All the Little Children Need to Come Home

Chapter Ten: Uh-Oh

"Houston, we have a problem."

Todd turned to see the older angel watching below, touching the feather pen to his lips. He arched an eyebrow at Todd.

"Notice anyone missing?"

. Todd looked through the clouds below to see his mother on her knees, planting bulbs. A little girl with white curls and a yellow dress stood beside her. She was animated as she talked, and he saw his mom listening intently. He recognized Haley instantly.

He looked around him and then back at The Scribe, confusion furrowing his brow.

"How did she do that?" he asked, hoping it was possible he could do it as well. That longing of his life on earth became a subtle throb in his soul.

"Now, don't go getting any ideas, young man. She was not supposed to do that."

The scribe sighed, a combination of humor and distress.

Todd watched as Alice stood, took Haley's hand, and along with their neighbor, walked up the driveway. Everything that followed played out like a movie, only this time, it wasn't the sky screen above. It was in the real world below.

Todd watched as Haley skipped beside his parents as they went into his house. His melancholy drifted into sweet contentment when he saw his mother smile.

"Oh, yeah, right. You think that's funny?" The Scribe nudged Todd gently. Even he smiled as Haley settled into the recliner, speaking to Ben.

"She's giving him what for," The Scribe informed him. "About his drinking."

Todd snorted and continued to watch below.

He didn't notice that more and more angels were gathering along the edge of the clouds, peeking through the swirls of mists at the scene below. Small chatter filled the air as each began to realize that their little friend, Haley, was on earth. In human form.

"What is she doing?" and "How did she do that?" and "Why does she get to go back?" Todd looked around at all the angels gathered. Small wings fluttered softly as they watched the officials come to the house and take Haley with them.

The buzz up in Heaven settled into a quiet sadness. The little ones slowly flitted through the clouds, back to the Ice Cream Machine. Todd saw Grandpa Carl turn the crank and dainty cotton candy balls puffed out instead of ice cream. The atmosphere became quiet as the angels tried to catch the cotton candy as it floated above them.

Behind them, a group of elders tossed baseballs back and forth to each other. Suddenly, softballs, rubber balls, balloons and bubbles started popping all around, mingling with the fluffy cotton candy.

In an instant, the little ones started dancing around gleefully, chasing balls, bursting bubbles and catching cotton candy in their mouths. After what seemed like hours, they finally settled down on their billowy beds and gently floated as darkness fell upon them.

Having no sense of time in Heaven, Todd realized he must have slept, because he was awake now and so were many of the elders. The little ones were swaying gently with their dreams.

Todd's attention was always on earth. He watched as several cars pulled up in front of his house. It was early morning and as the people walked into his home, he saw Haley holding onto his mother's legs as one of the ladies tried to coax her to come with her.

Behind him, little angels were just beginning to stir from their cloud beds floating softly in the air. One by one, rubbing sleepy eyes, they joined him at the edge of a cloud, watching as Haley was once again buckled in the car seat.