Kingdom

• Evronia Allan, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2015

The first was my family. The five of them sat like statues in the living room; the deadly silence looming over them whilst the large grandfather clock ticked and tocked softly from the hall. My mother's puffy eyes mirrored a crimson colour as the wet lines from her tears streamed down her cheeks; she sniffled and purposely neglected to wipe her eyes. My father couldn't seem to cry, he just sat with his hands in his lap in silent reverie, contemplating and pondering and looking up to heaven. My eldest brother was embracing my mother while praying the rosary, though his eyes threatened to release tears that I had never seen before. He stuttered at the third 'Hail Mary', and resorted to staring at the wooden beads in his shaking hands. My older sister sat on the floor weeping; clutching a crucifix close to her heart like someone might take it off her. My poor little brother, too shocked to speak, acknowledged the sorrowful energy in the air.

The second to find out was my best friend. He sat at his desk in his bleakly coloured room at midnight, sketching a picture of me in charcoal. He traced a halo over my dark hair before he pinned it to his cork board, staring at his masterpiece as if he was stuck in that moment. He then moved away from the drawing and took out from his drawer a prayer that he wrote for me. In a shaking voice, he spoke to God.

The third to realise was the girl. She was the one that was the closest to making me regret my choice. She lay on her soft bed with her head on her pillow, screaming in agony from heartbreak. Her dark hair was in knots that framed her face and her blue eyes were filled with so much hurt that it was difficult for me to watch. She scrawled the word 'ANGEL' on her arm in pen, the name that she used to call me; though it means so much more to me now.

Some call it the end. Others, the beginning. I would rather my life not be defined by an Alpha or Omega, only the between.

This was what I kept in mind as Jesus sat beside me to watch the aftermath of my decision from heaven. As he reached over and embraced me, he gently stroked my brown hair with his hand; a voice like a lullaby that caused me to sob.

"They will all be alright", he explained soothingly, "... it was just your time to come home to me".
With those words, the image of the grieving earth faded. Jesus pulled me up by the hand and we began to walk back to his kingdom.

There were a selection of reasons why I should have stayed, but a multitude of reasons why I should have left. But here, in heaven with God, I finally found eternal happiness.