DREAMING OF HEAVEN

Angel white clouds filled the clear blue sky that the hues of a cold deep ocean. A girl who looked like one could guess she was sixteen was walking on the clouds feeling wanderlust. She walked and walked. It seemed as if she was reaching nowhere. Finally, after walking for about five more minutes, she saw it. She found what she was looking for. The giant wooden doorway which consisted of two huge doors. She walked towards it, a sense of satisfaction ringing in her mind. Ten more steps away, five more steps away, two more steps away, one more step away. "Linda. Linda". Somebody called her. She could guess it was an angel. The sweet melodious voice filled her ears. But where was the angel?

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Linda woke up with her medium length brown hair all over her face. She sat up straight and rested her back on the hospital bed.Sigh. How much more long since she had to suffer being in the ugly hospital gown. She found her hair tie on the side table beside the numerous bottles of medicines and clear empty juice bottles. She put her hair up in a bun and looked round. She felt as sick as she remained in the same environment for the past four weeks. She did not know what to do with her anger anymore. Tears started flowing out of her eyes.Was she going to see her friends again? Being a pneumonia patient, she had to be isolated most of the time. Despite that, her close friends –Amanda and Lee visited her twice every two weeks. That was what she looked forward to everyday. But her question meant, would she be able to school again? Linda still remembers the day she found out she suffered from pneumonia. It started off as a vigorous cough. She did not mind it while she was travelling on the bus as she thought that it might be a small infection which would pass within time.But by the time she reached home

the cough continued, often taking her breath away. Her mother, being a nurse could sense that this was not a normal infection and suggested that she should be taken to the hospital. Linda hesitated at first, but with time when the cough got worse so much that she was unable to sleep, she finally gave in. It was seven in the evening when she found out that she suffered from this terrible inflammatory disease. She was admitted into the hospital immediately. That was the last time she went to school.

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Knock knock. "Come in" said Linda. Nurse Mary came in with a tray of food in her hands. Ah! The only person in the hospital whom Linda liked. Nurse Mary had a very cheerful character and got along with children so well. Everyone in the pediatric ward loved her. She dropped in and served food of the kid's preference everyday at the right time. If one particular food item was not available on that day, Mary would go out herself and buy it. It was this selfless character that attracted everyone to her. This time too she walked in with her pink garment usually worn by nurses and a high ponytail with bangs that swayed to the side as she walked. Linda was very happy. She started laughing which eventually turned into a series of coughing, wheezing and breathing difficulties. "I told you not to laugh during these times. Smile all you want. Smile and break the world if you can but please, do not laugh" said the nurse with her motherly affectionate voice. Linda nodded. Mary put the tray on Linda's lap and patted her head. "Bye" said Linda. A "bye" came in reply.

                                                ***

"Linda, Linda". That voice again. It was starting to annoy her now. She made up her mind. She is just going to go near the huge door, open it and try to get in. She started walking again. It seemed like she had gotten ten steps away from the door while thinking all of this. She ignored her 'silly' thoughts and walked towards it. Surprisingly, she reached faster than before. She knocked on one of the two doors. She waited for two minutes. Five minutes. She waited for three more minutes. Patience was beginning to get the better of her. "Linda, Linda" the melodious voice spoke once again. Linda figured that only the voice could help her out now. "Hello" spoke out Linda for the first time in heaven. "Greetings" said the invisible angel. "Uhm, what's the way in?" asked Linda to the angel. "Just go through the back" replied the angel. "Huh? Through the back?"  Linda walked towards the side to check whether she could enter through the back. That's when she noticed that the frame of the door was not plastered on a wall or anything for support. It simply stood in the middle of nowhere, floating. Linda slid through the back.