DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the characters from TBAA. They belong to Martha Williamson. I do however own anyone you don't recognize.
Enjoy!
Remember, God loves you!

"Listen for the Crickets"

Monica sighed with contentment as she walked along the streets of the city she and Gloria had been sent to. The sun hadn't stopped shining since early that morning, giving the city a Heaven on earth type of feeling.

Now, however, the sun was starting to go down and night was slowly falling. It was soon time to pick Gloria up from her assignment, but not quite yet.

As Monica continued to walk along, she suddenly got the feeling that the Father was about to use her in some way. She didn't know why she felt that way, but the feeling was strong.

Monica stopped just short of a local park and closed her eyes.

"Father, if you can use me here, I ask you to do so. You know how much I love doin' your work and spreading the message of your love to your children. Please, use me once again. Amen." At the end of her prayer, Monica opened her eyes and smiled up at Heaven above. Little did Monica know that God was about to do that very thing. The only difference was, Monica wouldn't be the one doing the assignment, she was going to become someone else's assignment.

As Monica continued to walk, she started thinking about Gloria and the assignment her case worker had gone on. She prayed and hoped Gloria would be able to finish it, but a part of Monica knew her "little one" would do just fine.

As Monica continued to walk down the street, she caught sight of a small figure sitting on a park bench. The little girl had light brown hair to the middle of her back and sparkling green eyes. She looked a mess and in need of a friend.

As Monica got closer, she could see that the little girl's clothes were full of dirt and her cheeks were tear stained.

"Hello there." Monica said, not wanting to scare the child. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

The little girl gazed up at the sound of Monica's voice and shook her head. She tried to offer Monica a smile of greeting, but failed.

Monica regarded the child with a gentle smile of her own and made to sit down next to her.

Monica took a seat next to the little girl and gave her shoulder a pat.

"My name is Monica." Monica introduced, after a few minutes of silence had passed. "What's yours?"

The little girl gazed over to where Monica's voice was coming from before giving her a tiny smile.

"I'm Annabelle." She said, offering Monica her hand. She then pointed to a furry creature on the ground at her feet. "And that's Duchess."

Monica grinned at the sight of the dog. She liked dogs a lot and got along well with them.

She was about to pet Duchess, but stopped when she saw the familiar working harness on the animal.

"May I?" Monica asked, making sure it was all right with Annabelle.

Annabelle nodded.

"Go ahead. Duchess loves people." Annabelle told her new friend. "She's a people dog. Aren't you, girl?"

Duchess responded by barking before licking Monica's hand.

"I see what you mean!" Monica said, half laughing. "She's a darlin' dog."

After showering Duchess with a little more attention, Monica turned her attention back to Annabelle.

"What's a nice wee girl like you doin' out here all alone?" Monica inquired, her voice full of nothing but concern for the child seated next to her.

Annabelle shrugged as though it didn't matter.

"I just wanted to be alone." She answered as though it wasn't a big deal.

"Well you know you're never really alone." Monica told her, giving her a gentle smile.

When Annabelle didn't say anything for a minute, Monica gestured to a group of kids playing over by the monkey bars.

"Why don't you play with those wee ones over there?" She asked, still pointing.

Annabelle turned her head to the sound of the voices and shook her head.

"They don't want to play with me." She told Monica. "And that's okay because I don't want to play with them either. All they do is make fun of me for what I don't have, but I have more than they ever will."

Monica didn't know how to respond to that, so she just let the girl explain.

"They make fun of me because I'm blind." Annabelle explained, interpreting Monica's silence as a cue to continue speaking. "But they're the ones that can't see. They can't see the beauty that's inside others or the beauty that's around them. They can't see it because they don't look with their hearts. But you know what? I feel bad for them."

Monica couldn't believe her ears. She couldn't believe this courageous little girl was speaking so wisely beyond her years.

"Why is that?" Monica asked.

"I feel bad for them because they're the ones missing out. They don't see with their hearts and because they can't do that, they're the ones who will be in the dark for the rest of their lives."

A few minutes of silence passed before Monica asked another question.

"What are you doin' all the way out here by yourself?"

Annabelle smiled at this.

"I like to come and listen for the songs of night. " She told her new friend. "You know, the crickets and cicadas and things. I can't hear them that good where I live, so I come out here to get the full affect. I know once the crickets start singing, the moon will come out and once the moon comes out, then the other animals of nighttime wake up as well. Besides, it's nice out here."

"Aye, it is." Monica agreed, still in awe of this beautiful child of God.

Annabelle giggled, but it was a giggle full of love and pleasure.

"I like that." She said, making Monica smile. "What does it mean?"

"Aye means yes." Monica explained, patiently.

"I like that." Annabelle told her.

"Why were you cryin' a few minutes ago?" Monica asked, her voice full of concern. "And how did your clothes get dirty?"

Annabelle grew quiet for a few minutes before answering Monica's question.

"The kids picked on me earlier today, when I first came here." She explained, gesturing with her right hand towards the group of kids who were now leaving for home. "They pushed me in the mud from behind and called me names." She continued, gesturing to the mud stains on her shirt and skirt. "I usually don't let it bother me, but today, I had had enough."

Monica nodded, a sympathetic look on her face. She patted Annabelle's shoulder sympathetically, wanting her to know she cared.

"If you don't mind me asking," Monica started, praying she wouldn't offend the child, "but how long have you been blind?"

"Since I was five." Annabelle told her, no shame in her voice whatsoever.

"So you could see at one time then?" Monica asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Annabelle nodded.

"Uh-huh. But I don't remember being able to see with my eyes very well."

"It must be hard sometimes." Monica commented.

Annabelle shrugged once again.

"Sometimes. But most of the time I think of it as a blessing from God. I don't let it get me down. I know God wanted me to see in a different way from everyone else. He created me to be special and that includes the way I see."

"You're right, you know." Monica said, smiling down at the child, even though Annabelle couldn't see it. "You're absolutely right."

Annabelle grinned. She felt the air start to get colder, which meant she had to get home soon.

"Well, I gotta get home." She told Monica, standing up from the bench. She picked up Duchess' leash and gave her the command to stand.

"Will you be okay?" Monica asked, feeling suddenly over protective of the child.

Annabelle nodded.

"Uh-huh. I know this neighborhood really well. Thanks anyway."

"It's my pleasure." Monica replied. She patted Annabelle's shoulder before petting Duchess's head.

Annabelle smiled as she bade Monica good night.

"I had fun talking to you, Monica. You're nice. I gotta remember to thank God before bed tonight."

"Thank Him for what?" Monica asked, confused at Annabelle's statement.

Annabelle smiled.

"For sending me an angel for a friend. Well, good night." Annabelle then turned her attention to Dutchess. "Come on, girl. Let's go home." With that, Annabelle was gone.

As Monica watched her leave, she smiled to herself before lifting her eyes to Heaven above.

"Thank you, Father. Thank you for sending me a reminder of just how special your children are and just how much faith they can possess." With that, Monica left to meet Gloria. She was going to tell Gloria all about her meeting with Annabelle and this was one encounter Monica would never forget. Little did she know how soon she would be seeing Annabelle again…

THE END