THE MAGIC HORSE

There was no answer. I peeked out. I saw a bubble of green light float in the air.
It burst into a beautiful white horse with gold wings and a black diamond on its’
forehead. It flew around me and sat on my bed.


I climbed on the horse though I felt no weight. Like magic, we were in the
clouds and came upon golden gates. I walked through the gates. I heard this sweet
hymn. I glanced up to witness angels playing the harp. I turned around and saw children
in a choir dressed in white gowns. I smelled the perfume of roses.


I glanced at my mother. Her eyes welled up with tears. My father turned away
and gazed at the floor. My mother told me to sit down. I felt like I was chilled to the
bone. She sat next to me and took both hands. She cried.
“Mommy, what’s wrong?” I asked.
She took a deep breath. “There was an accident.”
She explained to me that Mary Ellen got her new bike at the cottage. She
rode her bike fast. A car was coming around the corner. It did not stop in time.
I shook. “What happened to Mary Ellen?”


I picked up the snow globe and shook it with anger. The globe slipped from my
hands and smashed on the floor. There were pieces of glass all around me. Sparkles
floated in a stream of water.
Raphael appeared and like magic, I saw pieces of glass come together with the
sparkles.

Before I left for the funeral, I put her birthday card in my pink purse. When we
arrived at the funeral, I felt numb and held my parents’ hands tightly so I would not faint
or fall. I wished Mary Ellen was here. At that moment I felt a light pressure on my head
and felt something brush my face. I giggled.



I took her birthday card out of my purse. Something bubbled inside of me. I read
her card so everyone heard.

“You are my swing partner. You are my sister and my best friend.”
As I read, the tears flowed down my cheeks to the card like raindrops. I kissed
her card and threw it on top of the roses. All the children huddled together. Raphael
appeared and winked at me.


“Clare, what are you thinking?” said my mother, as she washed the dishes.
I said, “Mary Ellen is not dead. She is in another world.”
She said, “Stop it! I can’t understand why you can’t accept her death?”
“Mom,” I cried, “I love you but one day you will believe with your heart.”
She walked over to me and sat next to me. She took three deep breaths.
“Your father and I would like you to see a psychologist, to help you cope with her
death.”
“Believe with your heart!” I screamed. “Why can’t you see that I’m telling the
truth!”

Raphael appeared. “Remember forgiveness, joy and hope. Come with me.”
I climbed on his back with her. From a distance through the clouds we saw
a pond. We landed by the pond and saw fish jump out of the water like dolphins.
Exotic birds whistled in the trees. There were twirling pink lily pads in the pond.
There were colorful waterfalls like a rainbow. The water sparkled like diamonds.
I questioned him. “What is this place?”
He said, “Do you recall when I talked about the healing powers of Heaven?”
I replied, “Yes, it was part of my assignment.”
He said, “Throw a rock into the pond and think of one of those words the children
mentioned in Heaven.”
I thought of the word love and threw the rock. A ruby red crystal appeared in the
the pond.




She came into the water when the waterfalls roared louder. “Stop!”
I continued to walk towards the waterfalls. “All my life I never took a chance to
be adventurous.”
She grabbed my arm to pull me back. “Ah, excuse me, but do you see where I
ended up being adventurous.”
“Big deal, you rode your bike fast,” I said. “Let’s do this together.”
We held hands as we approached the waterfalls. The crystal in the middle of the
pond shook and disappeared.


Everything shook under my feet like there was an earthquake. I could not believe
what happened next?


The waterfalls hummed the song from Heaven. The fish reappeared and the birds
flew around the pond. The sky turned to a crystal blue.
She looked puzzled. “What did you do?”

I smiled. “I released my fear of thinking something bad was going to happen.”
She said, “Just by thinking you created this magical world.
Raphael reappeared. All of a sudden I could no longer feel my legs and hands
I flew with no wings. I felt myself free with no strings attached. I was part of the sky.
“I’m flying!” I said. “Come and join me.”
She said, “Great, now there are two fairies.”
He smiled. “Do you understand now about the healing pond of life.”
She said, “I get it. My mother told me that when she gave birth to me, she was on
cloud nine.”

My mom yelled, “What are you doing?”
I opened my eyes and saw a potato smashed against the wall.
“I’m sorry Mom. I didn’t mean to do it.”
She was so mad. “Go to your room!”
I snapped. “Maybe if I was the one who died, you would believe!”
I ran to my room and picked up the snow globe. I shook it and it slipped from my
hands. Mary Ellen caught it. She hugged me.
I said, “I don’t want to see a psychologist.”
“Maybe it would not be a bad idea after all,” she said. “I will come with you.”
I smiled. “Thank you for being here. I will go.”
My mom came into my room and sat next to me on my bed.