It was only a cold, at least she hoped it was only a cold.
Her older brother had been off school for several days; in bed most of the time. From her point of view, it meant that he wasn’t chasing her or being rude or teasing her. These were things he had always done. Maybe all older brothers did those things, she didn’t know. However, she knew all about God and what he could do. She knew about that. For this reason, she hunted through the bottom of his wardrobe when he was fast asleep and found a pair of old shoes with laces.
At the bottom of the garden she stood, blowing up the last of her birthday balloons. It was big, with a swirling pattern of lots of colours. It would be a good present. She tied it off and then attached the lace she had found. Of course, she wouldn’t know how to write a message. It didn’t matter, she felt sure that this would do. She hugged it to her chest and whispered her message.
When she was happy that the lace was attached securely, she let it go. She watched it float up. She stayed there a long time, staring up into a blue sky, as it got smaller and smaller, until it eventually disappeared completely.
She went back in and looked into his room. He was sitting up, awake. She stepped in and said, “How are you?”
He gave her a small wave of appreciation. “I’m feeling a bit better today, thanks kid.”
She went to the window and looked up, smiling.