Thirteen Senses (58 page)

Then Luisa saw a huge terrible Bolt of Lightning EXPLODE with a THUNDEROUS ROAR just beyond her mother and her friends, and overhead patches of startling bright Father Sky burst through the clouds in glorious rain of gold! Quickly, Luisa made the sign of the cross over herself. Her heart was pounding wildly as the soft, gentle rain continued drip-dropping all about her.

Now Luisa couldn't tell where Earth ended and the Heavens began.

“Mama”
said Luisa, putting her hands together in prayer. “Oh, what have you gone and done?”

Doña Margarita was singing as she and her friends went out of the
barrio,
going into the well-paved streets of the Anglo part of Corona.
La gente
took up the Holy Song of Glory Be To God, and they continued across the Anglo part of town, raindrops coming down from Heaven, Blessing them.

Some Anglos—hearing the singing—came to their windows and they saw a sorry-looking lot of poor, old Mexicans singing in the rain and cupping their free hand over their candle so that the rain wouldn't put out their flame.

Seeing one old Anglo lady looking out her window at them, Doña Margarita gave her a glorious smile, feeling so happy that she gave a little dance, shuffling her old feet. The old Anglo woman laughed and ran across her house to get her coat. By the time they got to the steps of the little stone church half a dozen Anglos had joined them. They had no candles with them, but they did have umbrellas and raincoats.

Doña Margarita and all her people could feel the Singing of the Stones of the Church as they started up the stairs. This was when Luisa suddenly came rushing up, yelling,
mama,
we're coming with you, too!”

“Oh, this is wonderful,” said the old woman, seeing her daughter rushing up with her grandchildren. “You have finally seen the Light!”

“Light, hell!” said Luisa. “I just don't want to be left out!”

La gente
burst out laughing, and Doña Margarita took her daughter in her arms. “You are a good daughter,” she said. “A fine daughter, and I admire your honesty. Welcome,
mi hijita,
to this New Glorious Day that's long overdue!”

Then she turned to her three grandchildren. “Thank you for coming, too,” she said.

“Is God really waiting for you inside of the church,
mamagrande
?” asked Luisa's middle son.

“Isn't He always waiting for us,
mi hijito
?” asked the old woman. “And today Our Holy Father, awaits especially happy ... for He sees that we are finally stepping forth, beyond our childish self-imposed illusions of fear and separation and rejoining Him in His Full Glory—across the entire land! Come, give me your hand, and you'll see!”

Saying this, she turned with Luisa and grandchildren in hand, and they continued up the steps to the entrance of the church, and that was when the thick, heavy oak doors of the Stone Church suddenly opened wide all by themselves and they saw that the entire Holy Structure was jam-packed Full of Angels!

Angels were Everywhere, gliding this way and that way, over
la gente
as they all came pouring into the Church!

Then Doña Margarita saw that everyone, from all of her past, was Here, too!

Her father, Don Pio, who'd died more than a dozen years ago, was Here!

Her mother, Silveria, who'd passed over almost twenty years ago, was Here, too!

And Here were also all of her children whom she'd lost in that terrible Revolution!

Doña Margarita's old, wrinkled-up eyes overflowed with tears!

Why, Everyone was Here for those who had the Eyes to See!

And it was the same for all of
la gente
who'd had the Faith to come this morning—they, too, now had Here, before them—Everyone from out of their Earth-Past!

It was GLORIOUS!

WONDROUS! MIRACULOUS!

HEAVEN and EARTH were UNITED as ONE!

And then Father Ryan was ready to begin mass, and he looked so handsome.

Doña Margarita gave
un grito de gusto
—she just couldn't help herself! For Here was also her old
amiga,
who'd given her life for them back in their mountains
de Jalisco
when those soldiers had turned their dogs loose on them!

And Here were also the two giants—her nephews Basilio and Mateo—grinning ear to ear like the happy children that they'd always been!

EVERYONE was REALLY HERE!

And their torn bodies were intact!

Then Here was also that child—who's lifeless body she'd taken in her hands in the river the day the American soldiers had opened fire on them in El Paso and those well-dressed people had watched from the shade of their grand carriages—and she, this child, was now whole!

Doña Margarita and this Angel Child now hugged in a big
abrazo,
and this Child now stepped forward and began to Sing, leading all the Angels in chorus!

A million Light Years of Illumination was coming to Be!

And Doña Margarita now knew that she, and all the people who'd come with her, had just passed through the Gates of Heaven and they were now United as One in this Holy Place where Angels Sang the Song of God— Here on Earth as it is in Heaven.

But then she suddenly remembered the Devil. “Excuse me,” she said, “I'll be right back.” She hurried back out the front doors of the stone church. In her excitement, she'd forgotten all about Lucifer. She hoped to God that he was still waiting outside with his roses in hand.

Glancing around outside, Doña Margarita didn't see him at first, but then Here he was, standing under a tree with roses in hand in the soft, gentle rain drip-dropping all over him. She called to him. “Come on,” she shouted, “everyone is waiting!”

But Lucifer didn't move. He just stood Here looking very unsure of himself.

Doña Margarita walked over to him. “Look,” she said, “come on, we can't very well go on without you. Remember, as I told you, you are the whole reason we put this together. Come, give me your hand, and I'll walk inside with you.”

But the Greatest Angel ever Created still wouldn't move. He was scared. For truly, he'd never stopped Loving the Almighty.

“Look, Lucifer,” said Doña Margarita, “you and I have had a lot of runins over the years, but frightened or shy I've never found you to be, so come on.”

But still he wouldn't move. No, he just stood, roses in hand, kicking the dirt like a nervous young boy.

“Lucifer,” said Doña Margarita, finally growing impatient, “you take my hand and come inside right now! Let's face it, what other choice do you have, eh? Nobody is afraid of you anymore. Hell, little kids are now starting to out-devil the Devil, so basically, you did your work so well for so long that now you're out of a job unless you take my hand right now and we take Creation to a Whole New Level!”

Hearing this Lucifer smiled a big beautiful smile, looking at Doña Margarita with such Love and Respect, then he started laughing
con carca-jadas!
No one, but no one, had ever spoken to him like this. “Okay,” he said, taking her old, wrinkled-up hand, “lead the way. I'm all yours, Margarita!”

“You bet your sweet ass you're mine,” she said, “because I'm a grandmother and I got children and grandchildren, and all this fear
caca
has got to stop! The world was never flat, and we're no longer going to pretend that it ever was!”

And so the Whole Stone Church was Rocking, Singing, Dancing
con gusto
when Doña Margarita came in the doors with Lucifer in hand.

And Here was Father Ryan and
Maria, la Virgen de Guadalupe,
the Mother of God—just as she and Doña Margarita and Father Ryan had planned it—and
Maria
now came forward, greeting Lucifer. And she, Doña Margarita, a Woman of Substance, handed over Lucifer to
Maria.
and together the priest and the Mother of Jesus led the Angel of Darkness down the aisle back to God.

You could smell the “fear” coming off Lucifer.

You could hear the Heart of the Universe Beat, Beat, Beating.

The One Collective HEART-
CORAZóN
of All Living Life was Beat, BEAT, BEATING! POUNDING
con AMOR
!

And Lucifer, holding the Holy Mother's hand, looked as nervous and anxious as a young handsome groom going to his wedding, as the Blessed Virgin led him up the center aisle.

Father Ryan Prayed and Blessed them with his smoking ball of incense.

At the altar,
Maria
gave Lucifer a small kiss on the cheek, patted his hand in reassurance, and sent him up alone to the altar to re-meet with the Almighty and Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ.

Everyone inside the Church held their Breath.

The Whole Stone Church was now Vibrating with so much Love that the Mother Earth, Herself, began to purr!

The soft, gentle rain continued all over the land, and all living life rejoiced!

And Jesus, the Pure Note of Creation, now stepped forward to take both of Lucifer's hands in His.

But Lucifer was so frightened that he looked like he might bolt, until Jesus smiled. And His Holy Smile was so warm and Full of Compassion that Lucifer's
Heart-Corazón
melted and he was able to hold.

Jesus kissed Lucifer on the right cheek, then the left cheek, and said, “Welcome, Home, Our Greatest Angel! You've done your job, my Holy Brother, so the time has come for you to rejoin
Nuestra Familia.
”

Tears BURST from Lucifer's eyes. “Thank You, my Lord God's Son!” he said.

And Jesus then turned, gift-giving Lucifer's right hand to the Lord Almighty, Who stood up to receive!

And when Their Holy Hands Touched, HEAVEN EXPLODED WIDE OPEN!

MOTHER EARTH WHIRLED, STARS BURST, and ALL of CREATION joined in with One VERSE, One SONG, One SYMPHONY OF GODING GOOD GOD!

And over to one side the Blessed Mother took Doña Margarita's hand and said, “Thank you,
señora
! For she could see how thrilled was Her Husband, GOD ALMIGHTY!

“Thank you!” said Doña Margarita to
Maria.
“We did it!”

“Yes, we did,” said
Maria.

“We kicked Heaven's Ass!”

Maria
laughed. After all these years there was still just nothing she could do to get this earthly old woman from using such spicy language.

God drew Lucifer close, looking at him Eye to Eye, then gently drew him forward in an
abrazo de corazón!

And thusly Father Ryan began High Mass.

Part Seven

EARTHTALKING

14

GOD was Happy! PAPITO was Smiling! Singing “through” every Stone, Tree, Raindrop, Blade of Grass—HE was SO MOVED!

S
ALVADOR AWOKE WITH A START.
His heart was pounding, but he wasn't scared. He was happy. Wildly happy! But he didn't quite know why.

“What is it?” asked Lupe.

“Mi mama!”
said Salvador, excitedly.

“What about her?”

“I think she did it. I think she really did it! She brought God and the Devil back together once again!”

“Salvador!” snapped Lupe.

He laughed. “Put your hand over your heart,” he said, putting his right hand over his own
corazón.
“Don't you just feel it—like we've come full circle,” he said. “Look, it's sprinkling outside, and yet there's bright sunlight coming through the clouds.”

“So then there's bound to be a rainbow,” said Lupe.

“Yes,” he said, smiling with
gusto.
He felt of Heaven. “Come on, let's go see.”

Slipping on clothes, they hurried outside and yes, there was a big, beautiful rainbow to the north of them. They hadn't even bothered to put on shoes—they'd gone out so quickly. Standing in his bare feet, Salvador itched his toes back and forth in the wet soil as he held Lupe in his arms. The whole land was alive with color and light. Birds were chirping in the trees above them. Then they heard a SCREECH and a huge Redtail Hawk came swooping down by them, giving sound to all the world. The Red Eagle landed in an avocado tree right in front of them.