Semida David

Cluj-Napoca2015

ISBN 978-973-0-18631-4.

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All the children came for our meeting today. They arrived earlier than before and full of enthusiasm, somehow knowing that something magical was about to happen. They took their seats and while they were waiting for their teacher to return, an unexpected discussion started: “I dreamt I was flying, said Camelia.” “Dis you had wings? asked Denisa.” “No, I don't know how I flew, just that I've seen I was floating above the ground and going up, towards the sky…” “Just like Spiderman, said the only boy in the class.” “No, not like Spiderman!… I don't know hot to explain it otherwise…” “I'd love to fly too, said Maria.” “Me too, me too, me too!… everybody started to say.” “I once flew with a plane, said Renata… it's really nice.” “But you can't feel the wind in your hair, said Katalin.” “That's true…” “But why is it that we can't fly? asked Iuliana.” “Because we're not butterflies, said Maia.” “Nor we have wings, replied Rebeka.” “Maybe our parents haven't taught us how, wondered Andreea…” “Or maybe they haven't bought us wings yet, said Maria.” “There is no such thing as wings for humans, said Teodora, correcting them.” “Yes, maybe… said Diana.” “But… there are Angels, whispered Irina.” “And? asked Maria Elena.” “They fly… they are like people with wings that can fly.” “Hmmm… everybody started to think.” “If an Angel were here we could ask him to teach us hot to fly! said Andreea full of joy.” “Hmmm… and again their thoughts started wondering.” “Let's call an Angel… maybe he will come.” “Let's do it!...”

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They all put their hands together, in prayer, and started to call the Angels, saying prayers in their minds… all that they could remember… some were saying the prayer to the Guardian Angel, others “Our Father”, others didn't knew any but were calling the Angels with all their love.

Then, hearing their pure prayers, God the Father, sent them an Angel. The door opened and a young, beautiful, tall man entered, radiating beauty as no man does, so when they opened their eyes, they saw him standing in front of them.

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“Who are you? Asked Denisa.” “I'm an Angel. You asked God for one, and He sent me.” “What sort of an Angel are you?” “I'm an Angel that can fulfill every wish.” “I want a puppy…” “I want a horse…” “I want a cat…” “I want a little brother…” “Then I can leave, said the Angel.” “Why? Asked all of them in one voice…you haven't fulfilled any of our wishes…” “That's not why you asked me to come.” All of them become quiet for a while… they wanted him to stay but they didn't know hot to make that happen… until Camelia whispered softly, without confidence: “Can you help us to fly?” “Yes! That's what you called me for…” They all looked blank, half afraid, half amazed. To fly? They would be able to fly? Where? How? They will also have angel wings? What if they would fall from the ceiling?… all these questions ran through their minds but none of them wouldn't really believe what they've just heard. “Raise up who wants to fly – said the Angel encouraging themAt first none of them rose, but after a few seconds all of them jumped up. Their eyes were wide open and their hearts were racing in their chests. We're gonna fly! Where, how… it didn't mattered… we're gonna fly!”

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Then the Angel lifted one of his wings and all of them started floating above the ground… their hearts skipped a beat, but then started beating faster because they got scared… some of them, more courageous, lifted upper, some of them were loosing their balance, others got to touch the ceiling… but the little boy started flying faster, just like Spiderman, and bumped his head on the ceiling… The Angel started to play a beautiful melody with an instrument and that made everybody find their balance. They held hands and the Angel took the hand of one of them and guided them out, through the window. The wind was going through their hair and the sun was gently caressing their happy faces with its rays. Slowly, they found their courage and released their hands floating alone, as they wished, but not to far away from the Angel. “Look, a rainbow! Said one of them, and then, all of them went towards it and started sliding on it. They were full of joy and laughter… some of the girls were screaming of excitement as they were sliding down the rainbow and the little boy was going down as fast as a rocket.”

The Angel was looking at them with love and let them play until they got tired and all of them sat on the rainbow, with their feet hanging in the air. Then, the Angel came in front of them and asked them: “My dear beautiful children, do you have other wishes as well?” “Yeeeesssss, answered the children in one voice.” “I want to be a flower.” “I want to be a fairy.” “I want to be a butterfly.” “I want to walk on water.” “I want to go in space and touch the sun.” “I want to …to pick a star from the sky…” … and so the kids said tens and hundreds of wishes that the Angel noted carefully, so that he could fulfill them all at their time. The children continued to play without even noticing that it got dark and every now and then they bumped one into the other because the lights of the city were not enough to lighten all the way up, where they were playing.

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All of a sudden, one of them noticed that she was heading with full speed towards the ground… in fact she was falling! They got scared and started to scream and then the Angel opened his wing and the girl dove into the soft feathers. Speechless, the kids were waiting to see what comes next. Will the Angel chide her? Did she made a mistake? Was the playing around over and the Angel will send them back on the ground? The little girl crawled from between the feathers, a little dizzy from the falling, and looked shy towards the Angel, thanking him. All of them gathered around her to see if she was safe and as she rose back on her feet they all could see something really heavy hanging in her pocket. “What have you there? Asked the Angel.” “A star, she said a little scared.” “And why are you hiding it?” “Please don't chide me…” “Are you feeling guilty?” “Maybe you'll chide me because I fell… I wanted to pick a star from the sky and as I was going up towards the heights, this little star came speeding towards me… I caught it but as it was falling, it dragged me down too.” “And now what are you going to do with it?” “Can I take it home?” “Inside, it will light too bright for the eyes, it could blind you… I don't think you'd want that and neither does it. Ask it better what is her wish. The little girl took the star out of her pocket and saw that it was getting so pale, barely shinning.” “… but it doesn't shine too much…” “It doesn't seem to shine to much here, among other stars, but down there, it will burn your eyes.” “Little star, tell me, where do you want me to put you in the sky?” A tear dropped from the little star's eye and she whispered: “There is no other place for me in the sky… I am a falling star and this is my death.”

In one voice, all the kids cried out: “Why are you dying? Please don't die!… Angel of the wishes, please do something, don't let this star die!…” “This star has no place in the sky anymore, as she said – answered the Angel – she made a mistake that only God and her know, that's why she felt… even if in her fall she found the pure soul of a child to save her, she has no place in the sky now, among the other stars…” “And then what can we do about her? We're gonna let her die?” “I cannot help her, said the Angel.” Absorbed in their thoughts, some of them dashed away their tears as they were looking with love at the dying star “I have an idea! Said a voice full of hope.” All turned towards the one who had spoken, waiting for her idea. “We should prepare her, as we know better, and bring her to God.” “… and?…” “… and to offer it to Him, as a gift.” All the kids turned inquiringly towards the Angel. “Yes, said him, this could be a chance for the star, her last chance to live … let's bring her as a gift to God and He will decide what to do with her … but first we need to ask her if she wants that.Oh you, Falling Star, do you want to return from your fall to God?” “I don't want to die…said the star with a small voice.” “Yupiiii! The star will live… let's bring her to God and she will live…” The kids were jumping with joy, dancing and hugging each other, kissing both the star and the Angel. “Let's bring her to God – said them in the end.” “How will you bring her like this? the Angel stopped them. Can't you see it doesn't shine anymore?” The kids stopped again confused… the star lost it's glow… it lost it in her fall. The looked helpless towards the Angel… what was now to be done?

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“Let's wash her with pure water from a spring – said someone – it will purify her soul.” “Let's give her love, each one of us, until her heart will be filled with love.” “Let's dress her in a dress in the colours of the rainbow.” “Let's feed her with light.” “Let's perfume her with the scent of snow flake flowers.” “… and lilies” “… and rose” “… and mirth…” “Let's put her a silver crown embellished with diamonds and sapphires…” “Yes… said the Angel smiling… in this way God will receive her.” Encouraged by the Angel , the kids started to prepare the Star for her great return. Singing and animated by love, everybody started doing something so that, in the end, the Star was so beautiful that you couldn't take your eyes off her. “And now, let's take her to God!...” And they all departed, carrying the star on their arms, but soon they stopped because they didn't knew which way to go. Again, they found themselves entangled and looked to the Angel for help. “You're still too small to go that high in the sky. Give her to me and I will get her there, as a gift from you… maybe He will receive her and will put her back among the other stars.” “Thank you – said them gratefully… you are the most wonderful Angel that there is!” “All the Angels are wonderful … because all of them are created by God, and you are wonderful too because you also were created by Him.” “… but, whisperd a voice from the back… you said the maybe God will receive her… why is it maybe and not definitely?” “Because He wants to see if meeting an Angel really changed something in your souls.”

“And how can we do that? How do we know that I mean?… or what can we do… in order to know if something transformed in us?…” “You are transformed already because you made the star shine again; you worked together with love and devotedness and you haven't done this for yourselves… God appreciates this… but in order to put her back in the sky it's a bit more difficult… you go back home now because it's late and… who knows… maybe tomorrow night you'll see her shining again.” The children returned to their houses with a really difficult homework… they were so meditative that they didn't even felt like eating. They washed, put on their pyjamas and when they got in bed they didn't felt like sleeping. They kept rolling from one side to the other, thinking about only one thing, just one wish: to see the star back in the sky. What could they do? First one of them, then another, then another more until all of them remembered that they got in bed without saying their prayers first. They got out of their beds, kneeled and, as never before, none of them prayed for themselves, all prayed for the star and only then their souls calmed and they could fall asleep. The next day went by slowly; all were eager to see the starry sky in the night.As soon as the sun set, they could see the most beautiful and embellished star of all, with the crown of diamonds and sapphires; she was waving at them from the sky. Their joy was immense! They sang and danced all evening, thinking with joy and gratitude of the Angel of the Wishes and God. Again, before bedtime they prepared to pray and as soon as they put their hands together in prayer, like an echo, they heard the voice of the Angel: “you worked together with love and devotedness

And you haven't done this for yourselves”

… and then, thinking about the dear falling stars and hoping that they could return them from their fall, their prayers changed:

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“Dear God…please find a home for this stray dog outside.” “Dear God …please feed the poor people in the city…” “Dear God, please find parents for the orphans… “ …and from that moment on it is said that many falling stars returned from their fall and found again their glow … because God loves it when we're not thinking just about ourselves.

Each night the children gather together and watch the stars that multiply in the sky. They laugh happily and remember with love the image of the Angel of the Whishes and their flight. Because they were missing the Angel and they didn't knew hot to call him, then one night, from the sky, the Star whispered this prayer to them: Angel of whishes, Angel of hope, From the worlds above, From the perfumed worlds, Bright as the rainbow, Come and guide me so. Listen to my prayer, My prayer of love, My prayer for the people, My prayer for them all, My prayer that's for giving. I pray for those I love, For my family, And for the helpless And the poor.

“Dear God…please find a home for this stray dog outside.” “Dear God …please feed the poor people in the city…” “Dear God, please find parents for the orphans… “ …and from that moment on it is said that many falling stars returned from their fall and found again their glow … because God loves it when we're not thinking just about ourselves.

Each night the children gather together and watch the stars that multiply in the sky. They laugh happily and remember with love the image of the Angel of the Whishes and their flight. Because they were missing the Angel and they didn't knew hot to call him, then one night, from the sky, the Star whispered this prayer to them: Angel of whishes, Angel of hope, From the worlds above, From the perfumed worlds, Bright as the rainbow, Come and guide me so. Listen to my prayer, My prayer of love, My prayer for the people, My prayer for them all, My prayer that's for giving. I pray for those I love, For my family, And for the helpless And the poor.

And I pray for me as well So that all is good, In my house and in my life And in my heart too. Gratefully I thank you now And I wish you good To you and to all the beings, To my friends and dearest ones, To my family that I love! And please tell God as well That I love Him too… eternally! Amen

And I pray for me as well So that all is good, In my house and in my life And in my heart too. Gratefully I thank you now And I wish you good To you and to all the beings, To my friends and dearest ones, To my family that I love! And please tell God as well That I love Him too… eternally! Amen

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ILLUSTRATION: AYLAM

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