Earlier Heaven

Chapter 5

Theresa climbed into an overstuffed chair and closed her eyes. She was almost asleep when her watch alarm chirped. She opened her eyes and noticed Jamie and Gabe snuggled on the couch with Oskar between them, watching Dao play in her wheelchair.

“Hey, Dao, can I have my chair back?”

Dao looked over her shoulder.

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

Dao gave her a defiant look, but got out of the chair. Jamie scooted it over to Theresa.

In the bathroom, Theresa began to wash her hands. Suddenly, a voice announced, “There you are! I’ve been looking for you all day!”

Theresa screamed. Perched on the back of the slimy toilet was Link.

“Why now? Where have you been?” she demanded.

“Theresa, are you ok?” She heard Jamie’s voice at the door.

“It’s Link!”

“Who?”

“Link!”

“The god? What do you mean?”

“He’s here in the bathroom.”

“Are you sure? Ay!” Jamie had jumped as Link disappeared from the bathroom and reappeared to tap him on the shoulder. Theresa opened the bathroom door to find the two of them staring at each other. Jamie was in his usual oversized shirt and loafers. Link wore a burgundy velvet jumpsuit and winged jazz shoes. Tall as Jamie was, Link somehow found a way of being taller.

“Whatever you want with Theresa, take it up with me,” Jamie snapped, supporting his back with one hand and pointing a bony finger at Link with the other.

“There’s nothing to take up except the matter of her DNA.”

“But you have Emile’s DNA. You don’t need Theresa’s.”

Link gave an exasperated huff. “But of course I need Theresa’s DNA. Emile’s is no good to me now that he’s dead.”

“I knew it. You’re trying to get her involved in those plans of yours.”

“Of course. She’s my best candidate, after Emile.”

“She’s thirteen years old and she wants to go home.”

“What are the plans, exactly?” Theresa asked.

“I shouldn’t explain here. It’s not secure. My sister is on my trail again.” The tips of Link’s neat mustache fell delicately. “She’s always breathing down my neck about these things. ‘Don’t do this. Don’t do that. Don’t you dare go to Earth. You’ve already brought too many living people here.’ Well, she shouldn’t be the one lecturing me when I’m just trying to do my job.”

Suddenly, he was back to business. “What do you say we go somewhere more secure?”

“Where?”

“Oh, I don’t know. The Hall of Souls, perhaps? Theresa could meet her father.”

Theresa sat up a little straighter. “Really?”

Jamie bristled like a cat. “No. My family is here. We’re not going with you.”

“Are you so sure of that?”

Suddenly, Theresa found herself outside in a forest with Jamie and Link. It was daytime, and there were no buildings visible in any direction. Link bent down, inserted his finger into an iron ring that lay on the ground, gave a small tug, and rolled up a rectangular piece of the scenery as though it were a window shade. Theresa could see a room through the resulting aperture. She was not shocked to see such a magical thing, only amazed because she had imagined that door as a child.

“Link! I told you we’re not doing this,” Jamie insisted. “Return us to Ronaq’s house.”

“Nonsense. Right this way.”

They entered what appeared to be a mudroom. Other pairs of winged footwear—sandals, rain boots, sneakers, and more jazz shoes—stood lined up under a bench. Assorted welcome mats lay scattered around the floor. Several pairs of angelic and bat-like wings hung on pegs.

Link led them through a series of rooms approximately the same color as his jumpsuit. Doorways seemed to pass them more quickly than they were actually moving. Suddenly, the tunnel opened up into a vast cavern made entirely of burgundy-colored marble. Theresa looked down into a grand amphitheater built from the same stone. Each step had a thin band of gold leaf at the edge, and far down at the bottom of the room was a waterfall.

“Jamie,” Theresa whispered, swallowing her embarrassment and tapping him on the arm. “I still have to go to the bathroom.”

“Oh, no. How long can you hold it?”

“I don’t know. Not forever.”

“We won’t be long,” said Link.

“How long?” Jamie asked.

“No time at all. Just come with me.” Link darted away down the steps of the amphitheater, which were so wide and shallow that Theresa was able to bounce down each one in her wheelchair. It took her and Jamie several minutes to get to the bottom, and by the time they reached the waterfall, Theresa could not see the doorway through which they had entered the room.

The waterfall seemed to have no source and no outlet. Water appeared in the air at the top of its cascade and disappeared into the floor. There were names in the flow. Theresa remembered a time when she and her mom had taken a road trip to visit her maternal grandmother. Somewhere in South Dakota, they had stopped in a convenience store that sold baseball cards. The cards had been displayed in a contraption like a Ferris wheel, where trays tumbled over each other at the press of a button. The trays were weighted so that they always stayed upright to hold the cards in an optimal display position.

The names in the waterfall tumbled downward in a similar way. They fell in neat rows at a constant rate, up over the top of the waterfall, down its front, away into the ground, only to reappear sometime later at the top. Some names were familiar because they belonged to famous people. Another was familiar for a different reason.

“Hey! That’s my dad’s name!”

“Of course. Your father donated his services to eternity when he died. He can be recalled using the All-Realm Incantation.” Link indicated a gold circle on the floor. “He will appear there. The universe will self-destruct if it does not bring him to us.”

Before Theresa could understand or answer, Link began to recite a poem.

 

Emile Towne, come to us now

The atoms of the universe are sewn to your soul

The ferryman offers you free passage

You may turn in the faces of the twice-dead

Begin your journey to the light

 

Rudra Azrael Nizani Peligazh requires that Emile Towne

Be brought to him here in the Hall of Souls

His daughter has need of his counsel

The atoms of the universe

Shall surrender their lone right

To compose

And the rope,

Holding Pandora’s tethered hand,

Shall surrender its lone right

To bind

If Emile Towne is not brought to us now

 

The instant Link finished speaking, a man appeared in the gold circle. He looked familiar to Theresa, but only from photographs. The first quick words out of his mouth were, “Oh. I didn’t expect to be recalled so soon. Who called me?”

“I did, of course,” said Link. “But I brought guests.”

“Emile, it’s me, Jamie.”

“Jamie! How are you?”

Jamie’s resistance to the trip seemed to melt away. “I’ve missed you so much,” he stammered. “Are you all right where you are?”

“I’m fine. I’m very comfortable.”

“Really? That’s the truth?”

“Yes, it is. What brings you here?”

“I think Link wants you to talk to your daughter Theresa.”

“She’s here?”

“Yes,” said Theresa.

“Go to the edge of the circle and talk to him, but don’t go in,” warned Link.

When Theresa approached, Emile walked up to the inside edge of the circle and crouched down. He was a tidy looking man in a tan suit. He had a short mustache, and his dark blue eyes seemed dull and distant as he faced Theresa.

“Well, you were a bit smaller last time I saw you. How is your mother?”

“She’s ok. Why do you care?”

Emile steepled his hands and shook his head.

“It’s been too long. I’m sorry. I’d like you to know that I never wanted to leave you three, but I had to go to Hearth.”

“Why?”

“Link needed me, like he needs you now. I’m so, so happy you came to see me.”

“Ok.”

“How long have you been here?”

“Almost a month. Since the new year.”

“And how has Hearth been treating you?”

Theresa made a face and said, “Everyone wants my DNA. Twyla wants it. Link wants it.”

He shook his hand. “Oh dear. Twyla needs to cool off.”

“They all have been bothering me about it,” Theresa said. “Why should I help them? They brought me here and expect me to help them fight a war.”

“Twyla doesn’t need your DNA, but Link does.”

“Why can’t he use yours?”

“I’m in the Underworld now. I can’t help. The thing is, it’s not about the war for Golden Province. Link is going to create a Storm Child.”

“A what?”

“I’ll explain. Lady Death and Link created Hearth thousands of years ago…”

“Excuse me,” said Link. “Pardon me for interrupting, but we did not ‘create’ Hearth. As much as I’d like to take the credit, the planet was here. We simply opened it up to life. We’re not in the planet-creation business.”

Jamie found it odd that Emile’s comment would hit such a nerve with Link, who usually liked to boast about his godly abilities in the monthly bulletins.

“Well, ok. In any case, Hearth has been the planet of the untimely-dead for a long time. In its early days, the entry requirements were very lax. Almost everyone who didn’t die old in their beds was allowed to come here. Now, the requirements are stricter. You have to be a certain age or younger if you die of cancer, a different age or younger if you commit suicide, and so forth. The rules are very complicated, and they’ve gotten that way for two reasons: First, Earth’s population is so large now that Hearth can’t accept everyone. Second, it’s getting harder for Link to bring people here.”

“Why?”

“In extremely simple terms so you can understand,” said Link, “the connection between Earth and Hearth is like a river. It flows downstream, carrying souls with it to the afterlife. Right now, Hearth is downstream of Earth. The catch is that as time passes, there’s less and less water upstream to carry souls here. I created the Storm to act like a pump; it replenishes the water supply upstream so that the untimely death process can continue. Unfortunately, pumps need energy, and I don’t have an infinite amount of that. The Storm Child will solve a lot of my problems.”

“It’ll be like a stronger pump?”

Link’s whole body shook in frustration. “There are so many complications,” he groaned. “I’m still trying to hash out the details with my colleagues in other realms. I can’t even begin to explain the final plan. Just understand that I need a Storm Child by 2018, or I’ll have passed the point of no return. The river will run completely dry, I’ll have to retire, and the souls will all go somewhere else.”

Theresa’s eyes widened. “Where would they go?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere out in the vast ocean of realms. Take your pick. All rivers end up in the ocean eventually.”

“So, why does any of this matter?” Jamie asked. “Are the other realms not as nice?”

“They’re as nice as heaven and as bad as hell. They’re as eternal as reincarnation and as finite as being buried six feet under. Do you honestly think I’m an expert on all of them? All I know is that if I don’t make this Storm Child, both Earth and Hearth will cease to exist.”

Jamie gasped and demanded, “Why didn’t you start this earlier?”

“Because the previous Storm Child screwed up, and I’ve spent the last 2,000 years trying to convince my superiors for a second chance!”

“You’ve tried this before?” Theresa asked.

Link yelped and ran a lap around the gold circle, tearing at his hair.

“Azrael, relax,” said Emile. “Let’s back up a little bit. Theresa, you’ve seen a Storm, right? What was it like?”

“It was amazing,” she answered automatically as she watched Link evade Jamie’s attempt to pat him on the back. “There were all these animals and people everywhere, and lights in the sky. I saw a woman crying. Was it Lady Death?”

“Of course,” said Link, panting. “She hates to see souls go back to Earth, but she knows it must be done.”

“All the snow melted and there were flowers. It was warm.”

Emile smiled. “Does that remind you of any stories you’ve heard?”

“No.”

“Sorry, Twiddlebug. I’ll help you out.”

“Twiddlebug!”

“Old habits. I’m talking about the birth of Jesus. The three wise men saw a brilliant star in the sky and were drawn to the new baby. But what Christians on Earth have got wrong is his parentage. Mary and Joseph found him under the star and took him to the local inn, which was totally full because of the great number of people who had taken the Storm that night and needed a place to sleep. She wasn’t pregnant when they got there and Jesus was not born on Earth. He was the first Storm Child.”

“But something went wrong with him? Didn’t he die on the cross like he was supposed to?”

“Supposed to?” Link huffed. “If you’re one of the old bureaucrats in Rome, maybe. Jesus was supposed to live out his life on Earth to help others die. He wasn’t supposed to get killed himself. Speaking of which, Emile…”

“I’m sorry. I had to do something while I was waiting for you to send me home. I got involved in Hearth politics to pass the time.”

“The army’s not doing very well,” said Jamie.

“I wish I could help you, but I can’t anymore.”

“I’m not with them anymore.”

“It’s ok. Do what feels right.”

“I can’t deal with Twyla.”

“Don’t deal with her if you can’t.”

“She’s changed everything. She came to my house and harassed my family.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I wish I could help you.”

“I miss you.”

“I know.”

“So, it’s ok that I left the army?”

“If it feels right to you.”

Jamie nodded. “Good. I was wondering what you’d think about me doing that.”

“Don’t worry. Can we get back to the Storm Child issue now?”

“Ok.” Jamie turned away and pinched his nose.

“Theresa, what do you think about all of this?” Emile asked. “What will you do?”

Theresa shrugged.

“Well, what’s your inclination?”

“I don’t know! What does this have to do with me?”

Link snapped, “I need your DNA to make the Storm Child out of. I was going to use his, but he’s double-dead now. Will you do it or not?”

Theresa stared at her father, suddenly connecting the man in front of her with all the grief in her mother’s life. Her eyes narrowed.

“No,” she said. “Ever since I got here, people have been wanting things from me, and just assuming that I’m going to agree. Dad, you left Mom, Melissa and me when I was three, and Mom still cries over you. You left us, and then you couldn’t even help Link.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I made a lot of mistakes.”

“Ray takes care of us better than you ever tried to.”

“I’m glad he’s done that. I know I made some bad choices, but please don’t use that as a reason not to help Link. His mission is absolutely critical to both planets. You realize that, right?”

Finally, Theresa put her finger on an issue that had been bothering her for a very long time. The clarification of her thoughts startled her, and she blurted out, “I thought you left because you didn’t like having a disabled daughter.”

“Oh, no… I’ll always love you the way you are. I’m glad to hear Grandpa Ray takes care of you and Mom so well, because if I could, I’d be doing the exact same thing. Your disability never bothered me. It was hard paying your medical bills and wondering if your next surgery would go all right, but I never, ever, would have left you because of that.”

“Mom talks about how all of her savings goes to medical expenses, and that if we didn’t have Ray…”

“Listen to your dad,” Jamie interrupted. “We’ve all had our share of medical problems. Don’t think he would ever leave you because of that.”

“But Mom…”

“I’m sorry she thinks that,” said Emile. “When you get home, tell her the truth for me, please. And remind her that I love her.”

“I’m going to get home?”

“Of course.”

“Why couldn’t you come home?”

“Link was too busy to send me home immediately, and I made the mistake of getting too wrapped up in Hearth politics. It’s as simple as that. Please don’t use my actions to judge Link’s project. What he’s doing is incredibly important. He needs your DNA.”

“How do I give it?”

“Just a hair,” said Link. “It’s not a matter of acquiring the sample. We could have plucked a hair long ago and you wouldn’t have even noticed. It’s a matter of permission.”

“Why?”

Emile said, “Being the Storm Anchor means that you are part of the pathway that links Earth and Hearth. Link operates the pump, but you’re the spigot. There’s a huge responsibility that comes from being that. Link is very dedicated to the flow of souls, and if you help him, you’ll be helping everyone on Earth and Hearth.”

“What would I do?” Theresa asked.

“Quite a lot,” Link said. “This is a lifetime commitment. There will be no one on Earth to raise this very special child when she arrives, if you don’t. You will be the mother of a Storm Child, which means that unless humans have become significantly less savage in 2,000 years, you will probably see your daughter on the cross someday. And you’ll have to prevent her untimely death because she’s not supposed to come back to Hearth. My project goes far, far beyond improving soul flow. The Storm Child’s purpose is to heal death and life, and at such a critical time, I can’t have any more martyrs dividing the human race.”

The room went silent. Link stood with his arms folded, tapping his foot irritably. Theresa sensed urgency from her father as well. Jamie avoided Theresa’s gaze, seemingly bursting with opinions. He touched spread fingers to his forehead and stared at the floor. Theresa tried to figure out what he thought she should do. Jamie’s hug the day before had been so warm and comforting, and Theresa felt that he had given it to her on behalf of her father. Surely, then, Emile was not the heartless man she had imagined while growing up.

“What do you think I should do?” she asked Jamie.

“I don’t think that’s my decision.”

“Oh, you seemed like you were going to say something.”

“No.”

“I only have five minutes left,” said Emile.

“What?”

“I have to go back soon and sleep in the Underworld.”

“Oh.”

Theresa noticed Jamie swallow hard and blink back tears. At that moment, she saw how deeply Jamie believed in Emile, and she knew where he stood.

“I’ll do it,” Theresa said.

Jamie’s face relaxed at once, and his broad smile was like spring grass shooting out of wintry ground.

“Very good.” Link pulled a hair out of Theresa’s head and then devoured it as though he were sucking spaghetti. “Thank you. You have done Earth and Hearth a great service.”

Theresa’s father smiled as well. “I’m proud of you, Theresa. If you ever come back here again, I’d love to talk to you.”

“I don’t know if I will.”

“Well, then, we’ll see each other sometime, somewhere, then.”

“On Earth?”

“No, I can’t go back there. Maybe in the ocean someday.”

“Oh.”

“Will you come right up to the ring here? I want to have a good memory of what you look like.”

“I’m right here already.”

“I know, but I can’t really see you there. I’ve been blind for the last five years.”

“Oh.” Theresa crept up to the ring as far as she dared, and leaned forward. Emile crouched in front of her, inches and billions of miles away. He tilted his head in several different ways and smiled.

“You are quite a pretty young lady. You and Melissa look similar, you know.”

“But we’re not related.”

“Everyone’s related—especially two girls who can trace their immediate ancestry to Pine Ridge. I think you’re closer than you know.”

Theresa smiled unexpectedly at the thought.

“I have to go now,” Emile said. “I love you. Give my love to everyone. Jamie, good to see you.”

“You too,” Jamie murmured, tugging on the edge of his shirt.

“Ah,” Theresa said as Emile’s form blinked out right in front of her. She sat there for a few minutes, staring at the gold circle and the names on the waterfall. Who were they? What had they given up to help others?

“Do I get to go home now that I’ve helped you?” Theresa finally asked.

“Of course not,” snipped Link. “I’m worn out after the Storm. Ask me in another three months or so.”

“Three months? I have to wait around for another three months?”

“I’ll talk to some of my other siblings and see what they can do, but you wouldn’t be in the best of hands. They’re not so much into the resurrection business as I am. Goodnight.”

Suddenly, water turned to fire and Theresa realized she was in front of Ronaq’s wood stove. It was nighttime again. Jamie sat on the hearthstone next to her, a contemplative look twisting his features. He didn’t seem as odd-looking now; his face was unusual as ever, but in less time than she would have expected, she had become accustomed to it. She leaned over and caught his eye, and he whispered to her, “Now Link will have to send you home eventually—safely. Isn’t that a relief?”

Ronaq stepped inside, letting a cool night breeze in with him.

“Miss me?” he asked.

“What?” asked Jamie.

“Just kidding.”

“How long were we gone?”

“Gone? I stepped outside to smoke. Did you go somewhere?”

“I didn’t see anything,” said Gabe. “What do you mean, you were gone?”

Jamie got to his feet and went to the ladder. He peered through the rungs at nothing in particular.

“Are you ok?” Gabe rose from the couch and put his hand on Jamie’s shoulder. Jamie shook his head and began to weep with new sorrow for an old loss. But at the same time, a grin cut through his tears as his imagination ran wild in anticipation of the Storm Child.

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