She took one of the mysterious seeds and tossed it high, high into the churning sky. All of the dark, stormy clouds around the seed seemed go oddly pale.  Magically, the seed began to swell.

She could see it getting bigger and bigger; and the bigger it got, the bolder became the colors on its surface....vivid reds, indigo, deep oranges, rich greens.  She stared, unable to turn her eyes away.

“It’s a magic seed,” she whispered to herself. The next second she witnessed the oddest, most beautiful explosion that she had ever seen.  A silent explosion.  Peace instead of fear flooded her whole being.

She blinked repeatedly and even pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming as she witnessed all those vivid colors nestle into a perfectly heart-shaped rainbow.  Each vibrant layer held thousands of tiny little shimmering crystals aiming miniature spotlights onto her dark skin.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she whispered, “I wish you could see this, Mother.”  At that moment, she remembered her mother’s dying words, “I promise I’ll love you, always, my child. You will see.” Joy filled her little heart and a smile broke through the tears. “I love you, too, Mother.”

© 2008 Stephanie Hanouw. Original for CCF  (Hanouw grants CCF  first electronic rights for one month; CCF may archive the material indefinitely and include it in an eBook anthology).