Blog Post
The Six Segment Story Stack to Start Twenty-Sixteen
- By Jessica Holt
- •
- 17 Feb, 2016
Unquestionably Questionable, Week 4
If you missed the first seven parts of Unquestionably Questionable, please go back and read my last two blog entries first (or my last three if you want to know the story behind the story). Otherwise, proceed to Part VIII.
Copyright © 2016 by Jessica Holt
Lucy looked out onto her lovely lawn. The green grass practically glistened in the bright sun. The warm weather was perfect for playing outside. She watched through the kitchen window as her girls took turns swinging on the swing set and sliding down the slide. Nothing made her happier than seeing the happiness on five little Littleton faces.
They had been in Heaven for more than a month. It truly was a glorious place. Pure perfection in ways no one on Earth could ever imagine. It made the Heaven on Earth appear a little less heavenly.
There were no accidents, no animosity, and no addictions. No blemishes and no brokenness. No crying and no cursing. No debt and no dishonesty. No embarrassment and no envy. No frailty, no fear, no fights, and no force. No grief and no greed. No heartache, no hurt, no health scares, no hunger, no hate. No injuries, no indignation, and no intolerance. No judgment. No killing. No loneliness and no laziness. No mourning. No needs. No obscenities and no obnoxiousness. No pain, no pettiness, and no problems. No quarrels. No rudeness. No suffering, no sickness, no shame, no sorrow, no sadness. No theft and no thoughtlessness. No ugliness and no uncertainty. No venomous words. No worry or want. No excrutiation. No yearning and no yelling. No zealots and no zaniness.
Heaven was as perfect as it could possibly be. There was only one problem. Not a problem per se, a predicament, which plagued Lucy because she knew her plan had not gone quite as she had planned it.
Lucy knew that for the moment at least, her little piece of Heaven was not meant for five little Littletons. It was meant for four. There were four swings on the swing set. There were four bicycles and four baby dolls. There were four little bedrooms with four little beds. There were four little chairs around the five-person table.
The Creator who had created them all left little question as to which Littleton did not yet belong in Heaven. Above one little bed pretty pink letters spelled out 'Lauren'. In another bedroom bright blue letters spelled 'Lydia'. Pastel purple spelled 'Layla', and bold burgundy 'Lanie'.
Lyric was the only Littleton left.
The predicament, Lucy lamented, was that Lyric was still living.
It took Lucy five days to figure out why Lyric possessed no possessions in Heaven. But that fifth morning, she woke up with the littlest Littleton lying beside her in the bed. Lucy’s last moments in Hale had come flooding back as she slept. She had assumed that Lyric's life had been taken by the bus, not head on like the rest of the Littletons, but from the side, so that she could be with her family in Heaven and not have to endure Hale any longer. But the details of her dreams led to no denying that Lyric hadn't died.
Her soul was with her sisters and her mother in Heaven. But her little body still contained a beating heart and breathing lungs and blinking baby blues.
Lucy's realization was met with such sadness over her little singleton being left all alone in Hale. Her solace came in the fact that Lyric seemed blissfully unaware that she was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be. So Lucy determined that Lyric could remain in Heaven, because her body was but a shell without its soul.
One day, almost a month later, Lyric sat with Lucy in the hanging hammock while her sisters swung on their swings.
She seemed distracted, not like the Lyric who had inhabited Heaven for more than a month.
Quietly, she climbed into Lucy's lap, until they were face to face. Lyric softly set her head on her mother's shoulder.
"Mama, my heaven is as happy as your heaven."
Lucy listened as Lyric revealed her revelation.
"My heaven has Polly. She sings songs to me and cuddles me and kisses me." She spoke softly and sweetly with her three year old vocabulary. "Somebody scooped me off the sidewalk in Hale and flew me to Heaven and set me down on the sidewalk so that Polly could find me. All my boo-boos were gone when I got there."
Lucy knew then that it was she who was unaware. Her daughter was divided between Heaven on Earth and the eternal Heaven.
Lyric stated one last statement. "She calls me Caroline, Mama. Isn't that pretty?"
Lucy's baby was begging her to let her live. Suddenly, Lucy's burden was lifted. A peace pacified her soul.
"It's the most beautiful name I've ever known, my baby girl. You go and you live, and we shall see each other soon."
"So soon, Mama." With that, Lyric slipped off the hammock and skipped over to her sisters, and happiness was once again restored in Heaven.
The next morning, Lyric was not lying next to her mother. But Lucy knew that she did not need to look for the Littlest Littleton.
Lyric Littleton was living.
They had been in Heaven for more than a month. It truly was a glorious place. Pure perfection in ways no one on Earth could ever imagine. It made the Heaven on Earth appear a little less heavenly.
There were no accidents, no animosity, and no addictions. No blemishes and no brokenness. No crying and no cursing. No debt and no dishonesty. No embarrassment and no envy. No frailty, no fear, no fights, and no force. No grief and no greed. No heartache, no hurt, no health scares, no hunger, no hate. No injuries, no indignation, and no intolerance. No judgment. No killing. No loneliness and no laziness. No mourning. No needs. No obscenities and no obnoxiousness. No pain, no pettiness, and no problems. No quarrels. No rudeness. No suffering, no sickness, no shame, no sorrow, no sadness. No theft and no thoughtlessness. No ugliness and no uncertainty. No venomous words. No worry or want. No excrutiation. No yearning and no yelling. No zealots and no zaniness.
Heaven was as perfect as it could possibly be. There was only one problem. Not a problem per se, a predicament, which plagued Lucy because she knew her plan had not gone quite as she had planned it.
Lucy knew that for the moment at least, her little piece of Heaven was not meant for five little Littletons. It was meant for four. There were four swings on the swing set. There were four bicycles and four baby dolls. There were four little bedrooms with four little beds. There were four little chairs around the five-person table.
The Creator who had created them all left little question as to which Littleton did not yet belong in Heaven. Above one little bed pretty pink letters spelled out 'Lauren'. In another bedroom bright blue letters spelled 'Lydia'. Pastel purple spelled 'Layla', and bold burgundy 'Lanie'.
Lyric was the only Littleton left.
The predicament, Lucy lamented, was that Lyric was still living.
It took Lucy five days to figure out why Lyric possessed no possessions in Heaven. But that fifth morning, she woke up with the littlest Littleton lying beside her in the bed. Lucy’s last moments in Hale had come flooding back as she slept. She had assumed that Lyric's life had been taken by the bus, not head on like the rest of the Littletons, but from the side, so that she could be with her family in Heaven and not have to endure Hale any longer. But the details of her dreams led to no denying that Lyric hadn't died.
Her soul was with her sisters and her mother in Heaven. But her little body still contained a beating heart and breathing lungs and blinking baby blues.
Lucy's realization was met with such sadness over her little singleton being left all alone in Hale. Her solace came in the fact that Lyric seemed blissfully unaware that she was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be. So Lucy determined that Lyric could remain in Heaven, because her body was but a shell without its soul.
One day, almost a month later, Lyric sat with Lucy in the hanging hammock while her sisters swung on their swings.
She seemed distracted, not like the Lyric who had inhabited Heaven for more than a month.
Quietly, she climbed into Lucy's lap, until they were face to face. Lyric softly set her head on her mother's shoulder.
"Mama, my heaven is as happy as your heaven."
Lucy listened as Lyric revealed her revelation.
"My heaven has Polly. She sings songs to me and cuddles me and kisses me." She spoke softly and sweetly with her three year old vocabulary. "Somebody scooped me off the sidewalk in Hale and flew me to Heaven and set me down on the sidewalk so that Polly could find me. All my boo-boos were gone when I got there."
Lucy knew then that it was she who was unaware. Her daughter was divided between Heaven on Earth and the eternal Heaven.
Lyric stated one last statement. "She calls me Caroline, Mama. Isn't that pretty?"
Lucy's baby was begging her to let her live. Suddenly, Lucy's burden was lifted. A peace pacified her soul.
"It's the most beautiful name I've ever known, my baby girl. You go and you live, and we shall see each other soon."
"So soon, Mama." With that, Lyric slipped off the hammock and skipped over to her sisters, and happiness was once again restored in Heaven.
The next morning, Lyric was not lying next to her mother. But Lucy knew that she did not need to look for the Littlest Littleton.
Lyric Littleton was living.
Coming next week