Elisabeth Kubler-Ross - Remember The Secret

ISBN 1-883672-79-1

$9.95

REMEMBER

THE

SECRET

by Elisabeth Kbler-Ross illustrated by Heather Preston

This beautiful story is about love and caring and loss. Suzy and Peter are best friends with each other and with their unseen companions, Theresa and Willy. They all play together and are happy in spite of others who scoff at Peter and Suzy's supposedly imaginary friends. Suddenly the reality of death must be faced by the two children. How they both grow in understanding themselves and their universe is the theme of Elisabeth Kbler- Ross's first book for young people. There is sadness here, but also victory and wisdom. Here is a wonderful book for children and adults to learn about one of the central facts of life.

Remember

the

Secret

Elisabeth Kbler-Ross

Illustrations by Heather Preston

Tricycle Press Berkeley, California

Text copyright 1982 by Elisabeth Kbler-Ross

Illustrations copyright 1982 by Heather Preston

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews .

TRICYCLE PRESS

P.O.Box 7123, Berkeley

California 94707

The Library of Congress has catalogued an earlier edition as follows:

Kbler-Ross, Elisabeth.

Remember the Secret.

Summary: Because she has already discovered the wonders of God, Suzy understands the true meaning of her friends death.

[1. DeathFiction. 2. HeavenFiction.]

I. Preston, Heather, ill. II. Tide.

PZ7. 89485Re[E]81-68454

ISBN 0-89087-524-3 (pbk.)

New ISBN 1-883672-79-1

First published in hardcover by Celestial Arts in 1982, and in paperback in 1987.

First Tricycle Press printing, 1998

Printed in Hong Kong

2 3 4 S 6 7 03 02 01 00.

Peter and Suzy were good friends. They lived next door to each other and shared many secrets long before they went to school.

They played together in the sandbox beside the honeysuckle vines in Suzys backyard, and they built beautiful sand castles. No one knew they were not alone. No one heard them talk with two very special friends who told them of many things the grownups did not seem to know about or understand, or maybe had forgotten.

Ever since Suzy's father had died the year before, her mother earned a living by sewing for other people and had a hard time paying the bills. She was often sad and worried. Sometimes she called Suzy into the house even before the sun went down, while Suzy and Peter were in the midst of a visit with their special friends, Theresa and Willy.

Willy always encouraged Suzy to listen to her mother. He also sang to her and made her laugh, telling her that laughter was a wonderful way to make people and God happy. Without Willy to help her, she too would probably have had a sad face like her mother's.

Peter's parents both worked, and Suzy's mother cared for him until his big brother and sister came home from school.

Peter would rush to greet them when the school bus stopped at their gate. He would try to tell them about Theresa, his special friend who looked after him whenever he was alone or with Suzy.

But his brother and sister would just laugh at him.

"He is a little crazy," John would say.

"Wait until he goes to schoolhe'll stop all these silly stories," Emma would add, hurrying him off to set the table before their parents got home from work.

One night Peter went to bed feeling very sad. Why dont John and Emma know about Theresa and Willy? He wondered as he drifted off to sleep.

Suddenly there was a funny sound in his ears, and he rose up toward the ceiling of his bedroom, hovered there a moment, then went right through the roof of his house and over the small town where he lived, up toward the clouds and the stars.

He was flying! He looked back at his house and saw himself sleeping peacefully in his own bed. How can this be? Peter wondered. How can I be home in bed and up here flying at the same time? But it was wonderful!

He never had felt so happy, so light, so totally free and unafraid. He could not understand any of this, but soon discovered that he could be anywhere he wished with the speed of his thought.

Then he realized that Theresa and Willy were flying alongside him. They smiled with delight to see the big grin lighting his face as he enjoyed the excitement of his first trip out of his body.

Peter thought of Suzy and wanted to share this adventure with her. The colors here were bright and beautiful, and there was a strange, lovely music in the air.

Just thinking of Suzy brought Peter right into her room. He found her sobbing into her pillow. Her mother had scolded her for ' 'not telling the truth. Suzy had only wanted to share with her mother Willy's visits to the sandbox, and what he told her about making people and God happy with laughter!

Suddenly Willy was right next to Suzy and gently stretched out his hand and, before she knew it, Suzy followed Peter and Theresa into the other world.

Willy led them, and as they floated he sang:

"Come to my world, my loves.

Come to the land where there is peace;

Come to the land where there is love;

Come to the land without pain, without tears.

Come to my world, my loves.

Suzy and Peter had never heard a more beautiful voice. They had never seen such wondrous colors. And they moved along quite easily as if they had been able to fly all their lives.

When they stopped, they were in a place with flowers everywhere, smelling sweeter than honeysuckle. There were many people there, of all ages, sizes and colors. They all looked beautiful and were very happy togetherthere was no pushing, throwing things, blaming, scolding or fighting. Things were as they could and should be, Peter thought, but he didn't really understand why it was never this peaceful and loving in his own home.

Theresa and Willy led them to a patch of grass at the edge of a waterfall. The waterfall seemed to create special mirror images for them in a pool.

Theresa and Willy tossed their clothes onto the grass and splashed into the crystal-clear pool. They invited Suzy and Peter to join them.

This was even nicer than their visits in the sandbox! In this place no one thought it strange that they wore no clothes. Peter wondered for a moment if his father would be angry if he saw them now.

Willy knew every thought Peter had, and he told both Peter and Suzy in a gentle voice that God had created our bodies and that we should be proud of them; we should never compare them as less or more beautifulthe beauty is in their uniqueness, and there are no two alike in the whole galaxy!