When all of the prayers had been said,
And all of the songs had been sung,
He looked upon their dear faces,
And holding their hands, closed his eyes.
Exhausted, he breathed in deeply one last time and
Like diving into a pool, he slipped away.
And then there was nothing.
Except that he was thinking that there was nothing.
And if he was thinking … well, then that’s something.
Cautiously, he opened his eyes.
He was quite alone, sitting on a grassy hill, breathing in the
perfume of an impossibly beautiful rainbow of flowers,
looking down into a velvety green valley.
The sky was azure, the air sparkly soft and sweet.
An enormous, sprawling brick villa filled the valley and beyond,
Courtyards and covered walkways, stone carved benches,
Lemon trees and murmuring fountains stretching off far and away.
He sat for a moment, or a day, maybe longer, filled with wonder.
Finally, he bowed his head and prayed from his heart.
“Lord,” he pleaded humbly, “there’s only one thing I want.
Please let me find her.”
And then there she was, sitting next to him in a white cotton summer dress,
her hand in his, her eyes shining bright with unshed tears.
“I’ve been waiting!” she cried, as he put his arms around her.
“I will never let you go,” he said, and meant it.
As one, their hearts beat together, together, together.
“What is this place?” he asked finally.
“Let me show you!” she said, and they started down the grassy slope,
her long brown hair shining in the sun,
his arm strong and steady around her slender waist.
Just for the joy of it, they decided to run.
Susan Greenberg Feltman 