Picture of an Angel

Golden sunlight danced in the treetops, and children’s laughter filled the park. The smell of popcorn played on the breeze, and life seemed good. It was one of the happiest Saturday mornings I had spent with my little daughter, Gigi.

That is, until two strangers threw her into their car and sped away. It seemed like a bad dream. I could barely whisper when the police questioned me. For hours we waited, but there was no word on the whereabouts of the car. Tears would start to come. Then nothing. I was numb with fear.

"Go home, Ma’am," the sergeant said. "I’ll have an officer drive you. We’ll also want to monitor your telephone. The kidnappers might call, and we’ll want to get a trace. Trust me, these guys can’t get far." After what had just happened, it was hard for me to trust anything.

My friend Gloria came over that afternoon. "I heard about Gigi on the radio," she said. "Everyone is looking for the car. The interstates are all blocked." She took my hand.

"Look here," Gloria said. "I want you have this picture, and I want you to pray with me."

It was a picture of a little girl sound asleep in her bed. Standing by the bed was a tall, blond angel. His hand was touching the girl’s shoulder as he smiled down at her.

My nerves were frazzled. "You know I don’t believe in that kind of thing!" I snapped. "I’m too exhausted for any hocus-pocus right now, Gloria! I want my daughter home!" I started to shake, and then I began sobbing.

Gloria placed the photo on our mantle and knelt down beside me. "Just pray with me," she said, holding my hand.

I had no strength left, so we prayed and waited what seemed an eternity. Together, we waited by the phone until sundown. The phone never rang.

Suddenly, the front door swung open. I looked up and screamed.

There stood Gigi. "Gigi! Thank God!" I cried, throwing my arms around her. "Where did those men take you? How did you get home? Did the police find you?"

"No Mommy!" said Gigi. "I was real scared because those men said they were taking me far away. We were going real fast on an old rock road I’d never seen before. But then a tall man walked out in front of the car, and they ran off the road and hit a tree.

Then the tall man ran up and opened the car door and pulled me out. He was real nice, and said I would be okay now, and that those men couldn’t hurt me. I must have gone to sleep, because then I woke up here in front of our house. He must have brought me home."

"But who … how did he know … where to bring you?" My voice broke and trailed to a whisper.

"I don’t know, Mommy," Gigi said. "But he was real friendly, and I wasn’t scared of him at all."

Just then Gigi noticed Gloria’s picture on the mantle. "That’s him!" She squealed, pointing at the picture. "Mommy, the tall blond man dressed like an angel. That’s the man that pulled me out of the car!"

I felt chill-bumps across my neck and arms. Gloria turned pale. "Are you sure that’s the man?" Gloria asked.

"Yeah, that’s him okay. Except he didn’t have wings, and he was wearing blue jeans and a tee shirt. But that’s him exactly. I’d remember him anywhere!"

Later that night, the police found the injured kidnappers in their wrecked car fifty miles from our home. When questioned, the driver remembered swerving to avoid hitting a tall blond man. The backseat door that Gigi sat by had been completely torn off its hinges.

Twenty years have gone by. We have never heard from anyone claiming to have rescued Gigi. There have been no logical explanations for Gigi’s miraculous escape and return home from a wreck so far away.

There have always been things that people can’t explain. But, from that day forward, I’ve never doubted that many of those things are divine miracles. I believe that all experiences, positive and negative, are given to us for our strengthening and learning.

Gigi now takes her little girl to the park on Saturdays. They enjoy the sunlight as it dances in the treetops, the smell of popcorn, and the laughter of children. She keeps Gloria’s picture on her mantle, and she re- members her angelic friend. And, like my daughter, I have a faith that has carried me through many trials since that day many years ago.

金色的陽光在樹梢上舞蹈，公園中充滿了孩子們的歡笑，微風中飄蕩著爆米花的味道。生活看起來是如此的美好。這是我和我的小女兒Gigi所度過的一個最幸福的周六上午。

然而，當兩個陌生人把她抓進汽車里飛快地離開了后，一切便結束了。那就像個噩夢一樣。當警察問我的時候，我幾乎說不出一句話了。我等了幾個小時，但就沒有車開向哪里的消息。我欲哭無淚，心中充滿了恐慌。

“回家吧，女士，” 警官說。“我會派一位警官開車送你的。我們想監控你的電話，綁架者可能會打電話的，我們想掌握一些線索。相信我，那些家伙不可能跑遠的?！?經歷過剛才的事情，我已經很難相信任何東西了。

那天下午，我的朋友Gloria過來了?！拔以趶V播上聽到Gigi的消息的，”她說。“每個人都在尋找那輛車，所有的州公路也都封鎖了?！?她握著我的手。

“看這，”Gloria說?！拔蚁肽阌羞@張照片，我想要你和我一起祈禱。”

這是一張小女孩的照片，她正在床上熟睡。站在床旁邊的是一位身材高挑的，頭發金黃的天使。天使微笑著望著小女孩，手放在她的肩膀上。

我的神經一下崩潰了?！澳阒牢沂遣幌嘈拍欠N事的!”我聲音嚴厲地說?！拔椰F在沒有任何幻想了，Gloria!我想要我的女兒回家!”我開始顫抖，接著是抽噎。

Gloria把照片放在了我的披風上，跪在我的旁邊?！昂臀乙黄鹌矶\，”她握著我手說。

我沒有力氣掙脫，只好與她一起祈禱，但是，等待確實那么漫長。我們在一起在電話機旁等到太陽落山，可電話也沒有響。

突然，前門開了，我抬頭一望尖叫了起來。

是Gigi站在那兒，“Gigi!感謝上帝!”我跑去擁抱著她喊道?！澳切┠腥税涯銕У侥睦锶チ?你是怎么回家的?是警察找到你的嗎?”

“不是，媽媽!” Gigi說?！澳切┤苏f要把我帶到很遠的地方，我真的很害怕。我們在一條舊的巖石路上開得非常快，但是之后，有個高個男人在車的前面走出來，那些人就趕快逃開撞到一棵樹上了。

后來，那個高個子的男人跑上來，打開車門把我從車里拉出來。他人非常好，并且說我現在沒事了，那些人不會再傷害我了。我想我當時一定是睡著了，因為后來我在我們房子前面醒來了。他一定是把我帶到家了。

“但是……他怎么知道……把你帶到哪里去呢?” 我的嗓子啞了，只能小聲地說。

“我不知道，媽媽，”Gigi說?！暗撬_實非常友善，我都根本不怕他。”

正在這時，Gigi注意到了披風上Gloria的照片，“就是他!”她指著那張照片尖叫道。“媽媽，那個高個子的金頭男人穿的衣服就和這位天使一樣，就是他把我從車里拉出來的!”

我感到在我的脖子和手臂上有寒氣襲來。Gloria臉色蒼白地說：“你確定是那個人?”

“是的，就是他。只不過他沒有翅膀，他穿的是藍色的牛仔褲和體恤。但絕對就是他，無論如何我都會記住他的!”

那天晚上，警察在離我們家約50英里遠的地方發現他們的汽車殘骸和受傷的綁匪。在審訊的時候，開車的綁匪說當時轉向是為了想避開一個高個子的金發男人。Gigi坐在后座上，后座的車門已經完全被撕了下來。

20年已經過去了，從來沒有人宣布曾經救過Gigi。沒有任何邏輯能夠解釋Gigi神奇逃脫并從離家那么遠的殘骸回家的原因了。

世上總有一些人們無法解釋的事情，但是，自從那天之后，我便深信那些事是神旨的功勞。我相信所有的經歷，樂觀的也好，悲觀的也好，這些都給了我們力量和教導。

Gigi現在每個周六都會帶她的小女兒去公園玩，享受生活的歡樂。陽光在樹梢上舞蹈，爆米花的香味，孩子們的笑聲。她把Gloria的照片放在披風上，她懷念她的天使朋友。像我的女兒一樣，從那之后，這種信念也一直幫我克服諸多困難。

-