Angels in the Infield

A child and teenager sat on the carpeted floor, watching an movie on the old TV. The volume was turned up all the way but couldn't block out the heated voices from down the hall. The youngest, a little girl, fidgeted nervously as she looked back and forth between the TV and the doorway to the hallway where the arguing voices were coming from.

“Danny...when will they stop shouting?” she whispered, scooting closer to the boy. Danny sighed, glancing down at his sister before looking back at the screen of a bunch of guys playing baseball with the help of angel men and women.

“Emma...they’ll stop soon enough.” Emma frowned, not pleased with the answer.

“...is Mommy really leaving?” Danny sighed, turning from the TV to pull his sister into a hug.

“...yeah Em. She’s really leaving.” The two were quiet, just watching the movie before the little curly blond spoke up again.

“Danny...when is everything going to be normal again?” Her brother frowned, running a hand through his messy hair.

“From how everything is working out…when the angels win the pennant.” The little girl pouted adorably, pointing at the TV.

“But the angels do, they win in the movie.”

“Yeah but this isn't baseball Em, there aren't any angels in our outfield.” It was silent between the two as the movie continued on, until the pitcher of the Angels in the movie caught the last pitch and won the game for them.

It was then Emma suddenly stood up, a look of sheer determination on her five and a half year old face. “Emma?”

“We don’t need them for baseball.” she suddenly said, heading over to open the nearby window. Danny cocked his head confusedly.

“Eh? What are you talking about?”

“The angels. We don’t need them to play baseball! If we pray really hard I betcha they’ll help fix it so we can all be happy again!” Danny was quiet for a moment before getting up and heading over to his sister. He looked out the window with her at the twinkling stars above.

None of them glittered to show their wishes were heard and help was on the way but Danny's face broke out into a smile. He leaned down and scooped his sister up into his arms for a hug.

“He-hey! Danny! I can’t breathe!” He pulled her away a bit to ruffle her hair, making Emma pout as he smiled at her innocence.

"Sorry squirt." He then turned them back to the window where at that moment a shooting star flew by in the night sky, Emma gasping in surprise. 

"An angel! An angel Danny, they heard us!" Her face was split with a beautiful grin that could melt the hardest of hearts. Danny smiled, shifting her weight so he could hold her easier. 

“Don’t grow up Em. Don’t ever grow up.” he whispered. The little girl looked a little confused but brushed it off. 

"Now they'll have to help us Danny." She said, hugging him as tightly as her little arms could. 

"Emma...I don't know if real angels can help us like they do in the movie." Emma pulled back a little looking up into Danny's brown eyes. 

"Why not?" 

"Because...it is a movie." She frowned, looking ready to cry. "But nobody said we can't make our own angels." 

"Huh?" Danny's grin grew wider as he put her down on the floor, closing the window shut before bending down to be on her height. 

"You see Em, sometimes God's angels get so busy with everything that he can't let them go help others even if he really wants them to." He didn't know where the words were coming from but they were working somehow. "So you see, people have to rely on themselves for a bit. That's when they have to make their own angels to help them." 

"How do you make them?" He paused to think for a moment. 

"There's not an instruction manual or anything, it just sorta happens right here." He poked in the chest, making Emma giggle sleepily. "You have to choose to make them yourself, to take control of your own game."

"Like in the championship? We have to win it ourselves?" Her old brother nodded at her.

"Yeah, we have to choose to either continue on and win or loose." Danny then stood up, heading over to the nearby cabinet to pick up his old baseball glove up. He walked back over to his sister, flicking her playfully on the nose. 

He then handed her his glove, her eyes widening in shock and elation. "You're the pitcher here Em, how you throw the ball now is your choice." 

She stared at him wide eyed before looking down at the glove, fingering the rough edges of it with her tiny finger. "But...I don't know how to throw a ball right." she whispered, big brown eyes staring up at him.

Emma yawned as Danny smiled, knowing the real lesson he gave her wouldn't be understood until she was older. "I'll teach ya. I'll be your catcher, helping you to call your game...but right now," He swept her back up into his arms. "It's way past your bed time." 

The voices in the hall had quieted a bit ago, likely retreating to opposite corner of the house to let their anger simmer. Danny carried his yawning sister upstairs to her little bedroom. Placing the rapidly falling asleep girl under her covers he kissed his sisters forehead softly. "Night Emma." he whispered, making sure the covers covered up her shoulders before he headed to the doorway. 

He paused for a moment there, looking back at his little sister who was still cradling his old baseball glove as she slept. He smiled, closing the door till there was only a sliver of light left in the room. Danny then walked down the hall to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. 

On instinct he walked over to the window, looking up at the thousands of stars above. One beautiful big star seemed to wink at him and he grinned, turning to plop down in his bed. 

Danny knew tonight he wouldn't have nightmares again. Tonight he would dream of baseball playing angels sweeping down and carrying him and Emma up into the sky. He smiled as he waited eagerly for sleep to come to him.