Page 31 of An Unexpected Ascension
“Really,” I assure him. “Find me next week and I’ll tag along.”
Jessie offers a friendly smile and a departing wave before she follows Will the way they came. I watch as they vanish behind the plush green bushes enclosing Galsip Falls.
Now, here I am, left with my own thoughts. A part of me wishes I could have told Will about the demon and what he had done, but the fear of revealing the cave as a passing ground kept me from it.
Pulling myself together, I saunter out of the forest. The birds singing merrily flit from one tree to the next while the flowers blossom in my presence, but none of it registers. The farther I get from Galsip Falls, the less my memories plague me. Except, the absence of them leaves a fog in their wake as if they’re still there, just no longer clear. All those wretched emotions now hang heavily frommy heart, like a cinderblock tied with rope, but the reasons are lost to the cave.
It’s not until I make it to the edge of the forest, the town now in full view, do I take that deep, purifying breath, the weight dissipating with my exhale.
I take my time cutting through the bustling market filled with saints and repented angels. Some look extravagantly wealthy, while others wealthy enough. They laugh with each other, smell exotic foods offered at various stands. One bites into an apple, rolling her eyes as if it’s the first time in years and she’s forgotten how the sweetness tastes. A small fog of envy passes through me and instead of letting it fester, I recite a fewHail Marysto bring me closer to those luxuries.
While overly focused on the luscious fruit, my shoulder accidentally bumps against a stranger’s.
“I’m so sorry!” I gasp, gently grasping the elbow of an older woman.
“Oh, do not fret, my dear.” Her smile is kind as she pats me on the shoulder. “Are you alright?”
“Me? Yes. I’m alright.” But then I really think about it. “I’m new around here. My buddy just reunited with his sister, so I’ve found myself alone. What does one do around here to pass the time?”
She brushes a hand down her habit before tucking a stray hair beneath her coif.
“Why you’re in luck, dear. I have just the thing for you. Follow me.”
With a soft wave of her hand, she beckons me. I trail behind her without question, the nun seeming nice enough. Together we come to a large building resembling a church, some ways away from the market. Above the arched church door with iron ornate strap hinges, sits colorful stained-glass windows stretched up to the very point of where the cross meets the crown of the holy structure.
The door opens soundlessly as we step through into a brightly lit foyer, adorned with statues of different Gods. The marble floorsglisten back at me as though they were recently waxed, and the stone walls sit ageless despite the time that's passed since its creation.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmur.
“That it is, deary. Would you like to see something even better?”
I nod, letting her lead me through the empty room to a set of stairs hidden behind a stone wall.
Upon the third floor is a wide hallway with a few doors on either side and at the very end, a floor-to-ceiling stained-glass window. The blues, yellows, reds, and greens shimmer against the sunlight, shielding the hall from the blaring brightness, providing just the right amount of glow. All those colors make up a God, watching – protecting.
Each door is closed, but from behind those barriers, I can hear laughter. I can hear arguing and singing. I can hear small, little voices filled with curiosity. I can hear children.
The nun opens the last door at the end of the hall, revealing a room filled with pure innocence and unfiltered joy. Babies and tots roam about, playing, sleeping, and learning. A few other nuns are scattered around helping the children, some flustered while others serenely lulling babies to sleep.
“So, this is where all the children have gone.” I smile to myself.
“We always welcome help.”
“I’d be happy to.”
Inching further into the room, I find a pudgy little thing crawling toward me. Gathering her in my arms, I rock her, swaying gently. Hair soft as feathers and legs with more rolls than the bread stands at the market. Slowly, her eyelids droop as she fights sleep, eventually caving as my finger drifts down the center of her nose in steady strokes. I bring my face to her baldish head and inhale her peace, soaking it all in. Something I think I would have done if I were ever to have a child of my own.
“It’s a thankless job some days, but there’s no other way I’d rather spend my eternity.” The nun shares in a hushed voice.
“I’m Briar,” I tell her, keeping my last name to myself.
“Sister Mary.”
“Thank you, Sister. I really needed this.”
“You’re welcome any time, deary.”
She hustles off to help a young boy with a book in his hands up onto a rocking chair. The scene, for a moment, makes me forget that this is the afterlife. No one here is living, and all these children have left their parents, either back on Earth or lost in Heaven. If I could feel more than a modicum of emotion, I would be heartbroken.
