Some time later as her mom was kissing her good night and preparing to go to work, Aiesha asked her, “Mom, have you met the man that lives next door?”
Her mother was taken a bit by surprise. “Not yet, why?”
“Just wondering.”
“I’m sure he’s a nice, lonely old man, honey. Now get some sleep.” She tucked her daughter in and kissed her on the forehead, “Sweet dreams. Sleep well, Jackie.”
“Good night, momma,” Jackie yawned. Their mother turned out the light and left the door open just a crack.
At some point in time, Aiesha fell asleep. She dreamed of a green field with beautiful flowers. She ran through the tall grass, laughing as she went. She caught sight of a beautiful red butterfly and chased the blue butterfly as it flittered through the air, yellow. She leaped up and brushed the iridescent butterfly’s wing just as a movement of air caressed her, and the striped butterfly fell heavily to the earth and became a black, screeching dragon. Its claws grasped her wrist as it screamed at her. It reared back and… She woke up to a crashing noise.
“Uhh,” grunted Jackie, “What was that?” A car horn sounded in the distance. She turned on the light.
Aiesha was already up. “I’ll go see.” She went out of the bedroom dressed in her pajamas with feet. When she got to the front door, fear almost stopped from opening it, but she knew that her sister would be behind her soon.
From the doorway, she saw through the fog a car which had run into a telephone pole outside the hunchback’s house. Its light’s threw two beams into the night. Its horn blared, and smoke issued from under the hood.
Another beam of light appeared. It was a man running from the house to the car. He stood upright and had no hunch. He passed in front of the car momentarily cutting off each beam. He reached into the car and pulled a woman from it. Sirens could be heard in the distance. The hunchback laid the woman in the middle of the street.
Aiesha had ventured closer to the scene. As the hunchback turned around, a light began to shine on him. Aiesha looked up and saw the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She then looked back at the man and saw his face clearly. It had not been washed in quite a while. His hair was matted and greasy. His clothes were dirty and torn.
One moment, his face betrayed confusion; the next, it contorted into terror. “No! It can’t be. You, you’re dead,” stammered the man in a voice that was made gruff by long silence. He turned toward the body of the woman he had pulled from the car. “No! It can’t be.” He ran to his house as fast as Aiesha had ever seen anyone run.
Aiesha looked from the woman in the sky to the woman on the ground. They were remarkably similar. Both had fine, black, straight hair, and both had long noses, but their mouths were shaped differently. The woman on the ground with her small, thin lips could never produce the warming smile of the one in the sky.
“Are you an angel?” asked Aiesha.
“Yes, I am, little girl.” She floated down to the ground.
“Well, if you’re an angel, how come you don’t know my name?”
“Because even angels don’t know everything. Only God knows everything.”
This satisfied Aiesha. “I’m Aiesha.” She held out her hand.
“And I’m Sarah, Aiesha. It’s nice to meet you.” She shook the girl’s hand. “Now, can you do me a favor?”
“What?”
“Wave your arms up and down.”
Aiesha did so.
“That’s a good girl.”
The firemen saw the little black girl in the road and stopped to help the woman from the car.
“Why are you here?” Aiesha put her hands down.
“I am here to help the man in that house.” She pointed to the house with the shiny fence. “Do you think you can help me?”
Aiesha hesitated. She heard her sister calling from the house. She turned around, ran a couple of steps and turned back. “I can’t help you tonight but maybe tomorrow.”
Sarah smiled.
Aiesha ran to the house.
Her mother was taken a bit by surprise. “Not yet, why?”
“Just wondering.”
“I’m sure he’s a nice, lonely old man, honey. Now get some sleep.” She tucked her daughter in and kissed her on the forehead, “Sweet dreams. Sleep well, Jackie.”
“Good night, momma,” Jackie yawned. Their mother turned out the light and left the door open just a crack.
At some point in time, Aiesha fell asleep. She dreamed of a green field with beautiful flowers. She ran through the tall grass, laughing as she went. She caught sight of a beautiful red butterfly and chased the blue butterfly as it flittered through the air, yellow. She leaped up and brushed the iridescent butterfly’s wing just as a movement of air caressed her, and the striped butterfly fell heavily to the earth and became a black, screeching dragon. Its claws grasped her wrist as it screamed at her. It reared back and… She woke up to a crashing noise.
“Uhh,” grunted Jackie, “What was that?” A car horn sounded in the distance. She turned on the light.
Aiesha was already up. “I’ll go see.” She went out of the bedroom dressed in her pajamas with feet. When she got to the front door, fear almost stopped from opening it, but she knew that her sister would be behind her soon.
From the doorway, she saw through the fog a car which had run into a telephone pole outside the hunchback’s house. Its light’s threw two beams into the night. Its horn blared, and smoke issued from under the hood.
Another beam of light appeared. It was a man running from the house to the car. He stood upright and had no hunch. He passed in front of the car momentarily cutting off each beam. He reached into the car and pulled a woman from it. Sirens could be heard in the distance. The hunchback laid the woman in the middle of the street.
Aiesha had ventured closer to the scene. As the hunchback turned around, a light began to shine on him. Aiesha looked up and saw the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She then looked back at the man and saw his face clearly. It had not been washed in quite a while. His hair was matted and greasy. His clothes were dirty and torn.
One moment, his face betrayed confusion; the next, it contorted into terror. “No! It can’t be. You, you’re dead,” stammered the man in a voice that was made gruff by long silence. He turned toward the body of the woman he had pulled from the car. “No! It can’t be.” He ran to his house as fast as Aiesha had ever seen anyone run.
Aiesha looked from the woman in the sky to the woman on the ground. They were remarkably similar. Both had fine, black, straight hair, and both had long noses, but their mouths were shaped differently. The woman on the ground with her small, thin lips could never produce the warming smile of the one in the sky.
“Are you an angel?” asked Aiesha.
“Yes, I am, little girl.” She floated down to the ground.
“Well, if you’re an angel, how come you don’t know my name?”
“Because even angels don’t know everything. Only God knows everything.”
This satisfied Aiesha. “I’m Aiesha.” She held out her hand.
“And I’m Sarah, Aiesha. It’s nice to meet you.” She shook the girl’s hand. “Now, can you do me a favor?”
“What?”
“Wave your arms up and down.”
Aiesha did so.
“That’s a good girl.”
The firemen saw the little black girl in the road and stopped to help the woman from the car.
“Why are you here?” Aiesha put her hands down.
“I am here to help the man in that house.” She pointed to the house with the shiny fence. “Do you think you can help me?”
Aiesha hesitated. She heard her sister calling from the house. She turned around, ran a couple of steps and turned back. “I can’t help you tonight but maybe tomorrow.”
Sarah smiled.
Aiesha ran to the house.