Heaven's Missing Person

by Nell Weaver Lyford

  “In the morning.” I said. “The clock is ticking on this challenge. We’ll pack tonight and be ready to go early.” I got up. “I’m going to start pulling things together now, trying to remember where my gloves are.”

  Joe got up, too.

  “I want to sit here and enjoy the silence for a bit.” Laurence said.

  “Okay, but send the girls to me when they get in. I’ll tell them what to pack, although Hannah probably remembers.”

  “That’s not all she’ll remember from that place.” Laurence looked at me for a few seconds before glancing back down at his book. Joe had moved ahead by then and missed this. Probably for the best.

  On Hannah’s twelfth-year challenge, one of her wings had gone missing, stolen by the forces of darkness. In order to recover it, we had to travel to the monastery, which is one of Heaven’s more remote guard posts. Then we had to go literally past the gates of Hell, which is what the monastery guards. We hadn’t gone far past, true, and we were well protected, thanks mostly to the monks. It was still the most harrowing thing I had experienced since arriving in Heaven, and the worst thing Hannah had gone through, ever.

  And yet . . . the trip had forced me to face some guilt that I had buried so deep it stayed with me even in Heaven. All the old feelings of remorse that Joe and I felt almost daily after moving Jamie, our severely disabled child, to an institution, came pouring out when I was inside Hell. Hannah and I were baited in our distress by this dreadful demon, Angelica.

  And poor Hannah had to face the deep-seated fact that she hated her father for abandoning her—even though it turned out she’s misread what she saw after the car accident that killed her. Seeing these buried parts of us, facing them, and embracing them . . . it had been like lancing a boil. It had hurt, but now I felt much more at peace, and Hannah was much more mature. Which was the point of the twelfth-year challenge, of course.

  So now Tiffany was facing her own challenge. None of us knew exactly what it would involve, but I had no doubt that it would be harder than she realized. Possibly than any of us realized.

  But, well, you grew up by doing the hard stuff.

  I had almost finished rounding up all my cold weather gear when Tiffany knocked on my open door.

  “Come in, Tif. Thought you might need some help packing.”

  She stared at me for a few seconds. “What? Oh, Hannah said she’d show me her bag after she got it together.”

  “That’ll work.”

  She walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. “Claire? Could I ask you something?”

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  She spoke a little louder than a whisper. “Hannah told me some about her challenge. And . . . my Earth mom was really mad at me when I left her.”

  I put my arm around her shoulders. “Oh, Tiffany, I’m sure she wasn’t mad. I’ve had a similar talk with Hannah, you see—“

  “I know, that’s why I’m telling you. Hannah said you helped her figure things out. No, she was really, really angry with me. Mad at me and mad at this guy in a green uniform. He jumped in the back seat with me while Mom was yelling.”

  I patted her back a bit. “I’ll bet that’s what you thought. But you were so young, right?”

  “Yeah, a baby.”

  “So, your memory is probably a bit . . . off?”

  She looked at me. “You think? Because she was yelling and crying at me and at this guy, and then Michael came. I was so hot and then so cold. He wrapped me in a warm blanket and flew me up to a rooftop.”

  I nodded, it was so important for the cupids to process their dying, because they didn’t have the mental facilities to prepare for it and inevitably had shaky memories. Hannah fixated on the aftermath of her parents’ car accident scene. She thought for the longest time that because her father hadn’t called out for her before Michael had taken her away meant that he hadn’t loved her. I had explained how people go into shock with a trauma.

  “I’ll bet she was just calling out your name and you remembered it as being angry. Why would she have been mad at you?”

  “I know, it doesn’t make any sense. You think she was just saying my name really loud?”

  “Positive.” We hugged.

  “Thanks, Claire. Seems like there’s always lots to think about.”

  “That’s because you’re growing up.”

  She shrugged. She didn’t seem to be buying it. I decided it was too late for any more in-depth discussions. “Now, I think I know a cupid who needs to go pack for a big trip.”

  She shot up. “Oh, gosh. I almost forgot. See ya.”

  She skipped and jogged down the hallway. In a few minutes, I was in bed. I decided to dream about the little snow globe.

  Eager to get going, we said good-bye to Rose and Cloud at daylight. He protested that we hadn’t requested a full breakfast, but all of us were too excited to stop and eat.

  The express bus zapped us in less than two hours to Pancho’s Flying High Ranch, near the South East Gate, the official entry and exit point for Earth. The ranch house and café was a low-slung, bright blue-framed structure surrounded by a salmon-colored cloud. Angel cowboys and cowgirls in colorful ranch attire, hats and boots, were busy serving several hundred customers dressed for travel. Small pieces of luggage and backpacks were strewn all around the lawn.

  Pancho spotted us immediately. Walking over with her confident stride, her olive green western hat and halo combination cocked to one side, she stuck out her right hand. “Pleased to see ‘ya, Claire. Who might these greenhorns be? Oh, Joe, hi, didn’t see ‘ya.” She and Joe quickly embraced.

  “So I know this guy, quite the traveler.” She playfully tapped Joe’s shoulder. “But let me meet these cuties.”

  “Pancho, this is our Hannah, and her friend, Tiffany.”

  Pancho leaned over and shook hands with each of the girls. They eyed her halo-hat in awe. She winked at them, stood up and turned.

  “And you must be Laurence. Claire talks about you all the time.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Pancho.” Laurence said. “I’m just hoping we can get chili for a late breakfast.”

  “Call it what you like, hon, chili’s always on the menu. Couple of brews for you guys?”

  Joe and Laurence looked at each other, then slowly shook their heads. “Much as we would like to try whatever you’ve got on draft, we’ve got a hard journey ahead. “ Joe said. “Best stick with strong coffee.”

  Pancho opened her arms to indicate we should sit at the nearest picnic table.

  She straddled a bench, leaning her body in and quickly looking from side to side before she spoke in low tones. “Where you headed?”

  Our group’s eyes met, then turned to hers.

  “Due southwest today, friend.” Joe said.

  She pressed her lips together. “How far west?”

  “We’re going to the monastery, Pancho.” I said.

  She took off her hat and fanned her face for a moment. “Whew. Don’t get that way much myself, but I’ve got just the cowgirl who can maybe help.” She raised her left hand and gestured for a nearby server to come over.

  A beautiful archangel with strong blue eyes and a wide smile walked over. Instead of a hat, she wore a 1930s-era leather flight cap, straps dangling, goggles pushed up, platinum halo resting on the goggles. Tiffany and Hannah looked up from the chili that had just arrived.

  “Wow!” Hannah said. “Were you a flyer?”

  Pancho and her friend laughed. “You bet your bottom dollar, kid. This here is Louise, who flew the highest and the fastest of us all. She’s going to help you get to where you need to go.” Pancho turned to Louise. “They’re headed to the monks.”

  Louise nodded and sat down with us. “So, you want to visit the monastery?”

  “Yes, we need to arrive as soon as possible today.” Laurence said.
/>   “Been there before?”

  “Yeah,” Hannah said.

  “Well, three of us have,” I said.

  “Good. So you know about wing-proofing?”

  Laurence looked at her sheepishly. “We’re aware of it, but last time, we . . . forgot.”

  “Oh, dear, well, this time, I’m going to help all of you, how does that sound?”

  “Perfect.” I said.

  Louise stood up. “Since we’re working to get you there in daylight, I’m going to quickly gather up supplies, be right back.”

  All five of us thanked her.

  Within fifteen minutes, we’d finished our chili, and Louise had returned with a basket full of cans and tins. “I’ll start with the ladies. Cherubs, if you please.”

  Hannah and Tiffany stood with their backs to her while Louise rubbed a thick wax on their shoulder wings. “I’m putting on the two waxes I recommend to ward off ice crystals. Very nasty if they start collecting in your feathers. Pretty soon, your wings weigh as much as you do.”

  Laurence and I exchanged looks. We were remembering a year ago when we rushed Hannah to the monastery without taking precautions. We had barely made it.

  After all of our wings had been waxed, Louise opened a map and spread it on the table. It showed Pancho’s near the South East Gate and the ice field separating the ranch and café from the monastery. The monastery’s spectacular diamond sky was noted. So was the South West Gate just to the west of the monastery’s cloud. The entrance to Hell.

  Louise took out a compass and placed it on the map. “Who wants to take this?”

  “I will,” said Joe. “Laurence brought his own.”

  “Okay, so I’ll give Claire the map. But first, look at this.” She pointed to the ice field. “If you stay too long in the ice, you’ll overshoot the monks and Brigid and wind up at the South West Gate. And you don’t want that. So, be careful once you reach the field. Bear a bit northwest at the start, then shift your course 15 degrees north when you’re almost through the ice storms.”

  “How do we know when we’re at that point?” said Joe.

  Louise shrugged. “It’s tough, because there aren’t any landmarks. But if you fly at a steady pace, you should be ready for that slight northern turn after two hours. Does this ring true based on your last trip?”

  Laurence and I thought it through.

  “Perhaps.” he said. “But I think we were going slower due to our wings icing.”

  “You’ll do much better this time.” She handed me the folded map.

  “One more thing. Don’t stop once you enter the ice field. The clouds there are too dangerous. Your wings stop moving, and they’ll ice over no matter how much wax they’re wearing. Then you’ll never get off the ground.”

  “Thanks.” said Joe. “We’ll be careful.”

  Louise drummed her fingers on top of the monastery’s map image. “In fact, I’d say a steady pace, with no stops, is ideal. The weather to the west has been a bit of a challenge during the last few days. We’re getting reports of parties not making it.”

  “To the monastery?” said Laurence. “Did they turn around?”

  “One group did.” she said. “We’re . . . still working on where the others wound up.”

  Joe, Laurence and I simultaneously took a deep breath. She didn’t say it, and we didn’t want to ask, but I’m sure those other parties were the twelfth-year cupids who were ahead of us.

  I looked at Tiffany and Hannah. They had been silent for a long time. “It’s going to be okay, girls, we’ve been there before, right, Hannah?”

  Hannah seemed to come into focus. “What? Oh, right, yes, it’s fun, you’ll see, Tif. I get Laurence!” She tugged on Laurence to bend down so she could jump on his back.

  Laurence looked at her with surprise. “Are you joking? You’re flying for the first hour. You’re much stronger now—and you have both of your shoulder wings.”

  I could tell Hannah was a bit miffed, but she’d get over it.

  I looked around to make sure we’d gathered up our gear. “If we’re all ready, let’s go. Thanks so much, Louise.”

  She grabbed both my hands and shook them. “Say hi to Brigid for me. Tell her I’ll be out soon. And let it be a golden and peaceful day.”

  “She’ll be happy to know you’re coming.” I tapped my heart, lifted up and headed west, gently pulling the cupids along. I let Joe and Laurence take the lead since they had the compasses. Tiffany and Hannah flew on either side of me.

  The girls said meeting Pancho and Louise had been fun and I agreed. I was grateful Joe had suggested our ranch stop. We gained invaluable flight advice, wing prep, and a bowl of top flight chili.

  And a warning about the challenges ahead. Who knew what lay before us in the west?

  The first hour went by fairly fast. Then, the sleet started.

  “What’s this?” Tiffany stopped to hover beside me. We all stopped and formed a tight circle in front of a series of small, dark clouds.

  “It’s sleet, frozen rain.” Laurence said. “Get out your goggles, girls.” He pointed to their goggles’ pockets as he pulled out his own protective glasses. We stayed in this formation for a few minutes, helping each other adjust the straps on the back of each pair so as to prevent sleet from getting in.

  Hannah was having a particularly tough time getting hers fixed. After each cinching by Joe, her lenses were fogging up. Finally, she was okay and we turned back to the west.

  We flew for about thirty minutes, in a line this time. Joe was first, then me, Hannah, Tiffany, and Laurence in the rear.

  “Think it’s time for the girls to hitch a ride,” I called out to Joe. The sleet was coming down in sheets now and I couldn’t imagine the cupids being able to cut through it.

  Laurence and Joe nodded and turned their backs to the girls. “That’s it.”said Laurence as Hannah climbed up. “Remember not to pull on my neck, or we’ll both take a tumble.”

  “Yeah, Tif, keep your grip on the top of my shoulders.” Joe said.

  The cupids smiled as they settled onto the guys’ backs. I was wishing I had my own ride. And then, it happened—a gigantic lightning bolt struck one of the clouds at our backs, causing a brief flash of fire. The girls grabbed their riders’ necks.

  Laurence jerked headfirst and down to the right. Hannah screamed.

  “No, stop!” Laurence said, shook his head and stretched out his right arm to correct them. Joe stayed steady, but reached back and pushed Tiffany’s hands off.

  “We’ve got to go.” I turned once more to the west. We flew on for about an hour. Our wings were getting slightly soggy, but the wax treatment was definitely helping. My flying felt lighter than it had a year before on this trek. The sleet stopped and I sensed we were nearing our destination.

  “How far?” I said.

  “Let me check.” Joe took out his compass. “We need the map, too.”

  I pulled it out of my parka’s front pocket. Laurence and Joe consulted the map and the compass reading.

  “We’ve still got a ways.” Joe said. The cupids had been straining over their riders’ shoulders to see the map and navigation calculations.

  “At least it’s stopped sleeting.” Hannah said.

  “Yeah, bet we’re almost there.” Tiffany said.

  “Hey, what’s that under that low hanging cloud in the distance?” Joe said. “Can you see it? Let’s go for it.”

  Encouraged, we flew steadily for about 45 minutes. We were close enough now to make out the image. And I began to feel drawn to it, eager to fly over and in. It was a strangely familiar feeling, but I couldn’t quite place it.

  Suddenly, Laurence stopped flying and hovered for a few seconds, staring forward intently. “Turn around!” he said. “Fast!”

  I studied the spot and how I felt. And then I recognized the
feeling. It was exactly how I felt once standing at the edge of a 200-foot high cliff, looking down. The inexplicable urge to throw myself off.

  I banked into a hard turn. Joe also hovered for a moment and studied the dark clouds and mist in the distance. Then he abruptly whipped around. All three of us were flying in the opposite direction as fast and as hard as we could.

  “Keep going.” Laurence said. “Don’t stop!”

  We flew up and over a cloud’s crest, settled into a darkened sky and kept going. After what seemed like an hour of flying, I motioned that I needed to stop. We hovered in our circle again. This time, Joe, Laurence and I held hands. The cupids reached out for one another and Joe moved closer to Laurence so they could embrace.

  “That was close.” Laurence said.

  “I’ve got to rest.” I said. “What about that cloud over there?”

  “No!” said Joe. “All the clouds in this area are dangerous. You know what Louise said about icing up.”

  “Okay, but let’s hover for a minute until I can catch my breath.”

  “What was that place?” Tiffany said.

  Hannah released their hug. “The South West Gate. We almost got sucked in.”

  “Wow! Wait’ll Jeff and the others hear about this.”

  Laurence gave her a weak smile—still so innocent—and readjusted his goggles. “Ready, Claire? We need to beat darkness.”

  With the South West Gate as a landmark, Joe and Laurence consulted their compass readings much more carefully, and within thirty minutes, Laurence and I crested a huge cloud. We saw an immense, midnight blue sky lit by a multitude of gaily twinkling stars.

  “The diamond sky!” Hannah said. “We’re here!”

  Joe and Tiffany peeked over the cloud. “It’s the globe! It’s the globe!” said Tiffany as she and Joe swooped over the cloud and dropped down into the dark blue sky.

  Snow was gently falling on our shoulders. Thousands and thousands of sparkling stars seemed to surround our hands and faces. We stopped for a moment and admired the substantial stone structure of the monastery, its tall wooden cross standing at the peak of the fortress-like building. I’d heard it said once that cathedrals were built to inspire, but monasteries were built to last.