“Om—you mean like what the Buddhist monks chant?”

“Yes, but in my dream it was much louder and it filled my entire body and mind, and it completely took me.”

“Did Mama say any more?” I asked.

Maggie’s eyes filled with tears. “Yes, Jim, she said our Layla was coming to us to get us ready for her, that our Layla picked us to help her come to be a light in the world, that she was coming to help people heal.”

Tears were running down Maggie’s cheeks as I gripped her hands in mine. The church was as still as Maggie’s pond when I heard Maggie gasp.

“What is it?” I said.

“I just felt Layla turn, and I’m in a lot of pain.”

I helped Maggie up and said, “Let’s take a cab home, baby.”