THE BOY WITH A HEART OF GOLD

Everywhere Tiffany and I went we were treated like kings and queens. I questioned her about it one day because I thought it strange given the conditions around us. She looked at me and said, “you really don’t know do you Billy?” I looked at her with intrigue in my eyes and said, “know what Tiffany?” She smiled and took me by the hand, “follow me,” she said. We walked for about a mile and a half in silence communicating the whole time in our own special way. Somehow, we always knew what the other was thinking without having to say a word. We come upon an old plantation farmhouse. In the back of the farmhouse was a huge hay barn. Tiffany, still holding on to my hand tightly, led us straight to the barn without hesitation. As we entered, we looked to the left and there was a staircase leading up to a huge loft. Still hand and hand she practically ran full speed pulling me up the stairs. As we reached the top Tiffany took a giant leap forward pulling me air born and landing both of us in the soft, damp, surprisingly comfortable hay. We never said a word, I knew what she wanted. As we lay back in the hay still holding hands tightly, we both closed our eyes, and I went into the deepest sleep I have ever experienced. In the sleep I started to dream. In the dream was Tiffany and I walking down a dark dirt road. As we walked down the dark and scary road together, I began to check out our surroundings. It was supposed to be daylight, but it was completely dark with no sun or moon in sight. I looked at Tiffany, she looked back with a fearful and sad look in her eyes. I had never seen that from her before. She was always so confident and brave. “Where’s the sun?” I asked, “isn’t it supposed to be daylight?” “It’s gone” she said, looking at me with her head down and her sad eyes staring up at me, “the explosion took it.” It made me sad to see Tiffany like this, so hurt and afraid. She was the exact opposite in our other dream.

As we continued to walk down the dark dirt road, I noticed something else unusual. There were no houses and almost all the trees were gone leaving huge patches of clear-cut land. Scattered throughout the patches of land were what appeared to be groups of people band together with campfires, tents, RV’s, etc. Instinctively I reached inside of my pocket and felt my heart shaped locket. I pulled it out and stared at it in amazement. The chain was broken. I looked at Tiffany. “Did you snatch my heart shaped locket from around my neck in this dream as well?” “Yes,” she said in a low tone, “but you took it back and you weren’t supposed too, it messed everything up.” “What do you mean I wasn’t suppose too?” I asked getting a little angry, “It’s my locket." She took both of my hands into hers, looked up, and stared at me intently with tears in her eyes. “No Billy” she said, “It’s our heart and I am your other half,” she said. Her tone took my breath away. She continued, “I’ve been with you through three lifetimes attached to you through the other side, a parallel universe as some would call it. I do everything you do, like everything you like, and love everything you love. I am literally your perfect match. I love you more than anyone ever could. I was made just for you. When you look in the mirror you see yourself, but it’s really me looking back at you. During the entire first two lifetimes I could only see you if you looked in a mirror or any other object that would cause a reflection. It was the highlight of my day for two entire lifetimes just to sneak a glimpse of you.” I looked at her in amazement as she continued. She was getting excited; her eyes were lighting up. “At the beginning of this third lifetime something changed. I could see you all the time. I followed you around day and night. I can never get enough of you. I can never tell you no Billy. My purpose in this life and all our others is to please you unconditionally at all costs and to protect you with my life. There is nothing or no one I love more than you Billy,” Tiffany said with tears in her eyes. She smiled a smile of joy as she stared at me. “And then the explosion happened, and everything changed.” Tiffany looked over at me and said in a sad tone, “this time the explosion took almost everything, especially the essentials like people’s homes.” She continued, “at this point it’s been six years since it happened.” “But we both still look Six years old,” I said. “Something happened in this explosion that stunted our growth and stopped the aging process for everyone. You and I both are Twelve years old” she looked at me and said. I was shocked. “You mentioned earlier that I took my heart back this time and it screwed everything up, what does that mean?” “It means that to save the world from total destruction you were supposed to let me steal your heart and keep it.” She looked around us, “This is total destruction in the making.” I looked at her dumbfounded for a few seconds, “do you think we can still save It,” I asked. “Yes” she said. “How do we save it?” I was still holding the golden heart shaped locket in my hand. As soon as the words exited my mouth Tiffany snatched the heart shaped locket from my grip and started running. I ran after her. She looked back, smiled, and sped up. “Catch me Billy and we save the world,” she said as she smiled and teased. She sped up again and I began to run as fast as I could gaining momentum and catching up. I tackled her from behind. We both hit the hard dark ground together with me on top and her facing me from below with a big smile. I got up and brushed the dirt from my clothes. Tiffany sprung up in an instant. She had my locket. “Watch this,” she said. As she stared at the locket the seal began to slowly melt away. I watched in amazement. After a few seconds the seemingly welded seal was completely gone, and she opened the locket. I had never seen it opened before. “It’s because you didn’t get to see then what you’ll begin to see now.” As she opened the heart shaped locket a huge flash of light exploded from its insides blinding us both momentarily and lighting up the sky around us. I looked around us and into the fields to see if anyone else noticed. They did not. “Only we can see what’s really going on around us,” Tiffany said. “What they will see is the sun and moon gradually start appearing in the sky as well as homes, businesses, and the like begin to appear around them. They will get all their stuff back and be comfortable and happy once again. They will also begin to grow.” “At that moment, a beautiful, tall, womanly figure began to take form directly behind Tiffany. As the figure began to appear so did a light begin to appear in the sky. It was the sun. I investigated the fields again and the people were gathered into groups staring at the sky in awe. As the woman began to take complete form directly behind Tiffany so did the Sun begin to take complete form in the sky. When the woman was complete so was the sun. I looked to and from staring at both in amazement. The woman finally got all my attention. She was tall with a body like a model and her long, flowing hair kept shifting in color from Red to Blonde. Her eyes were a fiery glowing Green. “Hello Billy,” she said with a bow and a smile. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” She extended her arm out over Tiffany’s head and offered me her hand. I accepted in a gentle shake. I sensed nervousness through all her power and confidence. “I am Athena” she said, this time with a girlish grin. “I have been waiting on this. You two made the right choice and will be rewarded greatly.” At that moment Tiffany and I looked one another in the eyes. As we did this Athena gently placed a hand on top of each of our heads and we began to grow, together, staring into one another’s eyes in amazement. When Athena removed her hands from our heads, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Tiffany was grown. She looked maybe Twenty-Six, twenty-seven years old and was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Even more beautiful than before. “Look at you two, all grown up,” Athena said, staring at us like a proud mother. “Look at yourselves.” “I don’t have a mirror,” I said back. “You don’t need one Billy” they said in unison. “Use your powers. It’s time you learn how.” As they said this something inside of me changed and everything began to make sense. I turned away from them staring now at the open road ahead of me and visualized myself as I should be. A perfect version of Billy. As I did this another vision began to take form in front of me. It was me as I had become with Athena’s touch appearing directly in front of me as if I were staring into the clearest of mirrors. “We’re perfect” I said. “We’re beautiful,” said Tiffany as she approached me from behind. I felt her hand touch my shoulder and as it did, she appeared in the mirror next to me. I stared at myself again. I was about six foot four inches tall, and Tiffany stood beside me at about five foot four. My muscles were rippling from head to toe. Tiffany had a mane of flowing black hair and a perfect body. I felt a surge of aggression creep toward me as I thought about my need to protect her. I saw her smile a knowing smile in our special mirror. My eyes began to glow a dark, fiery red as I felt a presence approach us from behind. Athena appeared in the mirror’s reflection wearing a white gown that flowed in the wind with her silky blonde hair. She was amazing. “This is the way it was meant to be,” said Athena. Tiffany looked at me once again, this time facing me directly in the eyes. “This is how people in our other dream see us all the time,” she said. “It’s why we’re treated as royalty and offered everything everywhere we go for free.” “They see us as Gods.” We touch people that you do not even know about Billy. We impact countless lives every day. Oh, and now that we are all grown up, I prefer to be called Tiff,” she said with a knowing and mischievous grin. Athena cleared her throat from behind us. She was stunning. “You created me Billy” she said. “Just for this very purpose.” At that moment Tiff and I woke up still lying in the loft of the barn hand in hand. I looked at Tiff and she looked back at me. The whole dream was real. There she was all grown up. “Did you ever doubt it?” she asks. I smiled a huge, knowing smile. “No” I said. “You’re lying” she said in a husky giggle. Tiff smiled and squeezed my hand tightly. “Where would you like to go next?” She asked.