Kindred Spirits

Visiting Earth

"Is it possible to observe our loved ones who are still alive from here?" Louis asked Anne.

"Yes, and what's even better is that we may still pay short visits to earth when we wish," Anne replied. "Our loved ones can't see or hear us, but we can see and hear everything that goes on just as if we were still in our earthly bodies. For instance, I was present at Elizabeth's coronation in 1558. It was the proudest moment of my life, I mean...well, you know what I mean. I was also there when she defeated the Spanish Armada thirty years later."

"I'm so happy to hear that," Louis said. "I would so love to know how my two living children, Marie-Therese and Charles, are doing."

"I will take you there," Anne promised him. "But first, there are some more people here whom I would like for you to meet. Some of them I knew in life, and some I met for the first time here."

First was Elizabeth. Her youth had been restored to her upon her death, and her face was once again unlined and her hair bright red.

"I've heard of you. I know that you were a great queen," Louis told her.

"It was difficult, at least in the beginning," Elizabeth said. "Not many people believed that a woman could be a successful ruler. I had to prove myself. Many were against me, including my own cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. It took a while, but over time, I earned the respect of the English people."

"Keeping the respect of one's subjects can be even more difficult," Louis said. "I learned that myself, the hard way."

Next were the three children Anne had lost through miscarriage. Their names were Henry, George, and Eleanor. Having lived only in heaven, they couldn't really comprehend what it would have been like to have lived on earth.

"I was supposed to be my father's heir," Henry told Louis. "If only I had lived, perhaps he would have permitted my mother to live as well."

"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't help it." Louis felt bad for the young man.

"I know that, but I did hate to see what he did to her, although I was happy to meet her for the first time when she arrived here."

Next were George and Mary Boleyn, Anne's brother and sister.

"I was executed two days before Anne was. I was falsely accused of having an incestuous affair with her," George told Louis.

"You have every right to be angry and bitter about that," Louis replied.

"I was frightened and confused more than anything else. What I feared most of all was what was to become of my beloved sister. It broke my heart to see her led to the scaffold. I couldn't bear to watch the sweep of the sword that ended her life. I'm only glad that her suffering was as brief as it was."

Next were Katherine of Aragon and her daughter Mary.

"I was Henry's first wife," Katherine told Louis. "When I was no longer able to give him children, he sought to divorce me and, in so doing, broke away from the Catholic church and formed the Church of England with himself as its head."

"I was the cause of both the divorce and the split with the Catholic church," Anne admitted. "Henry became infatuated with me, and I encouraged it. I was very ambitious and power hungry. I wanted to be the Queen of England. I eventually got what I wanted, but in the end I paid dearly for it."

"I know you did," Louis said gently.

"Katherine does have every right to hate me, but she has forgiven me, as I forgave Jane," Anne said.

"When I first saw her after her arrival, I could feel only pity for her, knowing as I did of the young child she left behind," Katherine explained. "To have been separated from my Mary when she was that young would have been a sorrow I couldn't have borne."

Next was Anne of Cleves. "I was Henry's fourth wife, but the marriage was never consumated, and he had it annuled six months later," she told Louis.

It sounds like you were the lucky one, Louis thought, but he didn't say anything.

Next was Katherine Howard. "I was Henry's fifth wife," she told Louis. "I had an affair and was executed for adultery."

"Katherine is also my cousin," Anne added.

Last was Katherine Parr. "I was Henry's widow," she said. "He died several years after we were married. After that I was married to Jane's brother Thomas. I died of complications in childbirth after my daughter Mary was born."

"Well, what do you think?" Anne asked Louis afterwards.

"That's incredible." Louis shook his head in disbelief. "Fascinating and yet very sad. Most of them came to such unfortunate ends. Why was your cousin Katherine foolish enough to commit adultery when she knew what the consequences would be if she were caught?"

Anne sighed. "Katherine was very young and impulsive. At that age, one often fails to consider the consequences of their actions."

"She reminded me so much of Marie," Louis said. "Much more so than did any of the others, although Anne of Cleves resembles Marie the most physically."

"Anne of Cleves is German."

"Well, no wonder, then. Marie is Austrian."

"Now for that trip to earth I promised you."

"How does this work?"

"It's really rather simple. All you have to do is close your eyes and concentrate very hard on the place, or the person, that you want to visit."

They held hands and closed their eyes, and within moments they found themselves in a scantily lit room containing a table and chair and a cot. There was only one window, and it was high up on the wall. On the cot sat a girl of about fourteen. Her face bore a strong resemblance to Louis' but she had blonde hair. She was crying.

Louis approached her and gently laid his hand on her shoulder. "Ma petit cherie, ma petit amour," he said.

The girl stopped crying and looked up, startled. "Father?" she asked. She looked around swiftly, then lay curled up on the cot with a contemplative expression on her face. Louis stood beside the cot gently stroking her hair, and as he did so, Anne could see the girl's face relax. Louis kissed her cheek and she smiled slightly.

When Louis looked back at Anne, he saw that tears were streaming down her face. She was recalling all the similar experiences she had shared with Elizabeth during her daughter's growing up years.

"She will be all right," Louis said softly.

Soon they found themselves in an adjoining room of the same building, which seemed to be a type of prison. In the room were three people: a man, a woman, and a boy of about eight. The man was shouting at the boy, who looked very frightened.

"No, no, please no," Louis whispered. Anne could see how upset he was becoming and knew that it was time to return to heaven. Gently but firmly, she clasped Louis' hand, and in a brief instant they were once again standing in a green field with a gentle wind blowing the grasses.

"I couldn't help him." Louis' voice was choked with grief as Anne looked into his sorrowful eyes. "They were going to hurt him, and I couldn't do anything about it."

Anne wished dearly that she could think of something to say that would comfort her friend, but no words would come.