Return From Heaven

Chapter One

Family Return

Dylan was only two years old when his mother, Anne, first noticed his strange behavior. One fall evening as the light was dimming, he was in the hallway happily playing on the floor with his toys. Anne was in the kitchen making dinner when she heard him say distinctly, "I smoke too." She was surprised by this odd remark'not the usual play babble -- and peeked over at Dylan, who was holding his fingers together, putting them to his lips, and withdrawing them, exactly as if he were taking a drag from a cigarette. Dylan repeated, "I smoke too." And before Anne could say anything to him, he looked over at her, patted his front pants pocket, and said, "I keep my smokes here." This puzzled her because no one in the family smoked. She couldn't think of anyone Dylan could be imitating.

Another odd thing happened shortly after that. Again it was around dinnertime when Anne was busy cooking and Dylan was playing on the floor in the hallway. He was playing with his "pogs," small cardboard disks that children like to collect. Dylan caught her attention when he blurted out, "Sevens! I'm t ... read full excerpt from: Return From Heaven ebook