The following short fiction story
was inspired by my writers group. The writing topic was, “Who would you meet in
heaven?” Once I got home from the meeting, the story unfolded quickly. And,
yes, someone really did wonder what would happen if you met your enemy. My
imagination took off in an entirely different direction.
* * * * *
Round Trip Ticket
by Kolleen Kidd
The topic from Writers’ Roundtable was, “Who
would you meet in heaven?” We all agreed that it was an interesting subject. The
talk around the table increased. “What if you met Napoleon in heaven, what
would you say to him? What if you met your enemy?”
I chuckled softly. I never thought about
meeting enemies in heaven, I only wanted to meet good people. But my writer
friends clued me in on that possibility. We ended the discussion clearly
looking forward to all the
possibilities when we read our stories the following week.
Once at home, I nuked some hot water for
my orange herbal tea, grabbed a chocolate biscotti and headed to my computer.
Before the meeting I had noticed some odd stats on my book blog website and
wanted to check it out. Hmmm…twenty-seven page views from Austria in one day
was a little peculiar, but it’s possible.
Seems okay, I thought as I signed
out of my blog and waited for my desktop settings to appear.
Nothing happened though. No Google icon,
no Twitter or Facebook icons. I was half expecting the “black screen of death.”
Instead of that I was facing a blank, glowing white space. In seconds a message
appeared smack in the middle of the screen. Bright, bold yellow letters formed
to spell out: “Congratulations, you have won a round trip ticket to…heaven!
Click here.”
I shook my head back and forth and
mumbled, “Great, I have a heaven virus
on my computer.” The smart part of me knew not to “mouse click” on anything
inviting me to click on it. But my curious side caused me to reach out and
touch the word “heaven.” Who wouldn’t want to touch heaven?
Instantly, I was drawn into a sea of beautiful
swirling clouds as I felt the wind rushing past me at lightning speed. I wasn’t
afraid, I felt peace and love when I arrived at…at where I wasn’t exactly sure.
But there was a pearly white gate and a light so bright behind it that I was pretty
sure it had to be heaven.
An angel materialized in front of me and
confirmed that I indeed was at heaven’s gate. His wings extended the full
length of his body and kindness radiated from his face in golden rays of light.
He was quite tall, but then he was floating above me.
He told me he was Archangel Gabriel, a
messenger. One of his angelic duties was to support writers and journalists. His
words were music to my ears. It was comforting to know that writers really had
a special someone looking over our shoulders. I told him I had once sensed a
presence when writing but seldom shared that information.
“I’ve been with you throughout your
writing journey,” he beamed. “But that’s not the real reason for your visit
today.”
I leaned slightly to the right as I
tried to peer around him. I longed to see what was behind the ornate gates.
Layers of clouds in every imaginable color obscured my view. Straightening, I
replied, “Actually, I’m not sure how this all came about.”
Gabriel extended his glowing wings and floated
lower. His voice was soft and calming. “Your round trip visit to heaven doesn’t
actually let you inside the gates. It’s not your time yet. But you are allowed
to meet one person while you’re here.”
“What?” I cried out. “It’s not possible
to choose to see only one person…my parents, grandparents, the list goes on. I
can’t decide. My heart aches, Gabriel. You choose. Please choose for me.”
“There is someone,” Gabriel boldly
proclaimed. “I sense that you know who that person is.”
I gasped as my hand flew to my heart. “Yes,”
I whispered. “Yes, I do know.”
Gabriel’s wings drew up and wrapped
around his entire angelic form. “Then it shall be.” In one swift motion his
magnificent wings unfurled. Wisps of clouds floated where he once had been.
I stood motionless as feelings of love washed
over me. Winds whirled around me from every direction. I closed my eyes as my
hair swept wildly across my face. Visions formed in my mind of a past long gone
but never forgotten.
I reached out.
