Yes, you are right, Ida agreed. And my only wish is to have a chance to talk to somebody. Although, I almost forgot that I’m talking to you now.
The only ones you can speak with are myself, and anyone else who wasn’t born. You will find them in the Land of Unwanted Souls, the angel replied. It’s not far from here. Go to the end of this alley until you reach a stone ivy-grown grotto, and then enter it and you will get what you’ve asked for. Now it’s time to say good-bye. See you in a hundred years, the angel uttered turning into a cloud, completely vanishing from sight in a moment.
Ida hurried to the grotto. She walked past it before since she got to live in Paradise but never entered it. It seemed from the outside that it was pitch dark inside but after walking for a little while, Ida saw a corridor with a light that grew brighter with every step. At the end of the tunnel, Ida noticed a tracery wicket. A vast green lawn stretched far away behind it. This is the Land of Unwanted Souls! – Ida realized. She already got used to the beauty of Heaven but it was so much more fascinating here: palaces and fountains laid in pure white marble, gazebos of finest crystal with clear water nearby that had golden fishes gliding all around. To her astonishment, this land was full of unusual animals, peacefully grazing around exotic plants. She had only few minutes to look around and enjoy the beauty of the Land when all of a sudden she saw a cheerful gang of kids who came running to her shouting «Mommy, mommy!». They went «Mommy, mommy» on and on eagerly as the smallest but agile kid climbed up to her arms in the blink of an eye. His fair curls tickled Ida’s neck. God, was she touched!
The woman was stunned by such an unexpected event.
– «Kids, kids, you must have mistook me for somebody else. My husband and I had no kids, I could only dream about it.»
– «Exactly», the oldest boy said, holding his hands behind his back just like her husband, which made him look important.
It was only now that she began looking into the faces of children who were all around Ida hugging her ever tenderly. All of them had an amazing resemblance with her husband and herself especially a little girl with long bending lashes and goldish locks who was a projection of what Ida was as a child if not her mirror image.
The same oldest boy continued: Don’t forget that you’re in the Land of Unwanted Souls. We all could have been born and be your children, but you and dad thought different, so here we are.
Ida felt a sudden grip of anxiety. She started hugging the kids one by one, and kissing their chubby little hands. Tears gushed from her eyes. How could this be real? These seven wonderful kids could have been hers. Her dream was to speak with some living soul but now it was as if she grew numb and couldn’t say a word.
At the same time, the oldest boy went on:
– We don’t even have real names, mom, they’re all conditional. My name’s Prize, my brothers here are Seth, Brig, Step, the little one in your arms is Case and my sisters are Solo and Jabot.
Ida kept on crying and instinctively hugging her unborn children.
– «My poor little babies», she thought. «They got nothing, not even real names. They will stay kids forever and won’t even know what it is to live».
In the meantime, Solo, the one that had a stunning resemblance with Ida, wiped her mother’s tears with the edge of her gown.
