by C V Ricks
“Yes, this will just take a few minutes, then you can join the others.”
I sat down to watch the vision of my children and husband.
Budd and Louise sat in silence listening for any sound of me. When they heard a thud, they scooted out of their chairs and ran to the bathroom. Budd's eyes widened and his mouth dropped when he saw me lying upon the cold surface. He fell to the floor and patted my pale face.
“Wake up, Mommy. Wake up!”
“Oh, no,” Louise cried, staring at me. “We’ve got to run and find Daddy, quick!”
The kids dashed outside hoping to find their father. To their relief, he was riding in on his horse.
“Daddy, daddy!” Budd ran so fast, he tripped over his feet and started crying. Louise pulled him up and nestled him near her while she screamed to her father, “Something’s happened to Mama.”
Nick jumped off his horse and ran toward them. He lifted his crying son in his arms and took Louise's hand and together they raced inside to find me on the floor of the bathroom, lifeless. Grandma Patty had awakened from her nap and greeted them with a worried look. Nick's hands trembled as he lifted my wrist and checked my pulse. He placed his hand above my mouth to check for breathing. Feeling nothing, tears began to well up in his eyes. He buried his head in my chest and said an earnest yet hurried prayer, then ran to the telephone on the wall and dialed the operator. “Get me the emergency personnel quick. I think my wife is dead…”
The day of the funeral Budd dressed in his white button-up shirt, a bow tie and fancy suspenders attached to a dressy pair of shorts. Louise wore a black dress with long stockings and black shoes with shiny buckles. They entered the chapel and sat on the front pew designated for the family. The organ music played as men carried the coffin to the front of the chapel. Budd frowned as he eyed the large box that held my body, the box that would be taken and buried under a pile of dirt.
The ranch belonged to my family and now that I was dead, Nick believed it was time to leave. Nick seemed to be grieving, but refused to show it. He was going to move in with his parents. Their lives on the ranch would be over, except for summer visitations. Budd lay in bed and dreamed about me. I could see right into his mind and see his dreams. Each night he dreamed that I came alive again and wrapped my arms around him. He was filled with peace and love and joy, until every morning-- he woke up.
I wiped my eyes. Tears were flowing down my cheeks without my realizing it.
I got to first hour just after role call for Thought Instillation class. “Today we will go to the practice rooms and apply thought instillation.” Angel Walter led the way. He floated along ahead of us but as slowly as he could so we could keep up. When we were inside the building, Angel Walter spoke to the class.
“First I want two volunteers, one to be the human and one the guardian angel.” He looked at each of our faces.
Journey raised her hand. “I'd like to be the human.”
“Can I be the guardian angel? I asked.
“All right,” said Angel Walter. “Journey, please go inside the room and close the door. Josie, stand outside of the room and we will tell you what thought we would like you to instill into Journey's head.”
After Journey shut the door, Angel Walter turned to me. “I want you to give Journey the idea to duck. Somehow we'll imagine that by ducking, her life will be saved.”
“Okay, I'll try.” I tried to calm the butterflies swarming inside me.
Concentrating hard and closing my eyes, I swung my baton, but nothing happened.
“Think harder, and only think about saving Journey.” Angel Walter floated effortlessly a few feet above the ground and he pointed to his brain as he emphasized the word “think”. “Don't think about yourself. It is not about you. It is all about her.”
I concentrated harder. Finally the class could see through the glass windows of the practice room, Journey suddenly ducked her head.
“Well done,” said Angel Walter. “Who's next?
Second hour was Controlling the Elements. Angel Addison floated at the front of the room. “Today we are going to go to the practice rooms for simulations in controlling the elements.”
We excitedly exited the room and headed toward the practice rooms. “This should be fun,” Kevin whispered to Felix.
“Who would like to be the victim? Or should I say the benefactor?” the teacher teased.
“Me, me,” Felix jumped up and down.
“All right, Felix, you may go inside first.” The rest of the class stayed outside the room, looking in to see Felix sitting in the chair facing them and the glass windows. It was one of those observation rooms where the people looking in could see inside, but the people inside could not see out.
“What shall we do to Felix,” Angel Addison asked.
A freshman raised his hand.
“Yes?”
“We should make him and his chair scoot forward.”
“All right, who would like to try to make his chair scoot forward?”
“I will,” said Kevin.
“Okay, give it a go when you are ready.”
Kevin concentrated hard, but nothing happened. He closed his eyes tight and concentrated harder. Still nothing happened. Finally he spoke up, “I can't make it work because I can't see how scooting his chair will help him.”
“Very well,” said Angel Addison. “Picture a killer scorpion about to bite his heel if he doesn't scoot out of the way.”
Kevin pictured this and focused on his friend. Suddenly the chair scooted forward.
The classmates clapped as Felix came out of the room. “So, you wanted to scoot me forward?”
“Yep, that was it,” said Kevin.
“Who's next?” asked Angel Addison.
Third hour class was Glowing. Angel Jeremiah floated to the front of the room after all were seated.
“We will practice our glowing skills. I will call upon each of you to come to the front of the room and glow.”
I had practiced last night. I felt like a glow-stick. Back on Earth we made glow-sticks dance while we laid in our beds at night. Now, it was my very self that was glowing and it was turned on with the powers of my mind. It simply amazed me. In turn each freshman went to the front of the room and tried glowing. Most of them were able to at least glow a little this time. I was able to glow for about as long as anyone.
“Very well,” said Angel Jeremiah. “We'll practice some more tomorrow.
In fourth hour, Angel Agnes began her lesson. “As you have read in your assignment, we are not to intercede or prevent every suicide that takes place. People are supposed to have their freedom to make their own choices. However, under some circumstances, the boss will ask you to intervene. In such circumstances, It may not be the person's time to go or the person may not be fully responsible for their actions.”
In some cases, for example, drug overdose, you can use powers of healing to heal or rather, reverse what has been done. I prefer to reverse the damage. Some angels just do the minimum that is required to keep the person from being successful. The choice is yours. We will practice different techniques in our next session. But for the rest of today, I would like you to read the next two chapters in your book and answer the questions following each chapter.”
We walked toward the Eatery. “So, Journey, what did it feel like when I instilled the thought to duck into your head,” I asked her.
“It's like all of a sudden I got this idea, this strong urge to duck. I quickly obeyed.”
“Yeah,” said Felix, “You obeyed. But I wonder how many humans do. You know, some of them may not listen to the promptings in their heads.”
“I know what you mean,” I said. “I probably didn't always listen to my guardian angel's warnings. I suppose if they don't listen, then you use some other technique, like controlling the elements.”
Kevin said, “You guys are at somewhat of an advantage over me. You know what it was like to be a human on Earth. I have no idea.”
“I'm not sure if
that is such an advantage,” said Journey.
“Yeah, it might help or it might hinder,” said Felix. “Anyway, I was only a human until I was a teenager. I wouldn't know what it was like to grow old or to have children.”
“That's true,” said Kevin.
I bit into my veggie sandwich then decided to change the subject. “Do you think we will actually start learning to float in floating class today?”
“I hope so,” said Felix. “I'm kind of envious of the upper classmen, how they get to float everywhere while we walk.”
“Yeah,” I said. “But we'll be floating everywhere soon.”
“I hope we get to practice floating everywhere.” said Journey.
“Yes, they said that floating doesn't have to be practiced in the practice rooms. We can do that anywhere.” Kevin said in between bites of his apple.
“I'm going to go back for some dessert,” I said, “before the bell for our next class rings.”
After lunch, we went to our fifth hour class, evil spirit confrontation.
Angel Anthony shook each of our hands as we entered the room. He then went to the front of the room.
He began by posing the question, “How can you tell if a spirit is good or evil?”
A freshman raised his hand,.
“Yes?” asked Angel Anthony.
“A good spirit does good and unselfish things and an evil spirit does evil or selfish and awful things?”
Angel Anthony nodded, “For the most part that is true, but that is not how you can tell. Sometimes an evil spirit will try to deceive you by doing something good for the moment or he may be doing something good for the wrong reasons.”
Kevin raised his hand.
“Yes?” asked Angel Anthony.
“Do they look the same as good spirits?”
“Oh, now you are asking the questions. I like that. Yes, they generally appear the same,” answered Angel Anthony, “Although they cannot glow.”
I raised my hand.
“Yes, Josie.”
“Do they feel the same as us?”
“Interesting question, which leads us to the answer. “No. The evil spirits, you cannot feel. If you touch them or ask to shake their hand, you will not feel it. It's like your hand will go right through them. ”
“What if they refuse to shake hands with you?” a freshman asked.
“A good spirit would not refuse. That should give you your answer.”
Angel Anthony looked at the class, “For the remainder of the hour, please read chapter three in your textbooks and you will learn more about it.”
During 6th hour, all the students met in the great hall. We were positioned as usual for a choir number. I took my place by the other Sopranos and Journey. I got out my music for the song we were to sing today, “The Lord's Prayer.”
We began singing this beautiful hymn, “Our Father which art in heaven. Hallowed be thee name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is kingdom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.”
Upon the completion of the music, Angel Crystal got up to speak.
“Today we will be watching another true reenactment of a guardian angel saving someone's life.”
The room was darkened and the vision began.
Budd and his crew were dismissed from the lecture hall to go for one of their many simulations. As Budd walked toward the plane, feeling only darkness around him and an eeriness accentuated by the sliver of moon peeking out through a dark portentous cloud.
“I can't believe they are having us do this tonight,” Budd whispered to Blake. “The storm is heading right toward us.”
“I know what you mean,” Blake answered. I think I even hear lightning in the far distance.”
Pep spoke up as they continued walking, “When we are really in combat, we can't be sissies. It won't matter what the weather's like, we'll just have to keep going.”
“I guess you're right,” said Budd. “Only I'd like to stay alive to see a mission Do you realize that a large number of servicemen actually die in training?”
Blake laughed nervously. “That's crazy.“
The crew climbed aboard the plane and strapped on their seat belts. They stored near them their emergency backpacks containing parachutes that had been carefully packed for them. Budd squeezed himself into the small compartment at the tail of the plane.
“All right,” announced Pep. “We are going to fly over the city and do some assimilation of bombings to give our bombardier some practice. Then we'll give Budd some assimilated practice as well.”
Flying through the storm, the plane jerked roughly up and down. The jerky motions made Budd feel sick. He hated to think that he, a tail gunner, got motion sickness. He sure wouldn't let that information out of the bag. There was no way he was going to throw up in the plane and let everyone see it. That could be the end of his career as a tail gunner.
The vision in the great hall was turned off for a moment. Angel Crystal floated up to the front.
“All right,” she said. “As you can see, this is a dangerous situation. The guardian angels of these boys need to be on the alert and ready to act at any moment. What dangers are presented here?”
Felix raised his hand.
“Yes, Felix,” Angel Crystal asked.
“All of the men are in danger from the storm and the impending lightning. They could go down or crash if their plane were to be struck.”
“Okay,” said Crystal. “That's definitely one of the dangers here.”
I raised my hand and spoke when called upon. “I think that that man in the tail of the plane is getting sick. It looks like there is something really wrong with him.”
“Possibly. What can we do to help him?”
Kevin raised his hand.
“Yes?”
“I don't think there is much we can do for him or the others at this moment other than stand by really close to see what happens and then act quickly to save them.”
“That's good,” said Crystal. “That is the answer I am looking for. We are not supposed to interfere until it is absolutely necessary. These boys are well trained and may make it through the storm just fine. So as guardian angels, we should remain close to see what happens and if we are needed, then act.”
Crystal went back to her place float-sitting with the other two directors and the room was darkened.
The vision continued.
Budd was desperate and willing to take a chance. He had never felt so sick in his entire life. He didn't usually get motion sickness, perhaps his dinner wasn't agreeing with him. As he was getting the dry heaves, he forced open the hatch at the back of the plane, not even caring that he could be sucked out of the plane. Budd immediately vomited in an explosion into the air. He quickly closed the hatch. A look of relief showed on his face. The plane continued flying on, avoiding the lightning and other dangers, as if nothing happened, finished the assimilation and returned to base camp.
The lights came on and Angel Crystal floated to the front of the room. “Do you think that the guardian angels had to intervene in this scenario?”
A freshman in the back raised her hand. “I think that a guardian angel must have helped that guy shut the hatch. It would have been very difficult for him to do it with all of the air pressure around the plane.”
“Okay,” said Crystal. “How many of you think this is what happened?”
More than half of the students raised their hands.
“Let's go back to the movie and watch it this time with the invisible guardian angels in view.”
The room darkened and the movie started over. This time, as the impending danger approached, three angels could be seen floating near the back of the plane, the same three guardian angels in the previous movie. After Budd threw up, the angels blew a gust of air towards the hatch, helping the hatch to close as Budd pulled it shut tightly.
The lights came back on. Crystal floated t
o the front. “So, you see, the angels helped to shut the hatch using what method?”
“Controlling the elements,” one freshman answered.
“That is correct. The angels used the forces of air to help save this young man's life. He was not the wiser, but felt himself lucky or strong, whatever the case may be. Sometimes humans do recognize when they have been given divine help, but usually they don't.”
We walked out of the great hall and toward our seventh hour class, Floating Techniques.
“Did you see that?” I exclaimed. “That was me again. Future me! I thought the plane was going to crash in that lightning storm.”
“Me, too,” said Journey. “It looked like it was building up to that. With the weather conditions and all.”
“Yeah, who would've guessed the guy just had to puke?” Felix chuckled.
“Well, it sure was a twist,” Kevin said. “If I were the guardian angel, I would've been getting ready to help save him from a crashing airplane.”
Before we could enter the classroom, our teacher met us at the door. Angel Samuel was a wise-looking man with white hair and neatly trimmed beard, still young and handsome. “Before you go inside, I'd like to find out who has been practicing their floating at home and who would like to demonstrate?”
About half of the class raised their hands.
“Only half of you have been practicing? Very well, who would like to try floating into the room and to their seat first?”
“Is this a trick question?” one of the students asked.
“You'll find out,” said the teacher. “Who would like to go first?”
I raised my hand thinking others would, too and that I really wouldn't be chosen.
“Josie,” said the instructor. “It seems you are the only one brave enough to try. Very well-- go ahead.”
I concentrated on what I had practiced the night before when I actually was able to float across my dorm room. It hadn't been easy and the landing was quite abrupt. I knew I could do it, though, so I was confident that I'd be able to float to my seat. I looked at the other students staring at me to make my move. Journey smiled and nudged my elbow, “Go ahead, you'll do great.”
I floated through the door and as I did, several viperous snakes inside the room jumped and hissed at me. Their fangs protruded from their mouths as their tongues sprang back and forth. The snakes were large and all coiled up together as if joined against me. I breathed and let out a muffled scream. However, I kept floating and made it to my seat, heart pounding, relieved that I made it unscathed. The landing into my chair was somewhat to be desired, but I didn't care.