Heaven

By Coral Lights

Light

Kendall Thorpe walked down the long, dark halls of One Faith Abbey. Electric torches lit the way, casting shadows like fire torches of centuries past. But, that was no bother -- one of the reasons he joined the Brotherhood of One Faith was to escape the ubiquitous technicalities of the modern world. Damn, he thought it would be great to live in the 1600’s. But today was today, and among the techno-world, Kendall had found a place to stay with like minds. And now he was going to meet among them.

Kendall climbed a flight of stairs and left the cool passages below. He reached the top floor and turned right down the stone hallway; and pattered underneath the arches of the first room. And there along a wooden table sat a group of ward leaders -- his One Faith Brothers. And at the head of the table sat their prophet, Abbot Flask. “Welcome Mr. Thorpe,” said Flask. “Welcome,” echoed the rest of the brothers, folding their hands in their robes.

“Good to see, everyone,” said Kendall, trying to sound enthusiastic. He took an empty seat.

“We will get straight to business,” said Flask. And the meeting commenced.

Soon, Kendall’s mind wandered to Shana, and everywhere he turned her lithe form was there, her shadow dancing on the walls. The flames were her voice calling his soul. In the background Flask’s voice droned on and on with the monthly reports.

A sharp strain in Flask's voice broke Kendall's daydream: “And there is one among us tonight who will betray his responsibilities.” Flask let his eyes cover each man.

And as they came to Kendall, Flask’s eyes rested. Kendall held Flask’s gaze steady.

The eyes moved away.

“Brothers, do any of you have anything to confess this night?” Flask stared hard around the table. None of the brothers spoke. Silence fell and soon everyone began eyeing each other suspiciously.

A minute of silence passed.

Kendall looked straight ahead.

“Well, if that is all, our meeting is over.” Flask sighed. “Go in faith brothers.” Flask stood and each of the brothers followed him out into the hall.

As Kendall began descending the stairs to the sleeping quarters, Carl Johnson stepped beside him.

“What was he talking about?” whispered Carl.

“I don’t know,” whispered Kendall. He held his robes up so he wouldn’t trip down the stairs.

“I’m gonna find out,” said Carl, hurrying down in front of Kendall.

Kendall took the long way to his bedroom and stopped just outside the open door. He listened intently and then when he heard his roommate rustling in the room, he stepped inside.

“Sad,” said Keith, his roommate, shaking his head. Keith was already changed into his pajamas and was climbing into bed. “Our own prophet can’t even trust us.”

“That’s not what matters to me,” said Kendall walking to their shared closet. He began taking off his robes, and then slipped into his own pajamas.

“Whatever…goodnight,” said Keith, and his bed light went out.

“Goodnight,” said Kendall, jumping into his own bed. His bed light went out, and he pulled up the sheets to his neck and waited.

When Kendall awoke, the clock on the wall read: 2:00 A.M. Time to get up. And he did, standing slowly as to not make much noise. He tiptoed to the closet. He opened it gently and grabbed his outdoor robe. He wrapped it around his shoulders and tiptoed past Keith's bed.

And then he walked into the hall and made his way quietly up the steps. And as he left the doors of One Faith Abbey, his robes trailed behind him.

Darkness

Half hour later he saw Shana standing on her porch, and he hardly recognized her. “It’s for you,” she said, smiling and showing off her new hairstyle. “Do you like the earrings?” she said, as they glimmered in the faint light.

“They’re wonderful,” Kendall said, stepping after her and inside the house.

“You look different,” said Kendall. He stood in her kitchen, underneath the blue neon glow.

“I feel different,” said Shana. “Tonight, I want you.”

“Oh, that’s what it is,” said Kendall. And he took her in his arms.

Keith

“Where have you been?” said Keith, looking out from under his sheets. “It’s almost four ay em.”

“Nowhere,” said, Kendall, taking off his robes. “Go back to sleep.”

Flask

One month later, as the hour drew near midnight; Kendall found his way past his brothers and went alone to the Sanctuary to pray. He knelt before a statue of God and began to murmur. ”Forgive me Father.” Tears began to glaze Kendall’s vision. Kendall never cried.

The massive statue just looked down at Kendall. But, there appeared kindness in the eyes.

Kendall fell to the floor in supplication. “Please, Father, I give the child to you. Take it and make good with what I have done. Make something good come of this.” And then mysterious tongues came from Kendall’s mouth. Sounds like he had never heard echoed melodiously throughout the chamber.

“A prayer for the bastard child?” Prophet Flask’s voice jolted Kendall out of his prayer. Flask strode to the center of the Sanctuary.

“Tell, me Brother Thorpe: what do you pray for?” He spread his arms out wide. “I never heard the language as you just spoke.”

“You tell me, you’re the prophet.”

Flask walked underneath the statue. “We take a vow to never burden our duties with children. What have you done?”

“The child is no longer in my hands. I have no burdens.”

“And whose child will it be?” sneered Flask. “Who will take care of it?”

Kendall motioned with his eyes, up to the statue.

Both Flask and Kendall stared up at the huge eyes of God.

Shana

Shana heaved and pushed. And she thought she might die, until she felt a pop and heard a small cry. She breathed deep and sank back into her own sweat.

“Ahaha, welcome to the world little girl!” said the doctor. “What a beautiful baby.”

Later, after the obstetricians left the delivery room, Nurse Cane came into see Shana and gave her some more water. “Do you have a name for her? I can help you fill out the registration form.”

Shana was unsure. She breathed heavily. And then she thought of Kendall, seeing his handsome form. She spoke surely: “Hell.”

“Hellen?” Nurse Cane’s voice echoed.

“Hell!” Shana spat. “Call her Hell!” She gasped in pain. “Oh.”

“Doctor Yawls,” Nurse Cane called into her cell device, noticing Shana’s heart monitor indicating an erratic hear beat. “Doctor,” she said, and then when he answered, “I think we have an emergency.”

“You call her Hell!” croaked Shana. “Tell them I named her Hell.”

When the doctor arrived, Shana had died of a heart attack, a complete mystery to the doctor as she had appeared stable after the delivery.

Nurse Cane walked to the baby registrar. “The baby in number four belongs to Shana Jones. She named her daughter…Hell…Hell--”

The secretary gave her a frown. And then she passed nursed Cane the registration form.

“…uh, she named her Hellen.” Nurse Cane began to fill out the form.

“The mother’s deceased. No father is here. We’ll try to contact any relatives.” And Nurse Cane walked away.

Heaven

Truce stood beside his mommy clutching the backside of her pants.

“Honey, come on,” said Kathy, “come out. You don’t have to hide.” She took Truce by the hand and pulled him around. “Truce, don’t you want to meet the pretty girl?”

“I’m Hellen,” said the girl, holding the sides of her dress in a slight curtsy.

Truce looked at the little girl standing with her mommy and then ducked his head into his mom’s hips and hid his face.

“He’s shy,” said Kathy, ruffling Truce’s hair.

“Oh, that’s okay,” said Hellen’s mother, Lana. She smiled knowingly hands on hips.

And then Hellen walked forward, sweet little hand extended. She grabbed Truce’s hand and pulled him away from Kathy.

“Come on let’s play,” said Hellen to Truce.

“Go on, it’s okay,” said Kathy, nodding to her son. Truce looked up at his mom unsure.

“It’s okay, dear,” said Kathy. “I’ll be right here, watching you.”

Truce said nothing, but finally relinquished to Hellen’s tugging and let his little legs be lead away.

Kathy watched proudly as her son was pulled toward the playground. Kathy said to Lana: “Now that’s a woman who knows what she wants.”

Truce looked back at Kathy with the funniest look of terror.

Kathy and Lana laughed.

“You have such a beautiful little girl,” said Kathy.

“Oh, she’s not mine--” Lana lowered her hands -- “I mean John and I adopted her. Her real mom died shortly after birth.”

“Oh,” said Kathy.

Spin Me

Truce grabbed the bars and drove his feet into the scattered bark below. He got the merry-go-round going fast and now the girl was really spinning.

“Wee!” she said.

“Come on,” said Truce stopping the merry-go-round. “Let’s go play on the swings.” He turned to run.

“Wait for me,” said Hellen, jumping down. She caught her dress on the edge. “Wait!”

Truce stopped and looked back to see what was taking the girl so long. She was stuck on something.

Truce walked back and saw the problem. He pulled at the girl’s dress and it ripped, allowing her to move free from the bars.

“Thanks,” she said, holding her torn dress.

“What’s your name again?” said Truce.

“Hellen,” she said.

“Heaven,” repeated Truce. He had trouble saying his L’s and didn’t want to be bothered. “Come on Heaven, let’s play.” And then he pulled her toward the swings.

Hell

“Oh, that’s a pretty way to spell Helen,” said Mrs. Scribbins, on the first day of school for her second graders. She looked away from her roster pad to the little girl sitting in the front row. “Spelled with two L’s. Is it a family name?”

Truce watched Hellen shake her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “I didn’t know my real family.”

“Oh,” said Mrs. Scribbins, thinking the spelling was actually a poor choice by whoever named the poor girl. It looked too much like the word Hell. But she sure was a pretty girl. Mrs. Scribbins smiled at her.

“Nice to have you in class, Hellen. Do you have any nicknames?”

“Heaven,” Truce blurted out. He put his hands over his mouth.

The other kids started laughing.

Mrs. Scribbins looked at Truce critically.

Truce could feel all eyes on him.

“Is that what you liked to be called, Hellen?” asked Mrs. Scribbins.

Hellen turned around in her desk to look at Truce. She smiled. “I like anything Trucey calls me.”

The kids laughed and tittered.

“Well then, nice to have you in class, Heaven.”

Truce buried his head in his arms and collapsed against the desk.

Playground

“Trucey, Trucey, Trucey,” taunted Paul.

“Stop calling me that,” said Truce.

“Trucey! Trucey!” chanted Teddy.

“Leave him alone,” said Hellen, coming over to the swings. “You guys aren’t so cool.”

“Look, it’s his girlfriend,” giggled Teddy.

“Trucey and Heaven sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G--” sang Paul.

Truce had enough and slugged Paul in the face.

“Stop!” shrieked Hellen. “Mrs. Scribbins!”

Truce jumped on top of Paul.

Sightless

“What’s wrong with Heaven?” said Truce, trying not to cry.

“She lost her sight, Truce,” said Kathy, looking out the front window. Across the street, Lana Sinely was leading a dejected Hellen around the back of the car.

“What’s wrong with her?” Truce repeated. He didn’t like the way Heaven was shuffling her steps and keeping her head down. She usually moved so easily.

“She’s blind now,” said Kathy. “It’s not your fault. It was an accident.”

Truce cried into Kathy’s pants. The tears came freely.

“I want you to be nice to her,” said Kathy, starting to shed her own tears, as she watched Hellen stumble up the steps to her front door. Lana turned and guided her daughter more carefully, and then closed the front door behind them.

Good God, be nice to her.

Truce

“Hey Heaven, come on,” said Truce, grabbing her shoulders. She had taken his cigarette and now puffed on it. She brushed the long black bangs from her eyes. The eyelids fluttered gently revealing the whites beneath and then wide enough to see the deep brown irises briefly.

Truce loved her eyelids spasms: It was the only time he ever saw her brown eyes. Most of the time she kept the lids closed.

“It’s not good for you,” she said, titling her head toward the sky. Her rounded cheekbones and sharply carved nose profiled against the setting sun. “Father told me that.”

“Stop it Heaven, you don’t even know your father.” Truce readjusted his knees against the street curb.

She turned her head toward his voice. “But if I did I’m sure that’s what he’d say.” She smiled with her mouth; Truce wanted to kiss it.

“Besides, it doesn’t affect me.” She stopped smiling.

Damnit, she was always telling him what was good or not good for him.

“I don’t care about my health...” Truce said, his voice trailing off. He pulled up some blades of grass then let them drop.

“Well, I do,” said Heaven. She took a deep drag and blew out the smoke.

Truce grabbed the cigarette from her hands and threw it down the sewer.

“Hey!” She laughed.

“Well, I wish you wouldn’t care for me so much. I wasted my money on those.”

“Exactly,” she said. “A waste of money. Besides” -- and for the first time all night she actually completely opened her eyes -- “what do you want to give those bastards your money for anyway?” Her eyes turned so dark brown, almost like purple, Truce could swear.

“Nothing,” said Truce, looking away, when her eyelids shut. He took a stick and began to trace a circle on the cement. He looked back at Heaven and a gentle breeze caressed his face.

Birthday Boy

On his twelve birthday, Truce’s mom had secretly invited all the classmates from his homeroom over. Didn’t she know, they hated him? This wasn’t grade school, when everyone was friends with everyone else. But anyway, his classmates at least acted the part, pretending they liked him and singing ‘happy birthday’ and then clapping their hands when he hung his head low and blew out the candles.

And all the while, there stood Heaven, so tall and curvy in her blue dress, arms folded, eyes staring nonsensically into the distance. Her red lipstick rounding a frame for her white teeth.

Truce felt Heaven lean into his shoulders, her warm hips against his arms. Truce wondered if he was the only thing giving her a place to stand steady.

And then Truce realized: this wasn’t such a bad birthday after all.

First Date

Truce had asked Heaven to his friend’s Halloween party. And there she stood in her angel costume, looking back at him. “Are you going to lead me, or what?” she teased.

In the darkness, Truce fumbled with his doggy paws, grabbing the softness of her angel wings, and then grasping her hand awkwardly. He had trouble seeing in the revolving orange pumpkin lights and blinking strobe lights.

“Good doggy,” she said, patting him above his floppy ears. Her wings brushed against his arm.

Suddenly he stopped. “What’s wrong?” she said, bumping into his back.

He smiled at her even though she couldn’t see. “They’re all looking at you, Heaven.”

Prom

The single, trail car glided above the magnetic path running through the city. The glass canopy afforded a full view of the skyscrapers and night sky above. In the seat next to him, Heaven laid her head against Truce’s shoulder.

“How’s the weather up there?” said Heaven, sensing David’s head tilted upwards.

“I wish you could see the stars,” said Truce. “I’ve never seen them shine so brightly.”

“That’s why you always say when I ask you about the night sky,” said Heaven.

Truce laughed. “Yeah, but tonight Heaven, I think you are making them shine more brightly.”

She snuggled her head against his chest. “Thanks Truce.”

“We’re going to be the best looking couple there,” said Heaven.

“Yeah,” Truce snorted. “You will be the best looking girl. But not me. I’ll be the ugliest guy.”

“What do you mean?” said Heaven. “You’re handsome.” She traced her fingers over his nose and then along his jawbone. “I can feel it.”

“If you could see, maybe you wouldn’t think so. My skin is bad…”

“You’re so cruel to yourself.”

“No, I’m just not a genetic freak like you. I mean all the guys I introduce you to instantly fall in love with you.”

“They can’t have me, I’m yours.”

“That’s just because you know me.”

“That’s enough,” said Heaven. “Just to know you.”

“What about to see me? Don’t you want a guy who looks as good as you?”

Their car passed under a bridge casting shadows through the interior.

“I saw you,” said Heaven.

“That’s when we were eight years old. You haven’t seen me in ten years. Things change…”

“Truce, don’t talk like that. I’m the blind one here. I’m the one who got broken.” She shook her head.

Truce laughed, looking at the shopping center their car was now passing. He could see mannequins posing in suits and them some in dresses. “Honestly Heaven, if you weren’t blind, I wouldn’t even be going to the prom. I could never get a date.”

“I would always go with you,” said Heaven. “You’re so hard on yourself.” She pressed velvet lips against his cheek. “Even if I could see, I would beg you to take me!”

She reached out and turned on the stereo. The speakers behind the seats came to life.

Truce stared up into the sky.

Vision

“Truce, I can see!” proclaimed Heaven. She stood just inside the open doorway of Truce’s apartment.

“That’s wonderful,” said Truce, standing up from the couch. “I was worried about you.” Instinctively Truce ducked his head.

“Oh my God,” said Heaven, coming forward. She padded across the carpet and put out her hands. She touched Truce’s face. She raised his lowered eyes to look into hers. Her pupils shrunk and focused. “I’ve haven’t seen you in so long. Twelve years!”

Truce stared into her deep brown eyes: alive for the first time since they were eight years old. Truce couldn’t say a word. He looked to the side of her temple where the microchip implants would be, restoring her vision.

“You’re cute,” she said, smiling. And then she looked over his shoulder. “Teevee!” she exclaimed, staring at the music video playing on Truce’s large screen TV. “We can watch together,” said Heaven. “Come on.” She pulled him by the hand over to the couch.

Other Men

Truce followed Brian’s movements, wondering what she saw in him. Sure he was handsome, sure he confidently brought the fork to Heaven’s lips, sure he was rich.

Truce sat at a darkened corner of the bar and thought shadowy thoughts. He thought about walking over to their table, confronting Brian, possibly punching him in the chops, and then dragging Heaven away. But he knew he would never do it.