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A simple and complete little chapter about Warroon the Wombat who had a special task to do for his Maker.
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Warroon waddled slowly up the path that his ancestor's had trod before him. He was so tired and so old. Warroon had seen forty summers, eight cycles of life from the final nine. Walking the land and sleeping in his burrow.
One grey day, he fell asleep never to wake to the land of his forefathers. "I must be dreaming, I thought I had passed over to spirit."
On reaching the top of the path, he sighed at the sight of a curtain of mist across the path.
"Maybe this is where I meet my family?" He muttered to himself.
The mist parted as he reached it, bright sunlight lit his way. He was amazed to see his whole family waiting for him.
"Grandfather, grandmother and my mother and father!"
He felt younger and no longer stiff and sore from old age. All around him gathered his friends that had passed over.
Silver Barramundi jumped with the sun causing their bodies to shine. Seeing splashes in the river nearby, they swam with their arch enemy the crocodile.
"I'm not hungry, do we eat here?" Warroon enquired.
"Of course not," grandmother smiled at him, "we are spirit now, we don't need to eat and we all share a common bond and language."
"When will we see Baiame? He is after all, our Creator." Warroon lay in the lush, green grass beside the river that seemed to go on forever. On top of the hill a mighty onyx castle glinting in the bright sunlight. The door to the castle was studded with precious gems, as were the guards that stood like sentinels, guarding the Creator. They were simply ornamental statues, Bahaime needed no protection, he was the protector of all living things.
All the animals began their trek towards the castle. Kangaroo hopped, wombat waddled, snake slid, sugar glider swooped and the colourful birds chattered on their way to Bahaime.
When all the animals and birds were gathered in the great hall; Bahaime rose from his gilded chair to speak to them all.
"All animals and birds before me have spent their days upon the earth. Now, you have all come to your real home to be well and perfect as I originally made you," he smiled as a kindly father.
"There is a new arrival called Warroon, a wombat from the High Country; come forward my friend."
Warroon shuffled slowly towards the Creator; Warroon was trembling with anxiety and fear at being singled out.
Bahaime spoke to the gathering, there was hushed silence as one grey wombat sat at his feet.
"You all know there are nine cycles of life. When you have completed those nine, you come home to me.
Warroon, you have completed eight. I have a special request to make of you. Because you have been a kind and gentle spirit all of your life, never taking anything that didn't belong to you or hurting another animal, I make this request based on your life."
Warroon bowed to the Creator and in a shaky voice asked Bahaime what was his request?
"I would like you to spend the last cycle of your life as a human, not just a human, a healer of men. How do you feel about returning to earth?"
In a flash of white light, Warroon was changed into a young man with curly locks of hair.
"Your request is my command Bahaime," he smiled at his new form.
"Your life will be filled with sick and crippled humans, animals too. I will now send you back to fore-fill your destiny."
The bright sunlight had gone, all his animal friends had disappeared, he was alone. Not really perturbed at his new home on earth.
He had a new name and a new country. His name was Francis of Assisi and his home was a poor Italian district with many folk wanting him to heal them. His animals became his solace. Frances became a hermit, living from hand to mouth.
Bahaime was well pleased with Francis, he watched over him as he healed the poor and the sick. The animals could speak to him, he was serving the Creator of all living things. Finally, the Church made him a saint before he went to his real home.
