To A Sacred Heart

Summer's Promise

     I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Mom said no water play today because of the accident yesterday. She still let me play out in the yard though. I was kicking the soccer ball against the brick fence where I had drawn a stick figure of a goalie. He was terrible as a goalie, so far I was winning.  

     "And Shawn goes for the winning goal" I announced as I kicked and scored again. "The crowd goes wild!" I ran around excitedly jumping around because I just won the world cup for my team. 

     "Why are you doing that?" I heard the girls voice from yesterday voice. I spun around to see her floating a few inches off the ground under the mesquite. She wore something similar to last time and I couldn't see her wings. 

     I puffed out my tiny chest. "I just won the world cup." 

     I earned a giggle. "So now you're a soccer player?" 

     I ran towards her. "Better believe it. I'm the best." Standing so close I realized she was shorter than me even while floating. "How old are you?" I asked curiously. 

     "Five, you?" 

      "I'm six. Wanna be friends?" I offered. 

      "Did you tell anyone about yesterday?" She asked. 

       I gestured at crossing my heart. "Not even Dad." 

       She looked at me carefully. "Okay. My name is Saraiah. People call me Rai."

       "Okay, I'm Shawn. I don't have another name." I smiled at her, earning a smile back. "What do you want to play?" I asked her. 

         She looked at the soccer ball. "I don't know how to play that, can you teach me?" 

          "Sure! Come on." I ran and picked up the ball. "It's a sport called soccer. Normally you play with teams, but I just moved in and don't know anyone, so I'm practicing." She nodded looking attentively."The point of the game is to get the ball into the other teams goal. You pass it to people on your team so you can get it to the other side. Like this." I dropped the ball and lightly kicked it to her. She was low enough to touch the ball and stared at it.

        "Okay." Then she kicked it back to me. "Ow." 

       I caught the ball and looked at her feet. "Sandals aren't that great for soccer." I pointed out. "Sneakers are good though." 

      She looked at me and frowned. "I still want to play." 

       "Okay, but you can get better kicks if you stop floating." I pointed out. 

       She looked down to her feet then back at me. "I can't. I'm not allowed to touch the floor." 

       "Why? Because you're and angel?" I genuinely asked. 

       She nodded nervously. "Angels have a rule that we can't stand on ground that hasn't been blessed." She looked sad. "I'm also not supposed to show myself to humans unless they really need a miracle." 

       "So why did you show yourself to me?" 

       "I'm the only kid in my family and all the other kids don't like to play with me. So I came here to find something to do. When I saw you climbing the tree I wanted to see what would happen. I don't climb things a lot because I can float or fly, so it was new. I wanted to see if you wanted to play. I thought if I just stayed in the tree maybe we could be friends, but when I fell you saw my wings. Then I finally told Mom and Dad. They said that it's okay. I just have to make sure you keep the secret. Then on your 18th birthday Mom said that I have to disappear. Like you won't see me but I'll still be around. We can still be friends. But you have to promise not to tell anyone." 

      "I won't tell anyone." I stuck my pinkie out. "Pinkie promise." She smiled and wrapped her pinkie around mine. "Okay, so you still want to play soccer?" 

       "Yes!" She shouted. 

     We spent some time passing the ball back and forth. When I got hungry. "You want a snack?" I offered.

      "You think you can get two?" She asked sheepishly. 

       "I can share a sandwich." I explained. "And Mom lets me get my own juice box. I'll be back in a bit." I ran inside to find Mom in the kitchen with a sandwich ready. 

       "I figured you wanted a snack." Mom said. 

       "Could you cut it into triangles?" I asked as I tried to see the sandwich.  My nose reached the counter top. 

        "Sure honey." She cut it and put it on a plate. I grabbed the plate and went to the pantry for a juice box. I put one in my pocket and another in my plate. "Thank you Mom." I shouted as I went outside to meet Rai. "Here you eat one half, I get the other." 

         We went to the mesquite tree and I sat on the base like always and she sat on a branch. "You like it?" I asked. 

          "It's really yummy." Rai answered. "I should bring you a sandwich my Mom makes. I think you'll like it too." 

           "I got an idea! How about one day my Mom makes a snack and the other your mom does? And we can share it when we play!" I was proud of my little brain for thinking up such a plan. 

          "Okay! Then we can teach each other stuff all the time." Rai agreed. 

           "So then it's a deal?" I kept her gaze. 

           "Deal!" She smiled radiantly. 

           Once we finished out sandwich we played a little longer before she had to go. "I'll be back tomorrow okay?" 

            "With a snack?" I checked. 

             "Duh." She answered before she flew away. I watched as she disappeared and headed back inside.