The Christmas House (20 page)

     Arianna responded, "Bryan and Jenn?
Grandma and Grandpa?
Michael what is happening here? How did these people that in some
cases,
have been dead for many years come back to life? How long are they here for? Is this forever or just until I wake up from this goofy dream?"

     "Honey, I don't know, but if this is a dream then we are both having it at the same time. I don't know how long they can stay with us, but I do know that Martha is behind all of this. Does it matter though? We have been given a gift to share our lives with loved ones we thought we would never see again. Why are we wasting time analyzing it? Get out there and make up for lost time. Go give your Dad a big hug. It will make you feel a whole lot better," Michael replied.

     "Maybe you are right Michael. I think I will get up and mingle for a while. Just stay close to me in case I pass out again, okay?" she asked.

     “You’ll be fine hon. Just let it happen naturally.”

     Arianna stood up and cautiously proceeded through the house. As she walked, she was in awe of all the people that were there. She saw cousins, uncles, and aunts, great grandparents and friends that were deceased for years, laughing and joking as if it was yesterday. They waved to her and hugged her as she passed by them. She found her father in the dining room sitting at the table and holding Nicole. She hugged him around his neck and said, "So do you like your grand-daughter Daddy?"

     As he stood, he handed Nicole off to Michael's mother who was standing nearby.

    
"She is almost as beautiful as you were when you were a baby Arianna," he said as he embraced his daughter.

     Arianna felt the same response that Michael felt when he embraced his father.
A feeling of overwhelming love.
A smile came to her face and she started to laugh.

     "I can't believe you are all here! Can I get anyone some coffee or a soft drink or maybe a double Scotch?" she asked.

     The whole room started to laugh and Michael's brother Billy turned on the stereo. As he tuned in the radio, he found a station that was playing non-stop Christmas songs for the next 24 hours. He turned up the volume as "Silver Bells", by Johnny Mathis sounded from the speakers.

     The old house that was now renovated and looked brand new was filled with over seventy people that were somehow connected to Arianna and Michael. None of them had ever been to this home on Festive Lane before and thus, like the house, they too were new and rejuvenated. People were dancing in the family room, talking in the kitchen, playing cards in the living room and eating in the dining room. Arianna and Michael quickly lost their apprehension about the presence of their unexpected guests. They were living in the moment, for they knew not when it could all suddenly disappear forever.

     Arianna prepared beverages for their guests and set up a punch bowl in the kitchen. As she mixed fruit juices and sodas into the bowl, David approached her gingerly.

    
"Mom?" he asked.

     "Yes honey?" Arianna responded gleefully.

     "Are you still mad at me for getting lost?"

     Arianna stopped mixing the bright red punch, held David by the shoulders and pulled him toward her.

    
"David. I was so worried about you. I am not mad at you. I am mad at myself for leaving you alone. I should have stayed by your side. I am not a very good mother."

     "It's not your fault Mom. I'm the one that got lost. I'm sorry for making
you worry so much," he replied.

    
“David, if we didn't worry about the ones we loved, then th
ere is no reason to love
at all,”
Arianna said.

    
"Now we are not finished talking about this. I want to hear all about what exactly happened to you and how you got lost. We will talk about this later, when it is a little less hectic around here."

    
"Okay. This is a pretty cool thing isn't it? All these people that I have never met are here and they are all really nice to me! I really like Grandpa Tony and Grandma Dorothy. Are they your Mom and Dad or are they Dad's?”

     "They are your father's parents. Don't you like my parents David?" she asked.

    
"Oh yeah.
Grandpa Arthur can make strange noises with his mouth. He's funny!" David replied.

     Arianna laughed.

    
"Yes, Daddy could always make that... uh... noise with his mouth!"

     David ran off to talk with the guests of the house, when he suddenly heard his guitar being played upstairs in his room. He looked up and seemed puzzled.

     Michael walked down from the upstairs.

    
"That's your Uncle Billy. He is the real musician of the family. Boy he can still play that guitar like it's a part of him. Why don't you go up and check it out David. He might teach you a few licks."

     David’s face
lit up with
a wide smile as he ran through the dining room and up the stairs in a flash.

     As Michael walked into the dining room from the foyer, he sat at the table with his parents, Arianna's parents,
his
grandfather Albert and his Uncle Wally.

     "David wants to be a rock star when he grows up," Michael stated.

     Grandpa Albert who was in his 90's and had pure white hair and a bit of a beer belly said, "Well I think he would make a great musician. He has the hands for piano though, not guitar."

             
"Piano?
No way! He is gonna beat those skins until he is rocking this paradise," Uncle Wally replied.

             
Uncle Wally was a robust man in his early sixties. He was dressed in the dark blue three-piece suit that he was buried in. His large face was round and cheery as
his smoke stained teeth protruded over his bottom lip.

    
"So Uncle Wally?
How are you? I haven't seen you since...hmm-"

     "My funeral Michael?" asked Uncle Wally.

     "Yes. I guess that would have been the last time. That was a stupid thing to say wasn't it? I'm sorry," Michael replied.

     "Hey don't sweat it Mike. I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember you coming up to my casket and being all scared. I wanted so bad to sit up and wave my arms like crazy just to see you pee your pants!
Ha Ha!"
Uncle Wally said and then laughed.

     "I'm surprised you didn't!" said Michael and then continued.

    
"Arianna?
Uncle Wally used to tease and scare us kids constantly. He would always pick on us."

     "Arianna, you wanna see me take off my head?" Uncle Wally asked.

    
"No! Don’t you
dare!
” Arianna shouted.

     They all laughed.

    
"He can't take his head off Arianna. But keep your eye on him, he might just pull your leg right off with his constant kidding," Michael's father said.

     As Arianna laughed, she took Nicole to her playpen for a nap. Michael started to ask some serious questions of the people who were sitting at the dining room table.

     "I don't mean to be nosy, but I have to ask a few questions. First of all, is there a heaven? What is it like?" asked Michael.

     For a moment, there was silence. Michael's mother began to speak.

    
"Well, Michael, we aren't sure if we are allowed to talk about that. No one said we couldn't, but no one said we could either. I sure wish Martha were here. She has the answers to all of these questions."

     "Okay, well what about Martha? How is it you all came to know her? I assume
there are millions of people... I mean souls... uh... are they souls? Do you have bodies in heaven? Do you fly around in clouds all day? How did you meet Martha out of all the millions there?" Michael asked.

     Michael's father laughed and said, "Slow down son.
All in good time."

     "That's another thing; “time”. How long are you here for?" asked Michael.

     "Well, I'm afraid we don't know the answer to that question anymore than you do Michael. Martha was suppose to let us know the schedule when she arrived but obviously, she’s not here as of yet," his father replied.

     "Well I think I'm going to tell him about heaven. What the hell. OOPS! Ha! Ha!" said Uncle Wally.

     "Uncle Wally? Where is your son James? He died many years before you passed away and yet he isn't here. Why is that?" Michael asked.

     Arianna rejoined the conversation and offered coffee to her guests. Bryan and
Jenn,
also joined the conversation as Arianna and Jenn joked around like old times. As Arianna poured fresh coffee into each cup setting around the table, she listened to Uncle Wally explain.

     "Well Michael, that has to do with heaven as well. You see, there are certain rules that apply. One of which, is this rule about taking a life. Many sins are forgiven and you are allowed into heaven, but taking a life is not one of those sins that
is
easily overlooked."

    
"James killed someone?" Michael asked.

     "He took a life Michael; his own. Suicide is not well received in heaven. You aren't punished or sent to a place that is known down on earth as hell, but you are not allowed certain privileges in heaven. You are not allowed to reunite with your family or loved ones for a very long time. It's sad, but those are the rules," said Uncle Wally.

    
"Oh, my.
That's terrible," said Arianna. "Doesn't God realize that someone who takes their own life does so due to pain and suffering, whether physical or mental?"

     "God understands all too well Arianna," replied her mother. "No one that commits suicide is denied access to heaven. They just have fewer privileges. It's hard to explain."

     "What if a person takes someone else's life intentionally?" asked Michael.

     "Then that person will never enter heaven," said Bryan.

     "Never?" asked Arianna.

     "Never." said Jenn.

    
"So what is heaven like for the ones that are allowed to enter?" Michael asked

    
"It's not what you think Michael," said his father.

    
"Do you remember the best times of your life?" he asked.

     "Sure," Michael replied.

    
"What were some of those times Michael?" his father who was on the smaller side asked.

     "Oh I don't know. There are many.
When Billy and I came home to find a new swimming pool in the backyard when I was 12.
That was a great day. We swam for hours! Mom made sandwiches and lemonade. It was just a great day,” he said and then paused.

    
“When I first kissed Arianna.
That was a great day.
The birth of David and Nicole.
Those are the best of times for me," Michael replied.

     "That's what heaven feels like Michael. There is no pain or suffering. Every moment feels like the best moments of your life. It's the feeling of love and happiness. The only sorrow we ever feel is that of separation from our loved ones still living. We miss you so much. We worry about you constantly. We can feel your pain and suffering when you feel it. But it's different. It's not like we are suffering ourselves. We take in your suffering and sadness and consume it with our love. Then we send it back to you," his father said.

     "So, you know when I am having problems and you try to help me?" asked Michael.

    
"All the time Michael.
And the more friends and family you have in heaven the more help that is sent your way. We all send our love to you constantly. And when things are going good for you, we still send you our love. Those special times you mentioned don't happen by accident. They are the result of everyone up above
sending you a little piece of heaven all at once. There is still power in numbers. Even in heaven," he said.

     "And what is this time here with us mean to you right now?” Michael asked.

     "Son, this is heaven on earth.
The ability to touch you, to see you, to see your family and your home.
The joy and love it brings to our hearts. This is what heaven is all about," his father replied.

    
"If you have faith in yourself and faith in heaven, then you will enjoy these feelings as well someday. You have to make peace with God Michael," Michael's mother, a lovely woman with light brown hair in her late fifties said.

     "I know Mom. I lost my faith after you all died. I gave up. I couldn't understand why God would do that to me. It just wasn't fair," Michael said.

     "Well, at that time it wasn't fair, but now we are here and we are together. Is that fair?" she asked.