December, 1967
Eilise looked at herself in the standing mirror. Now the age of eight, she didn't look a day over six. In the last two years, her wardrobe had not changed. Her mother insisted she'd have a growth spurt any day now, but Eilise had her doubts.
"Eilise!" Lahrlin shouted up the stairs at the closed door of the room. "Are you ready yet?"
"In a minute!" Eilise shouted back though the door.
"Hurry up!" Shouted Lahrlin.
Eilise turned and gave God a stern look.
"What?" asked God.
"I have to change," said Eilise.
"So... Go ahead," God said.
Eilise made her hands into fists.
"Do you have to watch?"
God laughed. It was a good deep belly laugh. It was so loud and hard, Eilise thought for sure someone else in the house must have heard it.
"I'm serious," said Eilise.
"I know you are," said God, "but what do you want? I'm omniscient."
"What?"
"I'm omniscient. I see everything. I can't not see you! You can put on all the clothes in the world and I would still see your body. I can see your heart beat, I can see your lungs breathe. I can even see your liver doing that thing livers do."
"What's a liver do?" asked Eilise.
"Eh..." Said God, "it's weird, trust me... You're better off not knowing."
"Ugh!" Eilise cried. "Why do you always have to do that?"
"Do what? See things?"
"No!" she cried. "Why do you always change the subject when I try to tell you something?"
"Oh? I didn't realize... What were we talking about again?"
"We were talking about how you don't ever give me any privacy!"
There was a soft knock at the door.
"Eilise? Is everything okay in there?" asked Lahrlin.
"Yes, just getting ready," said Eilise.
"Do you need help?" Lahrlin asked.
"I'm fine, give me a minute!" Eilise said.
"Okay," said Lahrlin, "but hurry up, everyone's waiting for you."
"Would it help if I turned around?" God asked.
"Yes, please," said Eilise.
God turned around and faced the window. Eilise knew God could still see her, but not having his eyeballs staring at her helped. Since God appeared two years ago, she had never been alone. If God wasn't there with his unremitting chatter in her ear, she was in the Grove with her mother.
She stood in front of the mirror and removed her dress. She looked at her body, the body of child she feared would never grow up. She placed her hand on her belly and wondered how she could ever have a child with such a body.
"You're too young to be thinking about boys," God said.
Eilise quickly put on her Sunday dress. If church was so important, why was God causing her such delay? Apparently the birth of his son must have been a ritual God had grown tired of after two thousand years. No wonder it's all about Santa Claus these days, Eilise thought.
"You know what?" Eilise said flippantly, "I'm glad you don't go into the Grove. At least there I can get some peace from you!"
"You really think I'm not there, huh?"
"Well," said Eilise, "I never see you there."
"Oh..." said God turning back around to face Eilise, "I'm there alright. You just can't see me."
"So what? You're like... invisible?"
"No... I'm not invisible, you have your eyes closed."
"My eyes are not closed," retorted Eilise.
"Maybe not the eyes in your head, but the eyes of your soul are."