Heaven
Rating: PG/K+
Genre: Fantasy
Summary: In Leslie's personal heaven, Terabithia is reality. And everyone can experience it.
Author's Note: I recently read 'The Lovely Bones', and you better believe I plan on seeing the movie; It was fantastic! And I was trying to think of something to write (Because it's been MONTHS since I've written and posted a one-shot).
Disclaimer: I don't own The Lovely Bones, or Bridge to Terabithia. They belong, respectively, to Alice Sebold and Katherine Paterson.
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In her own, personal heaven, Terabithia is a reality.
Only more resplendent than they had ever dreamed.
There were multi-colored birds, friendly giants made of earth, fairies with gossamer wings and maple-leaf crowns.
Wood nymphs entwined grape vines in their long, wavy hair, and the river gods wore seaweed crowns. Deer walked like men, and their antlers were golden with a white sheen, twisted like crowns atop their heads.
It's not just Leslie in Terabithia. There are others- Other people who come to witness the existence of the world that she and Jesse built. They stare at the mind-boggling mountains and the radiant rivers, and they laugh and they smile and they bask in the wonder of such a magical and wonderful place.
They smile at her, and ask her questions- "What is that creature there?" or "How on earth did you dream this up?"
To the second question she always responds, with a grin, "With a little help from a friend."
On the days when no one comes to visit, or no one has any questions, Leslie stands on a branch in the treetop and looks out over Terabithia.
She can't look down. Because looking down means the temptation of looking down to earth, and seeing her parents and Jesse and May Belle and Janice, and she knows her heart will ache for them and wish that, even though Terabithia is real and beautiful now, she was with them.
Or worse, she'll wish that they were with her, and that would be wrong; they're alive and she's not. Her time is up, and theirs is still going on. She has to respect that. Has to wait patiently until their times comes, and instead wish them all the happiness in the living world. Wish for them to be happy, even without her.
It's hard, going on without them, and it was even a little boring at first; Jesse had been her primary friend, and Janice had certainly become close to becoming a best female friend- Unless May Belle became threatened, of course, in which case Leslie would have quickly reassured her that a person isn't limited to one best friend.
But here, she's not lonely. There are others who stop and talk and explore with her, because there are always new and wonderful things to see.
Like now, for instance.
"It's beautiful."
The girl on the branch beside her has long, wavy, strawberry-blonde hair and large, blue eyes. She's a little older than Leslie, maybe by a year or two. And her clothing is a little old. Retro, as they might say; she wore a dark blue, winter jacket and yellow bell-bottoms.
"I know."
The girl smiles. "And you're the Queen."
Now Leslie smiles proudly. "I am."
"Do you have a king?"
"Yup." The smile fades. "He hasn't come yet, though. He will one day, but for now…"
He would live. Live on.
For the both of them.
But Leslie couldn't bring herself to say that out loud just yet.
It was still too fresh.
But the other girl smiled and nodded.
"I know exactly what you mean."
-End-
In case you didn't catch it: The girl is Susie.
I read the book for my mystery-suspense class after seeing the trailer for the movie. I based Susie's appearance here on the clothing she was wearing in the trailer.