Door to Kandalaura (10 page)

Andron's mom called everyone to dinner, and soon we were all seated at the table.
We held hands, and Andron's father thanked God for the food and asked Him to bless
it.

The food was so tasty that I had to comment on it. “At home I would say that such
good food was out of this world.” We all laughed.

Later Andron's father looked at Andron and me, wondering how we had spent our time
that day.

“I took Mikey to the Glory Cave,” he said. “He got to ride Kandaletta. Then when
we got back, Jesus was waiting for him.”

“I thought so,” said Andron's father. “I could see the glory of God all over the
two of you.”

At the mention of God's glory, the memory of my encounter returned to me, and I began
to feel hot all over.

“Whew,” I sighed. “It's all coming back again. I never felt anything that strong
before.”

“Me either,” said Andron. The mention of the glory had the same affect on him and
he was turning red all over.

Soon it spread over the entire table until the glory of God covered us all. It was
all we could do to breathe. It felt like the glory cloud at the pond. We stopped
everything and soaked it all in. Nobody moved or talked. We all just sat there in
complete silence, allowing ourselves to be overcome with the presence of God. I wondered,
Is this what it
'
s like in God
'
s throne room in heaven?

The love we shared together that night, for God and for each other, created a bond
that would last forever. This was another one of those moments I would carry with
me for the rest of my life.

Eventually the glory cloud lifted, and we began to feel lighter. We even began to
laugh. First it was little chuckles. Then it grew louder. Before we were through,
there were gales of laughter and tears were coming out of everyone's eyes. It reminded
me of the time when Dad announced that I could go on the trip. Andron and I did cartwheels
down the hallway and laughed hysterically. God is awesome, but He's also fun.

When we finally finished eating, it was late, but we
didn't care. I couldn't help
thinking that leaving all this would be hard. I knew I would miss Kandalaura and
everyone here.

“It was Andron's father who intercepted my thought. “Yes,” he said. “And we'll miss
you too, but you know you have a mission, Mikey, and it's almost time to return.”

I felt a heavy lump in my throat and a knife in my heart. I knew he was right. “I
could really get to like this place,” I said. “I love it here, and I love being with
you guys. I'll never forget this as long as I live.”

“We feel the same way about you, Mikey,” said Andron's mom. “But we know that your
parents need you, and you've been commissioned to do something very important on
Earth.”

“I guess we all knew this visit had to come to an end sometime,” said Nicholas. “But
we'll all miss you. You're like family.”

“I was hoping it would be longer,” said Andron. “Who knows? Perhaps if you stayed
much longer, you wouldn't want to go back.”

“That's true,” I said reluctantly. “But I sure could have used at least one more
day.”

“I can tell that your body needs a rest,” said Andron's mom.

“That's it, isn't it?” I said.

“Your body seems to burn energy much faster than ours,” said Andron's father. “But
don't worry, Mikey. It's not your fault. It's something we failed to address. Next
time you come, our scientists will have created a concentrated food for you, much
like your vitamins, then you'll be able to stay longer.”

“We'll be leaving in the morning,” said Andron.

“Whew,” I sighed. “This leaving thing's going to be hard,
but I want you all to know
how thankful I am for letting me stay. It's been awesome. I could never have dreamed
this whole thing up, not even in my wildest imagination, and mine gets pretty wild
sometimes. I don't know how I'll ever explain to Mom and Dad how wonderful this has
been.”

“Mikey,” said Andron's mom, “trust us when we say that it's been our great pleasure
to have you. Please let your mom know how indebted we are to you both.”

“I will,” I said. Then I asked, “Do you all feel as I do that this is not the last
of it, that we'll all see each other again?”

“I, for one, do,” said Andron. “It's almost like we are destined, all of us, to
see each other again.” The whole family agreed.

With that we had a family hug and said good night. Tomorrow Andron and I would begin
the journey back to Earth.

Chapter 14

TRANSPORT TO EARTH

T
HE
NEXT
MORNING
I woke early. That was good because I wanted to say good-bye to
my animal friends. Andron and I headed over to Dolphin Bay. He whistled for Molly
and Henri, and sure enough they came swimming up to us. I gave them each a long hug.

“I'm going to miss you two,” I said. “You gave me quite a ride. I don't know when
I've ever had so much fun.”

They made their dolphin sound, nodded their heads, and waved good-bye with their
flippers. We watched them for a few minutes as they headed out for deeper waters,
jumping and splashing as they swam.

Next on my list was Andron's lion, Ian. Someday when I get to heaven, I'll have my
very own lion. We found Ian lying down close to the large field. He stood up and
walked over to us.

“Ian,” I said, “it's time for me to leave. I couldn't leave without hugging you good-bye,
if that's all right.”

Ian laid down at my feet, stretching out his legs. He roared a soft roar and turned
his head to let me know he would like that. He was majestic and kingly, yet his fur
was so soft that for a moment he seemed like a big stuffed animal I might keep on
my bed. His eyes were soft and kind.

“Ian, when I get to heaven, I'll ask Jesus for a lion just like you. I'm going to
miss you more than you know. You'll always be in here,” I said, pointing to my heart.
“I won't ever forget you.” My words seemed to please him because he smiled a small
lion smile and once again roared a soft
lion roar, turning his head. He's so gentle.
And what a mane! I love that animal!

Next were Kandaletta and Andron's horse, Lightning. We found them together behind
Andron's house. I admire them both for their strength and their beauty. What magnificent
flights we had! And those wings—so graceful.

“We'll ride again,” I said to Kandaletta, putting my arms around her neck and patting
her. “I'm sure of it.” She neighed and nodded her head. I gave Lightning a big hug
too. Then we headed back to Andron's house for the most difficult farewell.

I hugged each member of the family. “I can't say anything,” I said, choking up.

“There's no need to,” said Andron's father. When he hugged me good-bye, I was overcome
once again by the immense love behind the gesture. I wanted to tell them so much,
but words wouldn't come.

“We all know,” he said, looking deep into my eyes. It was at that moment he let me
know that I had been received into their family as one of their own. We had a big
family hug. No words were spoken; much was communicated. It was time to leave, and
I could hardly bear the thought. My body felt pounds heavier as we walked toward
the transport.

When we stepped outdoors, I got a huge surprise. Many of the town folk had gathered
to tell me good-bye. I hugged the children and shook hands with the chefs, musicians,
and artists I had met. Even some of the dancers were there.

“I can't bear to tell you good-bye,” I said. “I'm sure I'll see you all again. Thanks
for everything. I enjoyed every minute,” I exclaimed as I climbed into the transport.
Reluctantly I put on my helmet and suit and waved goodbye. It pained me to leave
a people who were so loving and
accepting. Andron took off slowly as everyone applauded,
and then we shot off into space.

The trip back was just as momentous and awesome as the trip over. Andron stopped
halfway through so we could listen to the sounds of the universe once again. This
time I could hear the rhythm of the pulsars. They were like bass guitars in a universal
orchestra.

Though the galaxies captivated me with their color and sparkle, I found myself nodding
off from time to time. Finally I could no longer fight my fatigue and gave in to
much needed sleep.

The next thing I knew, Andron was shaking me. “Mikey, wake up! Wake up!”

I was shocked to find that we had already landed in my backyard. It took me a couple
of minutes before I was alert enough to take off my space gear and hop out. Together
we ran for the back door of my house. Bursting into the kitchen, I hollered, “Dad,
I'm home!”

Dad came running. “I was just praying that God would bring you home soon and safely,
and here you are,” he exclaimed, giving me a big hug.

Then he held out his arms to Andron and embraced him also, “God bless you, son. Thank
you for bringing my Mikey home alive and well.”

“It was my privilege, sir,” said Andron.

“You know, you're like a second son to us,” said Dad. “I want you to stay as long
as you want. You're part of this family now.”

Interesting. We're both part of each others' families now. I turned to Andron. “You
see,” I said. “You're the brother I always wanted and never had. Please stay.”

“I wish I could,” said Andron, “but I really should return soon. And you have a lot
to share with your parents.” He
pointed to the corner of the kitchen. “I set your
things over there, Mikey.”

“At least stay and have lunch,” said Dad.

So he did, and we had a great time chatting about our adventures of the last two
days. Dad listened attentively, intrigued by our stories.

I didn't want Andron to go, but I think he wanted me to have time alone with my parents.
Mom would be home soon. After seeing Andron off, Dad and I went out to the living
room.

I could hardly wait to tell him about my encounter with Jesus. So I just blurted
it out, “Dad, you won't believe what I'm about to tell you. It was the most exciting
part of the trip. I got to see Jesus!”

Really!” he said. “You mean face to face?”

“Face to face,” I said.

“Tell me all about it,” he said. “What did He say? What color were His eyes?”

When I tried to describe it, the memory of what happened brought it all back again,
and I began to experience God's presence the same as I had at Andron's house. For
a few minutes I couldn't speak or move.

Finally I said, “Dad, I think they were blue, but I'm not sure. His love was like
a thick liquid that covered every part of me, inside and out. My legs turned to rubber.
I got weak all over and fell down right in front of Him. I just wilted.”

Talking about my encounter seemed to create an opening for God's glory. It literally
filled our living room. His presence was unmistakable. Dad felt it too. I nearly
fell to the floor.

“Whew,” Dad sighed. “I think I get it. The color of His eyes isn't important when
you're covered with His glory.”

I nodded. We experienced the presence of God together right there in our living room.
What a wonderful homecoming!

Finally Dad was able to speak. “You know, Mikey,” he said, “You've experienced so
much these last two days. I can see how tired you are. I think you need to rest.”
He walked me over to the couch and covered me. “You can share the rest when mom comes
home.”

I must have slept through dinner because when I woke up, they had already eaten.
They saved me some food, and as I ate, I gained strength. Then I got excited and
began sharing with them. I told them play by play every single thing that happened.
They were as amazed as I was that everyone on Kandalaura had a copy of my Bible,
and that they were all reading it. Mom laughed when I told her that she was a celebrity
on Kandalaura. It wasn't until I talked about the Glory Pond and the Throne Room
that I remembered the gifts and jewels.

“Andron chose gifts for each of us,” I said.

Dad loved the knife, and Mom was amazed at the natural beauty of her jewelry. We
put on our T-shirts and modeled them for each other. Then I pulled out the bag of
jewels. I think Andron must have added some more because when I turned the bag upside
down, they spilled out and covered the entire kitchen table.

Mom put her hand to her mouth and drew in a quick breath. “Mikey,” she said, “There
must be over a thousand jewels here. They're worth a fortune!”

“Andron had me scoop them out of the stream for you. He said his people would want
you to have them as a remembrance of Kandalaura.”

Mom cried out, “Look! There are diamonds, sapphires.
rubies, emeralds, and gold and
silver nuggets. I'm sure they're genuine. Do you know what this means, Mikey?”

“Maybe it means that you're rich?” I guessed.

“Much more than that,” she said. “It means that my prayer has been answered. I asked
God for money to buy wells so children in Africa could have clean water. Not in a
million years could I have dreamed it would happen like this. This is just over the
top! God is over the top! You never know what He's going to do, or how He's going
to do it. He's full of surprises.”

“You can say that again,” I said. “So many unbelievable things have happened to me,
and now this. But I think Andron would want you to keep a few for yourself as a remembrance.”

“Yes, of course,” said Mom. “It's just that this is something I felt called to pray
for and do, and now it's happened. I can hardly believe it. Praise God!”