Rebecca and Her Angel, Part I

As promised, a short story. Hopefully this is a bit happier than my last posts.


The van pulled up in front of the old church. Rebecca sank into her seat as she observed the grey brick building, with its dark windows.
“Home, sweet Home. Aren’t you excited Rebecca?” her mom asked.
“No.” Rebecca hugged her giraffe with it’s matching pink bandana tighter. “I want to go home.”
“Rebecca. This is home. I know, its new, and all of your friends are not here, but we moved here for you. It is closer to the hospital, and it’s filtering system will help keep you from getting sick. We just want to keep you safe.”
“I know.”
“Look, there’s your father coming to greet us.” Rebecca looked to see her father coming out of the double oak doors. He was dressed in his outdated bright green vest and tan bell bottoms. Rebecca slid even further into her seat. When would he ever learn to dress and act his age? Her father came up and opened the side door where Rebecca was sitting.
“There’s my Becca-boo! Want to come see your room?”
“Sure, dad.” Her dad took her hand and helped her out of the van. Rebecca clung to her giraffe as she stood there, looking at her new home. Her dad squeezed her hand, and together they went into the church. She craned her neck as she walked through the main hall, trying to see all of the carvings in the stone, and the pictures hanging on the wall. Her dad had just finished showing her the kitchen, his office, and where their bedrooms were, when the phone started ringing.
“I got to get that, but feel free to explore. You can’t hurt anything.” With that he flew to answer the phone. Rebecca felt lost and alone, but curiosity got the best of her, and she started running and looking in every door. Many rooms she peeked into looked empty, and just as alone as she felt. She wondered what had gone on in those rooms, many bare except for a cross or lamb hung on the wall near a window. She had looked through the entire west side of the church, so she ran to the other side. She came to two huge carved doors, with stained glass at their tops. She tugged at the doors; heavily they creaked open. Once the doors were opened, Rebecca stood there in awe. The room was huge, flooded in colored lights from the numerous stained glass windows. The aisle seemed to go on forever, running up to the front of the church where a life-size crucifix was standing. Rebecca walked slowly down the aisle, noticing the high arched ceiling, and the dusty oak pews that were staggered down the main aisle. When she reached the front of the church, she started up the few steps, peering at the statue of Jesus. She tripped, landing on her hands and knees, with a few tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. Kneeling, she looked up at the face of Christ, contorted in pain, his tears similar to hers. She didn’t like the way he looked, and she got up, still clutching her giraffe. She moved past the rows were the choir sat, and the baptismal font. There beyond it all was a door. Rebecca pushed and pulled at the knob, but it would not budge. Frustrated, she looked around noticed a key lying next to the door on the floor. She picked it up and turning it in the keyhole, she heard it click, and pushing, the door swung open.
Rebecca peered into the room. It looked like a small chapel. She thought it curious that a chapel should be hidden away like this in the main sanctuary. She wondered if she should even be there, but she remembered her father had said she could not hurt anything. The room was filled with a bright blue light that was much brighter than the sanctuary. It also seemed warmer in the little chapel. Rebecca took a deep breath and walked into the room. She walked around the stone wall which separated the main part of the chapel from the doorway, and looked up to see a huge stained glass window, bigger than any other she had seen in the church. It was the only thing in the room besides one lone pew, positioned right in front of the window. Rebecca went and sat in the pew, and looked at the pictures in the window. It was fairly simple, a cross sitting on a hill in the distance, with an angel seated in front of the open tomb. The angel took up most of the foreground, and Rebecca felt jealous of her. In fact, she hated the angel, with her long blonde hair. Rebecca adjusted her pink bandana, with its white polka dots. She could remember having long hair, (not blonde), but it had come down past her shoulders. That was three years ago, when Rebecca was seven. Her family had been given the news that Rebecca had leukemia, and that she might not make it to her ninth birthday. Rebecca had fought hard though, and it had gone into remission when she was almost nine. Her whole family had been so happy, until the doctors had told them eight months later that it was back. That’s why her parents had decided to move here, so they did not have to stay in the hospital with Rebecca all the time, and so that she would not get as sick as often. Rebecca looked up at the angel again, noticing something on the angel’s face. She stood up to look at it closer. There was a crack in the glass running down her face, yet it was so tiny it looked like the angel was crying, like a single tear painted on by the artist. “Maybe she is sad and lonely, like me.” thought Rebecca. “Maybe she feels different too.”
Rebecca had just sat down again, when she heard her mom calling her. She went out of the chapel, locking the door behind her, and she rushed back down the aisle to where her mother was looking for her in the narthex.
“There you are Rebecca. What do you think?”
“It is okay, mom. Its different, but, I think it will be okay.”
“I’m glad you think so. I’ve got a surprise for you. Come here.” Rebecca followed her mother into her mom’s office. There on her desk was a brand new computer. Rebecca threw her arms around her mom in excitement.
“A new computer? But, I thought. . .”
“Your father and I bought it so that we all can keep in touch with our old friends.”
“Oh thank you mom!”
“You’re welcome. Now what do you say we start unpacking the boxes in your room?”
“Okay!”
Rebecca did not think about the angel for the rest of the weekend. When she came home from school on Monday she found her dad pushing and pulling and even trying to pick the lock of the door, trying to get into the room.
“What are you doing dad?”
“Trying to get the door open, but it appears to be stuck, or locked.”
“Why are you trying to get the door open?”
“To see what is back there. I figure it’s just a closet where they kept robes and costumes for plays, but I’d still like to see it. I didn’t realize anything was back there until I walked around the building this morning, and I saw a blue glass window. I figured the room must be over here, because none of the other windows are blue.” Rebecca looked around the room, and noticed that blue was absent from every window. She remembered her angel was dressed in blue, though.
“I think it’s just a closet. Would you come help me with my homework?”
“Sure, sweetheart. I’ll come as soon as I get this door open.”
“No, daddy, I want help now. Please?”
“Okay. I’ll come right now.” Rebecca felt relieved. She did not want anyone to know about her angel. For some reason, Rebecca just seemed to connect to the angel, and she felt it was there just for her. After she finished her homework, Rebecca crept back to the chapel to see the angel. She looked just as beautiful, and just as sad.
“I wish you were alive, so we could be friends. I don’t have many friends, especially at my new school. They pick on me, because of my cancer.” Rebecca felt like she was going to cry, and she hung her head. She was startled when she felt a hand lift up her chin and wipe away the tear that had streaked down her cheek. There standing before her was the angel from the window. Rebecca could see right through her, yet at the same time she seemed as solid as the grey stone behind her. The angel’s hair and blue robes seemed to blow in their own magic wind, whipping around her body. She floated about a foot off the ground, and there on her glowing face was the single tear. She seemed almost happy as she looked at Rebecca.
“Hello.”
“Hello.” The angel’s voice seemed distant, yet rung like a thousand silver bells.
“I’m Rebecca. How are you here? You were glass, in the window.”
“God sent me to you. I am Sarah.”
“Sarah. I like that name. But why would God send you to me?”
“Because he knew you needed a friend.”
“Oh. Sarah?”
“Yes, Rebecca?”
“I’m glad you are here.”
“I’m glad I’m here, too.” Sarah’s face beamed. “If you should ever need me, just call my name, and I will be there. I promise.”
“Okay.”
“Are you alright now?”
“Yeah. I guess I am. Are you leaving?”
“Only for a little while. I will always be here.” She gestured to the window.
“Oh, okay. Goodbye Sarah.”
“Goodbye Rebecca.” And with those words, she disappeared. Rebecca rushed to the window and touched the cool glass, looking into the angel’s face, to see if what had happened was real. As she looked, Sarah winked at her, and Rebecca knew God had sent Sarah to her.
Everyday after school, Rebecca would rush home to talk to Sarah. Sarah always knew how Rebecca was feeling and just how to cheer her up when she was sad. Together they played in the little room; dress-up, tea party, checkers and everything Rebecca never got to play by herself. Sarah was also there holding Rebecca’s hand at each of Rebecca’s Chemo treatments. With Sarah, Rebecca was not afraid, and she did not cry when the boys teased her and the girls laughed. With Sarah, she was happy.

To be continued...