Meetings With Mortie: Little Lizzie

Mortie is in town, surrounded by mystery. Why is he here? and who does he want now? This is story 1 of the "Meetings With Mortie" stories.

                                                              Little Lizzie.

There was always something gloomy and eerie about the weather every time the stranger walked into a town. Leaves fell off trees, even though it wasn't fall and the temperature seemed to rise above burning degrees even when it was the middle of December. Everyone  just blamed it on global warming. In reality it just meant that the stranger had a new piece to collect for his repertoire in the nearby area.

Today was no different. There was a chill in the air, even though the weatherman had forecast a warm, sunny, summer day. On West End Avenue today, birds were chirping, children were playing outside, a father was teaching his son how to ride a bike for the first time.

Little Lizzie was playing in her backyard with her new tea set that her mom had gotten her just the day before at the local Toy Store. Lizzie's mom had promised her that if she kept up her good grades, she could get any toy she wanted. Lizzie was the kind of little girl who enjoyed imaginary tea parties, with imaginary friends she had named "Billy" or ''Jennie" or even sometimes she would have a "Maurice" over from England.

That afternoon another friend joined her for tea, one she had never imagined before. The figure which had joined her was that of a man, no older than perhaps thirty. He was wearing a well-tailored black suit, his hair was as dark as coal and well groomed and his face was that of a model, like the ones Lizzie's mother had read about in magazines. He smiled at her as he knelt down, a strange pleasantness about him. The Stranger's bright red tie blew in the wind, catching Lizzie's attention right away.

"That's a very nice tie, mister." Lizzie said, pouring another cup of tea for Maurice. The tie had seemed to remind her of one that her father used to wear just a few months ago before he went on that long trip he was still on.

"Hello there, little one." The Stranger smiled, "What do we have here?" He gestured to the full table with little plastic cups displayed neatly in a setting for four guests. "I hope I didn't miss tea time."

"No sir, you have not!" Lizzie exclaimed, giving the Stranger a toothy grin. She offered him  a cup of her finest air, served in one of the beautiful plastic toy mugs from the table. The cups all had princess designs on them with bright colors all around. The Stranger's cup seemed to be the clearest of them all, almost like the lightest shade of pink one could see right before dusk. "Sugar, sir?" Lizzie asked, holding up her empty sugar cup.

"No, thank you, little miss. I prefer it as is. Didn't mommy ever tell you that too much sugar is no good for you?" Little Lizzie nodded as the Stranger took an imaginary sip, "Miss, if i may say, this is the tastiest cup of tea I have ever had in my life. I must know your name."

"You talk like a prince!" Little Lizzie's eyes opened wide and her smile got bigger and brighter. "My name is Lizzie! What's yours?" She asked with enthusiasm.

"Well," The Stranger began, "I don't really have one name, Miss Lizzie, but you can call me Mortie." The Stranger extended one arm for a handshake and the other for a tea refill.

"Mortie? That's a funny name." Lizzie giggled, placing her little hand into his large one for a handshake. Afterwards, she poured more air into his awaiting cup. "My mommy has a friend named Marty, it sounds like yours." Lizzie said, taking a sip of her own tea.

A gentle smile appeared on the Stranger's face, "Yes, I guess my name is kinda funny," He chuckled slightly at the idea, "But I'm used to it, little miss. Besides, like I said, it's just one of the many names i have." Mortie took another sip from his empty cup, glancing around the area.

The Stranger's eyes fell upon Lizzie's house then the empty swings swaying gently further in the backyard. It was a beautiful set up for a girl of Lizzie's age. It was the empty dog house which intrigued the Stranger the most, however.

"That is a really nice doggie house. Where is your doggie?" He asked, glancing back at the little blonde girl before him. She looked over at the empty dog house. "Can I meet him?''

Quickly, little Lizzie turned away from the doggie house and focused back on her tea-set. "Rainbow passed away last year." She said, sadness in her baby blue eyes.

"I am sorry to hear, Lizzie." The Stranger said, honestly meaning it, "What happened to Rainbow?"

"Last fall we were playing fetch. He was great at it, I swear! You would have liked him and he would have liked you too, Mister Mortie." Lizzie said smiling again before continuing, "I threw the ball too far into the street, and when he went to fetch it, a truck that was passing by..." Lizzie trailed off, choking on her words.

"I'm sorry to hear..." The Stranger interrupted, noticing the little girl was starting to cry now. "But I am sure that Rainbow knows it was an accident and he is now running around with other doggies in heaven, even kitties. And you wanna know something?" He smiled.

"What? What?" Lizzie asked quickly, her tear filled eyes lighting up with excitement.

"They have the best doggie treats in heaven! They're made of the best flavors and have the brightest colors that doggies like Rainbow love." The Stranger reassured her and little Lizzie seemed to forget about the tear-stains that were on her plump cheeks. "He'll be okay while he waits for you, no worries." The stranger held his cup out for another refill of tea.

"So heaven is real, Mister Mortie?" Lizzie filled his cup and placed her teapot down on the clean white tablecloth. "That's what my mommy kept telling me, but I wasn't sure if she was telling me the truth."

"Your mommy wouldn't lie to you, Lizzie. She loves you." Another smile.

Lizzie nodded, her blonde hair bobbing up and down, "I know. How do you know that heaven is real, Mister Mortie?"

"Well, because I have been there myself, Miss Lizzie." Lizzie's eyes opened wide. "It is a beautiful place, full of trees, and flowers, and many animals like bunnies, kittens and puppies. Everything you can think of is there. Best thing of all is that there are no trucks going up and down the street, so you could play fetch with good old Rainbow without a worry in the world. You could play all day with him, if you wish to, because he would never get tired, and neither would you. There is no bedtime, no getting up early, no school..."

"No school?!" Lizzie interrupted, "I don't like school one bit."

The stranger laughed, "Well, until you get to heaven you have to keep going, Miss Lizzie. Those are the rules here on Earth, but in heaven there are no rules. That is how I know that Rainbow is very happy up there, going potty everywhere and anywhere he wants to." The stranger held his nose with one hand, while fanning away the imaginary smell with his other.

Lizzie smiled, "He was always good about that." She giggled, then said, "I am so glad he is okay. I always felt so bad that it was my fault that he ran into the street like that, but if he's okay in heaven, then I feel much better."

"I'm glad I helped make you feel a little better, Miss Lizzie." The Stranger smiled, "Say, can I know the recipe for this amazing tea of yours?" He pulled out a small notepad and a pencil which had clearly been used a lot as it was no bigger than his pinkie.This was always the part that he hated the most.

"I cannot tell you that, Mister Mortie!" She exclaimed, smiling.

"Can't blame me for trying, right?" The Stranger smiled, placing a check mark next to Little Lizzie's name on his notepad. He glanced at the small girl, happily playing with her teaset, her imaginary friends surrounding her. Ten years on this Earth was not long enough. "Say, Miss Lizzie, how would you like to come play a game with me?" The Stranger placed his teacup on the table and pushed himself to his feet.

"I love games!" Lizzie jumped up,"What are we going to play, Mister Mortie?"

Before the stranger could follow up, a voice in the background started calling Lizzie's name. "Time for lunch, Lizzie!" Lizzie's mom yelled, making her way outside and over to where Lizzie was sitting.

"In a minute, mommy! Can I please finish tea time with Mister Mortie?" Lizzie pointed in front of her and Mortie waved; however, Lizzie's mom saw no one to wave back to.

Lizzie's mother did not think much of this last statement, since Lizzie was outside sitting by herself. She figured that this "Mortie" character was just another one of Lizzie's imaginary friends who always came over for tea. Ever since Lizzie's father had passed away she had become attached to imaginary friends and fairy tale stories. Her life had become about taking care of her daughter as best as she could; to always protect her. Lizzie knew how much her mom loved her and so did Mortie.

"Okay, sweetheart, but make sure Mister Mortie helps you clean up your toys, then come inside for lunch. Ten more minutes, okay?" Lizzie's mom smiled.

"Yes, Mommy." Lizzie said and hugged her mother really tight, a hug Lizzie's mom felt through her soul. Almost as if Lizzie were saying her last good bye. "I love you, mommy."

"I love you too, baby." She hugged back, and gave her a kiss on her forehead, "Come in soon, okay?" Lizzie nodded as her mother walked back inside.

Lizzie turned back to Mortie, "Sorry about that, Mister Mortie. More tea?" Lizzie extended her pot.

"I'm afraid not, sweetie. I need to leave some room for lunch." He smiled, "And there is no need to be sorry, your mommy was just checking on you."

Mortie could sense sadness, sorrow, fear, and many other emotions that people didn't even know about in Lizzie's mother. He knew that she loved Lizzie very much, the love a mother has for her daughter is a love which has no limits. A part of Mortie wished he could take all the pain away from Lizzie's mom. This made him tear up a bit.

"Are you okay, Mister Mortie?" Lizzie asked, concern in her wide eyes.

"I am, Lizzie." He nodded, reassuring her. "Something probably just got into my eye, that's all." A sad smile crept across Mortie's face.

"Okay, please don't cry. I don't like seeing people cry." Her small voice became soft, "My mommy cries almost every night. She does it when I'm not around, but I can still hear her. She always has that apple juice of hers with her all the time when she is sad. She doesn't let me have it, though." Lizzie spoke, her innocence as pure as clear water.

"I think it would be better if you don't try her apple juice, sweetie." Mortie said, wiping his tears away from his face with the back of his hand. "Your mommy is just going through a lot. I promise you that you will never have to worry about it again very soon." A small, smile appeared on his lips but there was pain behind it.

Lizzie started cleaning up her teaset, placing everything neatly into the box in which they had come. She was very neat about it and wanted them all facing a certain way. She was the most charming and adorable ten year old that Mortie had ever met. And he had met quite a few in his many years on Earth. None of them had caught his heart as much as Lizzie had. The one thing they all had in common was that he always hated taking them. He didn't enjoy his job at all. More than a job, it was a curse; something he had to do whether he liked it or not.

Mortie stood up. "Like I was saying, Miss Lizzie, before you go back inside, would you like to play a game with me?" He asked while pulling out a red ball out of his left jacket pocket that was no bigger than a baseball. "Let's play catch!" He smiled.

"Yay!" she cheered, hurrying away from her beloved tea-set. "We'd better hurry, Mister Mortie. I have to go eat my lunch soon." She seemed concerned.

"This won't take long," Mortie said quietly, regret inevitable in his words, as he threw the ball to Lizzie.

The pair played catch for what seemed like hours, although, in reality, it was just a few minutes. The little girl's smile had never been brighter since the many events that had transpired in her life. She was jumping, screaming, laughing, and Mortie enjoyed every bit of it. He hadn't had this much fun in a very long time.

However it had to come to an end.

"Throw it far, Mister Mortie!" Little Lizzie yelled, hurrying towards the street.

"Okay, Lizzie! Here it goes, little miss!" He yelled back, arching his arm and sending the red ball flying right into the center of the residential street.

Lizzie ran anxiously toward the street, her eyes transfixed up in the air as she watched the ball. She was so distracted in the fun that she never saw the truck coming down the street. Mortie hoped her death would be instantaneous.

"I'm sorry, sweet, little Lizzie..." Mortie said, his eyes welling up.

A few moments later, the noise of red and blue sirens took over the street as many neighbors gathered around to see what the fuss was about. Lizzie's mom ran outside, screaming, after she had notice a mere few seconds too late that Lizzie had run into the street. She knelt on the graveled road, screaming in agony. The response team tried everything in their power to save the little ten year old girl, however, Lizzie had been gone since the moment the truck had hit her.

The Stranger walked away from the street, his hand enveloped about that of which belonged to a little body. The little figure skipped next to him, holding what seemed to be the leash of a small animal in her free hand, a dog perhaps.

"Am I ready for heaven now, Mister Mortie?" Lizzie asked, looking up at him, Rainbow woofing happily next to her.

"Yes, you are, sweetie. Yes you are."

Author's Note

Please, this is a rough draft, and it may have mistakes. It has only been edited quickly once. Please honest reviews.

Reviews

[Zoya]

Ahh, very interesting! Loved the telling of the story The events unfolded in a perfect order. Well done!

[Lu Zamber]

Thank you very much! :D

[LeahViolet]

This is very well detailed and an amazing story! Good job!!

[Lu Zamber]

Thank you very much! Glad you liked it :) Story 2 coming soon....