| "Kate, The Dream Angel" |
| Copyright Francis Blow, 1997. |
| CHAPTER 2 |
| Kate sat up and banged her head on the bottom of her brother's bunk. Sean grumbled, and kept sleeping. |
| It was dark, and Kate's watch indicated three forty seven. |
| Kate was saturated in perspiration. What had she been dreaming only moments ago? It was so strong a feeling of strangeness! Where was her damned nightshirt this time? Was that it lying on the floor? |
| She was quickly up and pulling the short gown over her head. It clung to her damp skin uncomfortably. |
| The atmosphere in the van was oppressive enough to drive Kate outside for relief; a faint breeze ruffled the cotton and her blond hair. Kate was not aware of where she was going, until she found herself near the deserted swimming pool. The pool was off limits after dark, not that Kate cared, and the night was empty of any other people. |
| Still dressed, Kate slid into the water, which was cold enough to shock her completely awake. Is this what sleepwalking was like? Would she remember anything in the morning? |
| Kate swam two laps, though her loose nightshirt tangled around her. She walked back towards her van, dripping, and actually feeling deliciously chilly for the first time in days. Her bikini was hanging from their single clothes line, so she changed into it, before putting her wet things out to dry. She looked at her watch; almost half past four. |
| Kate did not want to go back to her sweat-damp bed, and she did not want to stay outside. She compromised, and sat at the dining table, where she pillowed her head on her arms, and drifted into sleep. |
| |
| "Are you all right, Kate?" Her dad asked, as he shook her shoulder. |
| "Oh, Daddy. Hi. What's going on?" |
| "I wish someone would tell me. You've developed the strangest sleep patterns. Is there any problem with, you know..." |
| "No, Dad, I'm fine. I think it's just this heat. I'm not used to it." Kate rubbed her eyes, and squirmed. She was on a vinyl seat and it did not absorb perspiration. How uncomfortable, and how embarrassing if anyone noticed! |
| "You know, baby, that the temperature and humidity will get worse by the time we reach the Gulf?" Her dad sounded apologetic. |
| Kate knew he and her mum had been looking forward to this trip for so long. |
| With a sigh, she gave him a lopsided smile. "I'll handle it, Daddy, if you can put up with my grumbles, and sleeplessness." |
| "Are you sure? I could put you on a plane to Sydney, to stay with Grandma, if you really wanted to." |
| "Don't be silly, Dad. Mum wouldn't let me go, it would cost too much, Grandma Hannah's too old and sick to put up with me, and besides all that, I want to stay with you." |
| "That's my girl." He sat beside her and hugged her, then looked down. "What did you do? Wet yourself?" |
| "Dad! That's terrible! I just..." |
| "Only teasing, baby. Go have a swim, then be back in half an hour for breakfast." |
| "As soon as I dry this up." Her grin spread to hide her flaming red cheeks. |
| If it had been Sean who saw the sweaty seat, Kate would never have heard the end of HIS crude comments. |
| After they had all eaten breakfast, and her parents went into town to get more supplies, Kate took an armful of washing to the laundry building. While the clothes were cycling through a machine, Kate sat in the shade of a big tree, and read an old magazine from a pile of others in the laundry. Other people went past her, either to the laundry, or to the showers. Two caretakers pushed carts towards the building, to start their day's work. One of them was an aboriginal woman, about fifty years old. |
| The woman stopped four metres from Kate when Kate looked up. |
| Their eyes stared across the distance. |
| Kate was sure the woman's face went several shades lighter, though an instant later the dark woman yelled "Kudaitcha!", and sprinted away from Kate, towards the gate. |
| Kate never saw the woman again. The word she had used stayed in Kate's memory. She knew that word from somewhere. Possibly Sean would know what it meant. |
| |
| Kate found her brother in the pool, where he was trying to chat up a fourteen year old, who was wearing a one piece swimsuit that was cut so high in the thigh, her bony hips stuck out the sides. |
| "Sean, can I ask you something?" Kate interrupted his corny technique. |
| He glared at her, "Rack off, Sis. I'm busy." |
| "That's okay." Miss Skinny-Bum said. "I was going anyway." |
| Sean's face went bright red with anger. "Now look what you did!" He hissed. |
| "Do you really think you had a chance with her? You're twice her weight, and besides, you each have so many zits, that you would have scratched each other's faces." |
| "You can be a real bitch, Kate, without trying." He sulked, staring at the other girl's emaciated behind as she walked away, exaggerating the sway of her prominent hips. |
| "What does Kudaitcha mean?" |
| He was taken by surprise, "What?" |
| "Kudaitcha. A woman just looked at me and said that word." |
| Sean's eyes widened, and his face lit up with a grin, followed by a peal of laughter. |
| "What's so funny?" She demanded. |
| "The Kudaitcha! Ha ha ha! You! She called you the Kudaitcha!" Sean laughed so much, he swallowed water and started coughing. |
| When he was reasonably quiet, he turned an evil grin on Kate. "The next time you think about calling me fat or Zit-Face, remember this: that woman called you the Bogey Man. My sister, the Bogey Man!" |
| |
| Kate went back to the laundry, with Sean's laughter ringing in her ears. Kudaitcha...the Bogey Man. Why? Was she so ugly, that an old woman would be frightened of her? |
| |
| Kate remained upset for hours. She even studied her face in front of a mirror. |
| That was where her parents found her, when they returned from shopping. When her mum asked Kate why her eyes were red, the confused explanation left them as much in the dark as before. |
| "Never mind, baby." Her mum said. "We've got a surprise for you. It's in the car." |
| Kate was taken by the hand, and led outside, where her dad held up a fine mesh screen. |
| "It's a mosquito net." He announced, proudly. "You don't have to sleep in the van, except in places like this, where strangers are about. Tomorrow morning we'll head north, and in two or three days we'll be on the Gulf." |
| |
| Their plans were changed, as things developed to delay them. |
| The clouds that had been gathering for several days, became heavy enough to drop their moisture in a thunderous storm, lasting until late afternoon. At first, it was fun, running around and playing in the rain. |
| After the first hour, though, it was a real nuisance. Clothes, shoes, tarpaulins, everything outside was dripping. When the rain did stop, the ground began to steam under the tropical sun. Kate never realised what a steam bath was, until that evening. She sat in the pool, along with about thirty or forty other people, until well after sundown. Only after a light wind helped to cool things off, did Kate take her water-wrinkled body into the van. |
| "G'day, Prune-Face." Sean hailed her. "Scared anyone else today, Ms. Bogey Man?" |
| "Shut up, Dog-Breath." |
| "Knock it off, you two." Their dad ordered. "I know we're all short tempered at the moment, so let's not make things worse. What are you doing, Kate?" |
| "Going to bed, Daddy. I'm tired." |
| "Okay, baby. Try and sleep right through. Sweet dreams." |
| He kissed Kate good night, as did her mum. With the curtain drawn, Kate took off her bikini, found clean pants and her spare nightdress, then took her wet things out to hang on the line. She had to wipe the mud off her feet before she lay on her bunk. |
| |
| Sleep came slowly, though Kate was too tired to do more than change position every now and then. With sleep came relief, and her return to the Dreamtime. |
| |
| Kate opened her eyes in the night. Bill and Mary were nowhere to be seen. As she tried to sit up, she struggled with the nightdress, which was stretched tight by her wings. |
| The two wings had grown larger. |
| It was very difficult for Kate to pull the flimsy nightie over her head without tearing it, yet she managed. With her wings free, she was easily able to reach back and touch them. There were real feathers, now, not just baby down! By turning her head, and spreading her wings, she was able to see that her feathers were white. |
| How cool! Kate rushed to the mirror. |
| Unreal! The wings arched higher than her shoulders, and hung to below her waist, and were whiter than her pants. The feathers were delicate and soft. |
| While she was admiring her gift, the door opened, letting Bill and Mary come in. Kate turned a radiant smile towards them. |
| "Aren't they beautiful?" She exclaimed. |
| "Very beautiful." Bill agreed, with his toothless grin. "Now, come with us. This is your first chance to start learning what you are going to do." |
| "Do?" Kate queried. |
| Instead of an answer, her visitors each took one of her hands, and guided Kate into the night. Before Kate realised what was happening, two pairs of powerful wings were lifting the three of them into the starry sky. |
| She gave a yelp of alarm. Her fear gave way to the greater wonder and joy of flight. Kate's own wings added their negligible help in keeping the three of them aloft, though she weakened after a few minutes of flying. |
| They all flew on, seemingly for hours, until they were soaring far above a road that was straight and sparsely trafficked. A deep ditch ran along each side. |
| "See that truck?" Bill asked, pointing with his free hand at a moving cluster of white and amber lights; it seemed surrounded by a dark cloud. |
| "Yes." Kate said. |
| "The driver's strung out on too many pills to keep him awake. He's going to run that car off the road." |
| "What! We've got to stop him!" |
| "We can't. Even if I could, I wouldn't. Watch and learn, child. This is the only reason any of us are born." |
| Kate stared in horror, as the disaster occurred. The two vehicles did not quite collide as both drivers swerved at the last moment, though the small car overturned into the ditch. |
| Kate screamed, when the three of them dove at blinding speed towards the ground, just as a sheet of flame engulfed the wrecked car. |
| They landed safely. Bill and Mary left Kate sitting on the edge of the ditch, and the two walked through the flames, unharmed. They passed as easily through the metal as they had through the fire. |
| When they returned, they were leading a naked, heavy-set woman, who was holding a tiny baby. The woman was dazed, unaware of what was happening. With incredible strength, Bill gently lifted the woman and her child in his arms, and was quickly winging his way skywards. Mary sat beside Kate. |
| "What's going on, Mary?" Kate felt almost as dazed as the woman. |
| "Bill is taking them... They're going Home." |
| "They're dead!" Kate was sure she would be sick, or even faint. Her indecision was forgotten when an agonised scream came from the other side of the ditch. |
| A man, bleeding and burned, dragged himself close to the blazing wreck. He screamed again, two names. |
| Kate covered her ears with her hands. Hot tears and sobs escaped her for the man's unendurable pain. |
| A moment later, four arms lifted her, and mercifully carried her far from the tragedy. |
| |
| "Why did that happen? Why do innocent people have to die for someone else's stupidity? It should have been that stinking pig of a truck driver who was killed! Oh, God, how can You do this to a little baby? God, why? You're no better than a murderer, like that... Oh, God! She was such a pretty baby." Kate cried in almost hysterical intensity for most of the flight back to the van. |
| Neither Bill, nor Mary spoke, until they were sitting inside the van. |
| "Kathryn." Bill's old voice said. "Tell me what you saw?" |
| "Saw? I saw the same as you! A mother and her baby were murdered, and you did nothing to help them! What's wrong with you? Maybe you really are the Bogey Man! You enjoy death, don't you?" |
| Bill waited calmly for Kate to run out of anger, and when she began to sob softly, he pulled her against his withered and scarred chest. |
| "Kathryn. Child of my soul. The two people you saw are beyond what you can feel or imagine. I saw more than you. I was in the Presence of Ecstasy so far above anything flesh can experience, that I know those moments of pain were nothing to them. Just as the pain of birth is the beginning of mortal life, so such small pangs are the beginnings of immortal rapture." |
| "What about her husband? Did you hear him? God! I'll never forget what he sounded like. He tore my heart in two!" |
| "He will live a long life, to re-marry in a few years, and his eldest son will be a great physician, who rids the world of many cancers. Had the woman and child not gone to their true Home, countless billions of babies not yet born would have been doomed to greater agony in their lives." |
| "Why does it have to be this way? Why does God send so much pain into the world?" Kate wailed against the old man's beating heart. Perversely, she wondered how a dead man's heart could beat so strongly. |
| "God did not send pain. Man's free will causes pain. God is the Absence of all pain. Every action that every man takes leads to some kind of reaction. It has been like this since the first man decided he wanted... Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve? It's a pretty good analogy. When we choose to reject truth and happiness, we must face the consequences." |
| "That's needlessly cruel. What about that baby? What did she do to deserve to die?" Kate was certain Bill would not have a satisfactory answer to such a senseless ending of so young a life. |
| "No one decides when each of us are to die. There is usually no conscious decision, except for murderers and suicides. Normally, death is purely a mechanical event, set in motion by the decisions of men and the predictable course of nature." |
| "I don't understand. None of it makes sense!" |
| "Kate." Mary's musical voice came from very close. "I did not understand, either. I've been helping people go Home for six months; even now, it hurts me to see the fear and anger of those left behind." |
| Kate shook her head against the old man's chest. Mary's soft hands patted Kate's shoulders, above the gnarled arms which hugged her close. |
| "Bill told you he died over a year ago. I'm still alive, so I'm not a real angel, yet. I live in Arnhem Land, on a reserve with the rest of my tribe. It's not much of a life. We die young, from accidents, sickness and alcohol. There's not much sense in it. Would you blame that on God?" Mary asked. "I don't, but it doesn't change the depth of my grief, when I'm back in my skin. As a flesh and blood person, I don't remember much of what happens in my Dreamtime. It doesn't matter, really, because this is what's real. The rest is only marking time, until it's my turn to become like Bill." |
| "What do you mean?" Kate turned to face the other girl. |
| "Bill gets to go Home whenever he feels like, and he is helping us, too." |
| "Wait a moment, Mary." Bill interrupted. "I don't go back any time I want. I've got to get to a higher level, before I'm given a free pass. In the meantime... Kate, did you ever play Monopoly?" |
| "Sure. Why?" Kate would have looked up, except it felt so good, so safe in Bill's arms. |
| "Just consider your wings and this Dreamtime as your 'Get Out of Jail Free' card. You are going to make things easier for those people who find themselves between Earth and Paradise. You will be gifted with things greater than you can dream, even now." Bill promised her. "And you will come to understand, the more you see of both worlds. Mary is not yet there, though she has faith, and so will you." |
| "It hurts so much!" Kate's pain returned, as did her hot tears. |
| "Look at the faces of your family, Kate. When it comes time for them to go Home, will you want to lead them?" Bill's voice was unyielding. "If not you, then who?" |
| Kate pulled away from him, gazed fearfully into his ancient face, and stood, wondering. |
| She walked to her parent's bed, where both adults slept peacefully; her dad snored in a low rumble. |
| When Kate stood beside her brother, she imagined him as a grown man; perhaps like the man who had crawled towards the burning car. Fresh tears blinded her, until she wiped her eyes with her hands. |
| She kissed Sean's cheek and he smiled in his sleep. |
| Kate was not surprised that, when she turned towards her parents once more, she saw that Bill and Mary were gone. Kate kissed her mum and dad, before she got back to her bunk, being careful not to pinch a wing with her elbow. |
| |
| Kate was the first one up the next morning. |
| She felt uneasy, as if something unpleasant had happened in the night. Quietly, so as not to disturb anyone, Kate found a bra and a long T-shirt, which would do as a short dress. With an almost dry towel and her toiletries bag, Kate went to the shower block, to freshen up. She did not feel rested, despite sleeping through the night. |
| Two women were already there before Kate; one was shaving her legs, while the other was washing her hair in a sink. They were gossiping. |
| "It's a terrible waste, really." One said. "And the husband burned his hands trying to get them out. It would be unbearable to live with that." |
| "My uncle went through the same thing, when his first wife died in the bombing of London." |
| Kate's disquiet grew, as she listened to the women, even when the cold water sprayed onto her face. What was it about their words that bothered her? |
| She soaped herself clean, and was beginning to shampoo her hair, when she felt dizzy. Stinging suds blinded her, Kate lost her balance and would have fallen heavily, if the shower cubicle had not been so narrow. Her weakness forced Kate to sit on the tiles, ignoring the streams of water that rinsed the soap away. |
| |
| "Are you okay, honey?" A voice asked. |
| Kate opened her eyes. One of the women was patting her hand. "What happened?" Kate wondered. |
| "We heard you fall. You must have bashed your head as you slipped, though I can't find any bumps. You look a bit pale. Let us help you get dry." |
| "I'm okay, really. Thanks for your help. I'll be all right." Kate protested when the women helped her up. |
| She had always managed to dry herself ever since she was five years old, so Kate was not about to change that. |
| |
| Kate was still a little damp as she left the shower block, though the temperature outside quickly dried the her clothes. |
| Her mum and dad were up by the time Kate was back in the van, and Sean was lazing on the top bunk. |
| |
| Since they were planning on leaving early, breakfast was cereal, to reduce the washing up. In less than an hour they were on the road once more. Unfortunately, by ten thirty, they stopped again, and not by choice. |
| |
| "You and your shortcuts." Kate accused Sean. |
| Their car was stuck up to its axles in mud. The dirt road had been solid enough, at first, except for this short section, where a dip in the road had stopped the rainwater from escaping. |
| "Arguing won't get us out." Her dad told her. "You two, outside with me, while Mum takes the wheel. We'll disconnect the van, then dig out the car. When that's done, we can tie a rope to the van, and drag it out." |
| Sean and their dad took their shirts and trousers off, because of the mud, while Kate stayed as she was. With shovels and hands, they cleared the mud from around the car. |
| As she was the smallest, Kate had the delightful duty of clearing under the car where the gentlemen could not reach. |
| Her dad ignored the first three "bloodies" before he told her to mind her language. |
| Kate was not impressed with the condition of her hair and clothes. Clay and mud oozed through the thin cotton and caked against her overheated skin. |
| With the wheels and chassis free of most of the mud, it was time to push. The car's wheels spun and slid around, gradually making progress out of the mire, until solid ground was reached. Kate's arms and back ached; she gasped for breath in the sultry atmosphere. |
| "I'm sorry, baby." Her dad brushed the muck from her face. "One more time, to get the caravan out? I promise you can have half our water reserve to clean up afterwards. Sean and I will use it after you." |
| "Dad!" Sean protested. |
| "Shut up, Sean. If it wasn't for your sister doing the hardest parts, we couldn't do it. Well, baby? Do you feel up to it?" |
| Reluctantly, Kate nodded. In disgust, she peeled out of the ruined T-shirt dress, and tossed it aside. Thank goodness she'd decided to wear a bra; with all the sludge coating her, any distant passers-by might think she wore a bikini, or, more probably, a brown wet suit. |
| At least the van was higher off the ground than the car, so she would have less digging to do. |
| |
| It was done. |
| The car and van were free, parked on a dry patch. A plastic sheet was shaped into a temporary bath, and Kate sat in it, while her mum slowly poured a jerrycan of water over her. It did not help that her mum laughed at her. "With your knees up like that, Kate, you look like a frog on a lily pad." |
| "I am not amused, Mother. This is degrading. This holiday is turning into the worst time of my entire life. It's the pits!" |
| "Would you have preferred for your dad and brother to wash first, and you get the dirty water?" Her mother's voice was uncompromising. |
| Kate did not answer, though her bottom lip threatened to curl sulkily. She bit back any complaints about the ruined clothes. Maybe soaking them would help? |
| |
| Shortly after passing Kajabbi, they returned to a bitumen highway, and everyone breathed easier. An hour later they stopped at the Bourke and Wills Roadhouse for real showers and then lunch. |
| Over hamburgers and cold drinks, Kate's dad decided they should camp there until the next day, so he and Sean could check the car and van for damage. Kate and her mum surveyed the land from the restaurant window. |
| Low scrub, red stones on red soil. Heat mirages wavered, obscuring the horizon in every direction. Kate's heart sank. |
| This is a pleasure trip? I'd rather be sitting in school, doing Maths. |
| All she felt was despair. |
| Sean came looking for her. "Come and have a look at this." |
| "What is it?" Kate did not especially want to leave the air-conditioned building. |
| "Just come and see. It'll only take a minute." They went around the back, to where several wrecks were lying. One car was a burned out shell, and had yellow and black police barricades around it. |
| "That's the car where that lady and baby were... Hey, Kate! What's the rush?" |
| Kate was sprinting away. For a moment she thought she remembered screams, but it was impossible. Before she reached the van, she threw up. |
| |
| Kate was alone. |
| Lying on her bunk, in solitary misery, she prayed that the nightmare trip would end quickly. |
| "I'll go mad, if things don't get better soon." She shouted at the uncaring walls. If anyone outside the caravan heard her, they gave no sign. |
| Every second was filled with a discomfort so great, Kate felt like screaming. There was no relief. |
| Somehow, she fell asleep. |
| |
| Kate felt as if ropes bound her. It was her T-shirt dress, stretched to their limits by her almost full sized angel wings. She struggled to get her T-shirt off, panicking because nothing was working. |
| "Get off me!" She yelled. |
| Astonishingly, her clothes fell away; her body passed through the material as if it were no more substantial than a cloud. When she sank through the floor to her waist, Kate did become hysterical. |
| Somehow, she learned to control herself, making her hands hard against the floor, while the rest of her lifted up, back inside. It took practice, before she could control the effect enough to walk around, and keep her clothes on at the same time. |
| |
| "Bill? Mary? Are you here?" She went to a window and peered out. No one was around. She opened the door, ready to hide again if anyone saw her. Cautiously, Kate ventured out into daylight for the first time with her wings. They extended from above her head, almost to her knees. |
| When a car did drive past her, the occupants ignored the red faced angel, who was, of course, invisible. |
| "Bill, where are you?" She asked. |
| Kate jumped, when a hand was placed on her shoulder. |
| "Nervous, Kate?" Bill smiled at her. |
| "Don't DO that! You scared the life out of me." Kate accused him. Her heart was pounding inside her rib cage. |
| "How are you feeling today, Kate?" |
| "Don't ask. I want this to all go away. Where's Mary?" |
| "Doing a little job for me. I noticed that your other self recognised the wreck. You wasted a perfectly good lunch." |
| "You're horrible! How do I stop this? How did it happen? Was it that marble that fell into my belly button?" |
| "In a way, it was. But not really. Call it theatrics on my part." Bill shrugged in apology. "Do you want it out?" |
| "Oh, please take it away!" |
| His bony hand passed across her stomach, and an instant later, Kate was gazing at the brown and blue sphere. |
| "I'm afraid it's only a gimmick." Bill told her. "This doesn't have anything to do with your wings. And I see you're almost ready to fly, too." |
| "What do you mean? I don't want to be an angel! Make it go away!" |
| "Can't." Bill shook his head. "Boss-fella, He no like it." |
| "Talk properly, damn you! Why can't I be normal again?" |
| "Kate... I don't know how. I didn't pick you for this. I'm only your guide, your first teacher." |
| "Well if you can't, then get someone who can. What about some one important? Get Gabriel. She's bound to know." |
| "He. The angel Gabriel is a he. And I'd rather not bother him right now, as he's busy with more important things." Bill had a sheepish expression on his face. |
| Kate stared at him, as the implications of what Bill said sank in. "Are you telling me you really know the angel Gabriel? No kidding? What's she...he like?" |
| "Beautiful. Frightening. He has more power in a strand of hair than the sun." |
| "Can I meet him?" |
| "One day, certainly, but not until you're strong enough. You would be a tiny moth, dazzled to destruction against his light-house flame. Would you like to meet an angel who won't blow your mind? Someone more human? Well, passably human, anyway." |
| "Maybe." Kate became suspicious. "If you try and trick me..." |
| "What would you do?" Bill cackled an old man's laugh. "Do you believe I could lie to you? Kate, the worst I can do is not give you all the facts. I can decide if something would be too much for you, and not mention it till later, but an angel won't lie." |
| "Can you lie?" She thought she detected a loophole and wanted to trap him. |
| "Of course. I have as much free will as you." |
| "Good. If we both have free will, then I want out of this, right now!" |
| "No can do, Kate. I don't have that ability. Besides, you don't really mean it, since you're just confused and frightened." |
| "Damn you, Bill! I know I'm confused and frightened. Haven't I been telling you that? That's why I want to be a normal, schoolgirl again." |
| "Kate. Shut up your complaining. Remember this secret I'm about to tell you." He cautioned her. "Life as an angel is not meant to be easy." |
| Kate stared at him, mouth open. Then she began to laugh. |
| Bill waited patiently, until she got it all out of her system, and she was gasping for breath. Then he asked, "Finished?" |
| "Bill...did anyone ever tell you that you're a real pain in the backside?" Kate had a crooked smile on her face. "All right, what's next?" |
| |
| The angel George was chubby and he smiled a lot. His wings were as white as Kate's, yet he wore a blue, pinstriped business suit, that was tailored around his wings, and he had a halo made out of two coat hangers and aluminium foil. |
| "Do you like it? Cute effect, huh?" George observed. |
| "You've got to be kidding." Kate could not believe these people. Did all angels have such an idiotic sense of humour? |
| "You don't like it? Oh well, I'll just have to go back to the old standby." George shrugged, and a disk of golden light surrounded his head, replacing the metal fake. |
| Kate's jaw dropped in amazement, then her teeth clicked together, as annoyance replaced awe. "What's with you guys, that you can't be serious about anything?" |
| "Why should we be serious, Kate?" George asked. "This place is fun. I wouldn't be caught dead anywhere else... Okay! Okay! Don't stick your bottom lip out. What is it you really want, Kate?" |
| "To be normal again. I don't want to be an angel." |
| "You're not quite an angel yet, Kate. As you learn more, and get used to what's happening, it will all come together. As they say, you can even get used to dying, if you stay dead long enough." |
| "Will you stop that!" Kate exploded. "How the hell do I get out of this?" |
| "That's one way." George nodded. "Going to Hell generally takes you off the celestial payroll. Unfortunately, the side effects are a bit unpleasant." |
| "I didn't..." Kate began to protest, when George continued as if she had not spoken. "You know how some religions depict Hell as a place of fire?" |
| "Yes, but..." |
| "It is." |
| The two men let George's statement sink into Kate's mind. |
| It was interesting to watch her young face mirror her thoughts. First incredulity, followed by outright disbelief and ending with doubt. |
| "Really?" She queried. Her voice squeaked, and she cleared her throat, embarrassed. |
| "Absolutely. Would you like me to arrange a tour? I have to warn you, though, that it's a bit ugly, and it smells really, really bad." |
| "I'll pass. Why can't I stop this? Please, I'm going crazy!" |
| "Little Kate, you can. Hang about, while I talk to someone." George told her. Then he pulled a mobile phone out of his jacket, and dialled a number. "Hello, Mike? George here. I've got a cadet who wants out... Yeah, went through all that... Which?.. Oh, yeah, good one, Mike! I like it. Thanks, and I'll see you at the party. 'Bye." |
| George put the phone away, while Kate crossed her arms across her chest; her lips were pressed into a thin, disapproving line. |
| "Here's the deal, Kate. Give us until the end of your holiday for you to be as happy as us. If you're not satisfied, you can drop the whole deal. All you'd have to do is click your heels together three times and say 'Take me home'. Simple?" |
| "Sure. Just one thing... Could I get to meet someone near the top?" Kate gave George her cutest smile, because it always worked on her dad. |
| "Near the top, eh? How good are your wings? Can you fly yet?" |
| "I haven't tried much." Kate did not think her puny efforts to date counted. |
| "Bill, grab an arm. Up we go." George ordered. |
| Once they were airborne, and getting close to the clouds, George told Kate to start flapping her wings. Kate did so, and it only took her a few minutes to get the rhythm. With her wings helping, their speed increased, as did the altitude. Clouds fell behind at a rate that would have astonished an airforce fighter pilot. |
| They went faster still, and the speed of their flight filled Kate with exhilaration. |
| The blue sky deepened to black. Stars were unblinking points of brilliance. A sudden flash of red and blue, signalled their transition to another place. All around was dull whiteness, except for a single star, so bright that Kate could not look at it directly. |
| The three of them flew closer to the star, and Kate had to shade her eyes between her fingers. |
| The star was not a star. |
| By taking cautious glimpses, Kate realised that the light was a face. She could not make out any features, because her eyes watered with the strain. |
| "Kate, meet the cherubim, Helena. Helena, Kate is a bit unsure about her new career." George introduced them. |
| "Hello, Kate." |
| Kate thought her heart would burst with love. She could not speak, nor could she understand anything else of what was said between the three angels. She was not sure how long she was bathed in the joy of Helena's presence, but when George and Bill flew her away with them Kate was overcome by an aching feeling of loss. She cried. |
| |
| Time passed, and the Earth came into view. |
| It was clearer than any pictures from a space shuttle. |
| Kate's sadness faded, until she could not remember what it was she had lost. |
| |
| "Hey, Bill." George broke the long silence. "Do you think little Kate's ready for her solo?" |
| "I'm not sure. Kate how strong do you feel?" Bill asked. |
| "I'm okay, why?" An instant later, Kate's arms were released, and she was free-falling towards the planet, many kilometres below. |
| Her first reaction was to shriek in fright. |
| Nothing else changed. Bill and George stayed just out of reach, and travelling at the same velocity as her. |
| George suggested in his joking way that it would be a good idea if she used her wings. Kate calmed down, and tried to remember which muscles to use. The rhythm came back to her, and Kate was flying under her own power. She soared and swooped, hovered and dove. Kate experienced something no machine-bound human ever could. |
| To fly like a real bird. Or an angel. |
| |
| "Oh, wow. What an unreal dream." Kate yawned and stretched. |
| "It must have been." Her mum said. "You slept for three hours." |
| "Three hours! You've got to be kidding!" Kate could not believe her ears. Her watch was lying on the floor, as was her neck chain with its Star of David. She had slept all that time. |
| Kate gathered up her things and sat on her bunk, once more. |
| "I was flying. With wings." Kate explained, as she pulled the chain over her head. "The world was under me, and it was really cool, Mum. I wish I could really fly." |
| "You've been in planes." |
| "That's not like flying. Planes are only buses in the air. Flying's different." Kate searched for words, only to be interrupted by Sean entering the caravan. |
| "Can I have a few dollars, Mum? I need an ice cream." |
| "Only if you take your sister." She folded her arms across her chest, assuming a stance which left no room for further negotiation. Grumbling, Sean agreed, half dragging Kate towards the main building. |
| |
| Dinner was alfresco from their own supplies, though a kind of party developed with other people who stopped at the Roadhouse for the night. A bunch of kids got together for a game of "Spotlight" with their torches. Kate had fun playing, though Sean thought he was too old for such games. |
| A couple of girls, Kate's age, were soon great mates with her, and the three of them stayed up till one o'clock, talking and laughing. The grown ups were not worried, since they were still awake, too. |
| Gradually, people disappeared into tents or vans. |
| Kate was not tired after her afternoon nap, though she did set up a folding lounger and her new mosquito net, between their own van and car. She had no intention of sleeping inside, she informed her parents. She won the argument, since she was the last one awake. |
| |
| It was automatic now. Her angelic wings flowed through the shirt, while leaving the rest of her clothes in place. Kate took the change for granted. After all, what was one more, small miracle? Mary was sitting on the foot of Kate's makeshift bed. |
| "Ready to go?" Mary invited her. |
| "Where to now?" |
| "The Gate." Mary's eyes and teeth sparkled. |
| "Lead the way, Jose." Kate worked her wings experimentally, and followed Mary towards the stars. |
| If she concentrated on what was happening, Kate could feel muscles in her shoulders, sides, chest, stomach and even her behind, all working in concert to lift her heavenward. Her arms and neck were free to move as she liked. |
| It would have been fun to play among the fairy-floss clouds, except that Mary was flying at a pace to test Kate's strength and stamina. As had happened when she flew between Bill and George, the nature of the sky changed. Everything became white, this time. |
| |
| Bill joined them from behind, then George, who wore his fake halo, and the four of them flew towards what became a golden dot, which grew to an immense gate of yellow stone slabs. There were no fences, and when Kate flew behind the gate, it was identical from both sides. |
| George flew up to the stone and pounded his fist. The noise was surprisingly loud and hollow. |
| "Hey, Pete! Open up. I've got a visitor." |
| The gate split in the middle, and opened away from them. Golden light beamed out, and George flew through to the other side. Bill and Mary led Kate by the hand. |
| The other side of the gate was the same as where they had come from, except for a vast crowd of people. Most of them were old, and were standing around a man who had a modern fishing rod, which he pointed towards one of two ordinary doors. |
| Singly, the people filed towards the open, smaller door, though, three times as Kate watched the hundreds of people, the other, larger door snapped open, and a huge, leathery claw grabbed someone from the line. |
| "What the hell's that!" Kate exclaimed, just as the big door slammed closed. |
| "Right, first time." Bill nodded. His face was grim. |
| "I don't want to know about it." Kate decided aloud. "What does everyone do for excitement here? You know? Parties, games. Stuff like that." |
| "You're going to find out very soon, my dear Kate." George answered. "Though not this night. Go stand near the open door and have a peek through." |
| Kate watched the three faces, saw nothing suspicious in their smiles, and flew over the heads of the crowd. |
| The open door was smaller than it looked; some of the people had to duck down and go through sideways. The closed door was much bigger. |
| There was a bang as the alien claw snatched out again, too fast to see who had been taken. The smell hit Kate, then. Only the barest hint of its true power: burning meat, manure and vomit. |
| No one except Kate showed signs of discomfort at the stench; perhaps only she smelled it. Kate moved closer to the small, open door, neck stretching, up on the tips of her toes, to see through. |
| What Kate saw numbed her mind. |
| There were more people out there. Millions upon millions of people. Not only standing side by side, but floating in every direction, further than the eyes could see. And everyone was talking, laughing or singing. |
| A tug at Kate's elbow, and she turned towards George. |
| "Not too much, Kate. It's addictive. Do you like crowds?" |
| "I despise crowds, but this..." Kate shook her head, lost for words. "Is it Heaven?" |
| "No." |
| "What!" Kate's eyes flew wide. "Then what is it?" |
| "Waiting room probably is as close an explanation as you'll find . Heaven is what they will get, after they're through in here," George advised her "and I can't tell you what they do, because you're not a real angel yet." |
| "So I've got to die first." Kate folded her arms. "I'll pass on that for a few years, thanks." |
| "That's the end of this lesson, Kate. Go and play with Mary." George winked at her with an mischievous grin. Everything changed so suddenly, that Kate's mind was not aware of it for an instant. |
| She and Mary were standing outside her mosquito net, and it was still dark, though a faint line on the horizon indicated dawn was not far away. |
| "Mary, I'm getting more than a little tired of all this zooming around the universe. Why do we have to rush everything?" |
| "Quit complaining, Kate." Mary scolded. "This is going at exactly the right speed for you to handle it." |
| Kate pouted. "I thought you were my friend." |
| "I am, and so is everyone you've met. You just haven't worked it out for yourself yet. Want to go flying? I've got a trick I can show you." Mary led the way through the sky, flying towards the sun, to a distant river. |
| As Kate trailed the dark skinned girl, she saw Mary dive towards the water and hit without a splash. Mary's loincloth drifted on the surface. |
| "That's easy!" Kate called, after Mary floated back into the air, taking up her loincloth as she went. |
| Kate dove past Mary, thinking to herself that she would pass through the water, untouched. It worked! |
| Like her friend had done, Kate grabbed her clothes floating on the river as she winged towards the river bank. |
| "Okay, Kate. Try this!" Mary challenged, and rocketed into the air. |
| Moments later, Mary was falling headfirst into the ground, out of sight. Kate took up the dare, and followed suit, unmindful of anything except proving she was as good as Mary. She barely noticed that inside the Earth was total blackness. The game was, first, one of chasing each other, then Tag. |
| |
| "Time to go back, Kate. Think you can find the way?" |
| "How? I don't know where we are." Kate thought Mary was making fun of her. |
| "Follow your nose. Have faith." |
| Kate turned to look around them. "I'm not very..." |
| Mary was gone the instant Kate glanced away. |
| "Don't you dare leave me!" Kate shouted in anger and fear. "Mary! Please come back." |
| Mary did not return. Kate clutched her wet clothing to her. "Oh, God, I need to get home." She almost whimpered. |
