Fields of Heaven

Fields of Ascencion

Madison

            I awoke in a field of daisies.  They were real tall and clumped together like forest trees.  The sky above me was bluer than any blue I had ever seen and it felt as though I couldn’t breathe.  I didn’t know it then, but I was in a realm where a year on earth only felt like a day.  I remember waking up in my best Sunday dress that barely passed my muddy knees and I dusted them off, only to find that once I stood up the dirt flaked away as tiny glittery flecks.  I opened my mouth real wide and screamed, “Mama, where are you, where are you mama,” and was surprised when no sound sounded back.  I was alone in a silent, airless strip of land with daisies that lay their petals towards me, tauntingly.

        I started to run.  My small feet pounded the ground, ripping through the blades of grass; the flowers parted, but it seemed as though they would never end—until I arrived at a clearing.  I made my way to the center of it and plopped down hard on my bottom and drew my knees to my face.

Where am I? Where are Daddy and Mama?

I don’t know how long I stayed with my head buried between my knees, but I soon began to feel a strange calm wash over me; I recognized this calm as my daddy’s bear hugs, or my mama’s sweet kisses. My limbs turned to cooked spaghetti as I felt them loosen from fingertip to elbow, to shoulder and back, to waist all the way down to my tippy toes.

And then I heard it.  It couldn’t have been any louder than a whisper, but it was the first thing that sounded in the giant garden.  I jumped onto my feet and spun every which way, trying to find the source.  The daises were the only things that stared back, for as far as my little eyes could see and tears began to stream down my cheeks.

I’m so scared, mama.  Where did you go?  Why did you leave me?

“She didn’t leave you, you left her.”  I nearly jumped out of my patent leather shoes when I heard the musky voice behind me.

“It’s okay, don’t be afraid, Madison, I’m here to help you.”  I jerked my head around to see a man; he wore pants, but instead of wearing his shirt properly, he had it wrapped around his head as if it were a scarf.  He stared at me through bright green eyes and his lips were nearly invisible behind his large curly beard.

“Who are you? Where is mama?”  I backed away from the mystery man, preparing to run if he tried anything funny.

“I’m Andrew and I’m here to help you find your mama again.”  He smiled. It was a wide toothy smile that nearly covered his entire face.  I realized that he wasn’t wearing any shoes when he began to walk towards me, digging his toes into the soft ground beneath them.

“My mama told me to never talk to strangers.”

“Well, your mama was a very smart lady.  But, I’m your friend and we have a mission to complete.”

“Mission?”  I cocked my head to the side, like mama used to do, and looked the man over once more.  “Are you some kind of secret agent or something?  How did I end up here?  Why am I dressed for Sunday school?”

Andrew chuckled, “all of your questions will be answered in due time.  For now, you must come with me; we have to prepare for tomorrow.”

“What’s tomorrow?” I asked.

“You’ll see.”  And with that, Andrew reached for my hand.  I tucked my digits in between his and we began to walk forward, right through the daises, which parted and then closed behind us.