Surviving Bessie

3. Heaven

A long and lean girl with coppery skin leans down to adjust the strap of her tangerine platform shoe. Her dark curls swing forward, obscuring her features. “Damn,” she declares, “I’ve lost one of my rhinestones. Merde.” The air is balmy with a light breeze. Crows, perched exactly six inches apart, hold a meeting on a branch of a nearby oak tree. Parrots fly overhead in formation, their feathers neon-yellow in the sunlight. Except for the fact that she casts no shadow, the girl looks like any other teenager on Earth.

Merde“Merde means ‘poo’ in French. Do you know that?” A Latino lad, stocky and handsome in his crisp white shirt, tan slacks, and black loafers, smiles at her adoringly.

Merde“I thought it meant weird.” She shakes her curls.

“Never mind, Ashley. One day, I will replace those rhinestones with diamonds.”

She loves that he calls her that – Ashley. She loves everything about him actually. “Thank you, Miguelito. When we reincarnate, I’m going to hold you to that.”

“As long as you hold me, I will always be happy.”

She stands up, taller than him, and winds her arms around his neck. “I will be a famous actress, like Annette Funicello.”

“And I will be your manager, protecting you from all harm.”

“And we will live in the Hollywood Hills with a big pool and a tennis court.”

He kisses her lightly. “You don’t even like sports.”

“The tennis courts will be for our guests. I will keep my figure by doing yoga and stuff like that.”

“You are perfect the way you are.”

Her smile fades. She turns away, mumbling, “Wonder how Bessie’s doing? I miss her so much. And we’re banned from the Telescope until further notice.”

A chipmunk sits up, looking at them intently before turning its attention to a sunflower seed.

They begin to stroll in the late afternoon sunshine along the road. An occasional vehicle passes them with no sound or exhaust as they run on universal energy in Heaven. At the edge of the nearby woods, a tall, skinny youth leans against a tree. His clothing is disheveled. One leg is bent back at the knee and pressed against the bark. Tears trickle from his haunted eyes and roll down his cheeks. His pale hair sticks up in all directions.

Ash turns to Miguelito, her features bleak. “Poor Jason. He misses Bessie so much. What will happen to him?”

“There you are.” A petite woman in a black business suit appears out of thin air beside them on the gravel. The sparkly aura that surrounds her identifies her as an angel. “You two have an important meeting tomorrow morning at eight a.m. sharp at Angel Court. Don’t be late.” She grins in a smile-that-is-not-a-smile way of hers. “Or all hell will break loose.”

“But Angel Rachel, we’ve been going to Reincarnation School every day!” Ash’s expression betrays her horror at the very thought of being in Angel Court again. And no small wonder. The last time she appeared, the judge – as that is the role of Angel Rachel – threatened to send her and Bessie back to the Stone Age for a do-over.

As the angel takes flight, Ash’s eyes grow even larger as she grasps Miguelito’s hand. “Merde. What’s she got in mind for us this time?”

Merde