Dimensions of Genesis (16 page)

A dank, musty smell invaded his nostrils
while gossamer cobwebs licked at his face. As Gabe's eyes focused,
he saw what remained of his home. The tiny kitchen was covered with
sheets of dust and leaves. A table and chairs still remained,
though only the table was standing. All the chairs had been toppled
over and most were in pieces.

The house looked much like it did the day his
family left. After the murder, his mother took the children to stay
with their grandparents. She returned to the cottage later, to talk
to the police and salvage a few items.

Gabe stood motionless, staring at the spot on
the floor where he'd last seen his father. Pain surged through his
heart as he relived those moments. Surrounded by memories of the
past, he wept for his loss.

Sensing a presence behind him, he wiped the
dampness from his face. Slightly embarrassed, he turned around,
expecting to see Lily in the doorway. As he spun around, however,
he saw no one. Confused, he shook his head and decided to check out
the two bedrooms located at the back of the house.

The floorboards groaned as he walked down the
hall. The walls, weathered with stains of water damage, seemed to
narrow as he neared the bedrooms. To the left was his parents’
room. The bed and dresser stood like sentinel soldiers in the spot
they were abandoned. Even the bed, made that morning, seemed to
await the return of its slumbering masters.

To the right of Gabe was his old room, which
he'd shared with his two siblings. A bunk bed hugged the far wall,
the top bunk left in a disheveled state by Gabe himself. The bottom
bunk, shared by Anna and Dimitris, had a tiny abandoned teddy
hiding under the covers.

A picture hung on the wall, coated with years
of dust and mildew. It was a photograph of his father holding a
prize winning fish. A proud grin graced his father's face as he
showed off his fishing talents.

As Gabe stared at the picture, a painful lump
formed in his throat. Touching the photo gently with the back of
his finger, he lightly wiped away the dust that had accumulated on
his father's face.

Deciding to take the picture with him, Gabe
removed it from the wall. As he looked at it, he again felt eyes
watching him from behind. Spinning around, anticipating Lily, he
was surprised to see no one there.

He then had a terrible idea; maybe his
father's spirit was not at rest and still wandered the remains of
this old house.

I should bless the house, just in case.

Closing his eyes, he prayed to the God he
hoped would still hear him.

“Father in Heaven, please bless this home in
the name of The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.” he said aloud
as he made the sign of the cross. “Please help any souls that may
be stuck in this house find peace and move on to your kingdom.
Please forgive my father for any sins he may have committed and
guide him into everlasting life. Amen.”

The moment Gabe had finished his prayer, he
felt a sensation wrap itself around him that could only be
described as...a hug. A hug from an unseen force that sent shivers
of love throughout his body. He felt he'd released his father from
an undead nightmare.

Feeling peace within his soul for the first
time since his father's death, Gabe smiled with fresh tears pouring
down his cheeks.

“Good-bye Dad.” He said as he turned and
walked out of the room.

~

Outside, Lily waited anxiously for Gabe. He'd
been in there for a very long time and she had terrible thoughts of
him falling through the decrepit floorboards and breaking his leg
or something. She strained her ears to hear any movement within the
house, but could hear nothing.

Finally, after several tense moments, he
emerged through the broken door. Lily sighed and smiled with
relief, running to hug him. He'd obviously been emotional.

He showed her the picture of his father and
explained the hugging sensation he had felt inside. She was
fascinated and a little scared of the potentially haunted house.
Lily had never been interested in the paranormal. She could never
watch shows that were about ghosts.

“Can we go back to the hotel now?” Lily asked
with a yawn, “I'm tired and hungry.”

Gabe laughed, “We should get you checked for
a tapeworm or something!”

Glancing back at the old house, his arm
around his future, Gabe bid farewell to his past.

Home Again

Pouting, Lily packed her clothes into her
large black suitcase.

“I don't want to leave tomorrow.” She said
furrowing her brow and pushing out her bottom lip.

“I know sweetheart, but we can't stay
forever...right now anyways.” Gabe hugged her from behind, trying
to console her.

“Can we come back again soon?” Lily asked,
her face brightening.

“As soon as we can...maybe for our
honeymoon.” Gabe suggested playfully.

That did it. She spun around and threw her
arms around his shoulders.

“Oh Gabe! I'm so happy right now! I can't
wait to get back and tell our parents!” She continued nattering for
hours about details of the wedding. From what her hair would look
like to the dresses she wanted Quinn and Sheridan to wear.

Gabe smiled and nodded eagerly to each of her
ideas. A sensation overcame his heart that was warm and full of joy
as he pictured every detail of their wedding day.

Lily--his wife--nothing could make him
happier.

~

“Are you okay sweetie?” Gabe asked Lily as he
held her long hair away from the toilet.

“Ughhh...” She moaned pitifully, “I hate
flying.”

Both were cramped into the airplane's tiny
washroom.

“What was I thinking, eating all that
spaghetti before we left...this is disgusting!” She said as she
gagged.

Laughing lightly and stroking her head, Gabe
wished he could take this discomfort away for her.

After landing in Brussels, Lily walked around
the airport, clutched her ginger ale and muttered obscenities at
the airplane.

Gabe purchased more anti-nausea medication
for her, as well as a special bracelet that was designed to push on
the pressure points inside her wrist. Thankfully, Lily fell asleep
shortly after take-off and remained asleep for the duration of the
flight.

Gabe was reading a novel when he first heard
Lily mumbling in her sleep.

“Please...no...I can't...” Lily murmured, her
eyebrows pulling together. “No, no...I'm not
evil...please...no.”

Gabe was stunned to hear Lily talking so
negatively within her dream. He continued to listen and heard her
utter words like 'slut' and 'whore'. Worried, he decided he would
ask her about it after she woke up.

She awoke just as the pilot was announcing
their descent into familiar territory. Gabe was so excited to tell
his family of his and Lily's engagement and wedding plans, he
forgot to ask her about her dream.

For the moment, Lily was clutching the seat
ahead of her, breathing heavily, trying to settle her queasy
stomach. Gabe rubbed her back, but felt quite helpless.

“I'm okay...I'm okay...” She repeated as
though trying to convince herself.

By the time the wheels touched the ground;
Lily had already taken off her seat belt, gathered her things and
was pushing her way toward the main exit. Gabe frantically grabbed
his backpack from the overhead compartment and followed her.

“Oh yah, fresh air.” Lily exclaimed as she
ran off the airplane into the crisp open air. Breathing deeply, she
dropped her things, lifted her arms and hugged the airspace of
home.

“Let's go home!” She said loudly to Gabe, a
grin from ear to ear.

Gabe went inside the airport and retrieved
their luggage as Lily frolicked happily outside in the fresh air.
He practically had to force her to get into the car when it was
time to leave.

“I just don't want to be cooped up anymore
today.” she said, adamant.

“Will you get in for...some fast food?” Gabe
taunted.

Nodding enthusiastically, she jumped into the
car. After a healthy dose of hamburgers and fries, She chattered on
and on about all the possible reactions of their families.

“My mother might faint and Quinn will be
mad.” She predicted.

“My mom will cry, Anna will be thrilled and
Dimitris...not sure, he doesn't express emotion well.” Gabe
added.

Pulling into the driveway at Lily's parents’
house, Gabe suddenly felt a little nervous. He hoped all would go
smoothly and they could focus on their future without any
setbacks.

Lily bounded out of the car as soon as it
stopped and ran toward the house, leaving Gabe running to catch up
to her. Thankfully, she stopped to greet Chi Chi, the family St.
Bernard on the way by, giving Gabe a chance to catch his
breath.

“Lily, let's try to do this calmly, okay
sweetie?” Gabe pleaded.

“Oh honey, no worries, this is the fun part.”
She grinned, dragging him inside.

“Mama! Papa! Where are you?” Lily yelled when
she got into the house.

“Goodness child! You don't have to yell!” Her
mother complained as she hurriedly descended the staircase.

“Mama! Guess what!” Lily exclaimed. “We're
engaged!”

With her hand on her heart, Maggie's eyes
welled up with tears. “Oh my, well, that's just wonderful!”

“Papa!” Lily shouted excitedly.

“Land sakes Lily! What's all this racket?”
Her father asked coming out of the washroom.

“Look!” She extended her left hand, showing
them her ring.

“Well, I'll be...” Her father said quietly,
tears glistening in his eyes.

Quinn and Sheridan peeked sheepishly around
the kitchen corner. As soon as Lily saw them, she ran up to
them.

“Look Quinny! Look Sheri! Isn't it
beautiful?”

“Congratulations Lily!” Sheridan said with
her shy voice. “Gabe.” she added, nodding to him.

Quinn examined the ring, a look of disdain on
her face.

“Whatever.” she started, “Don't expect me to
help with anything.”

“Quinn!” Maggie glared at her daughter.

With a smug glance, Quinn stomped out of the
room.

“I'll be happy to help with anything you
need.” Sheridan offered.

Completely unaffected by Quinn's behavior,
Lily prattled on for an hour about their trip and how Gabe
proposed.

Gabe's family reacted exactly as predicted.
His mother cried, Anna rejoiced and Dimitris, always the quiet one,
nodded his approval.

Lily was beside herself with joy and spent
the majority of the evening searching the internet for ideas for
the wedding. They decided they wanted it to be a simple, fun
outdoor wedding.

Setting the date for the biggest day of their
lives--three weeks from today.

Crossing Over

Upon completion of his life review, David
analyzed what he'd seen and felt. The light beings, which had been
waiting patiently for him outside the sphere, sent him a mental
suggestion.

“Forgiving yourself and others is the best
way to move ahead. To dwell on any negativity will impede your
progress.”

Nodding with appreciation to the light
beings, he closed his eyes and whispered to himself, “I forgive
myself and I forgive all those that have hurt me.”

David exited the sphere and the light beings
guided him to another portal. Unlike the white tunnel he’d seen at
his death, this one radiated pure blue. Coaxing him gently forward,
David approached the swirling nexus.

This tunnel was different than the last. The
light embraced him, hugged him like an old friend he hadn't seen in
twenty years. It was like taking an escalator into Heaven, taking
him home.

Approaching the end of the tunnel, he was
delighted to see a familiar figure waiting for him.

Arms outstretched, his mother embraced him as
he reached the top of the portal. Everything about her was as he
remembered, except she was vastly younger. She didn't look much
more than twenty years old.

Her scent, her long chestnut hair and her
deep blue eyes, she glowed with health and exuberance. It was as
though there had never been any cancer, any illness or decay.

David wept. Relief spread though him as he
cherished this momentous reunion. They held one another for what
felt like eternity, lingering in the moment they'd both longed
for.

“Oh, my son! I have missed you!” She said
telepathically to him, tears of joy filling her eyes.

“I missed you too!” He exclaimed, “You look
amazing! And so young!”

Giggling, she led him to a nearby stream.

“Look.” She suggested, leaning over to look
at her own reflection.

Complying, David bent over the waters. First,
he only saw his mother’s youthful reflection smiling back at him.
Then he saw his own.

“What the…!”

In shock, he slowly raised his hands to his
face. Upon leaving Earth, he was a tired; slightly over-weight man
in his mid-thirties. The reflection that looked back at him now,
was not that man.

While the reflection resembled the face he
knew so well, this one was very young, vibrant and healthy.

Approximately eighteen, David was surprised
at the changes. His blue eyes still remained, but the intensity of
them had increased. Once light brown, his hair was now a white
blonde. Wrinkles that had marred his Earthly face had vanished
completely, leaving only a handsome, baby-face.

And his body! After so many years of carrying
that ‘spare tire’ around his waist, he was flabbergasted as he
lifted his shirt and saw a flat, washboard stomach.

“How?” The new, young David asked, in
awe.

“Aging is a disease on Earth. Here, we revert
to our soul age.”

“Soul age?” He repeated.

“Yes. Ever heard the term, ‘old soul’?”

“Yes, often.”