Until That night by Ellie Katzfey (essential reading .TXT) 📕

It was perfect... before that cold, ugly, dark night in February. You and I, we were like an egg. We were smooth, perfect, full of excitement, but one drop and it all cracks. That night, the egg dropped. We were in the park, a candle lit dinner, a stroll on the sidewalk, a silent kiss beneath the trees. Than he came, that gross, fat, ugly partner of yours. We were under the trees, feeding each other chocolate dipped strawberries. Your partner came and you quickly got up, pulled a gun out of your trousers, and shot him until he looked like swiss cheese. I ran over to him and begged for you to stop, but you just shot me too. Now I am in a place no 17 year old girl should be at her age, heaven.
I meet a lot of people up here...it’s not like the heaven you read about, there are no angels, no Saints, no fluffy clouds for beds. It normal here...it’s like staying at a hotel for the rest of your life and God is the manager. When my spirit was flying up from my body after you shot me, I watched you wiping fingerprints off the gun, putting the gun in my dead hands, and walking away nonchalantly. As I arrived in heaven, God met me at the door and told me that boy is not going to be up here when he dies. He told me he loved me and I said I knew that, and we had a deep, heart to heart conversation. I was a good girl I told him, I never lied, I always went to church on Sundays and Wednesdays, I was nice to everyone, and I never disobeyed the ten commandments. He said I know I know. So I asked why I was up here, and he told me that it wasn’t quite my time, but he said he really needed to talk to me about some personal stuff....my father.
My family used to be perfect, my mother and father were happily together, I had one younger brother, and my mother was an amazing cook. Before my mom died in a car accident, we were the Brady Bunch. After my dad came home from the hospital, he told us mother died, and then he hit us. Over and over again. I asked him why he was doing that and he told me it was our fault mom died. Rain, my brother, asked why it was our fault, my father said we always had mom stressed out and she was on her way to the park to go for a walk, but the truth was she was going to her work to get extra time in before our family vacation to Mexico. I always wore jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt to cover up the marks. Lots of times I had to wear makeup over the bruises on my face. My father was a monster.
God comforted me, hugged me, prayed with me, and kissed me on the forehead. God was the ideal father! He knew all the bad language, he knew what legit meant, and he called cool people “beasts” and “studs.” He was awesome! He made up jokes, and laughed at blonde jokes. He was so cool for someone over millions of years old! I wish he was the father that gave birth to me. The “hotel” that I stayed at was called Heaven Off Earth... I chuckled in sight of this. I checked in and I asked the lady at the front desk how long she has been here. She replied with a sad look on her face, only 7 years, but it has felt like a million. It was then that I realized that heaven was not always the happiest place. I was excited to see the rooms so I ran the stairs two at a time. When I got to my room, I was astounded! The room was all white, white beds, white walls, white couches, white rugs, white everything! It was so modern too. When I accidentally spilled some grape juice on the bed it magically floated off the bed and back into my cup! I decided I loved this place!
God came into my room (and everybody else’s) everyday to check on us. I found something very different about this place... everybody grew younger every single day. I asked the lady at the front desk, for now she did not look mid aged as she did when I met her, she looked about 25. She told my everyone grew younger until they were a baby, then when they turned 1 day old, God would send us down into the world. I thought that was a horrifying idea! I ran back up to my room to think. What will happen when I get too small for my clothes? Or will I be able to talk? What is going to happen? Im scared! I stayed in my room for many days, and when I came out it was my 16th birthday. Who says you can’t have your sweet 16 more than once? I was sad, but I plastered a smile on my face, put on a cute dress, and walked downstairs to find a big cake, presents, and confetti. Great, I didn’t want a big birthday on earth, and now I have to have one in heaven. God told me that on my birthday, I would get to see my family and friends on earth through a magic thing he called The Observatory. I was confused at first, but once he explained it to me I was excited as ever. God and I made our way to the basement of Heaven Off Earth and we sunk into a pool of clear, blue, water. He told me underwater to follow him to a well in the midwest part of the body of water. There was a well and I climbed into it and saw my parents on a glass plate of crystal. God told me to pull a lever, and talk to my parents. I pulled the lever and through the crystal plate, I saw my parents! I said “MOM, DAD!” My parents looked around, confused. I yelled again, “MOM, DAD! UP HERE! IT’S ME, JANE!” My parents looked around again, and started crying, “Jane? Jane? Jane? Where are you?” I said to my parents that they could not see me but I had the full day to talk to them. They were overjoyed and they laughed and cried and asked questions and cried some more. We talked and talked, as if I was alive. At 11:53 P.M. I told my parents we only had 7 minutes left to talk. We cried together until the time was up. At 11:59 I said “Mom? Dad? I love you.” At the instant I said you, my parents disappeared from the plate, and I weeped until the blue pool was another foot deeper.
God explained to me that people in heaven cry more than people on earth, and this pool of water was actually a pool of tears. I cried more and more and then went to my room. I screamed and cried until I fell asleep. I didn’t come out for 4 days. I was too depressed. When I did come out, I was not showered, hasn’t brushed my teeth or hair, and my face was as red and raw as pruned hands after you swim for 3 hours. Everyone looked surprised when I came out, and nobody said anything. I heard whispered voices all over though. I felt like I was an outcast in middle school like I was just 5 years ago. When I was alive. My eyes welled up again and I broke down into tears right there in the lobby. I sprinted up to my room and went to sleep.
I woke up to the sound of loud thunder, banging on my window. I was scared, so I got under the covers like a child, and tried to tune out the loud noise. I tried to think about happy things while in the closet, but the happiest thing that came to mind, was when the storm was over. Therefore, I did not think of anything happy. I went back to sleep after the storm, and dreamed about being on earth again. I was with my family and friends having a big celebration of my becoming. At the party I heard God’s voice saying, “Wake up...wake up...” I woke up from the beautiful, lovely, exciting dream. Man I wish that dream had not been broken off. I want to be back on earth again with my family and friends. I just wish I was never stupid enough to go out with him. I should have know not to. Ugh, it’s horrible how one second something is perfect, and the next, it is destroyed.
Alright...what now? God told me that he was sorry that he had thrown that birthday party, but everyone has one...everyone. No one can back away from the sweet 16 party. Everyone that goes to heaven has one...even kids that died before 16. We want everyone to know that heaven brings pain to the heart too, not just happiness. After we talked, for some reason I felt refreshed. I felt like I had just taken a shower, brushed my teeth, and had been... I don’t know, renewed. “God? What am I feeling?! I feel so good!” God told me that at the sweet 16, exactly 2 hours from when you cry, you get refreshed. That is when the heaven no longer feels sad at some points. From now on, you will be happy until you are a baby and are carried from heaven back down to earth. I was so happy, I jumped up and down on my bed, thanked God, and skipped out the room. Literally skipped out! Oh my goodness I felt like....I felt like.....I felt like I was in heaven in heaven. WOO HOO! YAY! I said a friendly hello to everyone I passed. I think I’m going to like it here.

Publication Date: 12-13-2010

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