power.
“What are you saying?”
“We can be human. Together.” He stopped, then gave her the caveat. “Just for one day.”
“One day,” she repeated. Twenty-four hours. Was it enough? Would any amount of time ever be enough? Then she remembered something Char had said to her, his words coming back to her. Love knows no time. “How?”
“Do you want this?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “Us?”
“Yes.” She nodded, looking down at their hands, linked together. What would it be like, to experience him in the flesh? To bring this celestial love down to earth?
“No matter the consequences?”
“Do you?” she asked, seeing his answer in his eyes.
“With everything I am.”
She let him take her in his arms and together, they flew.
Chapter Eight
“This is the only way?” Muriel couldn’t bear it, not another loss. How did humans survive? She was finally beginning to understand the weight people carried, how it darkened their essence. Her sympathy for the man whose soul turned pitch black over time had increased a thousand fold in just the last few hours. “Are you sure we can’t stop it?”
“They have free will, Muriel,” he said softly, standing at the foot of the bed and looking down at the couple. Lucy and Jack lay together, fully clothed, belly to belly, forehead to forehead. “We can’t intervene.”
“Why?” Muriel stood beside him, watching too. “I don’t understand.”
“I would have saved Henry for you, if I could.” He squeezed her hand in his. “I would save the world for you, Muriel.”
But he couldn’t. No one could. She wondered, now, even if The Maker could. For the first time, ever, she was doubting. It frightened her, but in some ways, it freed her too. She felt more free than she ever had before, standing here with Char, knowing that in less than an hour, the two people in front of them would be dead.
“We can’t have any more children—and even if we could, it wouldn’t be Henry.” Lucy hadn’t stopped crying. Tears rolled down her cheeks, a continuous flood of emotion. “I can’t live without him, Jack.”
“And I can’t live without you , Lucy.” He wiped at her tears with his thumbs, but it was no use. He was crying too.
“I didn’t dream it,” she whispered. “He was here, that angel. You saw him too?”
“Yes.” Jack nodded.
“I’m not crazy. He said we could be with him.” The hope floated on Lucy’s voice and Muriel understood, then, how dangerous it had been, what she’d asked Char to do. He’d done it for her, but she wondered, now, if it had done more harm than good. “He said we’d be united again. Death isn’t the end, Jack. He said so! You heard it too?”
“Yes.” Jack nodded his agreement again, his voice hoarse.
“We’ll just go to sleep,” Lucy said. She didn’t sound sad—she sounded elated. “I just want to sleep, and wake up, and have Henry back again.”
“Yes,” Jack whispered, putting his arms around his wife.
“Char, this is my fault,” Muriel lamented, knowing it was true, even though he shook his head in denial. “If I hadn’t insisted… if you’d never appeared to them…”
“You couldn’t have known…”
“Did you know?” She glanced up at him, frowning. “Did you know they planned to do this together?”
“Not until after Henry had passed.”
Muriel wondered if they had planned it all along, or if it really had been Char’s appearance that had pushed Lucy over the edge of desperation. Maybe she would have considered it, thought about it, even spoken the words aloud to Jack, but somehow Muriel doubted that he would have gone along with it, if it hadn’t been for the reassurance that had been delivered to them from another world.
All because she’d asked him. This
“What are you saying?”
“We can be human. Together.” He stopped, then gave her the caveat. “Just for one day.”
“One day,” she repeated. Twenty-four hours. Was it enough? Would any amount of time ever be enough? Then she remembered something Char had said to her, his words coming back to her. Love knows no time. “How?”
“Do you want this?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “Us?”
“Yes.” She nodded, looking down at their hands, linked together. What would it be like, to experience him in the flesh? To bring this celestial love down to earth?
“No matter the consequences?”
“Do you?” she asked, seeing his answer in his eyes.
“With everything I am.”
She let him take her in his arms and together, they flew.
Chapter Eight
“This is the only way?” Muriel couldn’t bear it, not another loss. How did humans survive? She was finally beginning to understand the weight people carried, how it darkened their essence. Her sympathy for the man whose soul turned pitch black over time had increased a thousand fold in just the last few hours. “Are you sure we can’t stop it?”
“They have free will, Muriel,” he said softly, standing at the foot of the bed and looking down at the couple. Lucy and Jack lay together, fully clothed, belly to belly, forehead to forehead. “We can’t intervene.”
“Why?” Muriel stood beside him, watching too. “I don’t understand.”
“I would have saved Henry for you, if I could.” He squeezed her hand in his. “I would save the world for you, Muriel.”
But he couldn’t. No one could. She wondered, now, even if The Maker could. For the first time, ever, she was doubting. It frightened her, but in some ways, it freed her too. She felt more free than she ever had before, standing here with Char, knowing that in less than an hour, the two people in front of them would be dead.
“We can’t have any more children—and even if we could, it wouldn’t be Henry.” Lucy hadn’t stopped crying. Tears rolled down her cheeks, a continuous flood of emotion. “I can’t live without him, Jack.”
“And I can’t live without you , Lucy.” He wiped at her tears with his thumbs, but it was no use. He was crying too.
“I didn’t dream it,” she whispered. “He was here, that angel. You saw him too?”
“Yes.” Jack nodded.
“I’m not crazy. He said we could be with him.” The hope floated on Lucy’s voice and Muriel understood, then, how dangerous it had been, what she’d asked Char to do. He’d done it for her, but she wondered, now, if it had done more harm than good. “He said we’d be united again. Death isn’t the end, Jack. He said so! You heard it too?”
“Yes.” Jack nodded his agreement again, his voice hoarse.
“We’ll just go to sleep,” Lucy said. She didn’t sound sad—she sounded elated. “I just want to sleep, and wake up, and have Henry back again.”
“Yes,” Jack whispered, putting his arms around his wife.
“Char, this is my fault,” Muriel lamented, knowing it was true, even though he shook his head in denial. “If I hadn’t insisted… if you’d never appeared to them…”
“You couldn’t have known…”
“Did you know?” She glanced up at him, frowning. “Did you know they planned to do this together?”
“Not until after Henry had passed.”
Muriel wondered if they had planned it all along, or if it really had been Char’s appearance that had pushed Lucy over the edge of desperation. Maybe she would have considered it, thought about it, even spoken the words aloud to Jack, but somehow Muriel doubted that he would have gone along with it, if it hadn’t been for the reassurance that had been delivered to them from another world.
All because she’d asked him. This
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