Faded Flower
“Choose!!” The Judges yelled as they slammed their gavels.
“Nooooo!!!” She screamed, falling to her knees and covering her ears.
“You're out of time!” One Judge hissed vehemently as several shadow creatures circled Lily whispering ‘whore’ and ‘heathen’.
“Please stop...stop...stop!!” Lily begged as she rocked back and forth on the floor.
Gabe and the blurred image were again presented before her, but it was her own reflection that caught her attention.
Her waist-length hair had been shaved, leaving only her gray scalp covered with stubble. A large gash, nearly three inches long sat above her right eyebrow, large sutures pinching it together. The whites surrounding her green eyes were stained bright red with blood. Her once porcelain skin was ashen and gaunt.
Screaming at her reflection, she fell into an unconscious heap on the floor, the Judges and shadow creatures laughed as she faded to black.
Sitting abruptly upright, Lily's heart pounded as she tried not to scream out loud and wake Gabe. Taking long, deep breaths, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. As she mopped her brow, she felt the spot on her head where she'd seen the gash in her dream and was relieved that nothing was there.
It seemed so real.
Sitting up on the mattress, she looked at Gabe sleeping peacefully. Lily smiled as she admired his handsome face. She felt so lucky to have found and married such a wonderful man.
Still feeling a little shaky from the dream, Lily needed some fresh air. Looking at the trap door, she realized that the mattress was covering half of it and she might wake up Gabe if she tried to move it.
The sun poured in through the garden door, inviting Lily to visit its rays out on the tiny deck. After slipping her wedding dress back on, she quietly retrieved the key to the door hidden atop the cupboards.
Slipping out into the sunshine and closing the door behind her, she took a deep breath of fresh morning air. Feeling the crisp, cool sensation permeate her lungs, she smiled contentedly.
Standing out on the little veranda, she remembered the day her and Gabe met. They'd somehow known they were meant to be together.
Looking down at the ground, Lily realized that it was quite the fall. It surprised her how far she’d fallen and still made it unscathed.
Leaning over, she took a good look at the distance to the ground. As her weight shifted onto the railing, she heard a strange noise from behind her, a grinding noise, like metal and wood pulling apart.
Carefully, she reached her hand out to turn the knob of the garden door. Her heart in her throat, she heard the entire deck groan as she attempted to move closer to the entrance. Glancing at the metal railing, she could see that the entire deck was being held by a couple of screws to rotted wood.
Tears streamed down her face as she tried to inch her way to the door. Shaking as she turned the knob and pulled open the door, she breathed a sigh of relief as she moved to enter the tree house.
That’s when the last portion of the deck suddenly separated from the old oak tree.
With a sickening sensation, Lily screamed as the deck lurched forward. Flung over the edge, she clamored to get a grip on the railing. Dangling precariously, she looked down at the ground to see how far she had to fall.
It doesn’t look too bad, she thought. If I fall just right, I should be okay.
Suddenly, the garden door flew wide open to reveal a terrified Gabe.
“Oh my God Lily!” He yelled. “Hold on, I'll climb down and catch you!!”
“Okay...okay...” She repeated, trying to calm herself. Gabe would save her, he always did.
~
Inside, Gabe crawled to the trap door, but struggled to move the mattress over far enough. Angrily, he pushed it as hard as he could and flung open the trap door.
Just as he got his feet onto the ladder to climb down, he heard a horrendous crashing noise followed by Lily screaming.
“NO!!!!” Gabe cried out, terror filling his heart.
Jumping down nearly eight feet, Gabe ran to the other side of the tree. Nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to see.
His beloved Lily had fallen nearly fifteen feet onto her back. One of the metal rods had impaled her chest and another had sliced open the right side of her head.
Falling to his knees, he wailed as his soul split in two. Crawling to her, he didn't know where to begin to help her. He couldn't pull the deck off of her; the rod that went through her chest was still attached.
Sobbing, he tried to speak to her.
“L...Lily? Baby? Can you hear me?” He cried as his blue eyes blurred with tears.
At first, there was no response. Then slowly, her eyes fluttered open.
“Gabe?” She replied weakly.
“Yes, sweetie, I'm here.” He said, stroking her hair.
“I'm sorry...so sorry...”
“For what?!” Gabe responded incredulously.
“For this...and...” she said through tears, her eyes darting at the scene surrounding her.
“Oh God, no! Don't...honey...don't blame yourself, it was an accident.” He said soothingly.
“...for making you quit your dream...priest...church.” Her words trailed off as her mind drifted.
“What!” Gabe sputtered, aghast that she'd think such a thing. “Baby, no. I would give up everything, anything...just for you. You are my dream!” He sobbed uncontrollably.
“Gabe?” She whispered. “What...what was it...you said to me? The day I fell...hit my head...tree house...?”
He'd asked himself that question so many times. How could he not recall the sweet voice of an angel whispering in his ear? How could he not remember the heavenly words of an ethereal being? It was as though his memory of the moment had been swept away by a wave of amnesia.
Just as he was about to answer her, to tell her he could not remember, her body went limp in his arms.
“Lily!” Gabe yelled.
~
Lily felt as though her body was sinking into the ground. She felt light, floating, as though her soul was separating from her skin.
Pulling herself back down, she whimpered. “Gabe…I don’t want to go…” Looking deeply into Gabe’s eyes and into his soul, she whispered, “Gabe…please don’t let me go…”
Closing her eyes, her breath became shallow.
Just so tired, she thought, just going to close my eyes for a moment. So tired. Just going to rest… Her eyelids were so heavy, so tired.
Lily’s once sparkling green eyes fell closed.
That’s when she heard the tearing noise, a deep ripping, like thick fabric torn at the seams. Opening her eyes to see what the noise was, she was shocked to see herself—standing over her body.
~
“Lily!” Gabe yelled, trying to wake her up.
Looking up at the sky, Gabe prayed with his whole being. “Please...please God, don't take her. Don't take my Lily, not now, not yet.”
He waited, desperate for the angels, to come just as they had done so long ago, to save her again. But the breeze remained still and the energy surrounding Gabe never changed—they weren't coming this time.
“Lily?” Gabe whispered to her, his lip quivered uncontrollably. “Lily, please don't leave me.”
The pain in his heart was unbearable.
The blood had completely saturated the top of her wedding dress. Her long caramel tresses were coated with thick mats of red.
A dense fog blanketed her aura, her energy no longer lit up her face. She didn't glow with that inner fire anymore. The beauty that was born into this body was gone.
Stroking her hair, Gabe held her lifeless body to his chest and whispered into her ear. “I won't let you go Lily...I won't let you go...don't go...don't go...”
Serenity
David and Evangeline walked through the Serenity Gardens behind the Hall of Records. A large vine with lavender flowers entangled itself around a white gazebo. Several trees ha
d made their home in the garden, some plentiful with fresh, delectable fruits. The sun shone into the garden with a perfect heat, neither too hot nor too cold, while a melodious breeze sang through the air.
Two snowy doves cooed gently as they cuddled, perched on the arm of a bench. David noticed how peaceful the birds were; they didn't stir or fly away when anyone came near. All creatures lived in harmony here.
David watched with awe as a group of children played in a large wading fountain. One of the little girls suddenly stopped playing and closed her eyes for a moment. After a couple seconds, David was astonished to see gossamer butterfly wings manifest on her back. Taking off into the air, her wings fluttered effortlessly in the breeze.
Everyone truly needs to be here, to see this, to live this. He thought of the millions of lost souls trapped in some horrible nightmare of fear, guilt and worthlessness. David knew he wanted to help these lost people, he just wished he knew how.
“How does rescuing the lost souls help restore the balance?” He wondered, sending the message to Evangeline.
“A human aura is a very powerful energy source, whether it’s positive or negative. The dark energies feed off of negative auras like leeches feeding off blood. They literally suck the life out of the humans!” Her angelic face grimaced as she described the dark forces, then she continued. “The less lost souls there are, the less negative energy there is for the dark energy to feed from.”
“So, if the dark energies cannot feed, do they...die?”
“Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, only altered. There will always be the dark and the light, but as long as they are balanced, the universe maintains a harmony. All the chaos, violence and suffering you see on Earth are due to the imbalance.” She explained.
Walking through the garden, he noticed a bright rainbow in the perfect sky. On Earth, the rainbows were two dimensional and a distant blur of colors. This rainbow was three dimensional and had the intensity of stained glass.
“When did the energies become out of balance?” David asked as he examined the end of the rainbow.
She looked longingly into the Serenity Garden and said wistfully. “It has been that way since...Eden.”
~
“Come, come now Eve.” the dark serpent hissed, its forked tongue tasting the air. “It’s only an apple. What harm could it do to take just one bite?”
“I…I don’t know.” Eve said, flustered, “God told Adam if we ate from this tree, we'd be punished.” She eyed the luscious fruit hanging gracefully from the glorious Tree of Knowledge. Its delectable red flesh beckoned her to bite into it.
“How can one bite be wrong? Why does this 'God' get to command anything of you? Do you really believe that this being owns you? Possesses you? Are you a coward?” The snake’s amber eyes bore into Eve’s. Its long, lithe body coiled itself tighter against the great tree of knowledge, giddy with anticipation. Only the snake knew that he, himself, had pretended to be God and told Adam not to eat from the tree.
Eve nervously stroked her long brown hair, modestly placed to cascade down the front of her, hiding her naked breasts. The snake had informed her earlier that day that her nakedness was a sin, an abomination. That she should not be prancing around the garden showing off her body, tempting Adam with her womanhood.
“You are living in sin, naked and unmarried in eyes of nature.” The snake taunted.
Eve disputed the snake, “We are husband and wife!” But the venomous lies the snake told her convinced her she should feel guilty, dirty and fearful of being banished from the garden.
Ashamed for the first time, Eve searched for anything to hide herself. Eventually she formed a skirt from the long grass to cover her lower half. Adam, of course, had been told the same thing and he also created a cover for himself.
Eyeing a beautiful red apple hanging from the Tree of Knowledge, Eve contemplated her actions.
The snake is right, I'm not anyone's property, she thought, why should some higher power tell me that I can only eat from certain trees and not others?
Reaching for the apple, she paused a moment, thinking of Adam. Her love, her soul mate, what would he think of this? Pulling her hand away, the snake saw she was changing her mind.
“Eve...” The dark figure hissed into her thoughts, “this 'God' doesn't really care about you...he created you for his own entertainment, he was simply bored. Show him you are independent, smart and tired of his commands.”
Determined, Eve reached quickly for the apple and snapped it from its branch. She bit into it quickly so she would not change her mind. Closing her eyes, the sweet taste of apple flooded her mouth. The fruit within the red flesh released its supple delicacies as it slid past her tongue.
Chewing slowly, she opened her eyes. The dark serpent had gone and she was all alone, clutching the forbidden fruit, a large bite torn from its side.
Dropping the apple, Eve began to cry, knowing she must now be banished from the garden, her home. She knew she should just leave. Her sins were too great for God to forgive.
Exiting the gates of the Garden of Eden, Eve looked back at the place where she was born, a place of intense beauty, love and innocence.
How she wished she could stay.
~
David listened with amazement as Evangeline explained the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. How tragic they believed the snake and felt forced from the garden.
“After Eve had eaten from the apple, Adam sacrificed his place in the garden as well and ate an apple from the tree, just so he could be with Eve.” Evangeline sighed.
“All this time!” David marveled, “It was the dark energies that had manipulated Adam and Eve into abandoning their true home.”
She explained further, “The 'Garden', in reality, was the fifth dimension and by leaving it, Adam and Eve willingly descended into the third. Little did they know, that only made it easier for the dark energies to manipulate them. Humans have been trapped there ever since.”
Wandering further towards the outskirts of the city, they approached an open field.
Walking over a hill, David saw an expanse of white tents. Like a huge outdoor wedding, hundreds of ivory tents littered the landscape. Under each tent were two or more people talking. At every table, there was a spirit guide and one or more fifth dimensional beings like David.
“What are they doing?” he asked with curiosity.
“The fifth dimensional citizens are being counseled for their next reincarnation. The spirit guides walk them through their new blueprint.” Evangeline explained as they walked amongst the studious beings.
“The spirit guides choose the experiences for them?”
“No, the fifth dimensional beings sit with their counselor and between them; they discuss what experiences they would like to partake in. Everything is based on choice.” She said smiling politely at a group of beings under a tent.
David pondered this thought for a moment, “Why then do terrible things happen on Earth? Like murder, illness and war? Can't we just decide not to experience those things?”
“All growth and experience is based on reaction and learning, sometimes the greatest gifts come in the most unpleasant packages.” She said lovingly.
By David's expression, she could tell he didn't understand.
“For instance,” She continued, “when your mother died of cancer, you chose to become a doctor to help others. You could have chosen a more destructive route in life, like wallowing in self-pity or turning to dangerous substances, but you didn't. You chose to uplift humanity in your own way and contribute to healing the sick. It's all about choices.”
“So how do the dark energies fit into all of this? Don't they create evil in the world?”
“They don't create it, they inspire it. Instead of just allowing a being to choose by their own free will, they influence the direction of thought, thereby creating an imbalance within the soul of the human being.” She explained a sad look upon her face.
David look
ed around at all the excited beings, discussing their impending trip to Earth like it was fun-filled holiday in Disneyland. He wondered if they'd feel the same when they faced the hardships and pain after they'd forgotten who they really were.
“Don't angels or spirit guides inspire as well, which would affect the direction of the human's choice?” David asked, walking alongside Evangeline.
“Angels and guides create coincidences, present decisions or send inspirational messages through movies, books, art and song.” She said, smiling with a sparkle in her eye.
“How do guides get messages through to those people, the ones who create the art and music? Do the angels just put the thought or idea into the person's mind?”
She answered quickly, “Oh no, inspiration is only delivered when asked for. You see, every person on Earth is given a very specific talent. If a being desires divine intervention, they must first ask before we can assist. That is the Law of Free Will. If we simply deposited the idea into their mind, we'd be no better than the dark energies.”
“Why do you guide us?” David wondered suddenly, his blue eyes focused intently on her lovely face.
“Every dimension is responsible for guiding and protecting the levels beneath them, like guardians.”
“Oh, I see.” he said, nodding. “Well, then who are humans supposed to protect?”
Evangeline looked away for a moment, seeming to contemplate whether or not to answer.
Finally, she turned to him and said plainly, “For the most part...they eat the ones they’re supposed to protect.”
Momentarily horrified, David realized she meant the animals of Earth. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. There did seem to be some mysterious connection between the humans and the animals, a dependency, respect and mutual bond between the two kingdoms.
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