The World Duology (World Odyssey / Fiji: A Novel) Read Online Free

tears. To Susannah, who still studied the statue, it felt as though her tears flowed like a river of Christ’s blood.
    “Let it all out, my child,” Grandma Drake whispered as she held her granddaughter as tight as she could without hurting her.
    When Susannah’s sobbing finally subsided, Grandma Drake grabbed her grand-daughter’s hand and squeezed it firmly. “You must to be strong now Susannah, for your father’s sake. And for yours. After all, you only have each other now.”
    #
    As that awful day drew to a close, Susannah had no tears left. She’d cried an ocean of tears and now just felt empty. The youngster suddenly wanted to be alone. She also felt she needed to be close to nature. Exactly why, she wasn’t sure.
    Quietly s lipping out the back door of the family home, Susannah headed for the lily pond in the yard behind her father’s rectory. Fittingly, it was a gloomy day outside as well as inside. Susannah reached out with both hands and touched the leaves and branches of the mature oak and elm trees as she followed the familiar narrow, leafy path to the pond. Their touch was comforting to her.
    On reaching the pond, Susannah sat down on a wooden deckchair near the pond’s edge and stared at the reflections in the water. The white swans for whom the pond was home paddled over to her, hoping she’d feed them the breadcrumbs she usually brought with her, but on this occasion they were out of luck. They paddled off.
    Susannah hadn’t even consciously noticed the swans. She was thinking about her mother, or her mother’s soul, and hoping to receive a sign. B ut nothing materialized.
    For the first time in her life, Susannah questioned her own faith. Is there really a God or an afterlife? She hoped the answer would somehow miraculously come to her. None did. Again she felt a terrible void inside.
    A squawking bird flying overhead distracted her. Susannah looked up, but couldn’t see the bird, only fluffy white clouds. They covered Kensington like a dome of cotton wool. As the youngster studied them, the tears she thought she’d finished shedding began to flow once more. They stopped almost as soon as they’d started when the late afternoon sun pierced a tiny gap in the clouds. The sun’s brilliant rays bathed Susannah and the nearby pond in light. Their effect was mesmerizing.
    In that moment, Susannah sensed her mother’s presence. It was strong and undeniable; it was as though Susannah was an infant again; it felt like her mother was holding her – and she could feel her unconditional love. Mother, you really are in heaven now with our Father and the angels! A calmness descended on her as her faith in God was instantly restored.
    Susannah thought she heard her father calling from the house, but she couldn’t be sure. She continued looking skyward as the last of the sun’s rays disappeared and dusk descended.
    Some time later – she hadn’t a clue how long for she’d lost track of time – D rake Senior appeared beside her, his hand outstretched. “Dinner is about to be served, my child,” he said. “Will you come and join us?”
    “Yes, Papa,” Susan nah nodded. As she stood and put her hand in his, she noticed the grief etched on his face. She’d lost her mother, but he’d lost his wife and one true love, and was obviously a broken man.
    Hand in hand, father and daughter walked slowly back to the house. They walked in silence. The clergyman went to say something, but changed his mind.
    Susannah looked skyw ard again. The clouds had all but disappeared and in the darkening sky, the faint twinkle of stars could now be seen. The youngster took this as a further sign her mother was communicating with her. She stopped walking and tugged on her father’s hand. “Papa,” she whispered.
    “ Yes my dear?”
    Susannah looked up at her father. “I felt mother’s presence just now.” She hesitated as she pondered how to best describe what she’d experienced. “It was like mother, or God, or