0 comments/ 6088 views/ 0 favorites Little House By: meko The spirit is waiting for her to catch up and tap into it. Michelle Johnson, a highly intelligent, overly sensitive, natural thirty-three year old beauty walked out of the church she grew up in remembering the service that just took place in it. It reminded her of the services she attended when she was a child - full from top pew to bottom pew with individuals searching for something they believed was found every Sunday and during revival week. "Praise the Lord, Sister Michelle," Deidre Cooper shouted in her general direction as Michelle's key entered the hole on the driver's side, "Wasn't that a wonderful service today? I was truly blessed by it," Deidre clasped her hands together as if she were shaking hands with herself. Michelle couldn't help but stare at her for a moment without uttering one word. "It was a nice service, Deidre. If you'll excuse me, I have to go to my mother's house." She scrambled to get into her car throwing her pocketbook to the passenger's seat without caring if anything spilled out onto the car floor. She just wanted to get away from that place. Nothing about it made sense to her, except for the part about faith and love, which to Michelle didn't seem to be concepts that were in regular practice in that particular church. Or maybe it was the entire belief system in that religion, she thought to herself. As she drove to the stop sign at the corner a block away from the church, she said aloud, "Something about it just doesn't feel right to me. Am I wrong for feeling this way?" She looked up as she inquired with sincerity and uncertainty. Beep! Beep! Michelle's thoughts were quickly interrupted by the impatient member of the church behind her. Michelle mouthed the word, "Sorry" into the rearview mirror, double-checked for traffic, and pulled out when all was clear. Five minutes away from her apartment, Michelle's cell phone began to play an elevator-music version of Jay-Z's hit single, "Dirt off Your Shoulder." Instantly, she knew who it was on the phone; each of her friends and family members had their own special ring so she would know if she wanted to answer the phone or not. "What's up?" Michelle's dry tone gave her away. "What's wrong with you, heifer? Didn't you just finish praising the Lord?" Rhonda laughed at the timeliness of her own joke. Rhonda didn't go to church at all, but never dogged anyone that did go. As a matter of fact, she wasn't quite sure what to believe either way when it came to matters of the spirit. So, she dealt with reality to keep things from being even more confusing than usual. "Yeah, I just got out of church. And I am just fine. There's nothing wrong with me," Michelle lied. "Uh-huh. You must think I'm crazy," Rhonda replied. Michelle was getting ready to respond sarcastically to that comment, when Rhonda interrupted her thought, "Don't answer that one," they laughed in unison. It never ceased to amaze Michelle how well she and Rhonda got along with each other after so many years - eleven years to be exact. "All right, Michelle Elizabeth Johnson, are you going to tell me what's wrong with you today or do I have to beat it out of you when I see you?" "I guess we're gonna be fighting," Michelle chuckled, "Rhonda, I am telling you the truth, okay. There is nothing wrong. I'm fine. Now, can we get on to the real reason why you called me?" "Well, Miss Smart Ass, I called to see if you were hungry and wanted to get something to eat," Rhonda said. "I'm always hungry," Michelle turned the corner into the parking lot where her apartment building was located. "I know that, fool, but I wanted to know if you would like to go out to eat. It'll be my treat." "Oh...ok, what's the occasion?" "No occasion. So, are you down or what?" "Yeah, I'm down." "What do you have a taste for, Michelle?" "It doesn't matter today. I'm not picky." "Ok, what about Mexican?" "Hmmm...no, I had Mexican food three times last week, girl. What about Chinese?" "Hell no, you know I can't stand Chinese food." "Oops, I forgot about that," Michelle laughed, "Ok, what about Italian?" "That'll work," Rhonda agreed, "Meet me at Olive Garden in fifteen minutes, if you can." "Sure," Michelle backed out of the parking space looking forward to a huge plate of lasagna, chicken parmesan, and fettuccini alfredo on her favorite platter from that restaurant called A Tour of Italy. The evening out with Rhonda was a typical time of enjoyment for the two of them - eat dinner at a favorite restaurant, catch each other up on key events that have happened to them since they last talked, and drool over any good looking men that walked pass them. It was nothing new, but fun every time they did it. Michelle settled down in her apartment in ritual fashion. She put her pocketbook in its special place in the living room, took off her shoes in one of the corner's either in the living room or dining room, and took off her bra with her shirt still on. This was a trick many women have mastered over the years that still leave men baffled by it. Michelle paced across the floor from room to room at three times around the entire apartment before she decided to sit down. Her thinking got the best of her like it tended to do at times when she was really struggling with something that went deeper than just a typical problem like being a few dollars short on groceries or needing a quick doctor's appointment for a sinus infection. No...this was much deeper than those important, yet superficial problems. She grabbed her Bible from the dining room table where she laid it on her way to the living room. She sat in her big comfortable blue Lazy-Boy recliner. She pulled back the handle to prop her feet up with the chair's cushioned extension. Before she would even open the book, she closed her deep brown eyes that complimented the soft medium-toned brown skin that wore no makeup, yet exuded a natural beauty she'd never acknowledge out of humbleness. Her full-figured frame nestled in the chair finally relaxed a bit as she breathed deeply in and out with her eyes still closed. Silently, she pleaded, if there is any truth in this book at all, please lead me to it. I know that what I am seeking ain't in a church, synagogue, or temple. I just want to know who I am as a human being and for the first time in my life, as a spirit. She opened her eyes while simultaneously opening the book. Michelle read the one verse that stood out from the book as if it were in 3-D. "Test all things; hold fast what is good," Michelle read aloud. She looked around the page to see the book's name, "First Thessalonians, Chapter Five, Verse Twenty-one," she said as she wrote it down on a piece of paper on the end table next to her chair. She reached for the remote control to the television and VCR/DVD combo on the entertainment center across the room from her. She clicked the power button to resume the movie she was watching the night before - Johnson Family Vacation. An enormous burst of laughter came from Michelle at the sight of Cedric "The Entertainer" as the comical character, Uncle Earl. She continued giggling here and there as her head lazily started to lean back and she used her body to stretch the recliner out instantly creating a sleeping area. The Bible dropped out of her hand as she faded into a deep, much needed sleep. Michelle woke up in the middle of a field full of crisp green grass and large sunflowers surrounding her. Smiling, she noticed the drops of dew on the blades of grass and a few petals of the sunflowers before her. She leaned forward to inhale the fresh fragrance of one flower. But as soon as she leaned forward the flower turned into swirls of black smoke that began to encircle her body from head to toe. Quickly, she crawled backward trying to distant herself from the swirls of darkness. Although her body felt weak as she crawled backward, she felt something lift her up. Her bare feet adhered to the softened, but not mushy dirt that seemed to emit sharp jolts of energy into her being. The swirls of darkness wouldn't leave her alone no matter what direction she contemplated. "Somebody help me!" Michelle yelled so far, so loud that her voice bounced off the sky and back into her own ears. Suddenly, she heard hissing sounds coming from the dark swirls, which started to accumulate more and more from other surrounding sunflowers. Hiss - on the West side of her. Hiss - on the East side of her. Hiss - on the North side of her. Hiss - on the South side of her. Michelle's head began throbbing and her eyes filled with tears as she imagined the damage the dark swirls would do to her. Then, a ray of sunshine came from the East and shone on her face spreading a wonderful glow around her body. As she looked into the direction where the sunray was coming from, she noticed a pathway that wasn't there before...she was sure of it. It just wasn't there when she first woke up in the grass. Beyond the pathway, she could see a small building that looked like a house, but more so it resembled a small temple of some sort. Michelle felt a strong pull on her body and she began walking towards the path hoping she could get to the house and see what's inside. Michelle was so enveloped by the pull of positive energy around her and the idea of being closer to the house as she walked the path she'd forgotten all about the dark swirls, which eventually evaporated as her energy level grew more positive and massive. "We love you," she heard something sounding like a child's voice sing to her. She looked around as she walked further up the pathway and noticed that the flowers, trees, birds, and other animals were smiling at her. They were laughing and their happiness was contagious, so Michelle joined them in their joy. "I love you, too," Michelle responded. She was so enthralled by the joy she was sharing with the little animals and elements of the environment and nature that she almost ran into the door head-on of the little house. "Wow, I'm here already," she said aloud to herself. Enthusiastically, yet cautiously, Michelle's right hand wrapped around the door turning it slowly and the squeaking of the hinges startled her, but did not deter her from stepping inside the house. There wasn't much to the house - a small foyer that led to a kitchen-sized living room with no furniture except a small rectangular table with a brilliantly blue-colored cloth with a pentacle (five-point star inside of a circle) on top of it. There were two incense sticks burning emitting a nice aroma Michelle identified as Jasmine and Lavender. In addition, there was a large white pillar candle - the flame atop it seemed to dance with its yellow/orange/red/blue fiery self as if to entertain her. In front of the candle and incense, there was a mortar and pestle and a few bags of dried herbs. Michelle picked up a bag one at a time and sniffed them carefully to see if you could guess what they were. "This one is definitely spearmint or peppermint. Yeah...it's spearmint. Wow!" She said aloud as she laid the bag down and grabbed another holding it up to her nose, "Rosemary." She put that one down and repeated the same process, yet before she could say anything she looked at this particular herb, which looked like a bunch of twigs tied together. "What's this stuff? I've never seen this kind of herb before," Michelle inquired to no one in particular. "It's a sage stick. You use it to smudge something or someone in order to achieve purification or protection, Michelle," a mature, sensuous-toned female voice responded. Michelle dropped the bag of sage sticks on the floor in front of the table when she saw this beautiful brown-skinned, regal woman standing before her. Michelle opened her mouth to say something, but the woman stopped her. "You don't need to know my name, Michelle. However, you should know that I am inside of you, around you, beside you, and with you always. You don't have to go very far to find true spirituality. It's all around you. When the Great Spirit created the world and everything in it including us that's all we need to sustain us. Somewhere along the way human beings forgot all about it. The knowledge and wisdom that is embedded in us all at conception, yet as you grow older you forget about all the goodness that surrounds you and that is in you. But you, Michelle, you seem very hungry for knowledge and wisdom and that's why I met you here...in your dream." "Yeah...but this is just a dream. It's...it's not real. I probably won't even remember any of this stuff when I wake up. And even if I do remember, people will think I'm crazy," Michelle sat down on the floor with her legs crossed still in front of the table. She looked down at her feet, fumbled nervously around a bit, and then looked up at the woman again. "What are you exactly? Did you put this table here with all this stuff on it?" Michelle pointed at the table. "If you must call me anything...may I suggest you call me Goddess? Also, I am the one who put the altar here." "Altar...you mean, like a church altar." "Not exactly, Michelle. I mean, yes altars are used in churches, however, this is an example of the kind of altar one can use in solitude, which is where your heart is right now. You don't like the church, the hypocrisy, the mixed messages, the superficiality of it all, etc. You've always been somewhat of a loner, yes? Ever since you were a child, I've noticed that about you." "You knew me when I was a kid. Yeah...right," Michelle waved the Goddess away. "Yes I've known you forever. I must tell you something in a hurry; my time is running short, Michelle. So please pay attention!" Michelle didn't say a word, she just gazed at the Goddess with an intense look on her face. "Remember this as you go on your journey. Spirit, earth, air, water, and fire, they are all connected around you and within you. All you need to sustain yourself spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally is around you and within you," her words faded as she began to fade away and Michelle felt herself fading as well. "Come back!" Michelle yelled as she awoke frantically with her arms stretched in front of her. Her breathing was deep and rapid. Her heart was beating a hundred times its normal rate. "Oh my goodness, I'm finally losing it," she rested her forehead in the palm of her hand as she leaned on the arm of the recliner as she tried to gather her thoughts. Knock! Knock! Knock! The rapid banging on the apartment door startled Michelle at first. "Who is it?" She called out as she slid herself out of the recliner. "UPS, I've got a package for you," a sexy-sounding baritone male voice yelled back through the door. Michelle took a quick look in the peephole, and then opened the door quickly. "I don't remember ordering anything. Are you sure my name is on it, Michelle Johnson?" The handsome mid-twenties looking man examined the label on the package again, "Uh...yes ma'am, it says Michelle Johnson right here," he pointed at the label showing it to her. "Oh well, cool, can't argue with a gift, huh?" Michelle said nervously. "Sign here, please," the man held an electronic device that looked like a handheld videogame from the eighties, and then he handed her a gray plastic stick with a point to sign the device. She signed it and gave back the pointy stick. "Thanks," she took the medium-sized box into the dining room, sat it on the table, grabbed an ink pen to rip through the tape on the box, and sat down in the chair in front of it. "I hope this ain't a damn bomb or anthrax. Walk with me," she looked to the sky pleading for higher assistance and protection in case there was something funky about the contents of the box. There was a generous amount of bubble wrap, then paper bag brown colored wrapping around all the items; she took them out one by one, her mouth gaped open, and she couldn't believe what she was seeing before her. She pulled out a large white pillar candle, lavender and jasmine incense sticks, spearmint and rosemary herbs, sage sticks, and a blue cloth with pentacle designs on it. "Oh my God...dess," Michelle smiled as she held the cloth to her face. "You have everything you need around you and within you," Michelle recited her voice sounding like that of the Goddess she met in her subconscious.