Chapter 12 (Heaven)

Chapter 12 (Heaven)

Lewis had witnessed the rock-cropping event on Emma’s climb. He was there ready to catch her if she fell or decided to leap. He was not sure how that would have worked,  but he was not ready to give up on this rescue mission and he knew he could have prevented the awful outcome. Luckily he had not had to test his theory because Emma had come to her senses. She was just a confused teenage girl trying to find her place in the world. Hopefully she would soon realize that place was right where she was currently planted. 

“I am off team”, Lewis called as he headed to earth again. “Wish me luck and even more than that send me any inspirations you received if any of you are watching.”

Pearl cheered him on with a, “You do not need luck Lewis, you are the man, or should I say the angel, of the hour. Just follow your natural instincts.”

Ben chuckled, “You are getting the hang of this above team stuff quite rapidly Pearl, we are so glad you joined us. And Lewis know I will be here for you the whole time.”

“And I will be by Ben’s side looking after you too dear brother Lewis. We are so blessed to have you on our team,” cooed May.

“Okay all, let the man go, he has work to do, but you know we have your back Lewis,” and with that Christian sent him off.

Lewis William Hooke was born in 1843 in Rockingham County Virginia. His grandfather Hooke had been a distinguished Captain in the War of 1812, so when the war between the states broke out, he and his older brother enlisted. They were from a military family and men fought for what they believed in in those days. 

He enlisted on April 15, 1862 at Rude’s Hill, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley and was assigned to muster into “A” Company with the 2nd Virginia Infantry which was one of Stonewall Jackson’s Brigades of Foot Calvary. His older brother Robert was assigned to the Virginia 6th Calvary regiment. Robert died of disease in his camp. Little did Lewis know that he would be dead less than six months later as well.

He was proud to wear the Confederate gray uniform, but military life was not as exciting as he imagined. Most days were filled with marching or drudgery in the camp. He had shot a turkey and slaughtered a hog before, but when the targets were men, and even brothers of some of the men, it was atrocious. 

The fateful day when he was wounded in battle was known as the Second Battle of Manassas or the Second Battle of Bull Run. It took place over August 28-30th, 1862 in Prince William County Virginia on the Brawner’s Farm. The Union Army had 70,00 troops under Commander John Pope and the Confederate Army 55,000 under General Stonewall Jackson who was ultimately under the gifted General Robert E. Lee. 

In order to draw Pope’s army into battle, Jackson ordered an attack on a Federal column that was passing across his front on the Warrenton Turnpike on August 28. The fighting at Brawner Farm lasted several hours and resulted in a stalemate. Pope became convinced that he had trapped Jackson and concentrated the bulk of his army against him. On August 29, Pope launched a series of assaults against Jackson’s position along an unfinished railroad grade. The attacks were repulsed with heavy casualties on both sides. At noon, Longstreet arrived on the field from Thoroughfare Gap and took position on Jackson’s right flank. On August 30, Pope renewed his attacks, seemingly unaware that Longstreet was on the field. A massive Confederate artillery devastated a Union assault by Fitz John Porter’s command. Longstreet’s wing of 28,000 men counterattacked in the largest, simultaneous mass assault of the war. The Union left flank was crushed and the army driven back to Bull Run. 

The Confederates won the field that day, if it could be called a win with 22,177 casualties. The Union lost 1716 lives with 8215 wounded, on the Confederate side 1305 were killed, 7048 wounded with the rest of the number unaccounted for or missing. The Virginia 2nd was mauled at Brawner's Farm in an ugly, stand-up firefight. It suffered a staggering percentage of casualties. 

Lewis was wounded in the groin from a ball shot from a Union musket in the opening engagement. He was pulled off the battlefield by an inexperienced medic, put in a wagon and hauled to the Foley farm on Braddock Road. He mercifully remained in a haze during the rest of the battle and did not even hear until later that the battle was a victory for the Confederate Army. Lewis did not feel victorious. Morphine was in short supply, so his pain was overwhelming. The wound was grievous. There was not much that could be done to control the bleeding and Lewis’s legs had been affected by the blast.

He was moved to the Buckner Farm “Hospital” nearby where a few days later the decision was made to amputate his infected legs in an attempt to save his life. He fought a valiant fight against death, but lost that battle on October 11th, 1862. If he had known what transpired when dead, he would not have fought so hard so stay in his broken, pain-racked nineteen year old body. His life on earth was fleeting and over far too fast.

His body was buried about 3/4 mile southwest of the Foley/Buckner home sites in an unnamed family cemetery at the top of a small ridge. His grave marked by a government issue CSA marker where his mortal remains still rested. 

Civil War, what an oxymoron. War was probably the least civil thing he could imagine. While he lay wrestling death, Jackson continued marching his units past the Gum Springs-Braddock Roads intersection on his way to Little River Turnpike. Jackson was executing a flanking march trying to cut off General Pope's retreating troops at the intersection in Fairfax. This troop movement, which included an injured General Robert E. Lee in an ambulance, culminated in the Battle of Chantilly two days later. 

Lewis died thinking the Confederates would win the war. However, from his elevated view after death he realized that Lincoln was truly an inspired man and the Union needed to be preserved. He died for a loosing cause. That was the most painful part. His life on earth ended for nothing. Thus inspiring his grand efforts to live each day fully in this realm.  He was assigned to many different units or teams in heaven to help those on earth not make similar mistakes to those he made, so as not to waste their precious allotted time there. 

During this current assignment with Emma, he had crossed Lily’s path . She mesmerized him and he asked to be able to advocate for her as well. Lewis had never been able to marry during his abruptly ended earth life and never even had a sweetheart. One stolen kiss with Ida Irene Franklin did not really count. Lily was perfect and everything he would have wanted had he been allowed time for a bride. He had to admit he spent more time near her than he was assigned and even requested visits with his free time. She was alone and he was alone. He was going to request an opportunity to have her as his wife one day if she never found a mate while living. He knew she could feel his presence at times and that elated him. 

Lewis was there assisting Lily the day she and Emma had their recent discussion. The one when Emma asked Lily if she felt her life or existence mattered. Not that Lily needed his help. She was such an impressively capable, wise woman. He had to restrain himself from the almost overpowering urge to allow Lily to see his form that day. He no longer suffered from or showed any remains of his former scars, but was a strong, semi-good looking, two legged, younger man, probably appearing around the age of 26 in earth years. He had settled with letting his spirit encompass her and entwine with her physical form. It caused a tingling feeling of warmth in humans and a spiritual high for himself. Yes, he was in love. 

Talk about an ill fated romance. Romeo and Juliet’s parents may have been enemies, he and Lily lived in two different dimensions! Now that was fodder for a true romantic tragedy. One could argue that it was a one-sided romance, but Lewis knew Lily would love him if she had the chance. In fact he felt she already did, she just didn’t know what he looked like, but she loved his presence.

The first time Lewis realized that Lily was aware of him and that their connection crossed barriers was when he had been mindlessly chanting the works to the song “Dixie” written by Daniel Decatur Emmett and popular during his original stay on earth. It was sometimes called “I wish I was in Dixie”. That song had been so big in his day. It was surprisingly one of President Abraham Lincoln’s favorite songs as well as his own back in 1860…

Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton,

Old times there are not forgotten.

Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land!

Before long he noticed Lily was also humming the tune about Dixie’s Land. Some may say that it was mere coincidence, but he knew not. Of all the songs in the history of time, why would a Yankee girl be singing his song at the exact same moment. Lewis had a shudder run all the way thought his boneless body.

On his next visit he put his theory to the test again. This time he would take no chances. He  decided to use the most obscure, random song he could think of.  “Auld Lang Syne” was written in the late 1700’s and usually only sang at times of farewell, especially on New Year’s Eve in this modern world. If Lily had even heard it, she certainly would not be thinking about this tune in the summertime. 

Lewis in his hauntingly clear tenor voice began to belt out the words to his carefully selected song as a test:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And days of auld lang syne?

At first he was not sure it was going to work and was sincerely disappointed. He continued to the end of the song just in case and saw Lily begin to gracefully roll her head to the rhythm of the music. Then miracle of miracles the words to the same song spouted from her throat. That is when the possibility of a “them” began to creep into his thoughts. There would never be another farewell song sang between them. Her acquaintance was one to never to be forgotten. Thank you Auld Ange Syne. For now it became their song to Lewis and they were now “an item” in his mind and heart from that point forward.

He was here to focus on Emma this trip he reminded himself. She had been staying pretty status quo over the summer with no attempts to do anything drastic, but maybe he could do something to help her turn the corner and add light to her view. She was not on the same kind of battlefield he had been exposed to, but the world today was filled with it’s own kind of land mines and was more treacherous in many ways. 

As Emma left the solitude of Lily’s to head home Lewis had an inspiration. A majestic sand crane was in the valley with it’s mate. Emma adored these magnificent feathered creatures. Lewis quickly used his influence to guide them towards the lake near Lily’s. The birds glided in to land on the lake’s sandy shore and dropped their long necks for a drink. Just then Emma appeared on the scene. Normally these lanky avian beings would rise in flight as soon as they heard or saw any possible predator including a teenage girl. But these two stood in place and turned their long-billed heads towards Emma as if to welcome her to their sacred ground. Emma carefully took small steps closer and closer expecting them to fly away at any moment. They did not. She was now close enough to touch them had she wished to, but stood still just inches away as they sized each other up. The look in crane’s eyes did not seem fowl-like. It seemed wise and understanding somehow. Like it might be trying to convey a message. Emma basked in the magical moment just for her. 

She was not sure how much time passed, time felt abstract. Finally they spread their wings to massive spans and lifted upon the air soaring across the surface of the water calling their strange other-worldly call in a lingering goodbye. Emma could breath again. It was as close to a miracle as she had even been. She did not leave the spot until the sun began to sink low savoring the experience as long as possible.

Lewis did not leave either. He aided Emma to feel every significance. Being present in one’s own life is a gift to bask in. Sometimes the simplest things mean the most and are the easiest to miss. Even after Emma turned towards home, Lewis lingered. He knew earth was no longer his home, but the truth was, wherever Lily was felt like home to him. Eventually he resigned himself to return to his place in the world above, but not before leaving a wispy kiss on his intended’s cheek and communicating he would return soon. 

Lily caught her breath, a sweet smile touched her lips as a tear rolled down one cheek.