Mrs. Tipperwillow's Afterlife Adventures

Chapter Four The Library of Lives “Now it’s time for you to experience some of your lifetimes,” Mrs. Tipperwillow said cheerfully. She clicked her hooves together twice. Instantly, the children were dressed in thick, cream-colored ankle-length robes, with cloth belts tied around their waists and running shoes for their feet. Jamie looked down. “This is what we usually wear to the library, Jamie,” Lateesha explained as they floated out of the tent. “Now,” said their teacher, “shall we fly or take the train?” “The train! The train!” the other children yelled. Jamie thought flying would be more fun, until she saw what happened next. The sky turned dark. A circle of pulsing orange light appeared, floating just above the ground next to the children and their teacher. They moved out of the way quickly, Yoshi taking Jamie’s hand to pull her back, just as the circle expanded. Through the glowing circle pushed a reddish-orange fountain of light, which reached high into the darkened sky. Plumes of blue, yellow, and green emerged from the fountain and billowed like smoke until the whole sky was alight with color. And high above, through the colors, Jamie could just make out the headlights of a train emerging. She heard the whoosh of steam being expelled as the train came to a shuddering halt. “All Aboard!” called a booming voice. Jamie felt herself lifted high into the air with the others, through the colored lights and into the door of the passenger car where they quickly found seats. “And away we go!” trilled Mrs. Tipperwillow. The train began moving slowly, gradually picking up speed and altitude. It chugged along, sounding just like a real train. But Jamie noticed as she looked out the window that there were no tracks beneath the wheels … only sky. Through the rainbow lights they flew. One color bathed the children in yellow, and they felt happy and confident. Coming into orange light, they felt excited. As they passed through red, they felt strong and safe. When purple passed over them, they were enfolded in a feeling of peace. The train stopped with a lurch. “Hall of Records! Hall of Records!” yelled the conductor and without any notice, they were standing on the ground in front of a big brick building. “This is it, Children,” said Mrs. T. softly. “Each of you may visit your Life Books. There will be a guide for each of you. But what is the rule in the library?” Speak quietly and don’t disturb others?” Yoshi tried. “That’s right, my polite child. And since this is new to Jamie, I’ll go with her this time.” With a nod of Mrs. Tipperwillow’s head, the big double doors opened. Wow! Jamie thought. I never imagined a library could be this big. She stared at the rows and rows of magenta-colored, leather bound books, going back so far that she couldn’t even see the back of the library as it dissolved into mist. “All lives ever lived on Earth are recorded here,” whispered the sort of cow. “Imagine Jamie, how many people have ever lived on Earth. Amazing, isn’t it?” “Yeah, it sure is,” the girl whispered, looking around. “Where is my Life Book?” A tall robed woman drifted toward them, and Jamie heard the words this way in the center of her head. “Her lips didn’t move,” Jamie whispered. There was no more time to think about this. Mrs. Tipperwillow and Jamie were whisked away on a little wind and pulled down one of the rows. They stopped suddenly. Here you are, said the guide, again in Jamie’s head. Jamie Reed … soul name, Jayla. Jamie shivered. That’s familiar … Jayla. “Everyone has a soul name, Jamie,” Mrs. Tipperwillow said softly. “All of your lives are part of the bigger you called your higher self or soul. And all of the lifetimes you have ever lived are recorded right here.” Mrs. T. pointed a hoof at a book nestled on the shelf between “Jaykeba” and “Jaymek.” “Jayla” was engraved on the binding. “My book is really fat,” whispered Jamie. “I must have lived a lot of lives.” The sort of cow nodded. “There will be more trips to the library for you, Jamie. But for today, let’s look at your last lifetime.” The guide removed the large book from the shelf. She placed it on one of the heavy wooden tables lined up between the rows. She motioned them over. Mrs. Tipperwillow touched Jamie’s arm with her small hoof. “This book may surprise you, Jamie. Here, open it at the marker.” “Oh! The pictures move.” “They do indeed, Child. This book contains the memories of all your lifetimes on Earth. Notice the first page of this life … your birth.” “Oh, Mommy’s pushing, and I’m squeezed trying to get out. I can feel this book, Mrs. T. Look! I am born and crying and breathing for the very first time. Mommy and Daddy look so happy. Now I can feel Mommy’s warmth as I lie on her tummy.”