Lil Bit Goes Swimming

Lil Bit Goes Swimming

By Nita Wilson

 

 

Lil Bit is an angel, and has just celebrated her five hundred and twenty first year old Birthday.  In human years that makes her five and almost a half years old; just a baby of an angel.  She was born when Christopher Columbus discovered America, as more angels would be needed in the new world.  As a matter of fact, her first job was to breathe life into a sailor blown overboard the Nina in a storm off the coast of Cuba, as he struggled to reach the rope he was thrown.

“It was a miracle the sailor gulped and coughed once he was back on the big wooden deck.  I could breathe under water.  It was a miracle, I’m telling you. There was this little kid and she breathed into my mouth.”  The man ranted in Spanish to his fellow sailors, who laughed and gave him the nickname “Fish”, a moniker which would follow him the rest of his days.  Lil Bit had completed her first assignment and for a reward was given a young mother in childbirth for her next assignment.  The mother and child were in trouble, the baby’s cord was wrapped around its neck and as the mother pushed to give birth, the cord got tighter and tighter.  “Easy breezy” said Lil Bit to herself.  She laid a gentle hand on the mother’s belly and the muscles stopped pushing.  She went into the mother’s womb to see what problem was afoot.
“What seems to be the problem here?”  She asked the baby.

“I can’t bre..bre.. breath the baby managed to squeak.”  The baby boy trying to be born relaxed and stopped trying to move; he was tired and giving up.

“Not to worry, I’ll have you out of here in a jiffy.”  Lil Bit said.  Lil Bit cupped her own chin between thumb and finger and began to rub her cheek in thought. 

“Ah, that’s it.”  She said and held one end of the cord away from the baby’s neck and stretched the cord over his head.

“There, that should do it.  Come on out, I’ll see you outside.”  Lil Bit flew out of the womb and waited in the straw while the mother began to push again and the little boy slipped out like a banana out of a tight peel.  The baby’s aunt bit the cord and tied it to the baby’s navel; both women were crying with relief and gratitude the long hours of struggle were over.

“See that?”  Lil Bit asked the baby.  “That’s gonna be your belly button.  It’ll tickle when people poke it later.”  She waited while the aunt slapped the baby’s bottom and made the baby cry.

“Why the heck did she do that?”  The baby asked Lil Bit between loud wail’s.

“Not a great way, I agree, but it was to make you breathe human’s air.”

Lil Bit thought when she saw this little boy in heaven before he chose his parents, she wouldn’t be seeing him again, but it was a nice reunion. 

“Lil Bit, is it hard being human?”  The baby cooed into the air.

“Very much so, but try to remember what you’ve learned from the others and you’ll do okay.  Call me if you need me again… friend.”

Lil Bit was suddenly standing at the knee of the great, Jesus.

“A very good job, Lil Bit; it was not his time to come home.”

Lil Bit put her head in her arm and wrapped a soft wing around herself to hide her blush. She’d heard other angels talk about Jesus giving compliments to them, but never dreamed she would be fortunate enough to receive one.

“I have a special assignment for you, Lil Bit.”  Jesus said.  Lil Bit stood up straight and wondered if she should salute or just wait patiently.  Jesus reached down and put the little angel on his knee.

“Do you like to swim?”  He looked into her soul and smiled as he always did when looking at an angel’s delightfully pure and brilliant soul.

“Yes, Jesus, you know I do.  I love to fall with the rain and play with my friends in the down pours.”  She smiled at her favorite person.

“Look down there.”  He waved his arm and opened a portal into the world of humans.  A little boy was sneaking out of a big safe fort with his friends and headed to a swift running river.  Lil Bit and Jesus watched as some angry Native Americans stopped to water their horses at the river. 

“We must kill all the white men.  Their women too, or they will breed and make more to steel our lands and eat our food.”  Lil Bit caught her breath.  The boys were headed straight to the angry men. 
“I need you to change their hearts until the boys are safe and they promise never to do this again.  Do you think you can do it?  The main boy, Alfred is going to be a great pastor one day and minister to the settlers in this wilderness and bring peace to many warriors white and red.”  He looked with pride at the determination in Lil Bit’s gaze.

“Yes, Jesus.  I can and will.”  She thought… and in a second she was whispering in Alfred’s ear.  Alfred stopped in his tracks and whispered to his friends.

“Quick in the water, Indians are at our swimming hole.  We can swim downstream and get out on the bank and run back to the fort.”  The boys headed toward a part of the river covered with trees and shrub brush and jumped in without thinking it through.  Four little boys were being swept down river, trying to keep air in their lungs and grab hold of fallen tree branches, but both to no avail.

Lil Bit dove into the heart of the strongest brave and caressed it with her little hand.  He perked up and looked down the river to see little heads bobbing and screaming for help.

“Come, there is trouble with the white children.”  He started down the river bank on his horse, lickity split with his braves following; confused… and wondering why on earth, Killer of Bear was trying to save the enemy. He reached the lower bank of the river as the boys were sailing by and went into the river on his horse to pull them out.  He managed to grab three by the back of their pants, but one kept rolling and sputtering with the raging river.  Lil Bit smiled at the big brave for saving the boys, but then noticed Alfred was still being pulled by the current. 

“Oh my.”  She said and went under the water to find Alfred.  He was just giving up when she frowned at his scared face and blew breath into his mouth willing him to the bank.  He crawled onto the bank and looked into the eyes of a little girl with white wings scowling at him.

“You and your friends were naughty.  You must promise to never do that again, or I have to give you back to the big water.”  He began to cry.  She saw in his heart how sorry he was and was pleased.

“I want my ma.”  He wailed.  Lil Bit’s job was done.  She thought of Jesus and suddenly she was sitting on his knee. 

“Now… see what you have accomplished.”  Once again he opened the portal and she watched as Killer of Bear and his braves carried the four boys to the gates of the fort and dropped them safely on the ground.  The men were shaking their spears like angry fathers and admonishing them never to run away again.  Men began to man the fort with guns, but a frightened mother ran out of the big gate and grabbed her son putting her hand over her heart to thank Killer of Bear.  The big man gave a loud “hummf” and turned his horse back to the river.  “Woman not watching her child; should be ashamed.”  He said in his language and left the fort.

“It is a beginning.”  Jesus said to Lil Bit.  “And you are to be commended.”

Lil Bit smiled and laid her head on Jesus’ big chest which she knew housed a bigger heart.

Later in the simultaneous time continuum, Lil Bit was lazing on a fluffy cloud she and her friends had just pushed and formed into an elephant when Joseph came to tell her she was needed for another assignment.

 

Tomorrow:  Lil Bit has work to do.