Celeste eagerly stood up. “My name is Celeste Lutterman and I work with Nelly at Beauty Oasis. This sweet young girl is mourning the death of her mother, and you want to evict her from this town? Ruth Grubber, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Bravo!” Judd McBoom shouted. “What century are you all living in? Every one of you should be ashamed of yourselves!”

Just then, a hush fell upon the hall. Each head turned to see Nelly herself, rain-drenched and exhausted, leaning against the rear wall. A large pair of glasses with gold satin aluminum frames covered her eyes like a disguise. Nelly looked down at her soggy boots and kept her eyes there. The room was fraught with tension.

“My fellow Foldingites,” Ruth announced, “if anyone else would like to share their thoughts, now is the time.” A roar of thunder startled the crowd.

“May I join you at the front of the hall please?” Celeste asked.

“Well,” Ruth responded uneasily, “I guess that would be all right.”

All eyes were on Celeste as she strolled down the aisle and took her place next to Ruth. “Methinks this is a truly disgusting spectacle,” she said, mocking Fritz Warren’s use of the antiquated word. “I’d venture to say that in the coming years you’ll wish this night never took place.”

“Is that all you have to say?” Ruth asked, eager to get Celeste back into her tenth row seat.

“Not by a long shot,” she replied. “Our distinguished friend Hugh Finch told us about Flora Broillet’s miraculous recovery, and you might have heard about Evelyn Estes who regained control of her paralyzed hand after Nelly gave her a manicure. The story was in the Folding Daily Press, page four. But you might not know about two other clients at our salon: a seamstress with severe arthritis and a dog trainer with a rare blood disorder. You can call it a coincidence if you like, but after Nelly worked on their nails, both received a clean bill of health.”

“Bullcrap!” pest control company owner Bert Varner bellowed.

“I realize there’s no concrete proof,” Celeste admitted, “but the only thing these people have in common is Nelly.”

“Right on!” Judd McBroom shouted.

“Now there’s something I’d like to do,” Celeste said. The pretty lady took a few steps toward the easel. “Ruth informed us that there are thirteen letters in Nelly’s full name. That’s true. But look what these letters spell.” The crowd watched with hypnotic curiosity as Celeste rearranged the letters in Nelly’s name. When she was finished, she stepped aside to reveal the result of her effort. Using every letter in the name NELLY EVA HAGEN, two words appeared: HEAVENLY ANGEL.

The audience gasped, Ruth’s jaw dropped, and the rain stopped coming down.

Eyes on Nelly, Celeste lifted her hands and applauded. Judd McBroom joined in. Before long, Nelly was receiving a wild, ecstatic standing ovation. This was such an unexpected show of support that the timid woman of the hour didn’t know how to react. Celeste dashed up the aisle and embraced her.

The evening air was deliciously fresh after the heavy rain, and hovering above was a spectacular, magical double rainbow that took everyone’s breath away. Not only did the residents of Folding see the spectrum of rich, vibrant colors, they felt it in a way they couldn’t explain. Basking in the palpable serenity the rainbow seemed to emit, Nelly’s former adversaries experienced a kind of rejuvenation. They felt light and airy, as if they might need ankle weights to keep them grounded. They’d never felt more attuned to the universe, or to each other. Not until weeks later did people begin to speak of this experience. Jocelyn Sage felt like she was consumed with a feeling of euphoria. Shane Edmonds described a downward-flowing ripple of some warm, thick liquid, from the forehead to the feet. Brenda Schuck felt like she was ballroom dancing even though she knew perfectly well that she was standing still.

From that moment forward, Nelly was regarded as the angelic healer of Folding, and she lived her life happily, productively and painlessly.

On a windy day in December, Ruth Grubber was putting a nasty note on the windshield of a car that was blocking her driveway by one inch. Just as she turned to walk away, a very old, very tall tree on her neighbor’s front lawn keeled over and landed on her head. She did know what hit her; she saw the thick trunk coming at her with frightening speed, but she didn’t have time to move out of its way.

If she’d lived, she would have undoubtedly sued.