From Heaven... Ch. 05

In the morning, Sally opened her eyes and blinked sleepily.

"Hi," I said. Her momentary confusion cleared, and she smiled.

"I had the best night's sleep," she said. "I know I dreamed, but I can't remember what."

I thought back to Tim's dreams, still not sure what they really meant.

Sally pulled reluctantly out of my arms, and I sat up.

"We'd better get ready if Dad's taking us out," she said.

She glanced at me. "That's one superpower I'd give a lot to have."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Not needing to spend half an hour on makeup every morning."

I grinned. "I'll go and make sure Tim's OK."

I went across to Tim's room, finding him already dressed. "Thanks for watching," he said.

I nodded. "Sally's just showering," I said. "Shall we go down and get breakfast ready?"

We went down to the kitchen, and by the time Sally appeared we had coffee, toast, cereal on the table.

I smiled as Sally poured milk onto her cereal and listened to the crackling for a moment, then started to eat.

When we'd finished breakfast, we went out to the car, and Sally and I took the back seat while Tim slid behind the wheel.

"Time for the magical mystery tour," he said.

We set off, and Sally watched the road signs. "I think I might know where we're heading."

When we pulled off the freeway, she grinned. "Definitely – unless Dad's developed a sudden taste for garden centres."

Tim turned off the road, parking by a low building. I couldn't help stretching out my senses a little, and I stopped, surprised at what I felt.

We walked through the entrance, and a young woman in outdoor clothing greeted us.

"Hi," she said. "It's Tim and Sally, isn't it?"

Tim nodded. "And this is Ria – I don't think she's ever been anywhere like this before."

The young woman nodded. "Good to meet you, Ria. I'm Jenny, you'll see a lot of me with the birds today."

She turned to Tim. "Why don't you take a walk around for a while? I'll join you in a couple of minutes, then we can get started."

We walked out of the back of the building into the open air, and I gasped as I caught sight of a magnificent eagle, standing on a perch on the ground, a short length of thick rope attached to the leather straps on its legs.

Tim grinned. "I knew you'd be impressed." I reached into the bird's mind, seeing images of desert, stunted trees, then darkness, hands reaching down. The scent of food, bones crunching, satisfaction. Then flying again, this time over green fields, leaves, water, and back to a gloved hand, food.

I felt Tim's eyes on me. "Ria? Are you OK?"

I nodded. "I wasn't sure about the birds being captive, but they don't have to worry about food, they're taken care of, they get to fly."

"Very perceptive," I heard Jenny's voice behind me. "Do you want to hold her?"

She passed me a glove, then climbed into the enclosure and let the eagle step onto her wrist. I held out my arm, and Jenny transferred the bird to me.

"Gosh, she's quite heavy," I said.

The eagle sat calmly, turning her head this way and that, and Jenny said, "I'm amazed – usually she's a little restless with new people."

She reached out. "I'd better put her back – we'll get started now. The birds we'll be working with aren't as big as this one, I'm afraid."

Reluctantly I let Jenny take the eagle and restore her to her perch, then we walked further on. Several smaller birds were on their perches, and I touched Tim's arm and pointed. "Look, a peregrine."

Jenny smiled. "Looks like you've chosen your bird for the day. Magnificent, isn't she."

She walked to the perches and brought a smaller bird for Tim, then one for Sally. The bird on Sally's wrist flapped restlessly, and Sally looked at it anxiously. I moved closer, and reached out a finger to smooth the bird's feathers, whispering softly.

The bird calmed, and I saw Jenny watching without speaking. She brought me the peregrine, and lifted its hood off to reveal eyes bright with intelligence.

"Right," she said, "let's go."

We walked down a short path to a large field, crossing it to skirt an area of woodland.

"This is ideal country for them," explained Jenny. "There are hedgerows, so they can catch mice and voles, and the bigger birds –" she indicated the peregrine – "can go after rabbits in the open fields."

She looked at me. "Ria, why don't you go first."

I raised my arm, and the peregrine shook her feathers, then with one strong beat of her wings was airborne, circling higher and higher. She turned to fly towards us, directly out of the sun, and I remembered to shade my eyes as though against the brightness.

Suddenly she stooped, and I stretched the time just a little to watch her perfect plummet. At its terminus was a small rabbit, and I flinched as the bird's claws cleanly crushed its skull.

The peregrine mantled over her prey, and Jenny quickly walked over to exchange the rabbit for some other item of food.

She returned, the rabbit dangling from her hand. "That'll be good for the pot," she said. "Do you want it?"

Tim glanced at me. "Sure – I think I have a recipe for rabbit stew."

We carried on, and Tim and Sally both released their birds, one catching a vole, the other chasing a terrified pigeon which managed to escape.

"Can the peregrine fly again?" I said.

Jenny nodded. "We'll fly her to the lure, this time."

I cast off the bird, watching as she climbed again till she was only a speck in the blue of the sky.

Jenny began to swing the lure on its cord, and we watched fascinated as the peregrine stooped, Jenny just pulling the lure away each time, the bird circling and climbing again.

"Time to let her have her reward," said Jenny. She gave a loud call, and the peregrine dropped from the sky, catching the lure in midair and again mantling over it as it fell to the ground.

Jenny retrieved the bird, giving her the reward on my wrist, and we made our way back across the field.

"I hope you've enjoyed working with the birds," she said. "It's pretty much lunchtime, so how about you come back after you've had something to eat and take your time looking at the rest of the birds."

We walked back past the car to the nearby garden centre, and Tim grinned. "It must be a bit strange for them here – I bet some of the people who come and work with the birds are quite different from their usual customers for rose bushes and garden ornaments."

We reached the restaurant, and a waitress seated us. We ordered drinks, then looked at the menu.

"Think I'll stick with a salad, if we're having rabbit stew for supper," I said.

Sally grinned. "Baked potato for me."

Tim nodded. "You're right – I'll just stick with soup."

Our drinks came, and we ordered our meals. "So we'll look at the birds this afternoon," said Tim, "then I have another surprise for the way back. Not quite as unusual, but I know you two will like it."

Our food arrived, and we ate, watching the garden birds hopping about in the bushes outside the window, where some feeders had been set out.

When we'd finished, Tim paid, and we made our way back over to the falconry centre. We walked around the various enclosures, and in my mind I matched the various birds of prey against the ones I'd seen arriving on that dark day so long ago.

"There are some kinds I don't see here," I said.

Tim nodded. "Well, even a place as big as this can't have everything." He paused. "But there are some species that despite our best efforts, have become extinct."

For a moment I felt a strange sensation, like the one I'd experienced at the cemetery when I'd seen all the gravestones. I realised again the power that death had over this world, even if only for a short while.

I took a deep breath, and Tim said, "Ria, are you OK?"

I nodded. "But I need to finish telling you about the end."

Sally's brow furrowed. "I don't understand." Tim glanced across at her. "Ria's been telling me a few things about what she's seen before she came here, and what we're allowed to know about the future."

Sally sat down on a nearby bench, her face thoughtful. "There's more to this than just you and me, isn't there, Dad," she said slowly.

We finished our tour of the enclosures, then made our way back to the exit. Jenny brought a neatly-wrapped package out.

"Here's your supper," she said. "It was fascinating watching you with the birds, Ria, you've got a real gift. Do come again whenever you can."

We went back to the car and Tim turned in a different direction on the way out. Again Sally raised her eyebrows knowingly, and after a few miles we turned off the road into a broad drive lined with trees, a herd of cows munching lazily in a field to one side.

Tim stopped the car and we walked across a cobbled yard to a doorway. I followed Sally in, and she watched my face as I looked around.

"Wow," I grinned. "I had no idea there even were so many kinds of ice cream."

"We usually get a big cone each – three different scoops – and a couple of tubs to take home," said Tim. "Take your time choosing."

I looked at the flavours – triple chocolate, rum and raisin, pistachio, and some with ingredients I didn't even recognise.

I turned to Sally. "I really have no idea. Why don't you pick all your favourites for yours and for mine, and we can swap."

Sally grinned. "Great idea."

She let Tim order his cone first – I wasn't totally surprised that one of his scoops was chocolate with chilli – then listed off her favourites on her fingers.

I took my cone, holding it carefully, and followed Sally's example in licking, the cold sweetness yet another new sensation on my tongue.

We walked back out, and leaned on the fence watching the cows for a few minutes. "Ready to swap?" asked Sally.

I nodded, and held out my cone for her to take.

"Ria, you have a..." said Tim, and I caught Sally's expression as he reached out a finger to catch a dribble of ice cream from below my lip, licking his finger.

When the ice cream was gone, we crunched at the cones for a while, then crumbled the last couple of inches in our fingers, scattering them for the birds. Then Tim went back to the shop to get the tubs of ice cream to take home with us.

Sally glanced at me, a smile playing on her lips. "Ria, I'm beginning to wonder how Dad really feels about you."

I looked at her blankly. "I know he's very grateful for my help, and he seems happy when I'm with him."

Sally shook her head. "I think you still have a few things to learn about people," she said, smiling.

Tim returned with a carrier bag. "Better get straight back before this melts."

When we arrived at the house, Tim put the ice cream safely in the freezer, then glanced at me. "I'm guessing you don't want to see all the details of how I get supper ready."

I shook my head. "Not really."

"Let's get a drink and sit down for a while, leave Dad to it in the kitchen," suggested Sally. "You have wine in the cupboard, don't you, Dad?"

"Sure, help yourself."

Sally opened the cupboard and glanced at the bottles. "This one," she decided, taking out a bottle and deftly opening it with the corkscrew. I followed her as she walked through to the living room and found glasses, pouring for us.

She raised her glass. "Cheers."

I nodded, and took a sip. "Mm, this is different from the one we had the other day."

Sally sat down on the sofa and I took my usual chair. She looked at me, hesitating.

"Do you know how long you'll be able to stay?" she asked finally.

I shook my head. "Not really."

She looked thoughtful. "I missed you when you left last time, but there were a lot of other new things in my life – school, friends."

"Boys," I prompted. She coloured, and said, "Oh! I remember now, that first kiss." She turned thoughtful again. "But Dad doesn't really have any of that, since I left home. I know he likes the outdoors, and he visits the bird centre, but I don't really think he has much in the way of company."

"Maybe someone will come along," I suggested.

"Maybe someone alr–" she began, then stopped herself. I resisted the temptation to catch the end of her sentence from her thoughts.

Just then Tim came through from the kitchen. "That's the difficult bit done," he said. "The stew can simmer for a while now."

He sat down in the chair next to me, and said, "Is there any of that wine left?"

I got up, and poured him a glass, holding it out to him with both hands.

He smiled, and took it, sipping, as I sat down again.

"I'm guessing we'll go to church tomorrow," he said. "What do you want to do afterwards?"

Sally grinned. "Can it be my turn to surprise you two? I need to ask Ria a couple of questions to be sure it'll work."

"Sure," said Tim. He glanced at the clock. "Oops, time to put the potatoes on."

He got up, taking his glass with him, and went back out to the kitchen.

"Come and sit by me," said Sally, patting the sofa.

I moved across. "So what do you need to know for your surprise?" She hesitated. "So... Dad told me about how your clothes are, well, part of who you are, when you're being like us."

I nodded. "I did change them a little, when we went out once."

Sally nodded. "Dad told me. But... is it possible, somehow, for you to wear our clothes? Only my surprise was to take you shopping and get you something really special."

I thought for a moment. "I think it's possible. But I'd have to change by myself – I don't think it'd be right for anyone to see, not even you. I'm sorry."

Sally took my hand, smiling. "Don't worry – I have friends who won't let anyone come in the changing room with them, and you have a much better reason than they do."

She paused. "Dad told me that you showed him your real form?"

I nodded. "It's no more real than how I look now, really, just different. Do you want to see?"

"Later?" she said.

"Sure."

Just then Tim called from the kitchen, "Supper's ready."

We went through and sat down at the table. Tim put a bowl of potatoes on the table, then a covered dish. "Help yourselves."

Sally glanced at me, and put some potatoes onto my plate, then lifted the lid of the dish. "Smells lovely."

She spooned stew over my potatoes, then served herself. Finally Tim filled his plate, then paused, putting his fork down.

"Here's thanks to our feathered friend who's provided our meal for us today," he said.

I nodded. "Not forgetting the furry one who gave up his life for it."

We started to eat, and I said, "This is good."

Sally nodded. "It makes a difference, knowing, doesn't it."

When we'd finished, Tim took our plates. "Could you cope with ice cream again for dessert?"

Sally grinned. "As long as it's not the chilli one."

Tim brought vanilla ice cream – with tiny specks of real vanilla pod – and we ate slowly.

Tim finished last, putting down his spoon, and said, "Anyone want a coffee before bed? I think Ria said she had something to tell us – we can take our drinks up to my room."

He made coffee, and we went up the stairs. Tim propped himself against the headboard, and I curled up on one side of the bed, Sally on the other.

"So," I began, "I started to tell Tim how this whole world will end – like those beaches?"

Tim nodded. "Normandy."

"And everything that's bad, unjust..." I hesitated before using an unfamiliar word, "... evil, will be finally dealt with, put right.

"That's why I thought of it when you said that some of the birds aren't around any more."

I paused. "All of them – what made them unique – they're all remembered, none of them is lost."

I felt again the unfamiliar sensation of tears pricking at my eyes. "When everything's set right again, made new, I know that I'll look into the sky, like I did when the water covered everything, but this time all the birds – even the ones that you thought were gone – will be up there, circling in that perfect sky, and nothing will ever be able to harm them again."

I stopped, my voice somehow choked, and Sally put her arm around my shoulders. "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard."

She glanced at Tim. "Come on, Ria, let's go to bed."

We crossed the hall to her room, and she hugged me. "I'll only be a minute."

She went out to the bathroom, and I heard the sound of her cleaning her teeth, then a few moments of silence. She returned in the long t-shirt she'd worn the previous night for bed, and got into bed.

I smiled at her. "I haven't forgotten, I promised to show you the other way I look."

I stood at the end of the bed, then saw the unearthly light on her face, her eyes widening as I changed.

"Whoah," she breathed as I resumed my more human form and got into the bed beside her. "That'd give Pastor Jefferson something to think about if you did that tomorrow in church."

I shook my head. "Not possible. But you know, he should already believe it..."

Sally turned to face me. "Hold me again like you did yesterday?"

I wrapped my arms around her, again marvelling at the softness, the warmth, the fragility of this human life.

***

In the morning after breakfast we walked down to church, and again Pastor Jefferson greeted us at the door. "Good to see you again," he said.

We found seats, and the service began. I smiled inwardly at Sally's startled face as we started to sing, and when the hymn was over Tim leaned across to her. "Don't look so surprised – Ria does sing in a rather special choir, you know."

Sally rolled her eyes, and I said, "Come on, Tim, you were as surprised as Sally the first time you heard me."

He started to reply, but stopped as the reading was announced.

A young woman stepped up to the lectern and found the passage. I cast my mind back, remembering the events behind the unfamiliar words.

My attention came back to the present with a jolt when I heard "...the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose."

I glanced across at Sally, her face extremely thoughtful. The reading ended, and I half-listened as the pastor spoke.

The service finished, and we went back to the house. Tim had put the roast in the oven before we went out, and he soon had lunch on the table.

"So, Sally," he said as we ate. "This afternoon's your surprise – what's first?"

"You're going to drive us up to the retail park, then you're going to sit in the coffee shop while Ria and I go and look for clothes."

Tim feigned a groan. "I'd better find a book."

"We won't take that long," said Sally, grinning.

We got in the car, and Tim drove us the couple of miles to the retail park. We walked to the coffee shop, and Tim bought a drink, sitting down at a table.

"Off you go then," he grinned.

Sally led me past the shops, my eyes drawn this way and that by the glitter and the colours. "Come on," she said. "I know where we can go for everything you need."

We turned in to a large department store, and Sally stopped for a moment. "Ria, do you trust me?"

I nodded. "Of course."

She led me to the lingerie section, and I watched as she pulled garments off their racks. Sally glanced at me. "You're going to be OK with this stuff, aren't you?"

I smiled. "I think I'll figure it out."

We moved on, and I looked with fascination at the riot of different colours, fabrics, and dress styles. Sally looked at me for a few moments, then selected three garments, draping them over her arm.

"Right," she said. "Off we go to the changing rooms."

We walked towards the back of the shop, and I was relieved to see that all the cubicles were unoccupied, their curtains drawn back.

"OK," said Sally, handing me the garments she'd selected. "See how you get on."

I went into the furthest cubicle, pulling the curtain, and started to concentrate.

After a few minutes I heard a quiet cough from Sally. "Ria, dearest, you're glowing a little – I can see it under the curtain."