Lil Bit Saves a Soldier
By Nita Wilson
All Heaven had been
watching the horrible battles on earth.
There were not as many sad angels as one would expect, as this war was
over slavery and it had to be fought. The
time for sadness had passed before the war began. A gentler solution to the hatred and evil had
been thwarted by Lucifer convincing hard headed humans to continue owning
slaves for their own profits. The
earthlings had convinced themselves that the very people of God’s creation that
they held in bondage were beneath them and not worthy of having a life. Angels had been sent to reason with these
people over and over again and the few who listened were outnumbered by those
who did not. All they could do now was
watch for and save people God had ordained to stay on earth, and make sure they
were safe. All angels were commissioned
to accomplish this and gave it their utmost attention.
Lil Bit had been
watching a little drummer boy take chances way beyond his years, running behind
the hungry soldiers in the gray uniforms some with boots some without. The child was missing the deadly shower of
musket balls by inches. His heart was in
this more than his senses and she knew she had to do something. She landed in a small bush next to his hiding
place in a shallow ditch and as he started to dart out and into the fray, she
shook the branches of the bush and scared him back into his ditch. He looked up to see what caused the bush to
move and looked directly in to Lil Bit’s eyes.
“Who’re you?” The scared little boy asked the angel.
“I’m Lil Bit. You can see me?” She was as surprised as the boy with this
turn of events.
“Oh course I can see
you, do you think me blind?” He asked
indignantly. “Why are you in that bush,
don’t you know the Yankees are firing on us?
Duck and get down here with me.”
He moved to the side and gave her room in the shallow ditch.
She cocked her head
to see into his heart.
“Why are you here in such danger? My Father says your ma is worried about you
and cries for you every night.”
“Ah, stuff and nonsense; your pa don’t know my
ma. Where’d you come from and why don’t
you go back and leave me be?”
“I’m an angel and I
live in Heaven. Can’t you see my
wings?” She looked into his heart and
saw fear and sadness and knew he was missing his ma.
“Am I dead?” He pulled on his clothing, and looked to see
if he had been shot.
“No, our Father wants
you to stay on earth; he has important things for you to do when you are grown.” She put a hand on his shoulder and he relaxed
into what she was saying.
“Why are you fighting
to keep men in heavy chains and bonds? Do
you own another person?” She was really
curious. Why would a young boy be so
cruel?
“No, of course
not. I don’t own no slaves and neither
does my ma. I’m fightin’ cause the damn
yanks are trying to tell us what to do.
This ain’t about slaves; this is about being a good southern boy and
fightin’ for our rights. Don’t you know
anything up there in heaven?” He laughed
what he thought was a grown up boy’s laugh at her silliness.
Lil Bit put one hand
on his heart and one on his head.
Suddenly the little boy could see people in Heaven; people gathered in
friendships and love, all colors, all different sizes and different
garments. They were laughing and
enjoying each other’s company. Then his
view changed and she showed him a group of tattered and torn Africans chained
together, sad and forlorn with scars on backs and legs, some missing eyes, some
missing fingers, and limbs but all very miserable. They were being loaded onto wagons by white
men with guns and whips. The little boy
saw one old man with hope still in his eyes and the boy began to cry.
“That’s why I’m here
without my ma? To keep these poor people
chained and miserable? Is this the truth
Lil Bit?” She nodded her head. “Yes.” She said tenderly holding his hand and
leading him out of the ditch and through a stand of small willow trees.
“I want my ma. I didn’t know Lil Bit, I swear I
didn’t.” He was openly crying and trying
to hide it with his big boy façade.
“Close your eyes,
Casa. I’ll have you home in a second. You must tell your ma you’ve come a long
way. I don’t think I’m supposed to show
you how to fly.”
“If I get to my house
from here, I have gone a long way, fly or not….FLY, did you say FLY… Lil Bit,
humans don’t fly, you’ve mistaken me for a bird. I’ll just stick to the creek and go home that
way. FLY… boy you angels sure know how
to make a fella laugh.” He took a step
and was in the air, his little drum hanging from his shoulder strap across his
chest with the wind knocking it into his side.
“Look down, Casa, see
how the creek makes a big worm along the ground? Funny huh? See the nests in the top of the trees? If you watch
you can see a bird look at us with total disbelief. It’s funny. We’re going through a cloud; we call them
God’s breath? Watch.”
She began to knead
and push the cloud until it made the shape of a drum with crossed drum stix
lying over the top. She took him down
close to the ground so he could look up and see her creation. “Wow, that’s great. May I make one?”
“Sure. She showed him how to push and blow on the
clouds until they moved where he wanted them.
Within a few minutes he pulled her down almost to the ground and she
could see he had made his ma waiting at the cabin door for him.
“Wow, Casa, you have
cloud talent. Some don’t you know. Look there’s your house; I’m going to leave
you here so you can go to your ma.
Remember, our Father has plans for you, take care and stay out of
trouble.” She laid him quietly and
gently under a tall pine and went back to Heaven.
Casa awakened and
looked around. He realized where he was
but he had no idea how he got there. He
heard his ma calling and saw her running to him.
“Casa, my baby. You came home. I prayed for you every day. Thank God you’re safe.” She grabbed him up and held him close. Then she pushed him away and pulled him by
his ear toward home.
“Don’t you ever run
away from home again. I should take you
to the wood shed for scaring me so, but I won’t this time. If you ever do it again, I won’t be
responsible for what comes your way, you bad boy.” She let go his ear and walked with her arm
around his shoulder squeezing and pulling him close back down the old dirt
road.
“Ma, did you know the
war is to keep poor African people in chains?” He looked up at his ma wondering where he learned
this.
“Yes. It’s not our concern, son.”
“Yes it is, Ma. Did you know in Heaven there are no slaves and
everyone is friendly with everyone?” Again
he wondered how he knew this.
“What nonsense. Let’s get you to bed and I think there is cornbread
and buttermilk left from dinner.” Ma and
Casa walked into their future, happy, loving and a little wiser about the world.
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