The Child

Chapter 3

From over the hill, I could hear rusty brakes being applied and an old, blue Ford F150 came into view. Pulling to a stop in the my driveway, a tall young man slipped out of the driver's seat and he ran around to the passenger side to help out a young woman, large with child.

I turned to Jack; "So the baby is where my soul is going? These are my new parents?"

"No, it more complicated than that I afraid."

"How complicated?" The couple did not seem to hear us talking even though we were only a few feet away. "Can they see or hear us?"

"No, only a few gifted souls can." He pointed to the couple who were now looking at my bed. "This is Ellen and Paul Brown. Nice couple too. But she was never on the books to have a child."

"I don't understand you."

"You see Ellen is set to die tomorrow in a car accident. She was never in the Book of Life to conceive a child; let alone deliver one. Here is our dilemma."

Jack shrugged his shoulders before crossing his arms. The fact that she was looking at a child, and not a little old man that he was acting like, I was freaking out.

"If she dies, so does the child inside her." He paused; "The problem that is puzzled us is that the soul that is in the child is not in the Book of Deaths for collection tomorrow."

"So, rewrite the Book of Life, gave that poor woman more time. At least until the baby is born. Let her hold her child before she dies."

"Cannot do, am afraid. Once it is written it stays written, unless an Act of the Creator happens."

"Well can you ask him, her... to rewrite it?"

"Sorry, that's way above my pay grade I'm afraid. I'm just a paper pusher in this department." He gave her a keen look, "That's where you come in. The big wigs back at home office discussed this in some detail and came up with this scenario."

"Why do I smell rotten fish?"

"Now Mary dear hear me out."

"Were you in politics in one of your past life, because you are good?"

"Don't be cruel Mary; most politicians don't make it this far." Jack was insulted, his bottom lip stuck out like a spoilt child.

"I'm sorry Jack."

The bed was placed in the back of the truck and I could feel the pull from their connection.

"It's okay Mary; I'll go with you until you decide." Two invisible rocking chairs appeared in the back of the F150 and the two spirits took their seats as the young couple drove away.

"Why was the baby in the Book of Life?"

"We don't know and believe me we have checked. Her name just appeared that's why we want to make sure that she lives."

"Whose soul is going into the baby?"

"A brand new one just minted. Perfect, with no prejudices or preconceived notions on any topic from her past lives." He smiled, "That is its self is highly unusual. The Creator only makes a few souls within one of your earth years, and she is one."

"Why so few?"

"Well there are so many to recycle, I AM doesn't have to." Jack hesitated before going on, "Some of us think, and let's keep this between ourselves shall we, that the end of time is at hand."

"The end of the world?"

"The end of everything; but we are just guessing, and you don't second guess the Great I AM do we."

"I guess not! I guess I AM wants to mess up this new life like it did my old one!"

Jack looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

I'm angry now remember the suffering I endured, and that my family suffered watching me die. "I had cancer!"

"So what makes you so special? We all die, some of us sooner than others." Jack made reference to his boyish body, with his hands. "You were loved, had children and saw your grandchildren. You lived well and didn't want for anything, so suck it up sweetheart you had it real good." He turned to look at the young pregnant woman in the front seat. "What do you want to say to her?"

My self-pity melted away with that lecture, as I too looked at the radiated face of the young woman. She could be one of my girls.

"We are asking you to take her place! At the point of her death, her soul will leave and you can enter her body. Will you do this?"