New York twinkled brightly with the stars in the night sky. But down below, crime was all about, arguing, smoking, dancing about, smashing windows, a very unpromising sight for the innocent seven-year-old little girl at the very top story fo the apartment she was living in. The little girls stood looking down from her window right now wearing her blue nighty and looking up to the night sky, her heart breaking into small pieces yet again.
"Dorothy?"
She turned to see her mother peering in fro the bedroom door?
"Come on, young lady. You know you're not supposed to be opening your window that wide."
"I wanted to see if Uncle Oscar was up there tonight, Mommy."
Her mother went to the window and looked up at the stars.
"Very difficult to tell which one he is isn't it," she said.
"Can people come back?" Dorothy asked. "Jesus died and came back to life."
"Oh, sweetie," said her mother as she picked up and sat down on a chair with her daughter on her lap. "He was the Son of God so he could do anything, but for some reason people like Uncle Oscar can't come back to Earth?"
"Is there a way to Heaven, Mommy?"
"Only when everyone's time comes," replied her mother stroking her hair. "I miss Uncle Oscar too."
"But I wish I knew what Heaven looked like," Dorothy replied. "There must be more than angels and clouds."
"Maybe," her mother replied, "but until then, departures encourage us to keep strong. I got a present for you, darling. From your Auntie Em in Kansas."
She brought out a small, green box from her dress pocket tied with a silver ribbon and handed it to Dorothy.
Dorothy took it politely, untied the ribbon and opened the lid of the box. In it was a note and under it was a beautiful silver necklace with a woman's face silouhetted in the middle, just like the Queen's face on the coins from the United Kingdom.
School assembly consisted of a talk about afterlife and the Lord bringing them to the afterlife. Mrs. Dobrose, a lovely middle-aged woman in tawny hair, recited "Life ends for all, but with the love Jesus has, our immortality lives on his his hands in the land he had promised us all."
Dorothy wanted so much to share the necklace with the school but something told her to keep it secret for now. She could trust Mrs. Dobrose very much as she had patience for every student in the school. Maybe when she finishes school she could tell the headmistress about it, as she seemed like the one friend to respect all perspectives.
The rest of the school year worked well thanks to Dorothy's faith as well as Aunt Em's necklace. She studied through school in peace and ignored protests of her love of her necklace as many called it a 'Granny Gift'. If she we were ever to meet Aunt Em, she would thank her sincerely for the trinket.
One day as she walked home from school, she walked through the usual alleyway when a group of young cyclists whizzed passed her, paused, looked at her and they snickered. They cycled away, but Dorothy did not think much on that.
She had reached the front door of her apartment when suddenly, a young teenager appeared. He was wearing a yellow cap, a grey vest, denim shorts and scruffy trainers.
"Hello," said Dorothy.
"Dotty is it?" he said.
"My name is Dorothy," said the girl unsuspecting anything. "Dorothy Gale."
"I'm the leader of the Wheeler Cyclers," the boy introduced. "We know all about your faith in the necklace. We know the answers. Wanna know?"
"Very much," said Dorothy excitedly.
The teenager took through a pavement and into an alleyway where there were other teenagers drinking something from cans and smoking. They were all looking at Dorothy, getting each other's attention and whispering "She's here. Let's do it!"
They ushered to a bed mattress.
"So," said the the lalder. "You think there is a God within the necklace?"
Dorothy nodded.
"Well, let me let you in on a little secret," he said. "He's not here to stop us playing with you."
One of the boys picked the little girl up as the leader spat in her face. She screamed and the covered her mouth.
"We need to keep her quiet," said on of the toughest boys. "Let's do the honours."
They took of their shirts and set their knuckles straight and got ready to attack when -
"PUT HER DOWN!"
Dorothy's father charged at them and they attacked the man.
"DOROTHY!" screamed her mother. "RUN! COME TO ME!"
The Wheelers ran up to her and pinned her to the ground. Dorothy screamed in panic but ran as the gang went for her. She ran out of the alley and saw two policemen coming her way.
"HELP!" she screamed. "MY MOMMY! MY DADDY! THEY'RE BEING HURT!"
The now scarred child couldn't bear to write anymore with the idea that it could drain from her mind onto the pages of her diary. She ripped it and chucked it out the window. Ever since the loss of her parents, she had been stuck in Quadling Orphanage - stuck with the terrorists in her dorm, giving her nightmares while awake and no escape seemed possible. But however, there was.
Dorothy was called into the office with a letter saying that her Aunt Emmalyn and Uncle Henry will be coming to collect her and take her home with them in Western Kansas. It seemed enough that God had answered her pleas, but little did she know the futuristic problems.