Kelley A Pasmanick

CAPPED

"Whom should I choose to be capped in her potential?" God asked, looking at the identical twin girls. Each had a pair of rich brown eyes, brown, curly hair, a nose, ten fingers, and ten toes. "They are the same, are they not?" asked God.

"Well, yes," said the Lord's faithful angel, "here, in Heaven they are the same, but in the Earthly realm, they shall not be."

"Why not?" asked God.

"My Lord, I do not intend to offend, but you caused this to be so."

"Cain and Abel," the Lord said, nodding his head vigorously in remembrance.

"Yes, my God," the angel agreed.

"Well, which of these daughters shall be chosen? I cannot send them to the realm of man until I have done so."

"Which of these daughters did poorly in her past life? The daughter sent back to relive a second life shall be chosen to be capped," the angel retorted decidedly.

"Neither, I have just created them. They are both brand new souls. No sin has yet been brought against them. No judgment has been cast," God answered regretfully.

"Which of these daughters favors you the least? She who is not devoted to bringing happiness to your name and praising you shall be capped." The servant sighed, heaving a breath of relief.

"Both favor me equally and bring laughter and smiles to me with every gentle gesture."

"How unfortunate," said the servant, "because how, then, will we choose? They are both true of heart and strong-willed. They are full of integrity, and they know themselves well. They will teach all who come in contact with them."

"That is it. You have solved my dilemma, my faithful angel," God said quietly.

"My Lord, you are mistaken. I have done no such thing. I hope I do not fear the decision you have made, for you sought my counsel, and I dispensed it freely without giving thought to what I said." The angel's voice cracked.

"Not only are you faithful, but you are also wise. Take no regret in the decision I have made, for I think that you will find it very fair," God chuckled.

"What choice have you made, my Lord? Please, tell me!" The angel yelled frantically with grief.

"Very well," replied God. "You said that both daughters will teach all who come in contact with them?"

"Yes, my Lord, I believe they will."

"Then you can understand my decision when I tell you that it does not matter which daughter we choose to cap because the capping will have an effect on both daughters. They will both teach all those with whom they come in contact, although they will teach in different ways. One daughter will teach the world what it is liked to be capped. The other will teach the world what it is like living with a person who is capped, when she, herself, is not."

"My Lord," said the angel, "that is quite just of you. Both will be affected by the experience of the capping and will provide different perspectives of it when teaching others."

"That is exactly my point, faithful one, exactly."

 

Kelley A Pasmanick is a twenty-nine year old woman with cerebral palsy, living in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Denver and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University. She states that "Capped" is for the other identical twin girl in this story Annie B, the Serebryanskis for spiritually guiding her, and for Jill Doyle whose influence on her will forever remain unmatched.