Posted: 8-7-2026
Bob jumped when the door slammed behind him. “Who’s there?”
He turned to see his brother standing in the doorway of his living room. “Oh. It’s you.”
“Who were you expecting? An angel perhaps?” His brother, Jack, laughed as he sat on a worn, brown couch.
Bob returned to washing the dishes. “I thought you would be at work by now.”
“I would be, if it were not—”
“You didn’t get fired again, did you?”
“I wouldn’t call it ‘fired’ exactly.”
“What would you call it, then?”
“More like, violently thrown out.”
Bob shook his head. “So you were fired.”
“That’s one way to look at it.”
Bob wiped his hands on a towel before turning to face his brother. “So, what happened this time?”
Jack smiled. “They wanted me to clean the toilets! Can you imagine that? I was hired to cook, not clean dirty toilets!” He held up this hands. “I can’t soil my gifted cooking hands with such dirty tasks.”
“Jack, that’s part of the job. You were suppose to work you way up to being a cook.”
A knock sounded from their front door. Bob sighed, then went to open the door. Before him stood a man with a goofy looking grin on his face and a younger girl. “I don’t want any. Thanks.” He began to shut the door.
The older man said, “What? You don’t want help with job-placement assistance?”
Bob froze. “Did you say, ‘job-placement assistance’?”
“Yes, I most certainly did.” The man held out a hand. “My name’s Joel, and this here is Ally.”
Bob shook each of their hands and welcomed him in. “If you don’t mind me saying, strange but cute costumes. Going to a Renaissance festival after this?”
Joel laughed. “No, more like we just came from one and forgot to change.”
Ally started to say something but Joel waved her off. It struck Bob how an unlikely that a pair like them would be from a job placement agency. But, whatever. “They sure are working people young these days.”
“Oh, she’s just my, ah, daughter is all. Sort of, anyway.” Joel looked up to the ceiling before facing Bob again. “Well, it’s complicated.”
Bob nodded. “It will all be good if you can get my brother, Jack, a job . . . that he will keep!”
Jack waved at them in as they entered the room. A grin creased his face. “I don’t suppose you’re gonna place me as a squire or something?”
Josh and Ally both smiled. Joel said, “Only if you want to go back to a time when those jobs were plentiful.”
Jack laughed, but it quickly died off when Joel didn’t join him in his merriment. “Are you serious?”
Joel pointed a finger at Jack. “The question isn’t whether I’m serious or not, but whether you are serious?” Joel turned to Ally. “Is he serious?”
Jack’s eyes lit up. “How would she know?”
Ally gazed into Jack’s eyes. “Yep, he’s serious. Serious about not doing anything with his life.”
Jack rose from the couch. “Hey, I resent that remark.”
Ally continued to stare into his eyes. “Because it’s true.”
Jack turned to Bob, who had remained silent. “Aren’t you going to defend me?” He turned back to see Ally still staring at him. He stuttered a bit, “I . . . you.” He pointed at Joel while looking at Bob.
Bob asked, “Jack, is it true that you have purposefully sabotaged every job you’ve received?”
“No, no. Don’t be fooled by these charlatans. Anyone can see they aren’t from a job placement agency.” Jack faced Joel and Ally. “I bet they don’t have any credentials either.”
Ally smiled. “You want credentials? Boy, do we have credentials. Show them, Joel.”
Joel wrinkled his forehead. “Credentials?”
Ally winked at him. “Yeah, you know,” she waved her arms. “Our credentials.”
“Oh, those credentials. One moment, let me think of something good.”
Jack laughed. “See, I told you they aren’t from an employment agency. You either have credentials on you to show or you don’t. You don’t need to think of something.”
Joel snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it!” They all disappeared in a blinding flash of light.
As Jack’s eyes recovered, a breeze blew against his skin. A jungle came into view, complete with thick underbrush and tall trees towering above them. Jack’s mouth hung open as he took in the scenery. “How did I get here?”
Bob, also displaying a shocked expression, said, “You guys aren’t from a job placement agency, are you?”
Joel grinned. “Let’s just say, not from any agency you are familiar with.”
Jack, still with his mouth hanging open, stared intently at Joel. “Not only how did we get here, but where is ‘here’?”
Bob added, “And I most certainly hope you can get us back to where we belong.”
Joel held up a hand. “All in good time. Your second question is the important one, Jack.” Joel spread his arms wide. “We’re in the jungle!”
Bob threw up his hands. “Duh! I would have never guessed.”
Joel laughed. “Of course you wouldn’t have. Like, it’s a jungle out there. Ever heard that phrase?”
Bob nodded. “So, aside from the word jungle, what are you getting at?”
Jack put his hands on his hips. “Yeah, what is this about? Out with it man. I demand to be returned to our house, now!”
Joel shook his head. “You don’t see the point, do you? Okay, I’ll spell it out. The reason they call the job world a jungle is because to survive, you have to struggle each day to work. You have to do things you don’t like. Like the real jungle, where people spent all their time hunting for food just to live each day. There was little time for other activities.”
Jack shrugged. “I fail to see what this has to do with me. I don’t live in a jungle.”
Joel smiled. “You do now.”
“You can’t be serious.” Jack peered into Joel’s eyes. As far as he could tell, he appeared serious.”
Bob cleared his throat. “I don’t like this idea. I demand you take us both back.”
Joel shook his head. “You have prevented Jack here from experiencing the consequences of his actions. Or inaction as the case may be.”
Bob’s face became red. “Look here. You may think you’re God or something—”
Joel laughed. “No, not God, but sent by him to you.”
“—but this isn’t funny. He could die out here. He knows nothing about survival in the wild.”
“And why is that, Bob?”
“Because . . . because . . .” Bob hung his head. “Because his parents and I, none of us have taught him.”
“Exactly. Bye, Jack. I’ll come back to check on you soon.” Joel snapped his fingers and they all left in a flash of light, leaving Jack alone. For the first time in his life, he feared for his life.”
Jack cringed as the beast was about to strike. This was the end. After the strange man didn’t return as he had promised, Hunger pains had driven Jack to search for food. Had this Joel guy forgotten all about him? So he worked to survive. And much to his surprise, he did survive.
In the six months he’d been here, though time tended to blur so he wasn’t exactly sure just how long it had been, he had grown proud of himself. He had built himself a makeshift house to shelter himself from the elements and wild animals while he slept. Yes, he had done quiet well. He would show that Joel guy that he could survive.
But now, that it appeared his doom was sure, that Bob’s prediction would come true, that he would die here, he closed his eyes and waited for the beast to strike.
“Jack! Are you going to stay cringing like that on the floor for long, because I’d like us to fix something for dinner.”
Jack opened his eyes. He stood in their old apartment! “What happened? How much did I miss?”
Joel turned to Ally. “Well, how is he now?”
She gazed at Jack, standing as a smile filled his face. “I think he’s fixed.”
Bob scrunched his face. “Fixed?”
Ally cleared her throat. “A poor choice of words. I meant he is ready to work.”
Bob laughed. “How? We just got back ourselves. He couldn’t have experienced anything much.”
Jack glanced at the clock on the wall. “What day is it?”
Bob pointed at a calendar. “May 15th, 2019. Wednesday.”
Jack shook his head. “But this is the same day and time we originally left. How can that be? I just experienced months alone in that jungle!”
“Well, Ally, looks like our job here is done.”
“I agree,” she said,
Joel snapped his fingers and they both vanished.
Bob shook his head to clear out the cobwebs. “Like I was saying, you were supposed to be working you way up to being a cook.”
Jack dropped his head. “I know. I blew it. I sabotaged that job.”
Bob said, “You’ve got to be . . . what did you say?”
Jack rose from his seat on the couch. “I said, I blew it. But I know a place where I can apply and they are desperate enough for help that I can probably get the same deal there. I’ll go apply right now.” He stepped toward the door and reached his hand out to grab the door knob. Before he did, he turned to Bob. “By the way, what just happened? Why do I feel so different now?”
Bob shrugged. “I have no earthly or heavenly idea.”
Jack thought for a moment. “Oh well, time to go earn a living.” He stepped out the door and shut it behind him.
Bob returned to washing dishes and shook his head. How long would this last? He had no idea. But he hoped it would be more permanent.
And so it was.
Posted: 8-7-2026
As the white light died off, a familiar site came into view. Ally blinked a couple of times to focus. “Joel, this is your home again.”
He nodded. “I know. I had hoped we’d arrive here. I want to grab Kaylee and we’ll go somewhere on Camellia for dinner.”
“You mean, you eat food, like we do?”
“Not really. It is more of a social thing. At any rate, we can’t merely work all the time. You know what they say!”
Ally scrunched up her forehead. “No, I don’t know what they say.”
Joel facepalmed himself. “Of course! That is a saying in an alternate world. It goes, ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’”
She wrinkled her nose. “But I’m a girl.”
Joel sighed. “I know that! It’s the underlying point of the saying. But have it your way. All work and no play makes Jill a very dull girl. There. Satisfied?” He crossed his arms.
She gazed into his eyes for a couple of seconds. “Are all you angels this touchy?”
Joel simply stared at her, as if he were dumbfounded.
“After all, I know what you were driving at the first time you said it. I only questioned some of the wording.” She tried to read him, but for some reason she couldn’t read an angel’s mood or disposition. Though it was apparent enough without her ability. He was so transparent.
“And what, pray tell, was the point I was driving at?”
“If you don’t know, why should I tell you?”
“Humor me.” He stared at her as she stared back.
She shrugged her shoulders after a few seconds had passed. “You think we need a break.”
Joel threw his hands up. “Well, duh!”
She scrunched her nose again. “What does that mean?”
He shook his head, muttering something. Then he said, “I’m not going down that road again. Look, I’m going to get Kaylee. You stay put. I’ll only be gone for a minute or two, I hope.”
She nodded.
He gave her one nod back, and then marched toward his house. He let the door slam shut behind him.
Ally sat on a nearby rock. The feeling of being totally happy while in the midst of having an argument with an angel was very . . . different. Sort of like mixing oil and water and having it blend into one liquid. Just that strange.
“But it was very good of him to want to help you relax,” a voice behind her said.
She twirled around. It sounded like a man’s voice, but instead, she saw nothing. No one. She said, “Who’s there?”
“Just me.”
“Who is ‘just me’?”
“Doodle.” He became visible.
Ally almost lost her balance when she backed up suddenly upon his appearance. “Who is Doodle?”
“What? You know who Kaylee is, but not me?”
Ally shook her head. “No idea.”
“Well, as they tell us in orientation, it’s best not to focus on who I am anyway. That’s not what you need to know. Even though it appears nearly everyone asks.” He paused as if for no apparent reason. Then he said, “You really have no clue do you?”
“Nope.”
“Well, that’s alright. As long as you don’t know who George is as well.”
Her eyes grew wide. “You mean George of Reol?”
He stared at the ground and shook his head. “You know George, but have never heard of me?” He threw his hands into the air. “Incredible.”
“I don’t know anyone named Doodle from Reol.”
“What? You think only people from Reol are important?”
“No.” She shrugged. “Only that I know the people of Reol. Not too many outside of that area.”
For the first time, Doodle smiled. “So it’s pretty much true what they say about the people of Reol.”
“What do they say?”
“Boy, you’re full of questions. Well, that you are all a secluded bunch, rarely getting out of town save for traders and certain exceptions, like Sisko and his relatives, and Josh.”
Well, it is in a forest, and a mountain range cuts it off from the rest of Camellia.”
Now it was Doodle’s turn to wrinkle his nose. “Camellia? What’s that. Is that Joel’s garden over there?” He pointed at the tea leaves.”
She giggled. “No silly. It is the name of your and my whole world. Camellia. Got it?”
He put fingers to his beard and brushed it with them. “You know, it would be helpful to have a name, now that we have other worlds to differentiate it from.”
Ally smiled. “Exactly what I told Joel.”
Doodle started heading back toward the woods. “Follow me if you’d like to hear more. I’ve got to get back to my house.”
She started to move her feet, but then hesitated. Joel had told her to stay put. But then there was more than one way to interpret what he’d said. Because they were in Paradise, after all. What harm could happen to her in Paradise? So he couldn’t have meant to stay put, as in, not going anywhere else. Rather, he had asked her to stay the hand of anyone who wanted to put something there. That had to be it. So she nodded and followed.
They talked as they walked. Finally, Doodle asked Ally, “I sense that you have already been tested.”
“Tested. For what?”
“What you are here for.”
“Here for? To my knowledge, we came for Kaylee.”
“Kaylee?” He stared hard at Ally. “She wouldn’t qualify.”
“Qualify? I think she’d be very interesting to talk with.”
“Sure, but there’s much more she would need to do, like fly, to qualify.”
Ally thought for a second. “Qualify? Qualify for what? All we’re going to do is go out to supper with her.”
Doodle looked up into the sky. “When, O Lord, did you change the way a person gets a dragon to bond with?”
Doodle’s use of the word dragon sparked a memory the last time she was here with Joel. He appeared a little worried about her presence being here, that it could lead to a bonding to a dragon.
Ally let her jaw drop. “You think I’m here to get a dragon?”
Doodle laughed. “It is either that or you’re dead. Did you die to get here?”
She shook her head.
“Then you are here to get a dragon. I think if you go to the lake over there, you’ll find yours.”
“But, I—”
Then he vanished, leaving Ally in the middle of the forest.
She looked around. “I don’t belong here, I’m only with Joel.” A fear grew in her, as much as it possibly could in this place, that she was lost. She couldn’t remember how they got here. She felt alone, but not alone. As if some unseen force was watching her. She shrugged and headed the direction that Doodle had pointed.
Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone or something was watching her. She decided to use her emotion ability, and willed it to turn on. A sense of curiosity came to her. About her!
She spun around. “Okay, whoever is following and watching me, show yourself!”
After a moment, a rather large and tall dragon, sort of fat, appeared before her. She stepped back a few steps, then tripped over a log on the ground and fell on her back.
The dragon laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to eat you. Especially here in Paradise.”
Ally just lay on the ground, staring at the beast.
“And by the way, I’m not fat. Just bulky is all.”
Ally sat up. “You read my mind?”
“Of course. Dragons are able to do that. We communicate mentally with our bondlings.”
She rose to her feet, dusting leaves and dirt from her skirt and blouse. “Sorry. I just didn’t know what to expect, having never seen a dragon before.”
The dragon frowned, as much as a dragon was able. “You’ve never seen a dragon before? That’s not quite right. You should have seen several at least before putting on the gloves.”
Ally wrinkled her nose. “Gloves? I have no idea what you are talking about.”
The dragon roared for a moment, causing Ally to hold her ears. Then he, or she, Ally wasn’t really sure—said, “I’ve checked you memories, and I see Joel’s been a bit irresponsible where it concerns you.”
“What do you mean?” Ally asked.
“He left you alone in Paradise when you aren’t supposed to be here.”
“He just went into his house to get Kaylee.”
“Yeah!”
Ally turned. Joel stood before her. “Joel!”
He pointed a finger at her. “Didn’t I tell you to stay put?”
She nodded. “The meaning was ambiguous.”
Joel pointed both of his arms toward Ally and talked to the dragon. “See what I have to deal with?”
Then, yet another angelic being popped into the conversation. “Joel.”
Joel gulped. “Yes, sir?”
“Why did you bring a living human into Paradise?”
The dragon sat on his haunches. “This should be good.”
Joel smiled his normal goofy grin. “Well, sir, Michael, sir, it’s like this.” He stared at the sky a moment before pointing his index finger on his right hand up. “The big man upstairs—”
Micheal smiled. “You mean, God.”
“Of course, who else?” When Micheal said nothing further, Joel said, “ He brought me and Ally here together, in order that I might help her deal with her problem, I felt that God wanted us to form a team. Well, a team means I need to take her to my house from time to time. This particular—”
“That’s not what I wanted to know,” Michael said.
Joel said softly, “Well, maybe you shouldn’t be so . . . “ He glanced at Ally. “So ambiguous. What do you want to know?”
Micheal murmured under his breath. “I don’t care that you were on a mission of mercy. That should be a given in our case. What I want to know, is upon whose authority did you bring a living human to Paradise. You know the rules. People only come here when they die and are made righteous by Christ’s blood. That, or they come temporarily to seek which dragon they are to bond with. Which of these is she here for?”
Joel shrugged. “Neither. That’s what I was trying to tell you, sir. I brought her here so that I could get Kaylee to go for a nice dinner in Ally’s world.” Joel turned to face Ally. “It was suppose to be an in and out thing. Instead, it turned into more. A lot more.”
Michael snapped his fingers, and a little bell appeared in them. He rang it. Joel cringed. Micheal said, “Do I need to remind you of the consequences of breaking the rules?”
Joel covered his ears. “Please, Michael. Not that!”
Michael snapped and the bell disappeared. “Just a reminder.”
“Look, Micheal. I know I’ve bent the rules a little. But we are doing some good work lately. Check in with the Big Man on that. Don’t you think you could all make an exception in this case? I mean, she knows that I am an angel.”
Ally almost giggled when Micheal said, “Well, duh!” She figured it must be an angel thing.
“And she’s been to Paradise. So, she knows all about it. The only living human to know.”
Micheal sighed. “I’ll bring it up at our next meeting. Until I contact you to tell you the results, keep her out of Paradise. Okay?”
Joel smiled. “Okay.”
Micheal and the Dragon vanished, leaving Ally and Joel alone.
Joel shook his head and started walking back toward his house.
Ally followed. “Did I goof up?”
“Sort of. I mean, I brought you into Paradise under the radar, so to speak. Now, you’re one big blip on Michael’s radar.”
“I’m sorry. Maybe you could have been clearer why you didn’t want me to wander off. I had no idea exactly what might happen.”
Joel opened his mouth to say something, but then shook his head. “What’s done is done. All I can hope is that an exception will be made. Otherwise, I won’t so easily be able to go home.”
“Why?”
Joel turned to face Ally. “Because, I have to keep an eye on you. You’re a slippery one, you are.”
What did he mean by that? She disappeared in a blinding flash of light along with Joel.
Ally sat at a table in an inn’s pub, chowing down on a good meal with Joel and Kaylee. Though they only picked at their meal. They appeared more interested in the social aspect. They chatted about several things, one of which was the bell that Joel feared so much. Though he had briefly discussed it before, this talk was much more detailed. Apparently, this wasn’t the first time the angel had “goofed up.” Many long years ago, he was put into the humble submission to anyone who possessed the bell. Like a genie, he was bound to grant whoever rang the bell some wishes. He described how he could be doing anything, like taking a bath, and suddenly be yanked away to appear before someone to do their bidding.
Then, in a brilliant move, he had arranged for the bell to be hidden, which gave him a long stretch of free time. That is, until Sisko found it. However, he ended up freeing the angel from his curse. And a much more humble angel resulted. At least to hear Joel tell it.
Ally swallowed the last of her meal and downed it with some water. “So, Joel. What is it with wearing gloves? Something the dragon said when he was trying to figure out why I was there.”
Joel sat back in his chair. “Ah yes. That, my dear Ally, is dragon lore. Are you aware of Cole, Kaylee’s brother?”
“I know of him, that he rode a dragon. Never heard how he came to be bound to one.”
“Well,” Joel started, “I won’t go into all the details here, but one of the steps to be bound to a dragon is to go to Paradise, go through a test of sorts. The way one goes from here to Paradise, aside from dying, is to put on those special gloves. Once they pass the test, their dragon is revealed to them. Then they return to this world and go through the bonding ceremony.”
Ally giggled.
Kaylee said, “What’s so funny?”
Ally wore a big grin. “A bonding ceremony sounds like a marriage.”
Joel nodded. “It pretty much is like marriage. Different, but bonds the two together for a lifetime.” Joel smiled. “One big difference is there is no divorce. Not from a dragon.”
Kaylee and Joel laughed.
Ally grinned. “That’s interesting. However, there is one thing I’ve always wanted to know.”
Joel said, “Shoot.” He swallowed. “Not literally, of course.”
Ally briefly wondered whether an angel could die from a bullet. “Kaylee, how did you end up being a mother to Cole, when you are his sister?”
She pointed a finger at Ally. “Now, that would take at least three books to tell the whole story.”
Joel nodded with his goofy smile, “Yeah. At least three books. Maybe more.”
Kaylee sat back in her chair. “I’ll try to cut to the chase, as unlikely as it might sound by cutting out so much of the story.”
Ally spread her arms toward Joel. “You do know who I travel with.”
Kaylee chuckled. “Of course. Well, it started out right after Sisko, our father died . . .”
Author’s Note: Kaylee above is referring to the story told in Reality’s Fire, the third and final book in my Reality Chronicles series. The first two being Reality’s Dawn and Reality’s Ascent.
Posted: 8-7-2026
A clear blue sky greeted Ally as the bright-white light of angel-transportation dimmed, moving them to a new place and probably time. I wonder where we are?As if he had read her mind—and for all she knew, he did—Joel responded, “This is a place called Earth.”
“Earth?” She shook her head. “Why would somebody name a world after dirt?”
Joel shrugged. “I suppose for the same reasons one might name it after a flower.” He winked.
“Yeah, however, a flower is pretty. But dirt?”
“It is a very valuable commodity here.” Joel licked his finger and stuck it up in the air. “Appears we are in Kansas, United States of America, um, around the year 2008, give or take a couple of years.”
She ignored the strange names Joel spouted out as if she should know where Kansas was, and instead scanned the horizon along the flat plain. Wind whipped chest-high grass in the nearby fields back and forth. “Strange. Not sure why God would have sent us here. There is no one for miles it would seem. How are we going to help anyone if there is no one to help?”
Joel smiled. “You never know who might turn up in the weirdest places.”
Ally started to say something, but Joel held up his index finger. He listened with closed eyes for a moment, though Ally couldn’t hear anything.
Finally, Joel opened his eyes. “I believe at least one reason The Big Man sent us here is there are some very strange things in this world. And one of them will be along soon.”
Ally clapped her hands together. “Really? I’ve always wanted to see a strange thing.”
Joel waved a hand toward her to indicate he wanted her to come. She followed Joel through the tall grass until they arrived at a long, flat, black hard surface stretching into the distance.
She shook her head. “What is this? It looks like a road, but none I’ve ever seen.”
“Indeed. And the things that travel on it are even stranger.” Joel pointed down the road. “And here comes one of them now.”
Ally peered into the distant horizon, and could barely make out the glint of sunlight from a metal object. Though she couldn’t tell exactly how far away the object was on this flat plain, since she knew she could see a long ways, she could tell the object was moving very fast. A lot faster than someone on horseback could ride. “What is that?”
“It is known in this world as a vehicle, automobile, car, or truck. But of course such names would be meaningless to you. All you need to know is that it is a machine designed to carry people.”
“A machine?”
Joel threw his hands up. “If you don’t know what a machine is, how can I describe it? Best you just wait until it comes and you can see for yourself.”
Ally shrugged. The “vehicle,” as Joel called it, grew bigger and closer. As it drew near, a black contraption traveled toward them, with no visible causes for its motion. “So maybe whoever is in there is who we need to help.”
Joel nodded. “Maybe. You never can tell for sure.”
As the vehicle drew near, Joel stuck out his thumb. That appeared to be an odd gesture on Joel’s part, however, it did end up having the person inside come to a stop. The man inside stuck out his head and asked, “Do you folks need a ride?”
“Sure do,” Joel responded.
“Where you going to?”
Joel put a finger to his head and scratched. “Now that is a good question. I guess until the next town, since we don’t know exactly where we are.”
“Hum, so you’re lost?”
Joel nodded, then whispered to Ally, “You sense anything bad in this guy?”
She closed her eyes and then said, “Nothing I can pick up.”
The man in the truck frowned. “Why are you both dressed strangely? You aren’t prisoners who’ve run away, are ya?”
Joel sighed. “That’s a loaded question. If we were, we wouldn’t agree with you. Since we’re not, we wouldn’t agree with you either. So you’ll get the same answer in either case.”
The man scratched his beard. “I reckon you’re right. What was I thinking? See ya later.” He waved, pulled back on the road, and left the two of them standing in the dust his truck kicked up.
After the dust settled and they both stopped coughing, Joel said, “Well. How rude!”
Ally grinned. “Maybe next time you better let me handle the talking.”
Joel shook his head. “I think the problem was with our clothes. He implied that they look like prison garb.”
Ally frowned. “Prison garb? What’s that?”
Joel stared at Ally for a moment and waved a finger at her. “Probably has something to do with my drab colors and your stripped shirt.” Joel snapped his fingers, and a dress appeared over Ally’s body. “There, that should do the trick.”
She examined her clothing. A frilly dress hung upon her along with a big hat. “I can’t wear this?”
“Why not?”
“It’s, it’s, oh, I don’t know. It’s just not me.”
“Looks pretty on you, though.”
Ally scowled. “How about something more practical. Hum?”
Joel rolled his eyes. “Oh, okay already.” He snapped his fingers again, and a set of pants and a frilly blouse appeared upon her.
Ally crossed her arms. “Do you consider this blouse ‘practical?’”
Joel smiled. “But you still look pretty. That’s practical for what we need.”
She wrinkled her nose. “How is that being practical?”
“You’ll get more attention that way.”
Ally thought for a second. “I’m almost afraid to ask. Why do I want to get more attention?”
Joel put a hand to his chin. “Well, let’s just say, you’ll be much more attractive to the opposite sex once another one stops.”
Ally rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’ll play your silly game.”
“Silly game?”
Ally shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.
Joel listened for a bit more, then sighed. “Guess we had better head the direction of the last vehicle. I don’t hear any more coming currently.” He started walking down the road; Ally followed him.
After an hour on the road, a house grew into view. The bright blue paint contrasted with the green, well-manicured lawn surrounding it. The upper windows clued Ally in that it had at least two-stories inside. A possible attic-room could suggest a third story. Outside an L part of the house sat a couple of the strange vehicles that Joel had mentioned, along with some stranger ones sitting here and there, one with giant wheels on the back.
Ally pointed at the house. “Maybe that’s where we’ll find our person-of-interest.”
Joel spun around. “Did you just say, person-of-interest?”
Ally nodded.
“Where did you hear that from?”
She shrugged. “Don’t know. It just seemed the proper thing to say. Why? What’s the big deal?”
Joel stared into her eyes for a moment. “No big deal, really. Just took me by surprise because that is a phrase they use in this world, not in yours.”
Ally continued walking. “Interesting, indeed.”
Joel stared at her, his eyes focused deeply on her.
Ally stopped. “What now? Did I do it again?”
“Sort of. Hard to tell. It wasn’t just what you said, but the way you said it.” Joel continued toward the house. “At any rate, I was thinking the same thing as you. Our ‘person-of-interest’ may be in that house.”
Ally started walking again. “Great! Let’s do this.” Strange, I don’t ever recall saying that before.That’s because you have never said it before. Something strange is happening to you.Ally glanced at Joel. “Any idea what is happening?”
“Not for sure, but it like you are becoming more a part of this world the longer you’re here.”
Ally’s eyes widened. “Maybe due to my emotional connection?”
Joel turned onto the walkway toward the house. “As good of a reason as any other. It did start up shortly after you checked out the driver’s emotional disposition.”
Ally nodded. “Curiouser and curiouser.”
Joel grinned. “You’ve got that right.” His grin disappeared. “One other thing.”
“Yes?” Ally stopped at the front door.
Joel knocked on the door. “I can’t do any supernatural things here except to you.”
“Why?”
“Because many people here don’t believe.”
“Believe what?”
“In God.”
Ally opened her mouth, but before she could ask any further questions, or express her shock at the thought of someone not believing in God, or at least some god, the front door opened.
In the doorway stood a woman, medium build, long-blonde hair, about six inches higher than Ally. “Hello? May I help you?”
Joel let out a long breath. “Yes, ma’am. We’ve been walking on this highway for a while, and we wondered if you could spare a couple glasses of water for a couple of thirsty travelers.” Now would be a good time, Ally, to check on her sincerity.Ally winked. Right. She turned on her emotional connection, and a flood of thoughts impacted her so much that her knees gave way; Joel caught her before she hit the ground. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs to see Joel staring at her, his mouth dropped open. Joel asked, “Are you okay?”
“I . . . I’m not sure.” Ally steadied herself on the door post.
The lady who answered the door said, “Oh dear! She could use something more than water. I have some tea that is good for this type of ailment. Come on in!” She helped Ally into the dinning room.
“Ma’am, you are a woman after my own heart. I could use some of your tea as well.” Joel bowed as they followed her inside to the kitchen table.
“You’ll both get some of my tea. Oh, pardon my manners, my name is Joy. Joy Quickfeet.” Joy busied herself making tea.
“Hi Joy. My name is Joel, and this is Ally.”
Ally tried to focus on the conversation, but she still reeled from the emotions she had felt, even though she had turned it off almost immediately. It was emotions she had never felt before. The closest she could come to it was emotions of disbelief.
Finally, her head cleared after getting some of Joy’s tea down; the brew really did help.
Joy nodded her head. “You feeling better now? The color has returned to your cheeks.”
“Yes. Thank you for the tea.” Ally rubbed her head. An sense of urgency overtook her. She knew that she needed to get out of this world sooner rather than later. “May I ask you a question Joy?”
Joy gave Ally a glance before returning to her duties. “Sure. Fire away.”
Ally wondered at Joy’s words, while at the same time it made perfect sense to her, though she knew it shouldn’t. “Thank you. Do you believe in God?”
Joy froze for a moment, then slowly turned toward Ally. “I did once.”
“But not now?”
Joy focused on her cleaning. “Well, I don’t rightly know, to tell the truth. Part of me longs for the days when I did, but part of me thinks I might be stupid to continue to believe.”
Then Ally said something she never thought she would hear herself say. “I understand. I feel sort of the same way.” Ally dropped her mouth open and turned to see Joel’s reaction.
His mouth was also ajar. Joel peered into Ally’s eyes. “What did you just say?”
Ally glanced at Joy, who kept looking at Joel and Ally alternately, before she returned her attention to Joel. “I . . . can’t believe I just said that.”
“Especially after what we’ve been through together.” Joel sat back in his chair and scratched his head. “It makes no sense?”
Joy said, “Makes no sense? Made perfect sense to me.”
“Of course it would, ma’am, to you, but . . .”
Joy squinted at Joel. “But what?”
Ally nodded for Joel to go on. He shook his head. She nodded yes. He shook his head no.
Joy sighed. “If you’re not going to tell me why, the least you can do is explain.”
For a minute or more, they stared at each other. Finally, Ally broke the silence. “I think we need to go.”
Joy shook her head. “But you haven’t explained yet. Besides, it is still twenty miles to the nearest town. I can’t have you two walking all that way in your condition.”
Joel shrugged. “She’s right.”
Ally sighed, “I don’t mean just go. I mean go, go.”
Joel’e eyes widened. “Oh, you mean, go, go!”
“Yes!”
“But we can’t do that until,” Joel glanced at Joy. “The Big Man says we can.”
Joy screamed, “Would one of you say something that makes some sense?”
Ally blurted out, “We’re both from another world.”
Joel frowned at Ally, as if to say, “Don’t you dare reveal who I am.”
Ally knew she’d already said too much. Yet, for some reason it seemed right to her.
Joy glanced at both of them. “Hum, I wasn’t expecting that answer. How can I know you’re from another world?”
Joel jumped in before Ally could say anything more. “Like any relationship, ma’am, you would have to experience it before you could believe. We’d have to take you there. But we aren’t allowed to do that.”
Joy smirked. “Of course you cann’t.”
The light of angelic transportation began to envelop them. “Bye. Thanks for the tea,” Ally yelled out before they had totally vanished from Joy’s sight.
Joy’s eyes grew wide as the light dimmed and they were no longer there. She blinked. She stood up and ran her hands over where they had sat. “Must have been a dream or hallucination.” Yet, she couldn’t deny what she’d just experienced. Gradually, it dawned on her. “They must have been angels. Yep, that’s what they were, alright. Angels.
Her eyes grew wide again. “And if they were angels, the ‘Big Man’ Joel had mentioned, must be referring to God. That can only mean that God is real. I’ve got to tell somebody.” She grabbed a hat and her purse and headed toward the door.
Before she reached it, however, she stopped. She remembered the last thing Joel had said to her—like any relationship, she had to experience it first. That had sounded like a cop out, like she knew it would to anyone she told it to. Now, however, it rang with the truth of her own experience. She knew she would probably sound like a crazy woman, just like Ally and Joel had sounded crazy to her initially. But if her testimony would help even one other person, it was worth it. She exited her house, hopped in her truck, and headed to town.
As the light dimmed, Ally could make out the familiar surrounding of her own house. “Is my time up? Am I in trouble from the Big Man for what I said and did?”
Joel closed his eyes, then opened them. “I don’t think that is the issue. You accomplished the purpose you were sent there to do.”
“But I doubted my faith in God?”
Joel nodded. “You did do that, but I imagine that was more due to your emotional connection with the world you were in than a real belief.”
“I certainly hope so.”
“What do you think about it now?”
“That as much as we’d been through together, I would be crazy to not believe.”
Joel smiled. “There. You see.”
“Hope I don’t ever have to go there again.” Ally looked around her house. What time is this?Joel responded, “This is the time when we left. You might have noticed a dimming light right over there,” Joel pointed toward the front door. “. . . as we came in.”
Ally nodded. She did recall another light in the room. “So why am I back home now?”
“Hard to say exactly. But if I were to wager a guess, I think you need the time to recuperate after that last episode.” He glanced at his wrist, as if he had a time-piece attached to it. “As a matter of fact, tomorrow is Sunday. I suggest you attend church. I suspect the Big Man has something special for you.”
Ally smiled. “Sounds cool, dude.”
Joel pulled his head back and stared at her.
“What?” Ally stared back.
“You did it again. Probably some residual from the last world.”
“Really? Again? Still?” Guess I do need the down time.“Boy, do you ever.” Joel laughed as he disappeared in a blinding flash of light.
Posted: 8-7-2026
Ally gazed around, awed by her surroundings. She and Joel walked through an about 50 yard hall, filled with pillars on the left and right. Beyond the pillars were areas where lower ceilings extended, mostly containing tables, which she figured were for big feasts and such. They made their way down the long walkway toward a dais, with seven chairs on it, apparently for a meeting of the council that governed this community. Light shown especially bright, centered on a chair in the middle carved with special designs that Ally had never seen before. She swung her head up—light poured in from outside through holes in the high ceiling. No doubt directed into the hall using polished metal. A wall rose behind the chairs, stopped halfway to the ceiling, before heading into a loft as its floor. Ally saw a couple of dragons sleeping in the loft. She smiled when one of them snored.
Joel turned his head toward her. “What’s so funny?”
“I had no idea that dragons snored like my grandmother.”
Joel chuckled. “Dragons do snore. Usually much louder than people do.”
Ally pointed at the woman who had just seated herself in the center chair. “What is her name again?”
“Kathryn, but everyone calls her Kelly.”
As they drew closer, Kelly’s features came into view. Long, black hair had been tied into a ponytail. Her high cheekbones and narrow but squared jaw gave her the air of a leader. Then Ally saw her piercing, green eyes. They seemed to see right through her.
Joel whispered to Ally, “Follow my lead.” He formed a fist with his right hand and put it to his chest, then bowed. “Greetings, President of the Dragon Council. It is good to see you again.”
Ally did what Joel did, but didn’t say anything, hoping her actions would be sufficient.
Kelly grinned. “It is good to see you again as well, Joel. So reports of a companion in your wanderings are accurate.”
Joel swung his left arm toward Ally. “This is Ally, Ally of Reol. She has a request to make of you.” Joel motioned for her to go ahead and speak.”
Ally cleared her throat. “I’m interested in finding out whether I should bond with a dragon or not. I want to go through whatever test to discover that.”
Kelly nodded. “Let’s talk about this over some coffee and tea.”
Joel winked at Ally.
Once they had received some tea or coffee, depending on the preference of each, Kelly moved from small-talk with Joel to why Ally had come.
Kelly took a sip of her coffee. “First, I should tell you that the life of a guardian or rider is a difficult one, full of danger, lots of traveling, working to find and prevent attacks not only upon us, but also our allies. It can also be a great benefit and the rewards are, as one rider of old put it, ‘out of this world.’”
Kelly smiled and Ally smiled back. Kelly took another sip of her coffee. “Going through the testing used to be much more secretive than it is today. With Cole and Grinoth’s work in opening up the outside world to our existence here—may God have mercy upon their souls—we normally have people come here to go through Shushuma all the time. As a matter of fact, we have one other candidate ready to go through it as well.
Ally asked, “What exactly is Shushuma?”
“Oh, that’s a fancy word for the testing one goes through to be bonded with their dragon.”
“Got it.” Ally smiled real big. “And I’ve recently talked to Co—“
Joel glared at her.
Ally’s mouth hung open for a second before she continued. “That is, I’ve heard a lot of stories about Cole, being that we were from the same town and all.”
“You’ll find some things you’ve been told are accurate, while most are not. Best not to rely upon them.”
Ally opened her mouth, but Joel broke in before Ally could defend herself. “Yes, Kelly is right. You really shouldn’t rely upon old wife's tales.” Joel turned to face Kelly. “Now why don’t you tell her more about Shushuma? I’m . . . I mean, we’re busy people.”
“Joel, you of all people should know how important this is. It should not be rushed.” Kelly stared Joel.
He sighed. “I know, I know. Please, go on.”
“Okay.” Kelly glanced at Ally, then to Joel, then she focused on Ally. “Anyway, the testing is more open than it used to be, so now we go straight to wearing the gloves, as that presents the real test anyway. Once you’ve gone through that, you’ll either come back with a dragon or not, as the case may be.”
Ally nodded with a curl of her lips. “Cool. When do we start?”
Tomorrow morning. Timothy will be going through this with you. Also, it is traditional to have a feast the night before Shushuma. I hope you both can make it. Alley grinned. “I would love to attend.” She turned to face Joel. “We can be there. Right?”
He smiled. “I love the feasts. Of course we’ll be there.”
The smell of a multitude of foods filled the air. The tables bulged with meats, various side dishes, and deserts.
Ally breathed in deep to take in all the flavors through her nose. “Wow! This is what I call a feast.”
Joel, who walked into the Great Hall with her nodded. “The guardians are well known for their feasting, that is true.” He pointed to a couple of empty chairs toward the front of the head table. “I believe that is where we are supposed to sit.”
As they approached, Kelly, who sat at the head of the table stood and motioned to the chairs. “Welcome, our treasured guests.”
Joel bowed to her, so Ally followed Joel’s lead. treasured Ally jerked her head toward Joel. “That wasn’t your voice in my head!”
Joel nodded toward the loft where several dragons sat, having their own feast. “That was one of them.”
“Dragons can mind speak?”
“Sure, though they often don’t intrude on other’s thoughts without permission, save for their own bondling. But I imagine they are just as interested in you as you are in them.”
Ally stole a look at the loft. She mouth dropped when a rather bulky dragon winked at her. “Joel, is that my dragon?”
He laughed. “No telling at this point. That will be decided tomorrow—if you do end up with one.”
She frowned at Joel as she seated herself. “You would have to add that thought.”
He smiled. “Are you that desperate to get away from me? How quickly you change my dear. One hour you are forcing me away from my vacation to be with you, only to seek to leave me once you’ve got me?”
Ally refused to smile back at the angel’s jab. “No, it’s not that. It’s just I need to find out if I’m supposed to be here at all.”
“Me too.”
Ally swung around to the guy who sat next to her. A black, short-cut haired young man greeted her. A lanky, but otherwise muscular arm reached out to shake her hand. She took his hand and gave him a firm handshake. “I assume you must be Timothy?”
“Yes. I am.” He swept the room with his eyes. “This is all so exciting, isn’t it?” His eyes stopped moving when he saw the dragons in the loft.
She also gazed at the dragons. “Yes, it is. To think we could be riding one of those fine dragons tomorrow.” The thought was enough to take her heart away to thoughts of flying through the clouds. In her peripheral vision she could see Joel’s frown. He quickly cleared his throat and started chatting with Kelly about something.-
Ally wished she could console the angel, but what if she did end up staying here and he was to go his own way? She shoved such thoughts out of her mind. After all, they would know tomorrow the outcome and she would have to deal with it then. Not now.
She returned her attention to Timothy. “My name is Ally from Reol. Good to meet you.”
His eyes grew wide. “You’re from Reol? That is where Cole is from. Wow! What’s it like living there?”
“Well, there is a big forest surrounding it—very pretty in the fall—and during winter—“
“No, no. I mean what is it like living there in the shadow of such great men like Sikso and Cole?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. What is it like not living with such a history in your town of . . . ?”
“I’m from Dragon’s Inn.”
She chuckled. “And your asking me what it is like?”
He laughed. “I see what you mean. But all my life I’ve felt the pull to be a dragon rider like Cole. I’ve studied him and tried to emulate his life.”
“That’s pretty hard to do, considering the unusual way he started out and the power he had.”
.“I know. Tell me about it. I’ve tried to at least find a wizard that I could study under, but all I’ve got for the effort are a few parlor tricks, not real magic.” Then a big smile crept across his face. “But I’m sure to get a dragon and a power with it. Then I’ll be something.”
Ally nodded, but she turned on her own power of feeling other people’s emotions. Happiness and joy filled soul from all the people in the building, save one. Timothy. From him she felt a lack of confidence. Strange since he came across as a confident man. But she had realized a long time ago the mask people attempt to put on when in public.
Before she could say anything more, Kelly rose and banged an empty cup on the table. She gave an introductory speech to the people seated in the hall. Both her and Timothy stood when requested and someone even sang a song in their honor. Then she ate and chatted some more with Timothy. It was a magical night, especially watching the dragons celebrating in their own unique manner of roaring on occasion and blasting fire into the air. The sight was so powerful that it sent chills up her spine every time they did it.
But the evening eventually wound down and Ally retired for the night, dreaming of riding in the clouds with her own dragon.
The next morning, they sat at one of the tables, eating some type of hash browns with vegetables for breakfast. Surprisingly, they tasted pretty good. Better than she expected. She ate the whole plate. Not only because they were delicious, but because she couldn’t wait to put on those gloves.
Soon, Kelly showed up with a fairly plain box made of some type of wood, Ally wasn’t sure what kind. Kelly opened the box, pulled out a pair of woven metallic gloves. She held them up and said, “Who’s first?”
Timothy’s hand shot up. “I’ll go!”
Ally’s heart bubbled with joy for Timothy, knowing how long he’d waited for this day. She prayed he would get a dragon.
Kelly pointed to a small wooden bench next to her. “Lay here and put your hands up.”
Timothy laid down, quickly but resolutely as if suddenly recognizing the importance of this moment. He stuck his hands into the air. “I’m ready.”
Kelly moved the gloves toward his hands, but stopped short of putting them on. She wrinkled her forehead. “Strange, but something isn’t right here.”
Timothy’s mouth fell open. “You mean, I don’t even get a chance to find out whether I get a dragon?”
Kelly shook her head. “No, you’ll get your chance.” She turned her gaze toward Ally. “It’s just that I’m getting the strong impression that Ally should go first.”
Ally shrugged. “I don’t mind if Timothy goes first.”
Kelly sighed. “It’s not that I think girls should go first, rather I’m getting a strong impression that the, as Joel would say, Big Boss wants you to go first.” Kelly motioned for Ally to lay on the bench.
Ally shifted her view to Joel. He nodded. “I’m getting the same info from upstairs.”
Timothy rose, then sat at the table. His mouth wore a frown while his eyes communicated confusion. “I suppose I’ve waited this long, what is another few minutes?”
Ally stood while mouthing “Sorry” to Timothy, who cracked a small smile in response. She lay on the bench and put her hands into the air. This was it. Now maybe she would discover her purpose in life. The gloves slipped onto her hands, and the room with Joel, Kelly, and Timothy faded into black.
As the world came back into view, she lay in a meadow. She rose and did a 360 to view the area. On the edge of the meadow stood a forest, and a babbling brook ran along the other side, entering the forest at a ninety-degree angle to the line of trees. The surreal glow of the area told her where she now stood: Paradise. “I’ve been here before!”
“Yes, you have,” a familiar voice said. She spun around to see Doodle’s distressed face. “And we need to get you back to Kaylee’s house before you know who realizes you’re here. Why did you wander away again? Do you want Joel to no longer be with you?”
Ally held out her palms toward Doodle. “No, no, no. You’ve got it all wrong. I did put on the gloves this time.”
His mouth formed the shape of an “O.” “So you are here to find a dragon?”
Ally smiled and nodded.
“Well, what do you know? I didn’t think you would convince Joel to let you go through with it.”
Ally shrugged. “He wasn’t too hard to convince. Why do you think that?”
“He, ah . . . he, well, he sort of talked about you a lot.”
“What do you mean that he ‘talked about me a lot’? What did he say?”
Doodle’s face flushed. “I’ve already said too much. But it was all positive. The way he went on about you at the poker game before you whisked him away, I just didn’t think he would be so keen on you getting a dragon, is all.” After a moment of silence, Doodle said, “If you’re here to get a dragon, then follow me to the stream.”
Ally went with Doodle while wondering at the words he’d spoken about what Joel had said. No wonder he acted the way he did when she mentioned coming here.
Once they reached the brook, Doodle stopped and pointed downstream. “You follow the river to a small lake. Then wait there, and eventually you’ll meet your dragon.”
“How long is ‘eventually’?”
Doodle shrugged. “How long is eventually in Paradise? Who knows, there’s no time here. Just wait there, someone will be along . . . eventually.”
Ally nodded. “See you later.”
“I certainly hope so.”
She smiled, then turned to head downstream. As she entered the forest, she marveled at how the light didn’t change. In her world, trees offered shade from the sun in a forest. Here, however, everything gave off light—plants, rocks, the ground, all animals, even herself—so that there was no need for a sun. She strolled through tall trees that reminded her of Brownwood trees back home. They towered, she figured, about 75 yards into the air. Finally, she came to a lake. A distant shore in the background indicated, at least to her, that this wasn’t a “small” lake. She sat on a log by the shore and watched the water lap onto the shoreline.
Ally waited for eventually to arrive, and it eventually did in the form of bubbling waters. The bubbles grew to a gush of bubbles, then a water column shot into the air. On the top of the column stood a lady dressed in dazzling light. She held aloft a sword, a flaming sword, much like Joel’s. Then she tossed the sword toward Ally. Ally ducked to form a ball. The sword stabbed into the ground beside her.
Then the water column started sinking. Ally stood up and said, “Wait, don’t go. Someone has to tell me what this means!” Despite her pleas, the angelic creature sank into the waters until the lake swished with the small waves of water washing over the shoreline.
Ally huffed, then stepped around the flaming sword in a circle. After a moment, she decided she was intended to pick up the sword. She reached her hand out grab the hilt.
Echoed inside her head. She jerked her hand back and scanned the area. A dragon stood before her, about twenty feet high. Fat body, small head, the classical fire-breathing dragon type. He—assuming it was a he—had folded his wings up alongside his body. He was definitely intimidating.
“Are you my dragon?” Ally sat back down on the log.
The dragon sat on his haunches. “Maybe, maybe not. That depends on what you choose.” He pointed his tale at the sword. “If you pick up the sword, you’ll stay with the angel. If you do not, you’ll stay with me.”
Ally stood and started pacing back and forth as she talked. “But I came here so I wouldn’t have to choose. I wanted to know what God wants me to do. I wanted to know my purpose in life.”
“Those are two different questions. What God wants you to do has nothing to do with it. It is what God wants you to be, and who you are to affect in your doing that gives one purpose. You could serve God and others equally either way, by staying with Joel or going with me. There is only one catch if you go with me, you will lose your ability to sense what others are feeling.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ll get a new ability when you join with me.”
“Oh? What?”
The dragon laughed, sort of. “If I knew that, I would be God.”
Ally huffed. “So I’m supposed to make a decision here without all the facts. A decision I had hoped to avoid.”
“That is your decision as to what you should do with your life. It is God’s decision as to how you fulfill his plan by what you do.”
Ally thought for a second. “But for God to be able to do that, he would have to know what I’m going to choose? Even before I know what I will choose.”
“Exactly.”
The dragon smiled.
“So, you are saying that God knows what I am going to choose, and based on what I choose, he predestines me to a certain purpose?”
The dragon nodded. “You’ve got it. Though, in reality, we all have the same basic purpose.”
Another voice sounded behind Ally. “Hey, what are you doing here? I just left you in the Great Hall.”
She turned to spot Timothy standing by the shore. “I don’t know. We can’t be wearing the same pair of gloves at the same time, can we?” She turned back toward the dragon.
The dragon roared with laughter. “You of all people, Ally of Reol, should know that time is mutable in Paradise.”
She examined the dragon. “I suppose so. It was just so unexpected.” Her eyes grew wide. “I know what I should do!”
The dragon smiled as only a dragon can do. “I knew you’d figure it out.”
Timothy glanced between them. “What are you two talking about? I don’t even know where here is?”
She had been brought here to help Timothy, more than herself. That’s why she had to go first. Ally turned on her emotional connection and focused on Timothy. “You’re not looking at this correctly. It isn’t what great power one has or what great accomplishments you can do that gives one purpose, rather it is following the first and second greatest commandment in Scriptures: to love God and to love each other as yourself. That is what God’s purpose and plan is for each of us. We choose what we will do . . . ” She reached over and grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it into the air. “But God works through us and what we do to help us fulfill the greatest commandments.”
Timothy stared in awe at Ally as the flaming sword lit up the area even more, if possible, than it already was. “Wow, you’re right!”
“And now that Ally has made her choice, you also have a choice, Timothy.” The dragon shot flames into the air with a great roar. “If you choose to bond with me, you will serve in the kitchen and cleanup maintenance for the rest of your days. If you don’t, then you don’t. However, you will become an apprentice to a wizard and become a great wizard much like Josh. But, you will not have a dragon with you. What do you choose?”
Timothy’s head bowed as he mumbled, “The kitchen? Cleanup? I could have done that at home.” Then he raised his head. “But then, I would not be bound to a dragon either. And I’ve dreamed about that, have planned for it.” Timothy walked to the shore and stared out across the water for about a minute or two. Then he turned around and walked up to the dragon. “What is your name?”
“I thought you’d never ask. But before I tell you, what is your decision?”
Timothy smiled. “I choose bonding with you.”
The dragon roared. “I’m glad you have chosen me. You will not regret it.”
Timothy cocked his head to the side. “Why?”
“Because, my name is Grinoth.”
Timothy’s eyes grew wide. “Grinoth! Cole’s dragon! But I thought he had gone onto a different world?”
“He did.” The dragon smiled. “I am Grinoth, Jr.”
Timothy shook his head. “I can’t believe it!” Then Timothy dashed to the dragon and hugged his leg.
Grinoth caught Ally’s eye as she stared at them and winked at her. She winked back.
All went black, to be followed by a return of the Great Hall, and an astonished angel’s wide eyes staring at her.
She rose to a sitting position and took off the gloves, handing them to Kelly. She scanned the area, but saw no dragon. Timothy still sat where he’s sat when she went to Paradise. Apparently for him, what she’d experienced was still in his future. “Joel, why are you staring at me like that?”
Joel pointed at her. “You came back with something.”
“What?” She stood and a rattling noise came from her left. She glanced around until her eyes saw what made the noise: a sheath with a sword in it. She reached for the hilt.
Joel held out a hand. “Don’t remove it. We need to discuss this in private.”
“Okay, let’s go now.”
Timothy lay down on the bench, the gloves slid on him and he appeared to become unconscious.
Joel nodded toward Timothy. “Don’t you want to find out how Timothy fairs?”
She stepped toward the door. “I already know how he fairs.” She glanced up at Joel. “Timey-shifting stuff, you know.”
Once they were outside, and strolling among the trees Joel said, “Does that sword, perchance, burst into flames when you pull it out?”
“Why yes it does. Hey, you want to see?” She reached for the hilt.
Joel held up a hand. “No. I know what a flaming sword looks like.” He firmly grabbed Ally by her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. “Only angels carry flaming swords.”
“Are you suggesting that I’m an angel now?”
“Either that, or some angel in inventory is out of a job today.”
“Well, I did have a watery tot throw the sword at me.”
Joel cracked a smile.
“What? What’s so funny?”
“It’s from another world. You wouldn’t understand.” Joel mouth changed from a smile to a more serious demeanor. “You are now, an angel for sure, with angel powers. Though I don’t know if you are human or not still. This is a first, an unprecedented move.”
Ally smiled. “So I can go to Paradise whenever I want?”
“You could live there.”
“And I can go anywhere and anytime like you can?”
“I would believe so.”
“Race you to your house!” Then Ally disappeared in a flash of light.
Joel shook his head as he gazed into the sky. “Are you sure this was a good move? Really?” He, likewise, disappeared as light dimmed in his wake
Posted: 8-7-2026
Ally sat at a table back in Joel’s house, chatting with Kaylee about all she had seen and done on the planet Neptune. “And you know what?”
“What?” Kaylee took another sip of her coffee.
Ally gazed longingly at the ceiling as if staring off into the sky. “It was the most amazing time of my life! I mean, to go to a world so different from anything I’d experienced before, and to do it with Joel, of all people.”
Kaylee ran her finger over the rim of her cup. “I’m very glad that you had such a great time.”
Ally watched Kaylee’s gaze as she said it. She didn’t look Ally in the eye. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?”
“Who wouldn’t be?” Kaylee’s eyes shot up to meet Ally’s. “After all, I used to be like you about him. Of course that was before I knew he was an angel. Now I wonder how I failed to see it. But he never revealed himself to me, not like he did you. That’s what I really jealous about. Everything would have made more sense if I had known.”
Ally nodded. “I can see that.”
“But I do have to warn you.” Kaylee looked around, as if she might spot anyone spying on their conversation. “That because you are aware he’s an angel, that it does introduce a certain incompatibility between you two.”
Ally scrunched up her forehead. “Incompatibility? What are you talking about?”
Kaylee cleared her throat. “That you are human, subject to change, whereas he is more, static, for lack of a better word.”
Ally retained her confused facial expression. “I don’t understand. He’s changed even by our marriage.”
“Okay, I’ll state it more bluntly then. Humans change. That’s our nature. While he won’t end up changing at all.” Kaylee held up a finger as Ally opened her mouth. “I’m not saying that he won’t change, only that for him, his change is very, very slow. Keep in mind, he’s been alive for . . . “
“Over 5000 years, if I recall correctly.”
“Right. And I’ll bet he has changed very little in all that time. You, however, will change. A whole lot in your short lifetime.”
Ally gave what Kaylee said some thought. She opened her mouth to ask a question.
Joel materialized in a flash of light. “Are you two talking again? I always wonder what plots you two are hatching behind my back.” He gave them a big grin.
Kaylee smiled. “I’ll never tell!”
Ally simply left her mouth open.
Joel frowned. “Looks like you might confess, sister.”
“I . . . I was about to ask Kaylee a question I had.” That was true enough.
“Go ahead. Don’t let me stop you.”
Ally waved her hand. “Oh, it wasn’t anything important. It can wait for another time.” That probably wasn’t quite true. Thankfully, Joel couldn’t read her mind, one of the benefits of having angelic powers. Oh well? Guess I’ll have to wait to find out exactly what Kaylee meant by that. “What’s up, brother?”
Joel grabbed a cup and filled it with coffee, then sat at the table. “I did promise the Big Boss that I would be responsible for training you. Are you ready to begin?”
“Sure.”
Joel sipped his coffee. “The first thing you need to learn is how to get your assignments.”
Ally smirked. “Seems to me, we’ve always flown by the seat of our pants.”
Kaylee wrinkled her nose. “Flying by the seat of your pants? How can anyone do that?”
Ally wondered herself. “Oh, you know, to be spontaneous. Have no plan.” Ally turned to Joel. “How did I know that?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but I assume it must have something to do with your time on Earth in conjunction with your emotional connection.”
“But that isn’t the first time we’ve been to Earth.”
Joel shrugged. “I’m not really sure, but the first time we did visit during a different time period. Maybe that has something to do with it. At any rate, there is more to getting an assignment than ‘flying by the seat of your pants.’ That’s just how it appears to people.”
Ally grinned. “Okay, brother, I’m listening. What do I do to get my assignments?”
Joel downed the last of his coffee and rose from the table. “I’ll show you.” He waved for her to follow him.
She finished her coffee and followed him to the middle of the room.
Joel said, “Now, it is true most of the time that I don’t know where I’m going, but that doesn’t mean there is no plan. It’s just that the Big Boss is the one who knows the plan.”
Ally smiled. “Ah, I see. Sort of a need to know basis.”
Joel stared at her for a moment before saying, “Yeah, that’s how He operates. It appears random and capricious to the casual observer, but He always has a plan and purpose to his movements.”
Ally laughed. “Sort of like, the Lord moves in mysterious ways.”
Joel shook his head. “I’m becoming concerned about this emotional connection you appear to have with Earth’s twenty-first century.” He frowned. “Now, focus, please. This takes some concentration.”
Ally straightened up. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“Close your eyes if helps, but you need to meditate on the following phrase: Lord, not my will be done, only yours.”
Ally looked at Joel. “But that’s just a prayer?”
“Exactly. Now, think about only doing that, concentrate as hard as you can.”
Ally focused on that prayer, but after almost a minute had passed, she said, “This doesn’t seem to be working.”
“Close your eyes and try again.”
She closed her eyes and focused on the words of the prayer. After five seconds had passed, she felt a change of wind hit her face, a colder wind.
“Oh, dear.”
“What?” She opened her eyes. A flat plain with a road—highway, that is—stretched both ways into the distance. “Where not back on Earth are we?”
“What does your angel sense tell you?”
Ally sniffed the air. “That this is Earth, Kansas about 2008, give or take a year.” She faced the angel. “But why would God send us back here?”
“Either there is someone different here we need to help, or we need to do something more for the lady we helped last time, or . . .”
“Or what?” Ally didn’t like the way his sad eyes looked at her.
“Or, you are afflicted with an unhealthy link to this world, and God has sent us back here to figure out what it is.”
Ally nodded, but stunned at Joel’s prognosis. “Maybe my connection with Earth will always bring me back here?”
“That’s what I said. You have an unhealthy connection to this world and time period. You can’t go anywhere else until that is solved.”
Ally hated ambiguities. “Define ‘unhealthy connection’?”
Joel grimaced. “It’s so mushy of a concept. It’s sort of like, not healthy, as in—“
“Joel! Tell me plainly. What do you mean by unhealthy?”
“As in, if we are not able to figure out why this is happening, it could be the end of your angel career, and . . .” Joel fell silent.
“And what?”
“And . . . your time with me.”
“What! How!”
“Think about it. We are married to each other. How effective of an angel could either of us be if we could only go to one place and time?”
“So, you are unable to go anywhere but here too?”
“As long as we travel together, yes. The only way I can go anywhere else is without you.”
Ally huffed. “Then we had better figure this out. Where do we start?”
Joel walked in the same direction that they had walked the last time. “Our first goal should be to eliminate the easier-to-deal-with possibilities. Starting at the lady’s house we visited last time.”
Ally followed the angel, fearing that the “simple” solution wouldn’t end up being the real solution.
* * *
Ally followed Joel as they approached Joy’s house once again. “How long do you think it has been since we vanished on her?”
He sniffed the air. “Roughly, about a week or two.”
“Do you have any idea what seeing us again will do to her?”
Joel shrugged. “Hard to say. Individuals are so . . . individual in their responses.”
“Well, here goes nothing.” Ally knocked on her door.
In a moment, Joy opened the door. At the sight of the two, her mouth fell open for a moment, then a smile crept across her face. “Come in, come in my angels.”
Joel frowned. “Why do you call us angels?”
“Because I know in my heart that’s what you are, at least to me.” She led them to her table sat them down, and started to make tea.
Ally wondered, so she asked, “Do you believe in God now?”
“Oh yes. After seeing you two, ‘from another world’ simply disappear on me, I started to believe God sent me two angels to lead me back to Him. Praise Jesus!”
Ally met Joel’s eyes and smiled. “Looks like we accomplished our task here, then!” But her smile turned into a frown. “But that means it isn’t so simple as finishing our task.”
Joel nodded. “I think you are right.”
Ally shook her head. “Shit!”
Both Joy and Joel turned their heads to face Ally. “What did you just say?” Joel peered deep into her eyes.
Ally glanced at Joy before focusing on Joel. “Sorry. Not sure where that came from. For some strange reason, it just seemed the right word to use.”
Joy sat cups of hot tea before them. “So, is this the problem you are having?”
Joel sighed. “How do I explain this to you? Without confirming or denying our angelic status, I believe I can confirm that we are from another world, another dimension, if you will, than your own. Ally here has a special ability that no one else has in her world, of feeling what others feel. When she was here last, we fear she may have developed an unhealthy connection to this world, so she comes here anytime she tries to go anywhere.”
Joy banged her fist on the table. “I knew it!”
Joel and Ally both responded, “Knew what?”
“That you are both angels!”
Joel threw up his hands. “This is hopeless.”
Joy’s voice grew quieter. “Could you two come to see my friends play bridge, and do your disappearing act for them?”
Joel’s eyes grew big. “No way!”
Ally threw up a hand. “Hold on. Why do you want us to do that?”
“Because of what Joel said the last time. That belief in God is based in a relationship with him. You have to experience it to believe.”
Ally turned to Joel. “Maybe that is what we need to do to finish this out? Maybe then my link to this world would be broken?”
Joel thought for a moment. “You’re right.”
Ally sat up in her chair. “I am?”
“Yeah. Maybe is just a maybe. We could go through an endless list of maybes. I need more than a maybe to justify breaking a big rule established by the Big Boss.”
“But it could result in many more believing in God.” Ally crossed her arms.
“It could also be dismissed and used to justify disbelief as well.” Joel crossed his arms.
Ally responded, “But it worked for Joy here?”
Joel said, “But like I said earlier, individuals have individual responses to such events. You can’t predict how anyone will react. Apparently God knew how Joy would respond, which is why he sent you here.”
Joy nodded. “He’s right. For the past two years, I’ve watched an atheist program on the Internet and the regularly dismiss such experiences as coincidences, hallucinations, the placebo effect, and the list goes on and on.”
Ally understood the words she spoke, though she knew she shouldn’t. At least she got the idea she was conveying. “But some would believe, wouldn’t they?”
“Maybe.” Joel drank a gulp of his tea. “But those people would likely believe in other circumstances as well. Those are the people with ears to hear. That is the major difference between your world and this one. Most people in your world, Ally, do have ears to hear. Too many here, do not.”
Joy placed a finger on her chin. “I wonder, Ally, when did you first noticed this disbelief in you?”
“While in this world.”
“I know that.” Joy took a sip of her tea. “What I want to know is when you first experienced it while you were here?”
“Oh.” Ally gave it some thought. “I know Joel noticed I was being influenced by this world upon arriving in it. But I believe the first time I recall noticing unbelief in me was . . .“ Ally glanced at Joy.
“Go on dear, say it.”
“When I first opened up an emotional connection with you.” Ally bit her lip, afraid of Joy’s reaction.
“Any why do you suppose you detected it?”
“Because you didn’t believe at the time?”
“Exactly.” Joy smiled. “So now that I believe, what do you think the result would be if you connected to me?”
A big smile grew on Ally’s lips as she realized where Joy was going. “That it might reverse that connection! Oh, Joy! You’re brilliant!” She jumped up and hugged Joy. Joy’s hug was as warm and loving as Ally imagined it would be.
Then Ally met Joel’s eyes to see what he thought of Joy’s solution.
Joel held up his thumb. “Sounds logical to me. You didn’t finish what you were sent here to do: Not only to help Joy here believe, but for you to experience unbelief so you might empathize with those who don’t believe as well. However, He didn’t intend for you to stay in that state.”
“So he sent me back here to finish my task!” Ally said to Joy, “Hold on, I’ll open a connection with you.”
Ally closed her eyes and willed to open herself to Joy. She prepared for the worst, but instead of the disabling emotion of disbelief she experienced last time, she received an emotion she could only describe as blessed assurance.” She opened her eyes to see both Joy and Joel with their mouths gaping while they stared at her. “What? Is something wrong?”
Joel shook his head. “No, everything is perfect. You are glowing with divine light.”
Joy nodded, then waved bye as she faded from view.
Joel’s house appeared before Ally.
Joel materialized before her. He scanned the area before facing Ally with a big smile. “Let’s go see Kaylee, She needs to see this before it fades away.”
“Joel, one question.”
“Yes?”
“Am I supposed to understand that I’m healed of my unhealthy connection by our sudden departure from Joy?”
“Unless you initiated it, I would say that our sudden departure was the Big Boss’s way of saying you’re healed.”
Ally breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, because I didn’t initiate it either. That means we don’t have to get a divorce. Right?”
Joel smiled. “You are correct.”
Ally wrapped him in a hug. “That’s wonderful news. I’m not sure what I would do without you.”
Ally released him, and noticed tears flowing down his face.
Ally said, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m crying because I know with a certainty that at some point, I will have to do without you.”
“Awe!” They hugged each other for a while before going inside to tell Kaylee all that had happened.