Chapter XVI The Security Blanket Comes Back

The security blanket came back. 

It found Lucy sitting huddled in the corner of a dingy brown and dusty room with no windows or doors. She was dressed all in brown and had wrapped herself in an old dusty brown blanket she had found. Even after everything she had done still she felt like no one loved her. Her Cat was dead, her aunty who she had found to love her was dead, and the picnic rug had turned evil. He had taken the children away on a picnic and they had never come back. She asked the security blanket to go away and leave her alone. 

Lucy couldn't see the light through the window

First the security blanket had to find the way out of the room as there were no windows or doors. Fortunately the room was missing two walls and a ceiling - much like the set of a stage, but Lucy could only see the confined space because she was covered over in misery and despair.

The security blanket left her there and blew out through the missing wall. It flew up into the sky in its hot air balloon and went in search of Lucy's heart.

The security blanket in his hot-air balloon disguised as a dog

Lucy had once had a heart but it had been so hurt that she had had to let it go. It wasn't fair to make it stay with her because it was too injured, she let it die so it could go and have peace in heaven.  She left it up there where she knew they would take care of it, be kind to it and help it slowly mend its wounds. 

Being taken care of in heaven

The security blanket went all the way up to heaven find Lucy's old heart. She had replaced her old heart with a shiny new one that didn't have the stains of her suffering embedded in it. But the shock of the betrayal of her family had forced the new heart to see all Lucy's old memories. And it had taken her down to the dusty room and covered itself over with a dusty brown blanket in sympathy for what Lucy had gone through.

Lucy exchanged hearts in heaven

The security blanket found the good old heart and told it that Lucy was feeling sad and lonely. The good heart got into the hot-air balloon with the security blanket and they started on the journey back down to Lucy.  It was a very big basket with plenty of space so a couple of angels came too.
 
As they floated around the heavens in their hot air balloon they collected a few more characters to bring with them. They found Spider Cat and Mooney, Aunty Bernie and lots of white ducks. They told them that Lucy was sad; her heart was feeling empty without them. So they climbed into the basket to come for the ride. They found a peacock, a mermaid, a rabbit, some chickens and a goat, the goat could see as clearly as crystal because no one is blind in heaven.

The security blanket maneuvered the hot air balloon back down towards earth. And landed right inside Lucy's brown room, which was quite easy as it had no ceiling. It climbed out of the basket  and gently shook Lucy by the shoulder. It had a present for her. It was a fish in a bowl. A very special fish in a bowl full of potential.  If she couldn't have a family at least she could have a fish. Even if it is a very possessive fish who worries about her when she goes out. It is nice for her to know there is someone waiting for at home even if he is impatiently tapping his fin.

And then the security blanket got Spider cat and gave it to Lucy's new heart. Lucy squeezed the cat so tightly and patted its fur while it purred with happiness.  Then Mooney jumped out of the basket and put her head in Lucy's lap. She had lots of milk to give in heaven. She had been to the moon and back. The peacock came in, a symbol of new life. It spread its tail feathers wide to show off its myriad of peacock eyes, so many different ways to perceive the world.

The angels helped Aunty Bernie out of the balloon and all three of them went and hugged Lucy.
 
Because Lucy felt she couldn't move out of her brown dusty room because she was so oppressed by misery, the security blanket filled up the room around her with joy. It gathered up all the things that Lucy's old heart had loved and gave them to the new heart that had replaced it. The new heart filled up with love. 

 
The old heart waited in the balloon. It didn't want to give the new heart the burden of its old life. It wanted Lucy to be free and live with the freshness her new heart had given her. So it just sent its love and the things that had brought it joy from its old life.  
 
From the cover of the dusty brown blanket Lucy looked at the old heart. She knew now what it had gone through, all those old memories of a life that had treated the good heart so harshly. Lucy saw what a strong heart it was to have suffered through so much and still remain pure. Then she looked around her. The dusty brown room had filled up with colour. There was a blue fish swimming round in its bowl, its name was David. There was an iridescent peacock showing off its magnificent tail, its name was David. She looked back at the story, there was a birthday party for her first boyfriend, his name was David. The room was filled up with David.

 
But that wasn't all that was in the room. There were rainbows and angels and spider cats and a wonder snail and a large sized little boy called Wayland. There was a mermaid and chickens and ducks and a rabbit. The room was flooded with light that poured in through the window. She could see the door. And in through the door came her cat family. Dozens and dozens of cat friends and dog friends from all over the world filled up the room with love and chatter and laughter.

They all know what it feels like to be covered over by an old dusty rug. Lucy knew that they have all felt sad and lonely, like they were covered by an old dusty rug at times in their lives. Just like she. Now none of them were alone anymore because they all had each other.