Her Death Helped her See.

Carrabelle dreamed of clouds, she dreamed of their downy softness and of their soft wet kiss against her skin, of their smoky texture and the way they wrapped softly like a blanket around her body. She smiled dreamily and reluctantly opened her eyes to find it was not a dream. Startled Carrabelle quickly closed her eyes then reopened them after counting to 10. She was still surrounded by clouds. Suddenly she was flooded with memories of a train crash, the terrified screaming of passengers, the orange flames that had surrounded her, the thick gray smoke that had choked and blinded her, and than the blackness that had surrounded her and the numbing sensation in her limbs. Yes she remembered it all too well now. She also realized with overwhelming sadness that she was probably dead. The sadness quickly turned to anger over the fact that she had died on her seventeenth birthday. Mother had always told her that GOD was good, but what kind of GOD would allow a girl to die on her birthday no less. No, mother had changed since she had become religious and had tried to get Carrabelle to change too but she had always been skeptical.
“WHY?!” Her mind screamed, “If you’re real why did you allow me to die?”
Carrabelle waited for an answer, but none came. Carrabelle laughed angrily and said
“Great, just great. Mother always said that even though a lot of bad things happen there was still good in the world and I use to believe her, but I was just a fool, there’s no good in the world. None at all.”
“So Carrabelle” said a soft voice all of a sudden, you think there’s no good in the world, what if I prove you wrong will you believe in me then.”
Carrabelle looked around her in surprise and stammered “Whose there, w-w-who said that?”
“You know who I am Carrabelle and tell me do you wish for me to show you that there is good in the world?”
“Alright” answered Carrabelle “Show me.”
“Very well, I will send you back to live a few days before the Berlin Wall came down. This way you will understand better why it’s coming down was a good thing. Good bye Carrabelle, at least for now.”
Carrabelle’s eyes flew open and she found herself in a barn, hay scratching her face and arms. Suddenly she sat up fast for she suddenly remembered the conversation she had just had and if she hadn’t dreamt it and she was sure she hadn’t, than she should be in East Germany right now. Somewhere in the 1980’s and if it was right before the Berlin wall was torn down it was probably the year 1989 the very year of her birth. WOW, that was an interesting thought.
So right now she was in a country run by communists and she had no idea at all how to behave, oh dear she thought this could be a problem. Really she should have paid more attention in history class, though she had never believed she would take a jump through time. “So, what do I do now?” She murmured under her breath. “Hmmm, you could have sent me with instructions.”
Slowly Carrabelle stood to her feet and looked down at herself, she was dressed in a modest cotton dress, her long black hair tied back, gone was her favorite pair of faded blue jeans and white tank top she had been wearing before. “Oh well” She sighed. “Its better this way for I do not what too much unwanted attention.” She would play it cool as if she had always lived there and pray she could catch on quick to how things worked. She looked slowly at her surroundings, the barn she noticed had been abandoned no one had used it in years. Good she thought she could stay here at night without anyone noticing her. She would have to watch the people carefully so she could learn how to fade in and not stand out. Maybe she would have been better off if she had said no, but it was to late now and the only thing she could do was do her best to make the best of it. Man was she in for a rough couple of days. Luckily for her though, she spoke German.
Carrabelle strode confidently out into the bright sunlight. Suddenly someone shouted “Hey who are you?”
Carrabelle spun around coming face to face with a man about a year older than her. He had blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
“Umm, I’m Carrabelle.”
“Yeah well what were you doing in that farmhouse, that’s were I live.”
“Oh well umm I’m really sorry, it’s just I have no where else to go, but I’m sure I can find somewhere else.”
The man stared at her and sighed.
“No, your welcome to stay if you must, by the way my name is Christian.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Uh Huh.” Was all he replied.
Carrabelle watched him start to walk down the road when he called back to her.
“Well are you coming or not, your going to need to learn a few things if your going to survive on your own around here.”
After awhile the man named Christian finally said “Alright, first of all you do whatever I tell you to do if you want to survive. Understand?”
Carrabelle replied that yes she did understand.
“Good”
Suddenly Christian turned and Carrabelle got a good look at the Berlin wall for the first time. She didn’t like what she saw. The wall was made out of concrete, with barbed wire at the top. Every few feet stood a Russian Guard with an automatic machine gun. The streets were bustling with people who kept there heads down as they walked past guards on the street. The buildings were run down and the paint was peeling, many of the shops also were in need of repair. The people themselves wore old and faded clothes that were tattered and patched up many times over. Their faces had a look of despair. The look of someone who had given up hope and lived only because they were not yet dead. The Russian guards were well dressed in their uniforms and marched about with there heads held high, their posture spoke of how they were not afraid to kill, and the gleam in their eyes made Carrabelle shudder. She could not wait to get out of here and away from these conditions.
Suddenly a shot ripped through the air causing Carrabelle’s body to shake and she looked just in time to see a man fall limply to the ground. About to scream she felt a hand grab her and another hand cover her mouth. Then a voice she recognized as Christians whispered in her ear and said “Don’t scream, you’ll attract unwanted attention that way.” And she noticed then that nobody else had reacted, they just kept on walking. She shuddered apprehensively, who in the world would want to live this way?
Slowly she felt Christian tugging her towards a side street where they wouldn’t be seen or heard.
When he was sure they weren’t being eavesdropped on he said “What were you thinking? If I hadn’t stopped you from screaming we could’ve been in trouble.”
Quietly Carrabelle asked “Why did they shoot him?”
“Probably caught trying to escape to West Germany, that’s how my parents were killed.” Christian replied just as quietly.
Carrabelle said nothing for she knew not what to say and his tone of voice told her he didn’t what any comforting words, or apologies from her and so she stayed silent, waiting for him to decide what to do next. After awhile he motioned for her to follow him and they once again joined the bustling crowd that surged along the streets of East Germany. Carrabelle kept her head down like everyone else yet she closely watched the Russian guards when their backs were turned.
The sun was setting and the sky was a blood red which almost seemed an appropriate color, when they arrived back at the run down farmhouse. This time though Carrabelle took the time to study the place she was living in for now. The paint was pealing to reveal slightly rotted wooden boards the roof and walls were cracked, which allowed a soft draft of cold air in, and the boards groaned underfoot. Carrabelle even swore that she mice creeping around, yet the hay that covered the floor was fresh. This confused her yet she was not in the mood to question it and was grateful for this one small convenience, more so than she ever thought she would be.
Suddenly she realized that Christian was pulling up a floorboard. “What are you doing?” she asked him.
He said nothing but motioned for her to be quiet, it was then she heard a slight noise and realized he was listening to a radio. Quietly she moved to where he was sitting and listened too. What she heard was the best news of her life. The radio said “Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev has recently met with President Reagan, and has agreed to demolish the Berlin Wall on the 11th of November. For now that is all the information we have”
Christian and Carrabelle sat in stunned silence, before what the radio had just announced really struck them.
“I don’t believe it, that’s tomorrow, their going to begin taking it down tomorrow!” shouted Christian.
“Oh My God!” shouted Carrabelle in return. “I don’t believe it!”
Suddenly Christian threw his arms around her and hugged her, than sat back in an embarrassed silence for a few minutes before he said to Carrabelle “So do you want to watch the take the wall down tomorrow.”
Carrabelle stared at him and said “Is that a trick question? Of Course I want to watch them take the wall down, Don’t you?”
He looked at her and then laughed “Of Course I do. I’ve been waiting for this moment for practically forever. You think I’d miss it for the world.”
And so they agreed that tomorrow they would watch the wall come down.
The next day Christian and Carrabelle arrived at the wall to find to their surprise, actually Christian’s surprise, Carrabelle had been expecting it, that hundreds of people from East Germany and West Germany alike had arrived to watch the long waited for destruction of the Berlin Wall. When the wall finally fell their was a shout of joy so loud that even the angels in heaven heard and it seemed to shake the earth’s very foundation. Carrabelle felt a joy she had never imagined she would feel and a smile came to her face. It had been so long since she had smiled a true smile. For the first time in a long time she was truly happy.
Suddenly the earth spun around her the colors blurring together and a familiar voice spoke to her. It said “So Carrabelle, now do you believe there is good in the world, now do you believe GOD exists?”
Carrabelle answered truthfully and simply “Yes now I believe.”
A simple word was the reply “Good.”
All of a sudden Carrabelle heard her mother’s voice saying “Carrabelle, Carra, answer me!”
Carrabelle opened her eyes groggily to find herself in a hospital room. Surprise caused her to sit jolt up and a pain overwhelmed her. “Careful!” Her mother shouted.
At first she did not understand what was going on, than heard a voice in her head.
“Use your second chance at life wisely.” Was all it said.
Carrabelle smiled to herself, looked at her mother and knew from now on she would never be the same.