looked upward, the light began to pull away and she saw a white dove fly away from her into the center of the light. Then the light faded and Emily realized she was standing in the water with her hands and arms raised above her head. The strange language she heard came from her own mouth.
The entire congregation was silent. Emily turned to the Reverend, about to ask him what happened when he shouted, “Praise the Lord, our Emily has just received the baptism of the Holy Spirit!”
The rest of the congregation followed suit with shouts of “Praise the Lord!” echoing all around the sanctuary. Emily looked over at her Aunt Gemma to see tears streaming down her face. Confused as she was, Emily knew that something amazing had just happened. She thought about the bright light and the dove, and a peace came over her like none she had ever known before.
***
Bradley dreaded summer vacation. He did not want to return to Hook Pond. He’d done well with his academics and drills and tried to stay out of trouble. The last thing he wanted was expulsion from another school. He’d formed a tentative friendship with his roommate, Wally, and made the decision that he could be happy here.
Something told him that if he went back to Hook Pond, his father would not allow him to return to the academy. There had to be a way he could spend the summer away from his father. Bradley pondered on this as he finished packing his bags. He reached under his bed to retrieve any lost items, and his hand latched onto the letter he had kicked there weeks ago. The letter from his crazy Aunt Amelia; he’d forgotten all about it. He tore the envelope open, pulled out the letter and read it.
My Dearest Nephew Bradley,
You may not know this, but I am your Aunt Amelia. Your mother, Camille, was my sister. You are my last living relative. All that I have will be yours someday, and I hold a large trust in your name until you turn twenty-one.
I hope one day that we will meet face to face, but until that time comes, I want you to know that if you ever need me for anything I am here for you. You are not alone, Bradley. You have me and we are family. No matter what your father says, he can’t change that.
In this letter, you will find a card with my address and phone numbers. You may call on me anytime. I will answer.
Aunt Amelia
Bradley sat on the side of his bed, dumbfounded. All he ever heard about his Aunt Amelia was that she had lost her mind after his mother died. His father forbade him to have anything to do with her, supposedly for safety’s sake because she was insane and there was no telling what she might try to do to him.
She didn’t sound crazy in her note plus she’d been smart enough to send a private messenger with this letter. He pulled his aunt’s card out of the envelope. She had a New York address. Surely that meant she wasn’t locked up in some loony bin somewhere.
Bradley wondered what it would hurt to call her. Maybe she would let him stay with her instead of going back to Hook Pond. Oh, but wouldn’t that just make his father even more angry? Bitter, he laughed to himself. No matter what, his father was always angry at him for something.
Suddenly the thought of returning to Hook Pond made him physically ill. He knew it was not just his father he didn’t want to deal with. It was Marta. The thought of facing her again scared him to death. What if he ran into her by accident? What would he say? Sorry would never be good enough. What he had done was unforgivable.
He dug his cell phone out of one of his bags and punched in his aunt’s phone number. She answered on the first ring. “Hello, this is Amelia.”
“Aunt Amelia, this is your nephew, Bradley. I need your help.”
Amelia fell to her knees. “Oh, praise God. Bradley, I have waited so long to hear your voice. What can I do for you?”
Bradley
The entire congregation was silent. Emily turned to the Reverend, about to ask him what happened when he shouted, “Praise the Lord, our Emily has just received the baptism of the Holy Spirit!”
The rest of the congregation followed suit with shouts of “Praise the Lord!” echoing all around the sanctuary. Emily looked over at her Aunt Gemma to see tears streaming down her face. Confused as she was, Emily knew that something amazing had just happened. She thought about the bright light and the dove, and a peace came over her like none she had ever known before.
***
Bradley dreaded summer vacation. He did not want to return to Hook Pond. He’d done well with his academics and drills and tried to stay out of trouble. The last thing he wanted was expulsion from another school. He’d formed a tentative friendship with his roommate, Wally, and made the decision that he could be happy here.
Something told him that if he went back to Hook Pond, his father would not allow him to return to the academy. There had to be a way he could spend the summer away from his father. Bradley pondered on this as he finished packing his bags. He reached under his bed to retrieve any lost items, and his hand latched onto the letter he had kicked there weeks ago. The letter from his crazy Aunt Amelia; he’d forgotten all about it. He tore the envelope open, pulled out the letter and read it.
My Dearest Nephew Bradley,
You may not know this, but I am your Aunt Amelia. Your mother, Camille, was my sister. You are my last living relative. All that I have will be yours someday, and I hold a large trust in your name until you turn twenty-one.
I hope one day that we will meet face to face, but until that time comes, I want you to know that if you ever need me for anything I am here for you. You are not alone, Bradley. You have me and we are family. No matter what your father says, he can’t change that.
In this letter, you will find a card with my address and phone numbers. You may call on me anytime. I will answer.
Aunt Amelia
Bradley sat on the side of his bed, dumbfounded. All he ever heard about his Aunt Amelia was that she had lost her mind after his mother died. His father forbade him to have anything to do with her, supposedly for safety’s sake because she was insane and there was no telling what she might try to do to him.
She didn’t sound crazy in her note plus she’d been smart enough to send a private messenger with this letter. He pulled his aunt’s card out of the envelope. She had a New York address. Surely that meant she wasn’t locked up in some loony bin somewhere.
Bradley wondered what it would hurt to call her. Maybe she would let him stay with her instead of going back to Hook Pond. Oh, but wouldn’t that just make his father even more angry? Bitter, he laughed to himself. No matter what, his father was always angry at him for something.
Suddenly the thought of returning to Hook Pond made him physically ill. He knew it was not just his father he didn’t want to deal with. It was Marta. The thought of facing her again scared him to death. What if he ran into her by accident? What would he say? Sorry would never be good enough. What he had done was unforgivable.
He dug his cell phone out of one of his bags and punched in his aunt’s phone number. She answered on the first ring. “Hello, this is Amelia.”
“Aunt Amelia, this is your nephew, Bradley. I need your help.”
Amelia fell to her knees. “Oh, praise God. Bradley, I have waited so long to hear your voice. What can I do for you?”
Bradley
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