can travel to the ends of the world and find it everywhere. We can look in our own neighborhoods and find it. There is nothing that even comes close to being omnipresent. I am quite certain that love transcends all levels or planes of existence.
Thoughtful ideas posed and not so far from some of the things I have tossed around, you know....it is good brain exercise to postulate and consider this theory or that theory and who's to say that such as you suggest is not possible.
Characters are believable, bill, so it makes this a story that I want to read and then hate to come to the end of the page ...Angels from the present on the way to you ps
Awesome Bill, Love is All there is, everything is love and love is all there is.
Blessings always.
Bill,
It is so much easier to write in first person, isn't it? But you are doing great on your way to being an author who writes well in the third person style. Congrats!
Love...you and I bro, are 'preaching to the converted' as they say. I know you value Love and so do I, my friend, so do I! I love the way that Sheila tells her story. Deep ...yet simple. Like life, perhaps? Ummm... nice one!
Bill, we need more Sheila's. Not to raise the dead to life, but to remind us that love is the key to the universe.
Hmmm, maybe that IS the same as raising one from the dead. Without love we are dead inside; with love, we live forever, not literally, but in the hearts and minds of those who have known us.
By the way, you're rocking the 3rd person style.
Very nice food for our souls and mind here. Love. It is an essential thing for all of us in this universe to lead a happy and blessed life. Sheila knows it all better. And many many thanks for creating such a wonderful character.
Funny how much Shelia believes like I do. To be able to write this you must have an inkling of the hereafter. Your writing is so beautiful! Love is the key that unlocks the door to happiness, and you express it so well. I love this!
There's your twisted sense of humor again with that "sexy" ending. LOL By the way, nice to see that old soul still has some child in her. Cheerios? So simplistic, yet delicious.
Wow, Bill, I am so glad that you are expanding your own universes. I don't see how you can write about this subject unless there is a glimmering of your own. This is exciting to me. Love, it is something we mere humans can't quite grasp, and I'm glad that little Sheila does. I may have said this before, but she sounds like a crystal child. BTW, I love the photo of the creek. It is so inviting.
Well Bill, it is summer in Arizona, what can I say regarding the heat? You took to 3rd person style like a duck to water my friend.
Awesome story Bill, and by the way, your third person style is working well.
Great story Bill, and yes of course there are other Dimensions and Universes! lol!
Love is definitely all we need and again The Beatles were definitely onto something and so are you here. Happy Thursday, Bill!! :)
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