A Lily For Joshua

Chapter 8: The Miracle

Chapter 8: The Miracle

Suddenly a hand rests on my shoulder. I turn to it, tears blurring my vision. I blink, and when I can see, if I had been breathing, I probably would have died because I would have stopped breathing. Then I started to sob harder because this man had died for me and for everyone. He gave me a hug and told me everything would be fine. He told me to wait a little longer. Everything would be just fine. He told me to go and find my grandparents and my brother and sister. They were waiting for me. I dry my eyes and stand up. He hugs me one more time and I go to find my family. Izzy sees me first.

"JOSHUA!!!" She yells loudly. I'm pretty sure Lily would have been able to hear her if she had not been sobbing so loud. Izzy runs to me and I run to her and fall to my knees, catching my little sister in my arms. She starts crying.

"Joshie, Joshie," she says with a hiccup. I giggle and she does too.

"Izzy, Izzy," I say. I missed you, I think.

Instead, I kiss her forehead and say, "I love you and I didn't mean anything I said at all. I was just mad at you." She kisses my cheek.

"I know, Joshie," she says. I hug her again. My intelligent little angel.

"JOSHUA!" I hear again. This time it's Andrew. He jumps into our hug and kisses my cheek sloppily. I laugh and ruffle his hair.

"Joshua? Is that you?" I turn. It's grandma and grandpa. They died when I was little, so I don't really remember them.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" I say, with a smile and a sob. They join our hug and I just sob.

"Don't cry, Joshie," Izzy says.

"Oshie, cry?" Andrew asks. He's a funny kid. He could always only ever say the 'j' sound when he said my full name, Joshua. Any other time, he couldn't. I wipe my eyes.

"Yes, Andy, Oshie cry," I said. "Do you guys want to see mum and dad?" I ask. Andy smiles and nods. "Come on," I say. I lead him to a mirror and Izzy follows. "Think really, really hard about mum and dad," I say. Andy scrunched his eyes up tight and I try not to laugh. I silently think of my parents and they appear on the screen. "Look, Andy," I say. He opens his eyes and giggles. I silently sigh in relief. Mum's not crying anymore. I feel a faint tug at my heart, but shrug it off. "Hey, want to see the most beautiful girl in the world?" I ask. Izzy nods.

"Yes!" She says excitedly. I laugh and think of Lily. Luckily, she's not crying anymore either.

"There," I say. "There's the most beautiful girl in the world." Izzy stares for a few moments and nods.

"She's pretty," she says."Do you love her?" Izzy asks me suddenly. I swallow and nod. I feel another tug at my heart. I loosen the collar around my neck, but I again feel another tug. Andy's eyes widen and he runs off. He comes back with grandma and grandpa. I feel another tug.

"Grandma, I keep feeling tugs. Do you know why?" She nods with a sad smile.

"You're going back, Johnny." She always called me Johnny. I don't know why.

"Why do you always call me Johnny? And why am I going back?"

"Because you remind me of my brother Johnny," she answered the first part.

"And because you're needed back on Earth, kiddo," Grandpa finishes.

I hug Izzy and Andy goodbye, and wave to grandpa, and give grandma a kiss on the cheek.

"Love you," I said as I could feel the tugs on my heart growing closer and closer together. I could hear a chorus of "Love you too!"s and "Goodbye!"s and "Good luck!"s as I was sucked, for lack of a better word, back into my body. I took a deep breath and I heard a shriek and a sob before I felt somebody's body fall across my own.