Lillyans
Page 21
“You seem pensive, oh prince of my castle,” Lilly Ann said tenderly as she walked into the backyard to find Taylor sit deep in thought at the picnic table.
“I what?” Taylor surfaced from his contemplation, “Oh, I’m sorry, love. Did you say something?” He reached for Lilly Ann’s hand and pressed it against his lips.
“I was just commenting on your far away thinklings,” she stroked his hair, “anything you want to share?”
“I don’t know,” Taylor hesitated, “it’s kind of silly, really.”
“Well, that’s right up my alley then, I’m the queen of all things silly,” Lilly Ann announced dramatically.
Taylor laughed in relief, he had been waiting for a chance to discuss his thoughts with Lilly Ann.
“You know, that first flight of the Condor got me thinking,” he was trying to sort out his own feelings, “It would not take much to make her suitable for flying higher and for longer distances. She’s slow, but seems reliable. She’s a good airplane.”
“That sounds like fun,” Lilly Ann was wise enough not to put any pressure on him, “You have to take me along some time.”
“Yes, definitely, you’re going to love it,” Taylor was thankful for the distraction and lighthearted tone of the conversation, “but that is not exactly what I was contemplating.”
He paused for a moment to find the right words.
“Remember, when I first recovered from my crash and all I wanted to do is go back to Texas and tell everyone about my magical healing?” Taylor smiled at the thought of a time that seemed a life away, “I would have made a fool out of myself if I had gone through with it and I would have lost everything that I had in store here.”
“It’s difficult to know what would have happened,” Lilly Ann cautioned, “but I have to say, that personally I am very happy that you decided to stay. Are you having second thoughts about your choice?”
There was not a hint of worry or jealousy in her voice and her eyes spoke only of love and care.
“No, not at all,” Taylor shook his head, “that was the best decision of my entire life. Sometimes, when I wake up in the morning, I have to pinch myself to be sure I’m not dreaming and all of this is real. It’s so good.”
He pulled Lilly Ann closer to feel her warmth.
“Still, I obviously did not completely abandon the idea that what I have seen and learned here would be of tremendous benefit to the friends that I left behind. I find myself calculating flight plans to Texas and back here and I don’t know how I should feel about this.” He was quiet for a moment. “It sure would be nice to see Cody again,” he added quietly.
“I can imagine that you miss your friends,” Lilly Ann nodded, “I know, I would. They would love to see that you are well, I’m sure.” She thought about it for a moment, “What would you tell them this time?”
“Good question,” Taylor chuckled, “Trust in the fairies of the universe and do as the hamster says,” he proclaimed emphatically and laughed.
“That’s good!” Lilly Ann joined him in his laughter, “Just don’t walk away from the airplane too far so you can make a quick exit before they put you in a straight jacket.”
“But seriously,” Taylor changed the tone of the conversation, “many of my friends have been searching for a better way to go about life for a long time. If I could just give them a small foothold to get going, that might make all the difference for them. You know, even where I came from not everyone is as stubborn as I was.”
“Really,” Lilly Ann teased him about his last comment, “that certainly is good to hear. So there is hope for them.”
“You know,” Taylor tried to get his idea organized, “Even when you leave Abraham and Abrahamster out of the picture, the principles still apply, right? We create our own reality by the power of our thoughts. Law of Attraction brings us whatever we direct our attention to. Our emotions tell us if what we are thinking is in line with what we prefer or not. We are eternal beings. We are energy and creative god force at the very core of our being. All we ever have to do to live a more pleasant and satisfying experience is to find thoughts that make us feel better. Sounds simple enough, right?”
“To you and me it does,” Lilly Ann agreed, “but what if you would not know what you know or if you hadn’t seen what you have seen? Would it still be simple? Where is the pudding?”
“Where is the what?” Taylor didn’t follow.
“Ha, just making sure you were still with me,” Lilly Ann laughed, “Where is the proof? It’s in the pudding. So, where is the pudding?”
“I’m the pudding.” Taylor joined her in her imagery, “I am the proof for all of it. The fact that I came back to talk about it would be proof enough, right?”
“Yes, you would be proof,” Lilly Ann agreed, “but what would you be proof of other than the fact that you can do what none of them can? Proof that you do and know what no one should be able to do or know, at least according to the old books that some of them are wielding? Some would call you devil and some would call you lord, and none of them would rest until they see you nailed to a cross.”
“Wow,” Taylor was taken aback, “I didn’t know that you feel so strongly about this.”
“I don’t,” Lilly Ann had her lighthearted tone of voice back, “I was just reciting a passage from one of the Abraham recordings. They thought it quite possible that Esther would find herself in this situation if people started to mix up what was Abraham and what was her.”
“Did she?” Taylor asked intently.
“Not that I know of,” Lilly Ann shrugged, “but I do know that the Hicksies and Abraham, always made a strong point to only answer questions that were specifically asked of them. No preaching to the flock in hope that something sticks.”
“Ah, the prime directive,” Taylor mocked.
“The what?” now it was Lilly Ann’s turn to raise her eyebrows.
“Oh, nothing,” Taylor chuckled, “just a nugget from stories I loved to read as a kid about this futuristic society. They flew around in their spaceship and encountered all kinds of different species on far away planets. Their first rule of engagement, the Prime Directive, was one of noninterference. It just flashed in my mind when you reminded me of the no-ask-no-tell principle again.”
“See, there is truth and wisdom readily available in the most unlikely places,” Lilly Ann said cheerfully, “For every question there is an answer, and sometimes it’s closer than we think.”
“I know,” Taylor admitted, “I haven’t thought this through all the way, but it frustrates me that I could provide solutions to problems that so many people are facing, people that are still dear to me, and there is nothing I can do about it.”
“Do you think the world you came from is broken and needs fixing?” Lilly Ann set a neat little trap for him.
“Right,” Taylor smiled, “if I do then I might be part of the problem and not the solution. Very sneaky.”
“Tell me about your friends,” Lilly Ann asked him, “what are their lives like?”
“Well,” Taylor started, “you have met Cody. He is like a big old bear. He doesn’t go looking for trouble, but he doesn’t back away from it either, and it always finds him, believe me. In a way he is a lot like you, come to think of it, like a big kid, in a good way,” he added quickly.
“I liked Cody,” Lilly Ann smiled at the thought of the goofy giant, “with him you always know where you stand, no hidden agendas.”
“Then there was Mary from the airport office. She is the sweetest woman you can ever imagine. She’ll run all over town to find a certain candy bar just because she knows it’s the favorite of a pilot’s child who’s supposed to come through that day. She’s been through hard times, as most of the people that I’ve known, but she doesn’t know a bitter thought. I always considered her an angel in the midst of the sometimes rough crowd at a paramilitary airport.”
There were many names Taylor mentioned and many sweet stories he recounted,
tragic losses and glorious victories. Many a tear had been shed in dire desperation and many laughs had been celebrated with good friends and sworn enemies. Love, life, miracles and heartbreak, he had seen it all, just as anyone had with as many years to his name as he did.
Lilly Ann sat in silence and enjoyed the parade of faces, facts and events drawn up by the power of Taylor’s words. There was a lot of life that he had left behind without ever looking back. Who would not understand his desire to share the gifts he had received with the loved ones of his former life?
“You are a lucky man, John Taylor,” Lilly Ann smiled affectionately at him, “Good friends don’t come cheap and you were blessed with so many of them.”
“So true,” Taylor nodded, “I believe that I have to find a way to help them, as you have helped me. Maybe I could get a data pad and download the content of the Lilly-Book onto it. Then they could see for themselves and make up their minds.”
“I am sure you will find the right way and the right time,” Lilly Ann said, “You have to get the Condor in shape first anyway and who knows what other ideas you come up with in the meantime. Just don’t forget who you have become when you think about where you have come from.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” Taylor smiled at her, “think and feel, right?”
“Exactly,” Lilly Ann nodded and kissed him gently, “think and feel, and then think some more and feel again. You are doing so exceptionally well, John Taylor, and from what you’ve been telling me, so are most of your friends.”
She stood up from the garden bench humming the melody of an old holiday tune. Jingle bells, jingle bells, ...
The words she had learned from a funny Abrahamster cartoon animation on the Lilly-Book were of course much more fitting:
“Think and Feel,
Think and Feel,
Thinking day and night,
Oh what fun it is to think
A thought that feels so bright.”
She kicked her leg up at the last word and clapped her hands.
“Are you hungry?” she asked Taylor.
“I can eat,” he finished their favorite phrase and laughed.
Chapter 20: Lilly