Short Stories
Chloe Gendron looked in many ways like a miniature version of her pretty mom. She had shoulder length brown hair that curled as it
rested on her shoulders. Like her mom's eyes, Chloe's were green, bright, and intuitive. The thin lips that could spread
into a beaming ear to ear smile were also inherited from her mother. Chloe's mom had been a High School cheerleader, and
she was following in mom's footsteps by being on the cheer squad for the local Pop Warner football team.
Eight year old Chloe possessed a passionate love for so much in her life. She loved Jesus. She loved her parents, Rob
and Susan Gendron. Chloe possessed a keen interest in geography --that interest passed down from dad -- so she loved the globe that had once
belonged
to her Grandfather Gendron, gracing the left corner of the mahogany desk in the center of his office until it was time for it to
move to a multi-pastel colored shelf in Chloe's room. The globe was old, discolored; still showed Russia as the "U.S.S.R"
and
squeaked like a panic-stricken mouse when it was spun. Still, the little girl loved the globe despite its flaws and found
it exceedingly utile.
As difficult as it was, Chloe loved her annoying 10 year old brother Timmy. But, please don't tell anyone that Chloe
loved her "Freakazoid--Stinkazoid" older brother because if you do she'd be horribly embarrassed!
Young Chloe loved Carl and Tilda Gendron, who were her father's parents. Both had completed their earthly journeys within the past
year: Carl dying while being treated in the St. Joseph's Hospital Health Care Center's E.R. in Syracuse for his second heart
attack. Like Chloe loved her "Poppa" as he liked to be referred to, her Poppa loved his Camel Filters too much to give them
up after Cardiac Infarction number one. Chloe was in the E.R. waiting area with her parents when Poppa could not be resuscitated
for a third time. As hot tears streamed out of her eyes and her breath became difficult to catch, Chloe was held tight and soothed
by a nurse named Ashley, who called her "Honey" and told her that she needed to be strong for her Daddy and her Grandmother.
What made matters more difficult for Chloe was that it was the first time that she'd ever seen her always lighthearted father
Rob crying. Rob owned a carpentry and home remodeling business and loved his work, although business was down during the
this recession of 2009. Chloe's daddy was an extremely faithful and loving man, because his father Carl had set the example
for him to follow. Rob took the loss of his father very hard, but was comforted knowing that he was now with the Lord.
"Grammy" died just three
weeks later, quietly in her sleep. It was the first night since her husband's death that she had found any rest.
Chloe never knew her maternal Grampa and Grandma, as they had both passed before Chloe's birth. The erstwhile Susan Grell
lost her dad in 1977 at the age of 2; as he fought a
fully-involved house fire as a volunteer for a small, undermanned fire department in Warners, a hamlet 10 or so
miles west of Syracuse, New York. Art Grell entered the front door of the blazing house against the orders of Chief Stan
Kay, as the interior of the structure was deemed unsafe for firefighters due to the heat and intensity of the flames. A little
girl was screaming that her puppy -- named "Midnight" because of his ebony color --was trapped in her bedroom. Ever the
dog lover, Grell braved the crippling heat and defied his limited training -- and his chief -- by pulling open the smoke-shrouded
front door, where he was greeted by a hellish blast of flame that killed him nearly instantly. Art's wife Toni succumbed
to bone cancer while her only daughter was pregnant with Chloe.
Painting was a passion for little Chloe -- especially "paint by numbers" sets. Chloe's favorite scenes depicted
landscapes -- most specifically those involving trees, streams, and mountains. The young female DiVinci enjoyed the outdoors
where she would hike, camp, and fish with her parents and "goofball" older brother Timmy. Chloe was not afraid of spiders, snakes,
bats or any other of God's locally placed creatures--whilst her brother maintained a healthy fear of all the aforementioned.
When little
Sis grew tired of being picked on about whatever Timmy chose to torment her with, she would threaten extortion by promising
to tell the boys on Timmy's Pop Warner football team that he was terrified of these pusillanimous and airborn critters alike.
It was that lingering threat that would always keep Timmy from being too much of a bother, and yet...
"Purple leaves are retarded! Are you a retard?" Timmy taunted Chloe with this as he peered over her shoulder while she sat
at the kitchen table tasking away at a paint by numbers image board. In actuality, it was because she wasn't painting by the numbers that this verbal
abuse from big brother was being levied against her. You see, while Chloe loved the paint by numbers scenes, she rarely
followed the numeric color key and instead applied her own impressionist's interpretation of what the colors in the image
should be. When Chloe painted, it was though she saw a world that Timmy, her parents, or her friends could not see. She
felt as though she was providing a sneak preview of some thing or some place that was so much more breathtaking than what
one would partake of by glancing out their bedroom window.
"Since when are leaves blue or pink!? Are you crazy!? That looks really dumb, as usual!" Timmy continued his caustically unfavorable
critique of the nearly completed piece of art. "Hey, Timmy, is that your coach's phone number stuck up there on the fridge?
Maybe I should call him and tell him that his star quarterback screamed like a little sissy today when he saw that Garter
Snake slithering across the front lawn?" Chloe ever so coolly retorted with. "I hate you" is all the older brother could
offer as a reply as he dashed out the back door of the kitchen that opened up to the Gendron's spacious Town of Manlius
backyard. Susan and Rob had often reminded their beautiful, brown haired and green eyed little angel that Timmy didn't really
hate her and that he would miss her terribly if she wasn't around. Chloe took comfort in this and knew it to be true.
It was an interesting picture to say the least. The background of the painted by numbers canvas that wasn't painted by the
numbers featured a skyline with majestic mountains. The sky itself was streaked with hues of Lilac, Salmon, bright Orange, and bits of Navy
Blue and light Green. The airspace was punctuated by several puffy clouds that were deep purple. This combination of color
gave the impression of a most beautiful sunset -- the kind that entrances and romances the eyes and causes a indescribable longing in the
heart for something unseen and utterly unfathomable. The mountains were painted with Burnt Orange below and Navy Blue as the
eye was drawn closer to the peaks. This too, gave the impression of a setting sun casting its end of day's light across these
gargantuan works of a Holy God's creation -- topped off with a garnish of snow that was actually the familiar white!
Through the center of the image and appearing to emanate from the mountainous background flowed a creek that if you were to
stand on its bank would appear to be twenty feet wide. Chloe had applied rich shades of Navy and Royal Blue -- not ever
being afraid to mix paints together to create lighter and darker hues. The stream was streaked with thin touches
of white to make it appear as though it was flowing briskly. Like the snowcaps on top of the mountains, the stream was
colored in a way that the human mind would expect to see. Still, this briskly flowing body of water almost appeared to have
a life of its own. While trapped within the prison of a motionless image, the manner in which Chloe applied the blues
and the whites created the impression of motion and life and a sense of continuance. This stream was alive and yet it was only
an untrained child's work of art. The stream alone would make many a professional impressionist envious if they were to
view it.
Grassy banks bordered both sides of the straight-flowing stream; narrow and yet vivid green like a lush, late Spring lawn that
has been blessed with ample rain and has not yet been scorched and parched by a week of hot, dry August days. Chloe mixed
the greens just so; as to not be too pale or too deep. It was grass alright -- and it looked like it had been cared for by
an experienced landscaper or gardner.
Yes, there were trees populating the meadow that the lively blue stream rushed through. It was a section of forest on either
side of the stream that provided a floor for those trees; trees with unusually colored leaves. The trees were Oaks and Birches
and Maples. The numbers called for typical greens, and Chloe obliged in some
instances. But, the leaves on many of the trees were anything but usual. There were Oaks with Purple and Royal Blue leaves.
There were Maples with leaves of pink and blue. There were leaves that matched the Salmon and Lilac shades of the Skyscape. In the
bottom right-hand corner of this two feet by two feet image was a patch of flowers that Chloe created herself over what was
originally boulders when the cardboard background was printed. The flowers were shaped like Daisys and yet they were brilliant
red in some cases and a light pastel blue in others. The stems and leaves were not the anticipated green but instead Navy
Blue.
"Wow, Chloe, you sure have a vivid imagination" Rob Gendron offered to his child as he walked into the Kitchen and surveyed and
appreciated his daugther's latest work. "You really have talent, Kiddo. How would you like to take art lessons?" Chloe's
forehead wrinkled and she replied to her dad markedly matter-of-fact "nah, Daddy, I just want a puppy."
"A puppy? My goodness, where did that come from?" a surprised Rob asked Chloe. "Well, daddy" Chloe replied, "my best
friend Sadie has just
gotten a Beagle, and I've always -- forever and ever-- wanted a doggie, and I told Mom and she doesn't mind, and.."
"Your mother is in on this too? She never said anything to me! This smells like a conspiracy!" Rob was smirking, but it
was hard to tell if he was amused or agitated as he and Chloe walked into the living room.
"Well, Darling, I think that a dog would be a great addition to our home" Susan Gendron chimed in as she entered the living
room, walking in on the conversation
and kicking off her high heels, having returned home from the office she managed.
"I told Chloe that a puppy would be a big responsibility and she would need to do her part as
far as taking care of it is concerned." "She understands that it's not all fun and games" Susan spoke affirmatively as she
walked up the stairs and entered the bedroom that she and Rob shared. Upon entering, she first freed herself from the shackles of her
blouse, skirt and pantyhose. Next, she laid down on the bed and lit up her eighth Marlboro Light of the day without bothering
anyone else
in the house with it. After finishing the smoke Susan felt like she could just stay on the bed and fall asleep, but she got up and
dressed in her preferred, more comfortable attire of gym shorts, t-shirt, and bare feet and then returned downstairs
to the family she loved.
"Ah-ha, this is a conspiracy!" Rob replied with a hearty chuckle. "Truth be told, I've been wanting a dog myself. You know,
Chloe, Tom Case from church has a litter of puppies that he'd like to give away. His black Lab got out while she was in
heat and mated with a Border Collie male. They've got six growing babies that need a home."
"Can I please, oh please, oh please, Daddy?" Chloe begged her father with a considerable dose of little girl drama for effect.
"Yes, honey.
Tom says that the pups are old enough now to be taken from their mother" was Rob's reply. "Yippy skippy!" Chloe yelled...
Several days later, Jack came to join the Gendron home, wearing his shiny black coat, big paws and floppy ears. "Jack isn't
a dog's name, dufus!" Timmy chided Chloe, with which she
replied "but Timmy is a Freakazoid Stinkazoid's name and you're one! I like the name Jack and he's MY dog, so that's his
name!" She didn't like raising her voice to her brother, but he just drove her CRAZY sometimes!
The pup was playful and a bit aggressive. When he would nip at the hands that would pet him, he'd get a firm whack on the
nose. Jack ate like a horse,
his consumption included a gingerbread house that Chloe had worked on meticulously. The structure was left on a small table
that sat
too low to the kitchen floor and the ravenous pup found it delectable. Chloe shed tears of disappointment at the sight of
sugar and crumbs stuck to the
jet black fur on the pup's mouth, even though the image of Jack's tongue working double-time to remove the sweet goo from his
face was comical.
Jack had a difficult time remembering that the newspaper on the floor was the place to do his business -- not directly on the
floor! But, as he grew the puppy began to learn what the paper was for and not to nip and bite the hands that fed him and loved
him. Jack become increasingly affectionate as he grew, often licking Chloe's fingers and face with the same diligence that was applied
to the removal of the gingerbread. He would whine whenever she left him alone, which made school days excruciating for the
needy pup. Jack
would sleep in Chloe's room every night. He
followed the young girl all around the house and began to accompany her on trips into the outside world so he could "make his mess."
Of course, Jack always wore a black leather collar attached to a red leash, as Route 92 through Manlius where the Gendrons
resided was very busy with traffic. The speed limit where the Gendrons lived was posted at 30 MPH; however it was rarely
heeded by local drivers and almost never enforced. Tom Gendron would often comment with bitterness that "all traffic laws in Manlius are
optional."
Jack wanted badly to be outside. Whenever the front door would open, the growing black puppy would run toward the door in an
effort to get out. Susan frequently reminded Chloe and Timmy to "watch the puppy around the door. He cannot go out by
himself." Timmy would often torment Chloe by saying "When you're not looking, I'm gonna let Jack out." Chloe doubted that
Timmy would follow through with his threat, but she couldn't allow herself to be sure. Rob and Susan were adamant that
Timmy would never purposely allow the pup to sneak out.
Jack was maturing and began to bark whenever a stranger came to the door. He was fiercely loyal to his family; especially
so to Chloe. If dogs possess the ability to feel love, Jack did for his Chloe. Chloe loved Jack and was as responsible
in regards to his care that her parents hoped that she would be. She loved regaling her friends at school and in AWANA
with funny Jack stories. He was such a good, kind, and wonderful pet.
The Manlius Marauders Pop Warner football team won its first game, and there was jubilation amongst Timmy and his teammates.
The young quarterback invited his two best friends from the team: Mike Penoyer and Chad Pavone, back to the Gendron residence
for pizza. The three boys entered the front doorway, full of rowdy good cheer. Jack saw the door spring open and with that
came opportunity, as the boys were not at all paying attention to the young dog. The Black Lab/Border Collie mix shot
through the open door with enthusiasm -- not knowing or caring what he was running to. He was running and that was the
beginning and the end of it in Jack's limited dog mind. "Run, run, running! Running toward the place where all those
fast moving things that bring dogs to the Vet's office were whizzing past. Oh, the girl who loves me is running behind
me, yelling "Jack! Jack! Get back here!" Oh boy, this is fun! We're playing chase! I'll keep going toward the whizzing
things that take dogs to the Vet, and I'll go right through them! The girl is fast and catching up with me!" "Jack, NO"
the girl is yelling.
"He is like, so hot! A total babe! He's gonna get a job at my Father's law office. He'll have cash. I gotta do what it
takes to like, make him mine, ya know! Maybe he'll get me the Land Rover 'cause I like hate this stupid blue Lexus I got for my
birthday!" Ali Valenti was speaking into her hand-held cell phone as she rounded the curve on route 92 near the Gendron home
at 57 MPH, 27 MPH
over the posted speed limit. Miss Valenti was a "talented" young lady: She was able to steer with her knees while holding
the cell phone against her cheek with her left shoulder as she inspected her freshly manicured fingernails...
Chloe felt like she was flying and it was because she did; 22 feet in a westerly direction on Route 92, having been launched
by the grill of a Metallic Blue Lexus. She thought she heard Jack yelp but she couldn't see him. She thought she heard
Timmy screaming "somebody help my baby sister" -- she thought she heard him crying "no, no, no" but she didn't know why that
would be? She thought she heard people yelling "oh my God" and "call 911" but she was confused, if but for a few seconds. And,
golly, she really felt achy, but it seemed like for just a few seconds. Why was she so cold? It was a warm September day wasn't
it? Ultimately, the cold only lasted for a second or two.
The birds were chirping what sounded like a song that Chloe thought she knew, but what was it? Somewhere, a chorus was singing
a beautiful song as well, and it was almost like the birds were singing that very same, very sweet song. This rich cacophony
of indescribable melodiousness replaced the frenzied, panicked noises she had heard a moment before. Likewise, the sense of
flying was no longer with Chloe.
Chloe loved to wade in Limestone Creek as it flowed through Mill Run Park in Manlius. She loved the sound of the cool water
rushing over her feet, and it was this sound that she now heard. The sensation of water flowing over her feet came upon her, and
the realization that she was standing in it. This water wasn't her beloved Limestone, and yet it was familiar to her...
Manlius Police Officer Randy Higgins had his hands full as he kept Susan Gendron away from the E.M.S team that was huddled around
little Chloe. While Susan screamed that she needed to see her daughter, officer Higgins told her firmly yet with a calm,
compassionate tone that Chloe was in the best of hands and that she (Susan) could see her soon. A mere fifteen feet away,
Manlius
officers Kristen Barnes and Brad DiRenzo had had enough of the F-Bombs being hurled at them by Miss Ali Valenti,
who was accusing these cops of "like, holding her up." "My father will get your badges, you losers" warned Miss Valenti as she was handcuffed
and deposited into the back seat of a police cruiser. Officer Barnes recalled Valenti from Fayetteville-Manlius High School, and it was all
she could do to keep her personal bias out of this arrest as she unceremoniously pushed the her snotty, over-privileged former
classmate
into the back seat of the cruiser.
Chloe thought that she was looking at an enlargement of her most recent paint by numbers effort -- but this was far to vivid
to be that. As she looked down at the clear water flowing past her ankles, she saw a Royal Blue hued maple leaf go drifting
past. "Oh, there must be something special about this water" Chloe thought and it was then that she realized that this was
the same stream that she had recently painted! She was always a happy child, but the joy that was filling her was something
that she had never experienced before. She could still hear the birds chirping and that chorus singing in the background, and what
a sweet sound it was! Chloe felt so warm and so content inside, even though she was still confused about what was taking place.
It was then that Chloe looked up and saw the trees -- her eyes being drawn to the leaves. "Oh my" she uttered as she saw
the royal and navy and red leaves, the pink ones, the orange, the shades and combinations of color that she had never seen before! There
were orangish blue leaves. There were reddish green ones as well. There were leaves that shined like prisms! There were big trees
and small ones. Randomly placed white Willow trees emenated a soft, soothing glow. Red Daisys grew along the banks of
the stream. The Daisy stems were blue, just like she had painted.
There was joy and there was warmth flowing through Chloe, and she now saw and knew things that had formerly been unutterable.
The mountains were there, just as depicted in Chloe's paint by numbers depiction. Tall and Majestic, Burnt Orange and Navy,
with a pure, white snow garnish at the tops! The sky glowed with every color imaginable and some that were previously
inconceivable by Chloe's finite human mind. There were multi-colored birds and butterflies. There were flowers shaped
like circles and triangles and they changed color as they gently swayed in a soft, constant breeze. There were places where
grass grew unimpeded, and it was green as Chloe would expect. This grass was lush and inviting and she thought that she
could lie down and nap in it.
Chloe could feel a tickling sensation on her right hand and she looked down to see Jack licking it. "Jack!" Chloe yelled
and she felt her escalating level of joy rise another notch.
This place was beautiful. It was comfortable and felt like home, even though it wasn't the house that Chloe had shared
with Timmy, her parents, and her dog. Chloe always loved watching "The Wizard of Oz" and would often pretend that she was
Dorothy. It was that memory that inspired her to look down at her dog and say "Jack, I don't think we're in Manlius anymore."
"No, my little one, you are not" a kindly voice grabbed Chloe's attention and drew it front and center. She looked up and saw
his white hair gently flowing with the breeze. Golly, it was like he himself caused the breeze! His beard was white as well,
and His eyes were brown and yet they were as piercing as her daddy's blue ones. Those eyes, like her daddy's, were filled
with a love that had no bottom or top. "Such beautiful eyes" Chloe thought and she wanted to paint a picture of them. Oh, but these
were no ordinary eyes. These eyes saw everything and knew everything!
His smile spoke a million words in languages Chloe had never known. "He knows all the words to all the songs--EVER!" Chloe
thought to herself, and it was then that she could hear --each individually-- every song that she had ever loved. Yes, that
smile was brilliant and yet comforting and really made Chloe feel at home in this place.
The robe he wore was pure white. There was what looked to Chloe like a purple strap that ran diagonally from his right shoulder to his left hip,
and on that strap in gold letters gleamed the words KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. It was then that Chloe's joy was
complete. It was then that she possessed so much more wisdom than any earthbound 8 year old could ever manage.
"Jesus" Chloe uttered softly. His smile broadened and the incomprehendible sound of angels singing became comprehendible
to the little girl who was struck down in the center of Route 92 while chasing after the puppy that she loved so dearly. Her
death
was not instant but took only a few seconds. She arrived home just before landing on the pavement some 22 feet away from
impact with Ali Valentine's vehicle. Chloe experienced very little pain before saying goodbye to all that she knew in the
current earthly realm.
He opened his hands to her and she saw the holes that were created by the nails that pinned him to the cross. He could have come down
from that cross if He had so chosen to, but He loved Chloe so much --long before her birth-- that He suffered there to purchase
her salvation. And oh, how He looked forward to this day! The day when the pretty little girl who loved Him, who loved
Rob and Susan Gendron, they who currently sat stunned on the tailboard of Manlius Engine 3 trying to come to grips with what had
happened --who were currently asking Jesus why this happened-- the little girl who loved Timmy Gendron, who was at this
earthly moment sobbing and moaning in the arms of his mother. "I'm so sorry I ever called her a dufus. I'm so sorry I ever picked on her about her paintings. I-I-I love
my baby sister. N-N-N-Noooooooo Mom, please tell me that she's not dead. It's my fault! I let the dog out! I
murdered my baby sister...."
The shell-shocked and still disbelieving Susan told Timmy that it wasn't his fault. She told him that he wasn't a murderer.
This 10 year old boy was beyond
consolation right now, and all she could do was rock him and stroke his hair. She told Timmy that Chloe was in Heaven with
Jesus now,
and that she didn't have any pain. If Timmy could be aware of the total joy and fulfillment that his sister was experiencing
in this moment and forever more, he would have found the solace that he was seeking. He buried his head into his mother's
bosom in an effort to drown out the noise of the activity by fire, police, and E.M.S at the accident scene. As a little boy,
this is where he would often take comfort and he felt like a little boy again. Susan pulled Timmy's
head tightly into her bosom, and quickly to Timmy's ears the racket of the horrific scene were replaced by the sounds of
the activity taking place inside of his mother's ribcage:
her lungs taking in quick shallow breaths and the heart that normally lub-dubbed happily along at 68 beats a minute was pounding
out a steady, ferocious beat at two and one half times its normal rate as it dutifully responded to the increased need for
oxygenated blood to be pumped around her shocked, anxiety-ridden and stress-filled brain and body...
"Welcome to my Father's Kingdom, Chloe. I have prepared a place for you. Come with me and see!" Jesus spoke to Chloe
with obvious joy. Such humility and such gladness was exhibited by He who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords -- He who
was the Lamb who made propitiation for all of our sins past, present, and future.
Instantly Chloe and Jack were standing with Jesus before a small stairway that led up to a house. Immediately, Chloe realized
that this was no ordinary house. The house was the size of small cottage and whoa, wait a minute, it was a gingerbread
house! But, this was not your average, garden-variety gingerbread house. This piece of Heavenly real estate was made of
gold, as so much of what Heaven has to offer is. And, it was modeled after the very masterpiece that Jack ate, which broke
Chloe's heart at the time. There were two arched windows on either side of the front door. Candy canes bordered the front
door as well as the roof line. They were gold, and yet a delicious peppermint aroma arose from them and teased Chloe's nose.
Before she could ask, Jesus replied with "yes, they are peppermint, and you can lick them whenever you choose." Chloe was
pleasantly dumfounded as Jesus led her and her dog through the front door.
While the exterior of the house was small, the interior was that of a mansion. Chloe loved color, and color abounded on the
walls and on the ceilings, which could have been a mile high for all she knew. There was only one room in this house, but
the room could have been two miles deep. There were hummingbirds of all colors that flew about inside the structure. They
flitted and bounced from flower to flower; these flowers were gathered in groups of ten to fifteen and seemed to grow directly
out of the floor and stood about three feet high. Each flower had three oval-shaped petals that grew from a center that glowed
a soft neon green. The smell of these flowers was an olfactory delight. She had always hated that her
mother Susan was a smoker, and this wonderful smell was similar to the scent of the Febreeze that Susan would spray her
clothes with so Rob and the kids wouldn't
have to smell the cigarettes on them. Chloe liked the smell of the Febreeze, but this was so much better, and didn't make
her sneeze!
Images changed within the confines of this structure. Chloe quickly realized that if she desired a red flower to be blue,
it would become so merely by her thinking it. It was then that Chloe becane aware that she was hungry. Instantly, there
was a long table set before her with bowls of apples, oranges, and grapes. She grabbed an apple and bit into it and the
slightly tart flavor was like no apple ever tasted on earth. The juice ran down her face and it too was delectable. After
two bites, she felt full, and the table of fruit was gone!
"Chloe, look here" Jesus spoke. Standing in front of the little girl were her paternal grandparents, Carl and Tilda Gendron.
"Poppa!" "Grammy!" She shrieked with joy and both grandparents took turns hugging little Chloe. "We didn't expect to see you
so soon, honey, but what a joy this is" Poppa said with delight. It was then that Grammy spoke up and said "Honey, there is
someone else who would like to meet you." Before Chloe stood the soul of a rugged, handsome man who's facial features bore
a resemblance to her mother Susan -- including her mom's beaming, ear to ear grin. Before Chloe could utter a word, Jack
ran to this man and began licking his face as he crouched down to pet the dog. "You are a handsome one" the man spoke. "There
is a grown woman on earth who lost a dog just like this one when she was a little girl. Her house was on fire and I was warned not
to try to go in, but I did anyway because I love dogs so much. Chloe, because I was so careless, your mommy never really had the
chance to know me."
"Grampa Grell?" Chloe asked. "Yes, Chloe, I am your Mother's dad." was Art's reply. "I was a volunteer firefighter and my
time on earth ended because I tried to rescue a little black puppy named Midnight from a house fire. The house was fully involved and I was
told not to try to go in, but I tried to anyway. I didn't know that the puppy was already dead. Chloe, it is such a great
joy to meet you. Whenever you want to see me or your Daddy's parents, all you have to do is think of us and we'll be with you."
Chloe's joy was complete, and yet she now felt a bit of sadness and tears were running down her cheeks. She was at total peace
and knew she was in Heaven. The entire place glowed with the light that streamed from God the Father's throne. All five senses
were treated to experiences that no one on earth could handle, as their flesh-covered mortal bodies and their finite minds
would simply overload. And yet, despite this glorious and uninhibited peace and joy, Chloe missed her parents and her brother and
wanted to share all of this wonderment with them.
Jesus knelt down in front of the sad little girl. His eyes were filled with compassion to a degree that cannot be measured
by insufficient human standards. She stared into those eyes and a wan smile began creeping from the corners of her mouth.
The Lord gently placed his hands on Chloe's cheeks and he began to softly speak: "such love in you, my precious little one.
You have no need to be broken hearted. There is no more sadness now that you are here in the Kingdom. I have saved all of
the tears that you ever cried on earth in a little bottle. I was there to collect every single one. These tears that are on your
face now are just imagined. There is no more pain and no more crying here. All those things are gone. But, there is sadness
now for your mommy and daddy and for Timmy. Your mommy is holding Timmy right now. Timmy loves you so much, even
though he picked on you."
"You never saw all of the times Timmy stood up for you when his friends would say bad things about you. You could never have
known all the times that Timmy prayed for you. I am well pleased with Timmy. He has accepted me as His Lord and
Savior and knows that I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
"Look over here, Chloe." What was before Chloe would have been an awful load to handle in her former earthly body. It was
an exact replica of the planet Earth! It hovered a few inches above the golden floor of her gingerbread mansion and was about
five feet high. There were clouds that floated over the replica and they were real! She touched the Atlantic Ocean to
the east of Cape Cod and it was actually wet! "WOW!" Chloe proclaimed. "This is like the real earth, only smaller!"
"Well, Chloe" Jesus chuckled, "you always did like globes." Chloe was amazed, and she guessed that her amazement with the
Holy God's creation would last for all eternity.
Chloe turned to face Jesus and she noticed that a tall, handsome, muscular male angel was standing to Christ's right. He, too,
was dressed in a white robe and on his right hip was a sheath that carried a long sword. The sword's handle was an iridescent
gold and looked hot to the touch. The angel's hands were clasped around the end of what looked like a trumpet, only this instrument was
longer and gray in color, with no buttons or valves. Even though the angel's face was sturdy
and lacked a smile, Chloe sensed kindness and also immeasurable courage. She knew that this angel possessed colossal strength
and had done battle before. She sensed that this angel had served the Holy God for all eternity.
Jesus spoke "My Father has shown me that the time has now come and I will go take my bride. For this day and time I have
long waited. What joy abounds!"
"Chloe, watch your globe and enjoy what you see. I am so pleased!" Jesus spoke with the enthusiasm of a child opening his
Christmas gifts.
She turned toward her globe and then turned back to see that Jesus and the Angel were gone. She could feel the level of
joyousness rising throughout Heaven. She herself felt a level of anticipation for something she could not describe. Angels
were singing, and there was an invigorating buzz of electricity that flowed from all of the souls that called Heaven home.
She was with them and they were with her, as one large, blessed family.
There was the sound of a trumpet blast. It was far off, and yet that sound seemed to carry across infinite miles and through
all space and time. Chloe looked at her globe and saw tiny glowing white sparks slowing rising from it from every land...
Ali Valenti was insisting that Officer Brad DiRenzo take the handcuffs off of her and return her phone. She called the
Manlius cop a scumbag for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. Officer DiRenzo was glad to be pulling onto Arkie Albanese
Drive that led to the Manlius Police Station. He was even gladder that there was a metal grill that seperated the front
and rear seats of the police cruiser. Yes, the cop was grateful for the metal grill, but what was that sound? "Was that a
trumpet?" he had just enough time to think as he saw his police uniform and gun belt fall behind the steering wheel of the
cruiser. "Bradley DiRenzo" a commanding voice called. "Yesssss....the Rapture!" DiRenzo's soul yelled with glee. What the young Christian cop
didn't see as he rose into the September air was the horrified look on Miss Valenti's face as his out of
control cruiser crashed into the Sno-Top ice cream parlor.
The stretcher slipped from Paramedic Don Cain's hands as he and fellow medic Josh Wright were loading it into the back of
Manlius Ambulance 1. "Hey, what the..." was all Cain could utter before realizing that Wright was no longer holding the
other side of the stretcher. As the stretcher flipped sideways and clanked onto the roadway, Don Cain was perplexed that
Josh Wright's navy blue MANLIUS E.M.S t-shirt, blue slacks, black shoes, socks, underwear, wallet, cell phone, and pager
were clumped in a pile on the road behind the ambulance. What was even more disturbing to Cain was that the blood-soaked clothes
of the deceased Chloe -- who a moment before laid on top of the stretcher, covered with a sheet -- were gathered in a
pile on top of his partner's. Before the confused paramedic could utter another
word, a now driverless tractor trailer slammed into a parked Manlius Police cruiser, knocking it backward into Cain -- the
cop car crushing the terrified paramedic against the back of the ambulance.
At that same moment, Gordon Nass walked downhill on the Seneca Street sidewalk that bordered the St. Ann's cemetery. He was
aware that there was
a contingent of emergency vehicles staged a block away, near his home on Route 92. "Hope it ain't my house" he thought to
himself. When Nass glanced over his left shoulder into the cemetary, he came to the disconcerting realization that
some of the graves had been unearthed, with caskets lying topside and spilled open. "I've got to quit drinkin' cause I'm imaginin'
crap" old Gordy spoke out loud to no one. Yes, Gordy's lips may have too frequently caressed the business end of a bottle,
but he wasn't imagining the open graves or the plummeting, unpiloted Gulfstream 3 that was about to slam into the muffler
repair shop at the bottom of the hill...
Jesus was welcoming the millions of now glorified bodies into the Heavenly Kingdom -- each one personally in whatever language
they spoke on earth. The sound of his mom's final heartbeats were the last thing that Timmy Gendron heard before they both
heard the trumpet blast that summoned them home to Heaven -- where glorified bodies would not need the service of a cardio-vascular
system. The distress on Susan Gendron's face was replaced by that
familiar ear to ear smile as she realized that this event was the blessed hope that she had looked forward to for years.
Her husband Rob was rising with her and Timmy above the heartbreaking scene on Route 92, only now all of their sadness was
gone. Susan knew that she would so very soon see her precious daughter Chloe, but not before meeting the Alpha and Omega --
the Beginning and the End. And, before her now He stood amongst the clouds. The sunshine of the bright September afternoon
was no match for His eminence. Susan wanted to fall to her knees in worship, but instead she was embraced by Jesus. He
spoke softly into her ear "Susan my beloved child, I have so looked forward to this day. Now, there is a little one here who
so looks forward to seeing her parents and her brother"
As she watched the souls rise from the spectacular globe that was located in her mansion, Chloe could recognize
three of them as they were entering the Kingdom. Now, all she had to do was think of Rob, Susan,
and Timmy and she was standing and
embracing them! How glorious! "I love you Mom, Dad, and Timmy! I love everyone here, and you will know everyone single one
by name!"
Thirty-three earthly minutes had passed from the time that Chloe had died until the Rapture took place. There were unions and reunions
taking place as the table was being prepared for the Wedding Feast. Jubilation abounded throughout Heaven, as things on
earth would become gruesome after the Anti-Christi emerged on the scene and forged the false peace treaty between Israel and
her neighbors. Yes, the Fullness of the Gentiles was in and Jesus had taken his Bride -- that being the church of true
Christian believers. The New Jerusalem would bustle with activity as praise for the one, true, living, triune God would
ring from corner to corner.
Timmy Gendron was embracing his Grampa Grell who he had never met when Chloe appeared and chided her brother "Hey, did you notice the
leaves?"
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