#RainbowUnicorn

As per your decree, I submit this story for your approval.

Once upon a time there lived an old man. The old man had niether wife nor

children and was very lonely. He lived outside the village and had lived there

as long as anyone could remember. He lived his days in repetition, doing the

same thing over and over.

At the break of dawn, he would wake up. He needed no alarm or reminder but

did this out of habit. He would get up and fix a meager breakfast that

consisted of an egg and some toast. His drink of choice was plain water. If it

was good enough for the animals to drink, it was good enough for him was his

thinking. Once his breakfast was done he would take a long walk in the

woods.

There was a time when the old man had a profession and worked inside the

village. Those days were past. He would make fine shoes. The children loved

him because he would pay attention to them but the men and women of the

village thought he was odd. He did good work and didn't cause any trouble so

the villagers had tolerated him. While everybody in the village knew the old

man, none of them knew him on a personal level.

Now the old man only entered the village on a weekly basis and for the

purpose of resupplying his tiny cottage with what he needed to survive. His

life was simple. He never indulged in the pleasures that consume others and in

the end cause them to suffer.

When he finished his long walk, he would return to his cottage. Once he was

there he would go about the work that is required to maintain it's normal

operation. Until one is responsible for the upkeep of a dwelling, one doesn't

realize just how much work it takes to care for it.

After his self imposed chores were complete, the old man would sit down and

read. The old man had lived within a few miles of his birth his entire life, but

the characters he read about in his books took him to far away places. He

traveled the world several times over sitting in his favorite chair. Once he had

read for a little while he would think about the things he had just read. He

would lose himself in the wonder that these different experiences suggested to

his mind.

Finally night would fall and he would put himself into bed, only to repeat the

process again the next day.

At the beginning of this story, I mentioned that the old man was lonely and

what I said was true, the thing is that the old man didn't realize he was lonely.

He had spent such a long time absent from the company of other real people

that he had grown accustom to them not being there. His weekly treks into the

village failed to remind him that everybody needs somebody. It really seemed

like nobody needed him and the thought never even occured to him.

One thing that is true is that people talk. People take notice of you and the

things you do even when you don't think that they do. People will talk about

your appreance and actions to each other even when you think that you are

invisible to them. The old man was no exception. When the old man entered

the village each week, the villagers watched him. They talked about his

mannerisms and the things that he purchased during his visits. They

speculated about the things he did outside the village when no one was there

to see what he did. Since the man was old, stories of his youth had been kept

alive to try and explain his strange behavior but no one dared to ask him

plainly.

One boy listened to the stories and had watched the old man when he came

into the village. He would follow the old man around and try not to be

noticed. He became curious about this person that the villagers talked about

but nobody actually talked to. This went on for several months.

One day the boy decided he would follow the old man and see where he lived.

He would be taking a huge risk in doing this because he was not allowed to

leave the village by decree of his parents and besides that, with few

exceptions, no one ever left the village anyway. The possibility of him getting

lost was almost assured the farther he strayed from his familiar surroundings.

The day came when the old man returned to the village. The boy followed him

around as was his custom. When the old man left the village to return home,

the boy continued following him. He stayed far enough away as to keep an

eye on the old man and not be seen. Several times the old man stopped

walking. He took a careful survey of his surroundings as if he were looking for

something specific. Once he was satisfied that everything was normal, he

continued walking again. The boy was nervous. After the old man stopped a

third time he almost sure the old man knew he was being followed.

After walking awhile, the old man turned to the left and the boy lost sight of

him. The boy carefully made his way to the last place he had seen the old man

but once he got there, he didn't see where the old man went. After a few

minutes the boy sat down. He wasn't sure where he was. He wasn't sure where

the village was and he didn't know where the old man went. He just had to

think for a few minutes.

If he couldn't find his way back to the village before nightfall, He was in

danger of being attacked by some wild beast. The old man had made several

turns and the boy wasn't sure if he could go back the way he came. He tried to

keep calm but fear overtook him and he began to panic. Once panic set in he

lost his ability to think clearly.

After about 10 minutes had passed and the boy lost all hope of ever seeing the

village again, the old man appeared as if by magic. The old man didn't speak

but waited for the boy to notice he wasn't alone anymore. After a few more

minutes had passed, the boy looked up from where he was sitting and saw the

old man standing there. The old man just looked at him. The wieght of the old

mans gaze made the boy uncomfortable and he wanted to go home. He stood

up from where he was sitting.

Once the boy stood up, the old man starting walking again. The boy followed

him. He wanted to say something but he kept silent. After a little while they

ended up at the old man's cottage. The old man entered the cottage but the

boy just stood outside because he wasn't sure what to do. The old man left the

door open so the boy could follow and after a few minutes the boy finally did.

When the boy got inside, the old man had already finished slicing off a piece

of bread and some cheese and after putting it on a plate, handed it to the boy.

The boy took the plate from the old man and began to eat. The old man then

sat down at a table and begain eating himself. The boy continued to stand

because there was only one chair at the table which the old man was currently

occupying.

The boy examined the old man as he ate. The old man had short white hair

and blue eyes. The skin on his face had wrinkles in it like it was loosely

attached to his face. The boy then looked around the cottage. There was

something odd about the cottage and it took a few minutes for the boy to

decide what is was. The thing that was odd is that there were no pictures. In

fact there was nothing ornamental in the cottage at all. Everything from the

chair and the table to the plates and the forks where there because they had a

purpose. There was nothing sentimental, nothing to remind someone of a life

that had been lived. Of course the boy didn't think that deeply about the

absense of such things, he just noticed that they were not there.

When the old man was done eating, he got up and went into another room. the

boy dared not move from where he was standing because the old man had not

yet spoken to him and it was not the custom for children to speak first to an

adult.

The old man returned from the room he went into and resumed his normal

routine. The boy noticed that he was holding a book in his hand and

determined that the book must have come from the room the old man

disappeared into. The old man handed a book to the boy and the boy realized

that the old man had brought in two books, not just one. The old man sat back

down in his chair, opened his book and began to read.

The boy still felt uncomfortable but he infered that since the old man had

given him a book, it would be impolite to not at least open it. The boy opened

the book to the first page. He tried reading the book. The book has some

words that he recognizes and some words that he doesn't. Before the boy

realizes it, the old man has gotten up out of his chair and walked over to

where the boy is standing.

The old man could see on the boy's face that he is having trouble reading the

words. So he points to a word on the page and speaks it out loud. Then the old

man goes on to the next word and does the same. He repeats the process until

all the words on the page have been spoken.

This is the first time that the boy had heard the old man's voice. The old man

spoke slow and deliberate. There was a tenderness in his voice which the boy

was not expecting to be there. It put the boy at ease and he started to relax a

little bit. The old man patiently read several pages to the boy and the boy

looked at each word as it was being read. The boy started noticing patterns in

the words and how they were pronounced and after a few pages he became

more familiar with how the words were spoken.

The old man stopped reading abruptly. He closed the books and took them

and put them up. He then took a blanket and made a bed on the hard floor.

After lying down on the bed he had just made, the old man fell asleep.

The boy was astonished at how fast the old man fell asleep after lying down.

It seemed like just a few minutes and he was left alone. The old man did not

say anything else to him after he finished reading the words on the pages of

his book. He mearly made a bed and went to sleep in it.

The boy looked around and noticed that there was an opening to another

room. After entering the room he found an empty bed. The boy realized that

the old man had left the bed for him to sleep in and he started to feel guilty.

After all, he had intruded upon the old man's privacy and became an uninvited

guest. Still, it would be impolite to refuse hospitality so the boy sleep in the

old man's bed.

When the boy woke up in the morning, the realization of what he had done hit him fully. He had left the village without permission. He did not tell anyone what he was doing and he was gone for the entire night. His parents would be worried sick about him and when he turned up, he was sure that his punishment would be more than he could bare. While he was still thinking about this, the old man came in and threw the covers off his bed and walked out. The boy got up and came into the main room to find some breakfast waiting for him. After the boy finished eating, the old man left the cottage. The boy found himself alone. Since the boy did not want to be alone, he followed the old man outside. When he got outside, the old man had already started walking.

The boy followed the old man until they got back into the village. It seemed strange to the boy but the old man seemed to know where he lived because he led him right to the door of his own house. The boy was frightened of returning home because he did not want to be punished for his foolishness.

When his parents opened the door, they found the boy standing next to the old man. They scooped up thier child into their arms because they were so happy to have him back safe and sound. After a few minutes their happiness turned to rage. They motioned the boy inside. They thanked the old man for returning him but other than that they said nothing. They did not ask him any questions nor did they express any anger or dissatisfaction in his actions. The old man did not repond but tipped his head slightly and turned to walk away.

The old man returned to his cottage and his daily routine.

I just turned twelve. Twelve is a horrible age to be. Both socially and pysically awkward, stuck between not being a child anymore and still far from being an adult. I hated it. I wanted it to be over with as soon as possible. I didn't understand how I was suppose to act or what I was supposed to do. I especially didn't understand girls. They scared me. They scared me a lot. They did things that didn't make sense. I had no idea how to act around them. Until things made sense I was going to keep my distance. It seemed like a reasonable plan to me but I didn't know then that fate had made a different decision whether I liked it or not.

A new girl moved into the neighborhood. She just showed up one day without any warning. She had dark hair and freckles on her face, not the type of face that sends your heart into orbit around the moon. I ended up having her in one of my classes at school but I didn't pay much attention to her, that would soon change through no fault of my own.

When she was bored, she would go out and find someone to play with. I started to notice that she would orginize the neighborhood kids into games. She was always thinking of something fun to do and soon all the kids in the neighborhood adored her. It was a matter of days before she was running the place. I asked my mom about her and she said that the couple down the street were foster parents and that she had just been placed with them. I thought that was kind of sad and I started to notice her more.

One day she knocked on our door. When I answered she ordered me to join in the fun with the other children. Well, she said something like "come on, let's play" but it wasn't a question and she wasn't going to be denied her way. Once I saw that she wasn't going to leave me alone until I complied, I did what I was told.

From that moment on, whenever she was bored she would come over and boss me around. We would play games and ride bikes and take walks. One night we sat on her porch swing and she told me about her dreams in life. After awhile I started missing her when she wasn't around. I realized that the thing that I really liked about her is that I never had to guess how I was supposed to act. I've always been considered by other people a little odd but this girl didn't care about that. The thing I hated most in the world was having to guess and with her I never had to do that. It wasn't long before I started looking at her differently.

One of the things she started doing was she would intentionally bump into me and then tell me to watch where I was going. I asked my mom why she did that and my mom said that she had a mild crush on me and that was part of her way of expressing it. We did spend a lot of time together but the thought that she actaully like liked me never occured to me. The thought of anyone liking me as more than a friend was something by brain had a hard time wrapping itself around.

One of the other things about her is that she fiercely defended the people she cared about. Even though her parents didn't take care of her properly, if you said anything about them, even if it was true you were asking for trouble. One day she didn't come over. I would find out later that she had gotten into a fight at school. Somebody said something about me that she didn't like and she let them know it in a violent manner. We never mentioned it between us but when I heard about it I cried because I knew she really cared about me.

Before when I mentioned that fate had a different plan for me. It turned out to be a much better plan than the one I had. I started to feel like I was in heaven whenever she was around. I didn't have to ask her whether she liked me or not. She already acted like she owned me and I suppose in a way she did. I would have done anything for her and I think she knew it. She could have taken great advantage of that but she never did.

The day came when fate decided to deal me a cruel blow. The girl that I had completely fallen in love with was being moved to another foster home in another city. I never told her how I felt about her but I think she knew. We said goodbye and I never saw her again.

I'm walking along a creek with this girl. She has deep blue eyes and curly black hair. Her shirt is only buttoned half way up and underneath she is wearing a bathing suit top. The sky is blue and the sun is out. It's hot but not too hot. She has blue jean shorts on. As we walk along the edge of the creek I hold her hand. I can feel the warmth of her smile penetrate my soul. I'm really happy. We talk about anything and everything as we walk. After a while I can hear my mom calling us. Some fresh lemonade would be great. I try to remember this girls name but for some reason I can't remember it. I know I should know it but I don't. I can't shake the feeling that something is not right. I just don't know what it is.

A woman walks down a plain corridor. She has been down this corridor a thousand times. She stops in front of a plain white door that has a single clear window in it. She gazes into the window and she sees a young man sitting on the floor of a plain white room. He is rocking back and forth and smiling. He has a blank look on his face and his blank eye's suggest that nobody is home. Tears gently fall down the lines in her face. It wasn't always like this, but now it is. She asks the doctor is there has been any progress at all. the doctor explains that the young man's mind has been completely cut off from the outside world. He has not responded to any attempts to reach him. Scans suggest there is brain activity, so there is hope. The woman can't stand it any longer and has to walk away.

I'm in a roller coaster. We had been standing in line to get on for almost an hour. At least it seems like it was an hour. Now I can't remember. Anyway, we are starting our acent. We are going higher and higher. The girl with the burly black hair is sitting in the seat next to me. She is anticipating the exhiliration we will be experiencing in just another moment. The car reaches the top of the climb and then starts it's rapid descent down the other side. We are now walking through the amusement park. The girl with the curly black hair is walking really close to me and I have my arm around her. I can feel with warmth of her body agianst mine but I don't remember the roller coaster ride we just went on. It was like my life just fast forworded. The girl is eating cotton candy and she turns to me and gives me a kiss. I don't remember buying her cotten candy. I feel like something isn't right. I have felt like this for awhile but I just can't place my finger on it.

The woman is in a small consoltation room. The doctor explains that there is still something they could try to reach the young man. The doctor explains that sights or smells or even touch can have a powerful impact on the mind. He asks if she can remember anything that he felt strongly about before the incident. The woman said that he had this crush on a girl at school. The only thing she knew about the girl was that she had black curly hair. The doctor said there might be a chance the girl could reach him if she would agree to come. It was a long shot, but at this point they were desperate.

A girl with black curly hair walk down a plain white corridor. She has never walked down a corridor like this. It was bright but depressing. She was nervous. She didn't even know this young man she might be able to help. She was instructed to stop in front of a plain white door with a single clear glass window in it. She looked in at the young man. She didn't recognize him. She was told to go into the room and hold him. To whisper in his ear to come back. She entered the room and held him in her arms as her was instructed. She felt the warmth of his body and felt the motion of his rocking back and forth. She started to whisper.

I'm sitting on the sofa watching TV. I'm not really sure what it is I'm watching though. I have a bowl of chips in front of me and I think I'm eating them but I don't ever really take a bite of one. The girl with the burly black hair is sitting next to me. She puts her arms around me and hold me. I can feel the warmth of her body. It feels really good. She whispers something in my ear. At first I can't make out what it is but then it starts becoming clear. She tells me it's ok, I can come back now. I don't understand but she keeps repeating it. It feels different than before. Something is not right but I follow the sound of her voice. It's not coming from the room I am in, It's coming from somewhere else. Anxiety hits me like a ton of bricks.

I'm in a plain white room. I feel the warmth of someone holding me. It's the girl with the curly black hair. I recognize her but realize I have no idea who she is. She is softly whispering to me that it's ok, I can come back now. The warmth of her body comforts me and I start to cry. The girl, who had her own eyes closed until now is startled. She releases her hold on me for a moment but then hold me tighter. She tells me it's okay, and that I'm safe now.

The tension was there. It was always there. You could feel it permeate their small apartment the moment you walked into it. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Tina stayed in the room she shared with her brother Tim. If you weren’t seen they couldn’t take their wrath out on you so the children tried to be seen as little as possible.

Tina’s parents fought constantly. The shouting matches were a regular event. They argued over the fact that Tina’s dad has been out of work for over 6 months. They argued over little tendencies that annoyed them. They argued over bills. They argued over trivialities. Tina thought that they must have been in love once, but she couldn’t remember when that time was. Tina and her brother just wanted it to stop. The children did not know anything about religion, but they did see someone praying in a movie once and didn’t know what else to do so they gave it a shot. Tina and her brother got down on their knees and not knowing anything about prayer etiquette just said simply, “God, please make them stop”.

The next morning a Police Officer showed up at their house. Tina watched from her room as the Police Officer spoke to her mother. After the Police Office had finished speaking, Tina’s mother began to sob uncontrollably. She called the children out. She got down on her knees so that she could look them in the eye and after composing herself she explained that their daddy left the house last night, got drunk, got into a fight that got out of hand and now was dead.

The children started crying. They cried and didn’t stop. Tina felt guilty. It was her fault that her daddy was dead because of the prayer she prayed. She prayed that the fighting would stop and now it would. Her parents would never argue again because her daddy was dead.

“I’m sorry mommy, it’s all my fault. I didn’t mean to do it. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Tina said frantically.

“Didn’t mean to do what?” Her mother asked trying her best to sound calm and soothing.

“I prayed that God would stop you and daddy from yelling at each other and he did.” Tina replied sobbing.

“God didn’t kill daddy.” Tina’s mother said trying to reassue Tina that it wasn’t her fault. “daddy made a bad choice and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes it was. You and daddy will never yell at each other again and that’s what I asked God for” Tina said correcting her mother.

“I know it seems that way. But it’s really not your fault for wanting mommy and daddy to stop fighting.” Her mother countered.

There was no time to mourn though, The children still had to go to school and Tina’s mom still had to go to work. She worked as a waitress for a middle of the road type restaurant. Management was unsympathetic and there was no time off provided for bereavement. After making several mistakes due to a lack of concentration, Tina’s mom was told her services would no longer be required.

The children arrived at school and was told of their recent misfortune. The school system had the children speak to a breavement counselor. Tina repeated the same story to the bereavement counselor that she told her mother. How she was the one at fault and that her dad died because of the result of her prayer. The counselor said that she wasn’t all that familiar with God but she was pretty sure that God didn’t kill people to solve other people’s problems or there would be a lot more dead people lying around. This explanation didn’t convince Tina that she was not at fault or that God didn’t kill people if he wanted to. After speaking to the children, the counselor recommended that the children submit to regular counseling in order for them to overcome the trauma that they had suffered through.

Tina’s mom had to decide what to do and she didn’t have a lot of time to do it. There really wasn’t any reason to stay in the city. She had moved here for her husband and now that her husband was gone, it didn’t make any sense to stay. She thought about moving back home to Vermont. She didn’t leave home on good terms however, she was a reckless and rebellious teen who wanted to experience the world. She hooked up with some guy that she thought would make her world complete and they had two children together. It didn’t quite work out the way she planned as is often the case.

She hadn’t spoken to her parents in many years and she would have to swallow her pride if she were to go back. But she thought she could do that if it meant a better life for her children. Now that she was on her own, she had the freedom and responsibility to make all the decisions regarding her family.

She sold all their possessions except for some changes of clothes. It was just enough for the bus trip back home. She tried dialing her parents phone number several times but fear and axiety stopped her. She wasn’t sure how they would react. The process of her leaving hurt them both deeply. After several tries she finally got up the courage to complete dialing the number. As the phone rang she waited for what seemed like an eternity. Then someone spoke, “Hello?” the familiar voice answered. There was silence for a few seconds and then Tina’s mom spoke up, “Hi mom, it’s me” she replied. There was silence. The

silence went on for several minutes so she spoke again, “mom, are you there?” she asked.

“Is it really you sweetheart?” Her mom finally answered.

“Yes mom, it’s me. I’m so sorry for everything. I want to come home.” she pleaded.

“You don’t know how many times I’ve prayed for this.” her mom said, “To see my precious little girl again.”

“I’m not alone mom.” Tina’s mom said, “I have a couple of kids of my own now. I think it’s time that you should meet them.”

“When will you be here?” Her mother asked.

“We’re leaving on the afternoon Bus. We’ll be there sometime tonight.” Tina’s mom answered.

“Why now? did something happen? are you okay?” Tina’s mom asked in a flurry of questions.

“I will fill you in when I get there. I love you mom.” She said

“I love you too sweetheart” Her mom replied.

When Tina’s mom got off the phone, she made sure everything was packed so that when the children got out of school, they would be all set to go. There wasn’t much to pack, just a couple of changes of clothes fit nicely into a grocery bag. Now she just waited.

When the children got home from school. They noticed all their stuff was gone. She got down on her knees, like she did when she told them their father died, and told them they were taking a trip to see her parents. The children were unsure. Their room was a place of comfort and security and they weren’t sure they wanted to leave it behind. It kept the cold cruel world outside where it belonged. It took some cajoling but Tina’s mom finally convinced her children it was for the best.

Tina’s mom was anxious the whole bus ride. She was anxious because she didn’t know how her father would react upon seeing her again since they left on such bad terms. The children were restless and she had a hard time keeping them settled down. As the evening wore on, the children started winding down as well and Tina’s mom had the chance to rest for a few hours before they got to their destination.

When Tina’s mom and the children got off at the bus stop. Tina’s grandfather was waiting for them. As soon as he saw his daughter get off the bus and before she knew what was happening he held her is his arms and kissed her on the cheek. He didn’t say anything at all but just held her tight. Tina’s mom could feel the love in her father’s embrace and her anxiety diminished. The children just stood there. When he finally did let go of her, she introduced him to his grandchildren. He gave them each a sucker which they both took gladly. They all piled into his old pickup and he drove them home. On the way home, nobody said anything for a long time. Then Tina’s mom finally spoke up, “Daddy I’m sorry for everything.”

“What’s done is done.” He replied, “What’s important is that you’re home now.”

When they got home, there was a hot supper waiting for them. When Tina’s mom sat down to start eating, she broke down and started sobbing uncontrollably. The love and forgiveness of her parents had washed over her since the moment she got off the bus and now it was overwhelming her. After all she had done to them all those years ago she is now being treated like a prized treasure. She had felt so worthless lately that she wasn’t sure how to handle it, so she did the only thing she felt like doing which was to cry.

The children fell alseep next to their mother on the sofa. Tina’s mom and Tina’s grandma talked well into the wee hours of the morning. Tina’s mother filled her in on her life from the past decade. How she fell in love and got married, how she had two children, how her husband started changing. She told her about the fighting and how unbearable life had been recently and then she told her about her husband’s untimely demise and then finally about her decision to come home.

Tina’s grandmother told Tina’s mother how she had prayed for her everyday and that she never gave up hope that one day God would bring her back home. When her mother mentioned prayer, she remembered what Tina had told her about how Tina thought God had answered her own prayer. “Mom, do you think God would just kill somebody?” Tina finally decided to ask.

“Why would you ask a question like that?” She inquired.

“Because Tina said that she prayed that God would stop my husband and I from yelling at each other and that same night is the night he was killed. Tina believes that God answered her prayer by killing her daddy.” Tina’s mom explained.

“I don’t believe that God gives up on anybody.” Tina’s mom said, “He wouldn’t just go and kill someone like that to solve Tina’s problem.”

“I thought that too.” Tina’s mom confessed, “But now I’m not so sure this isn’t for the best and it also answered your prayer for me to come home.”

“I don’t believe for even one second that God killed your husband. People make choices and those choices have consequences.” Tina’s grandmother reaffirmed.

Tina slept in the next morning. There wasn’t anywhere she had to go or anyplace she had to be. She did have to let the school know that the children would not be attending there anymore but other than that she was free. It felt good to be able to relax for once. To not have to worry about anything. She felt the weight lift from her because she realized that she wasn’t alone here like she was in the city. She didn’t have to have all the answers right now. She had time to figure out what to do with her life.

When Tina’s mother did finally get up. She walked into the kitchen and found that Tina and her brother were ‘helping’ their grandmother with breakfast. She smiled despite the mess that had been made. Her children were smiling and her mother looked like she was having the time of her life. It didn’t matter to her that they were making a mess of the kitchen, what mattered to her was catching up on spending time with her grandchildren.

Tina’s mother spent the next few days doing nothing. She stayed in the house and either slept or watched television. The full force of her husband’s death had not yet hit her, she was catching up on her rest which she desperately needed. The children were getting restless and she needed to get them back into a routine but she didn’t feel like it.

After letting her daughter lay around for a week, Tina’s grandmother decided it was time for her to get out of the house. She sent her out on errands. She would send her into town get pick up odds and ends. Sometimes she would send her for groceries. Sometimes she would send her into town for no reason at all. Anything to get out and about. The children had to go back to school and eventually she would need to get a job.

The other thing Tina’s mother would have to do is go back to church. She went when she was a child but her parents made her, as soon as she left home, that all stopped. It’s not that she hated church, its just that she didn’t see what good it did. She wasn’t sure she believed God existed or not but her parents insisted that while she stayed with them, she would go. When she went back to church, she discovered it was the same church she had attended when she was a child. The Pastor was different but some of the people were the same. She felt a little embarrased because some of those people were aware of her history but they all greeted her warmly. She still felt completely out of place and had a hard time concentrating on what the Pastor was saying.

The children had their own teaching that was geared toward them. There was music and puppets and they got to participate by reading off cards and reguritating lesson points. The children got to meet and play with children thier own age and that was the part of the service that they enjoyed the most.

The women of the church had organized into a group that participated in community service. They would visit shut-in’s and delivery food to those in need. They organized Biblical studies and they also organized social events where they would consume various food items and discuss current events. Being part of a group that had the pulse of the community would be beneficial for when Tina’s mother was ready to get a job again.

Tina’s grandmother made it her mission to involve Tina’s mother is this group as much as possible. The more she becomes involved in the community the better chance that she will stay and Tina’s grandmother did not want to see her daughter leave her again, not after all these years.

Tina’s mother was aware of this plan because it was not a secret. Despite that fact, Tina’ mother was indeed becoming more and more a part of the group and the community. It took a while but Tina’s mother started to look forward to the interaction with the other women. She even started getting to know them and started forming friendships. When the time came to get a job, they pointed her in the direction of a local diner where she started working doing the thing she was most familiar with, waitressing.

Tina’s mother was starting to feel more hopeful. She had a job and she had friends. She was finally starting to feel like she had a life for the first time. She was also starting to feel guilty. She was feeling guilty because she was happy her husband was dead. She was grateful for Tina’s prayer and maybe this was how God had decided to give her a new start.

It was a this point that she starting seeing someone out of the corner of her eye. She started seeing him everywhere. It was like he was following her. She couldn’t make out the features of his face and when she would turn to look at him directly to get a better view he wouldn’t be there. It was like he had vanished into thin air. After a few days of this kind of thing she started to feel anxious again. The idea of someone stalking her was nervewracking. She would ask people who were nearby her if they saw someone but nobody was ever paying close enough attention to answer her plainly.

After a few weeks of this kind thing happening to her, Tina’s mother started to feel like she was losing her mind. Then one day she turned to look and he was still there. She started to walk toward him to get a better look at his facial features. Once she got close enough to see him clearly, she almost fainted. It was her husband. She knew what she was seeing must be a ghost but he looked real enough to touch. Once she composed herself enough she said “I thought you were dead?”

“How you could just leave me behind after everything we’ve been through?” He asked. Tina was shocked at the fact that he spoke to her.

“I didn’t leave you, you left me. How could you do this to me?” She countered.

“You think it was my idea. You think leaving you alone with the kids was my idea. I’m not the one who prayed.” He responded.

“Yes, I do think it was your idea, it would be just the kind of selfish thing you would do. To leave me alone with the children so you wouldn’t have to deal with it anymore.” She started to get histerical. People passing by her on the street shot her worried looks. She seemed to be having an argument with the surrounding atmosphere.

“I did everything for you but nothing I did ever mattered. I loved you.” He stopped speaking at this point. She didn’t respond for a moment. She knew he was right. Nothing was ever good enough. No matter how he tried it just was never right. She broke down right there on the street and started crying uncontrollably. “I’m sorry.” she said back to him, “I’m sorry I’m happy that you’re gone. I’m sorry you had to die to make me happy.” His image disappeared.

A few minutes later Tina’s granmother arrived. Someone who had witnessed Tina’s mothers breakdown had called her and she came. She wrapped her arms around her daughter and comforted her. “I shouldn’t be happy that he’s dead.” she said, “I’m such a horrible person.”

“You’re not a horrible person.” Tina’s grandmother countered, “You’ve just been put in a horrible situation.” She helped her in the car and she drove her home.

There's a knock on the door. It takes me completely by surprise because nobody ever comes over. At least not anybody that I actually know. We used to have salespeople knock on our door but that was pre-internet. Now the only people that knock on our door are Jehovah Witnesses but I haven't seen one of them for a long time. The last time one came over I asked them if nobdoy is going to go to hell, what do I need to join your church for because I heard once that Jehovah Witnesses don't believe that hell is an actual place. It kind of takes the fear of eternal damnation out of the equation. Since then they don't come over anymore.

I open the door. It's like looking into a mirror except this version of me has style. His hair is styled and it looks like he bothered to shave this morning, unlike me. He was wearing a silk shirt and had what must have been a two thousand dollar watch on his wrist. When I saw the watch I knew this couldn't possibly be me because I can't stand watches. "You look vaguely familiar." I comment after giving this guy a once over.

"You look patethic" Was his reply. He made no effort to hide the disgust in his voice. I have heard of self loathing but this took that to a whole different level. He stepped past me and entered my humble abode. If he was disgusted with my physical appearance, the appearance of my dumpy apartment did nothing to elevate his opinion of me. "What is wrong with you?" He asked as he was forced to concede that a lower class version of himself was not only possible but that he was staring at it.

"Do you have a few minutes?" I asked in response, "It's a pretty long list."

"How is it possible that we are the same person?" He asked. He was started to look depressed. Maybe that's why nobody wants to hang around me, just the sight of me causes people to want to commit suicide.

"Hey, are you saying that you and I are related?" I interjected, "because I'm not seeing it."

I thought the guys eye's wre going to pop out of his head. He was clearly having a hard time with my apparant lack of social status.

"I will try and explain it using small words that even young children can understand, You and I are the same person, from different realities. I have developed a machine that allows me to travel to different realities and that is how I got here." He talked slow. I was starting to get the impression he thought I was an idiot.

"Can we go back to your reality, It looks like I'm doing a lot better in your reality than I am doing in mine?" I was sure this guy lived in a mansion or something. If I can't have the warmth of human company without paying for it, it would sure be nice to have some top of the line stuff to help take some of the sting off.

"No" was his single word reply.

"Man, can't you cut me some slack" I begged," Can't you see I'm down on my luck"

"I don't think luck had anything to do with your condition," was his response, "But I will take you back with me IF you can beat me in a game of chess."

"Okay, so all I have to do is beat myself in a game of chess. Okay, I accept your challenge." I respond.

"Do you even know how to play chess?" He asked.

"Of course I know how to play chess." I respond as if the question was offensive.

"Fine." He takes out a chess set that he had been carrying (but I didn't notice it until this moment) and starts setting up the pieces. He takes two pawns, one white and one black in each hand and places his hands behind his back. After a few minutes he places his hands straight out and I pick one. I picked the white piece and I think perhaps my luck in changing after all.

I start the game off by flipping him the bird. I mean I started with Birds opening and when he tries to sacrifice his Kings pawn I transition into a King's gambit. The game was pretty textbook until we got well into the middle game. It was then that I made my mistake. My doppleganger took immediate advantage and I found myself on the losing side again. I guess I just wasn't meant to be anything.

"For a moment you showed promise." He said, "and then the moment was gone." The condisenion in his voice was gone and all that remained was the sadness over lost potential. He said he could not bare my presence any longer and said goodbye. Before he left he gave me a roll of twenty dollar bills and told me not to get myself into trouble with them. A couple months later a government agent appeared on my doorstep saying something about conterfiet money. I told him I had no idea what he was talking about but I got 20 years to life anyway. Thanks for nothing duplicate me.

I looked into her deep blue eyes. She closed them and drew closer to me for the purpose of pressing her lips against mine. It was a soft sensual kiss that lingered for several minutes. When the kiss had concluded she drew away again. She opend those amazing eyes and smiled at me.

"How was that?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"It was amazing" I replied.

"You relax while I make breakfast." She said as she got up out of bed. She was wearing an oversized shirt which fell to just below her waist. After she kissed me it left my imagination running wild.

"How do you know what I'm in the mood for?" I asked.

"I always know what you are in the mood for." she replied in a suggestive voice.

I laid there in bed alone while my companion cooked me my perfect breakfast. I didn't need to tell her what I wanted. She already knew and she knew how to cook it just the way I liked it. I marveled at her intuition. At the way she could read my body language and adapt her bahavior to whatever the situation was. Nothing escapes her attention and she can alwasy tell when I'm lying. It was almost kind of creepy how much of an open book I was to her.

"Breakfast is ready!" she called from the kitchen.

I got up out of bed and went the the table. When I sat down I had two fried eggs with the yoke a little runny, 4 strips of bacon and English muffin and a glass of orange juice. She sat down accross the table from me and watched me eat.

"Do you like it?" She asked.

"I love it." I replied. She smiled and continued to watch me eat. When I was done she took my dishes and I got dressed for work. When I was ready to walk out the door, she gave me another, less sensual but still highly satifying kiss. "Have a good day a work dear." She said. I paused for a moment.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Do you love me?" I asked her.

"Of course I love you." She responded.

"How do you know?" I asked her again.

"Because that's the way I was programmed." She stated matter of factly.

Lilith was deep inside the caverns of Miranda 7, a small lifeless rock hurtling through space around a small white star. She knew it would only be a matter of time before they found her. She erected a force shield around her position. Let them come, she thought, but they would have a hard time actually getting to her position and by the time they did, it would be too late.

Lilith didn't want to rule the universe, she wanted to outlive it. Those beings whose medicine had become absolute think they are going to live forever, but they are wrong. When the universe dies, everything dies with it. What has been will be again and Lilith planned on being alive when that happened. She wasn't going to die with the universe. She was truly going to be immortal.

Lilith pulled out a device and started pressing some buttons. When she did a portal opened revealing a sort of holding space. She reached in and removed several pieces of something that looked like it had been broken. The pieces started to glow. She removed another piece that she was keeping in a sack that she had carried with her. That piece started to glow as well. The pieces came together and started to fuse into a single piece. She took out another device and placed it on her skin. She pressed a few buttons and she became encased in something that resembled a cocoon. Soon Lilith thought, "This universe will be over and I'll be able to start again".

Commander Varn was the most feared being in the universe. It wasn't because of his size or strength that caused fear, but because of the ship that he commanded. His ship carries the most powerful weapon that has ever been developed. It was nicknamed the 'Planet Buster', and has the capability of destroying an entire planet.

When an enemy fleet of a thousand ships attacked, a single ship was sent to oppose them. The enemy fleet must have thought it was some kind of joke, but when Varn fired his ultimate weapon and destroyed them all, the universe took notice and an empire was born. Now he was on a mission to save the universe. Commander Varn was neither a tyrant nor a philanthropist, He didn't go out of his way to protect people and he didn't use his weapon unless there was a good reason. Now there was a good reason.

Commander Varn was informed that they were almost in range of Miranda 7. He entered the bridge and gave the order to fire as soon as the planet was in range. His confidence in the success of his mission was contagious and spread quickly to the rest of the crew. He knew that nobody could withstand the might of his ship. Whoever they were would never know what hit them. One shot was all it would take.

After several minutes had passed the planet was in range. The doomsday weapon was fired without fanfare and a beam of incredible power struck Miranda 7, breaking it up into millions upon millions of tiny pieces. Commander Varn ordered a sensor sweep. He knew nothing could have survived the blast but he wanted to make it official. The officer who was operating the sensor sweep detected two foreign objects that remained intact. Commander Varn asked if there were any life signs. The officer claimed there was one life sign. He was also about to say that the other object was glowing but he never got the chance.

Lilith closed her eyes. The pieces fused together forming some kind of egg. Moments later all the matter in the universe including Lilith was sucked into the egg. Moments after that task had been completed, the egg hatched forming a new universe with Lilith still intact inside her cocoon. The egg itself broke into several pieces that went hurtling in different directions as the new universe was forming.

Jeff woke up. He looked accross at the emply spot next to him. The previous night the warm body of the woman he had been married to for 20 years took that position. Today for the first time in years he woke up alone. He felt numb. The trauma of having to submit to this kind of change had overloaded his nervous system. He looked around the room. Yesterday this was a home, warm and vibrant with life. Today it is just a place to keep all his crap.

The house looked the same as it did the day before. The walls where still adorned with the same pictures. The same knick knacks filled shelves. The same family pictures were scattered about in various places. But without her it was no longer a home. Without her it no longer had a purpose. It was just a place to crash for the night.

He got up out of bed and walked down the hall. There were two other bedrooms in the house. The first one he passed he looked inside. There was a princess bed and small vanity was in one corner of the room. Dolls laid on the floor. Just the previous night his daughter Jennifer snuggled close to him as he read her a bed time story. He remembered her putting her small arms around his neck and kissing him for the last time. Now the room was vacant. Just the reminders were left.

The last bedroom had a racecar bed. On the wall was a poster of Spiderman from the comic books. His son Paul had just learned how to catch a baseball. He had been practicing with him and when he finally got the hang of it, it was a proud moment. Now along with that moment, he's gone.

Jeff didn't feel like eating. He didn't feel like doing anything. Unfortunately he had to go on living. It wasn't one day at a time, it was one minute at a time. The life he had built had been torn down. He still had his job and his money. He still had all the material things he had yesterday, but today it didn't matter. Without her lips pressing against his to wish him a good day. Without the little arms around his neck giving him a hug it meant nothing.

He would feel anger in time. He would feel regret in time. He would feel hopeless in time. But that time was not now. Now he had to take care of business. The question of why she had to leave him and take his reason for living with her would have to wait. Jeff threw some clothes on and got into his car. He didn't care about his appearance now. She wasn't there to scold him for wearing the same pants several days in a row.

He backed out of the driveway. The drive downtown seemed to go in slow motion. He didn't want to go but he wanted to get it over with. Finally he reached his destination. He got out of his car, entered the building and identified the bodies.