Memories & Dreams

Chapter 1 - The Beginning of Change

Greg and Susan Abernathy stepped from the dimness of the lobby of the Malibu Hospital out into the brilliant July sunshine which filled the parking lot surrounding the hospital. Greg's arm was wound protectively around his wife's waist, eager to protect her from further harm. In the past hour they'd lost their five-year-old daughter Melody. In that same moment an earthquake struck and Susan fell, hitting her head on the medical equipment beside Melody's bed, on her way to the floor. As a consequence, she passed out for a moment or two. She also promptly ignored her injury when she came to a moment later. Her focus was on Melody, which was understandable, but Greg couldn't help his worry. His wife's injury might be minor, but the fact that she hit her head again, a top and old and more significant wound seemed important to him. Injuries in that area often prompted visions, some of which had the power to change their lives. All this left Greg wondering if there was more significance to the past hour than on the surface it seemed.

And so, Greg studied his wife. But at the moment, she was oblivious to his concerns. Susan's arms were filled with a plastic bag marked 'Patient's Belongings'. On top of that, she carried a much worn Raggedy Ann doll close to her chest.

Susan paused as they stepped through the doorway, turning her face up towards the sun while ocean cleansed fresh air washed over them. It was a refreshing change from the recirculated, vaguely medicinal smelling air of the hospital they'd been breathing for the past three or four days. Even though their hearts ached and their minds felt numb, she had to admit, this was an improvement.

"Are you alright?" Greg asked in concern.

"Better than I expected to be," Susan told him truthfully. "Melody is home. I am sure of it. She is with her Father in Heaven and I feel ..." She hesitated, searching for the right word.

"Sad?" Greg suggested.

"I am sad too, but I think relieved is the word I was searching for," Susan said.

"Why?" Greg asked with a start.

"She succeeded, Greg. She did everything her Father asked and more. Now it is up to us to see what we can make of what she left behind. Keys, the angels call them, although the Lord referred to them as seeds," Susan replied. "It's time for things to change."

"Susan ... what did you see?"

"What do you mean?" Susan asked.

"When you passed out during the earthquake. You hit your head at the very moment Melody died. You had a vision, didn't you?" Greg asked.

"A vision, a dream, a memory ... I'm not sure what the right term would be," Susan told him.

"A memory?" Greg questioned.

"Well no, I suppose it wouldn't be that. But it felt like it does when I remember our dreams, our memories from our past lives. It was a lot like that," Susan supplied.

"Are you having trouble remembering it now?" Greg wondered.

"I am having trouble processing it," Susan said. "Too much has happened in the last hour, and there is more to do. The Lord himself told me that."

"What sorts of things?" Greg asked.

"There are the Earthly things of course. We have to plan a funeral, and call the family to let them know Melody is gone. We need to plan for the future and find a way to look after the children we have left, even though I know only Jessie qualifies as a child anymore. And we have the task He set for us long ago, having to do with faith," Susan said.

"Of course. As for our children, Julie, Alan, Matt, and even Zack I suppose can be considered grown," Greg said.

"Zack's eighteen. He'll be nineteen in a couple of months. He's entering his second year in college this fall, and he has a serious girlfriend," Susan reminded him. "Compared to Melody, that feels very grown up to me."