"I think it's time for you to go to heaven now," Natalia said, beaming at them.
Eden and her mom stepped apart. Everybody exchanged glances.
"But… but what does it mean for us?" Eden asked. "Will we all arrive together? What will happen?"
"I don't want to be away from Eden," Yuri said.
"And I want to be with my sister," Thema said.
"Heaven is a place filled with ultimate love." With a knowing smile, Natalia gazed at them all. "It is the place where all souls meet. You will never be apart again."
And then Eden felt warmth, smelled the flowers, and heard the sound of familiar angels' voices in her ears. As she was lifted from the ground hand in hand with her friends, she stared upward and realized that finally, she was going to be truly home because she could be with those she loved. Forever.
THE END
About the Author
Stephanie Campbell had her first book published at the age of seventeen. Now, at twenty, she is still wacking away at her computer, one day at a time. When she isn’t reading or writing, she likes to dance, take karate lessons, and run. After all, you never know when you’re about to be sucked into another world.
Also from Astraea Press
Chapter One
There were no heart-wrenching last words. No grieving parent or friend clutched her hand and begged her to hold on for just a little longer. Addy’s death was quick… effortless. She stared at the mangled mess in front of her, a pile of twisted metal that was once her car. Addy had no desire to investigate the overturned vehicle. Coming face-to-face with her own corpse was not necessary. She knew her time on earth had passed.
Instead, Addy focused her attention on the figure walking toward her. His gait suggested he was not of this world. Despite the tragedy in her relatively short life, she was able to hold onto one important belief: good people go to heaven. If a self-serving path was chosen, one’s visitor in the hereafter would resemble something very different from the being in front of her now.
Her angelic collector smiled as he approached. He took her hand and led her down the winding road that eventually overlooked the massive Atlantic Ocean. His touch was gentle and surprisingly familiar.
With the ocean laid out before her, he finally spoke. His tone was soothing, reminiscent of a parent calming his child after a scary dream. “Addy, are you ready to come with me?”
Addy glanced back at the smoking wreckage only a quarter of a mile down the road and then looked at the perfect creature before her. All the stories that she had heard as a child were true. There was a heaven, and this man and the overwhelming feeling of peace he invoked were proof.
And as much as she wanted to say yes, Addy couldn’t dismiss, even in death, that something was tugging at her heart to stay. The visitor stared at her lovingly, his green eyes searching her own. “So, that is what you want?” he asked.
She could only stare at him. Without uttering a word, the being seemed to read her thoughts and feel Addy’s apprehension to leave her world. “You know what I want?” she asked, hoping that he could reveal what might cause her to want to stay and forfeit heaven for the time being.
“Yes… and you will too in time.”
“What… what do you mean?” she asked, clearly becoming agitated by his cryptic responses.
“Something still ties you to this world. And when the time is right, when you are truly ready, I will come for you once again.”
“I don’t understand. What ties me here?” she asked with a sudden sense of urgency. Addy could feel that their time together was coming to an end.
“Be patient, Addy. You will not have to wait too long.”
She took a deep breath as she entertained several theories in her head. What on earth could possibly make me want to give up heaven, even temporarily?
“Addy, don’t analyze this one. It will come to you,” he answered gently.
She closed her eyes as he leaned in to kiss her on the forehead. When she opened them again, the Atlantic no longer dominated her view. The stillness in the air was replaced with a familiar sound. A warm liquid was dripping from her forehead as she lay wedged between the steering wheel and what was once the driver’s seat. In the distance she heard the approaching wail of numerous sirens. The number of emergency vehicles en route suggested that Addy’s car accident was probably the only thing happening in the sleepy shore town tonight.
With her free hand, Addy put pressure on the gash, trying to suppress the streaming blood. She could hear men shouting and the horrendous sound of crushing metal all around her. The firefighter with the hydraulic rescue tool tried to remain calm, but she could tell that he was beginning to panic as he tried to free her from the vehicle. The car was spewing gas, forcing him to work quickly. With one final thrust, he was able to release her leg from the car’s unruly grasp. He picked her up and carried her to the waiting ambulance. As Addy was hooked up to various machines by the EMTs within the moving emergency vehicle, she couldn’t help but think about the way she would eventually leave this world.
Where All Souls Meet Page 16
