Jay Robbins sat on the bench watching as dozens of hikers walked down the path toward Upper Tetagouche Falls. His watch told him that it would still be at least twenty minutes until his wife, Maggie, returned from her jaunt to see the waterfall. He turned to his daughter, Aimee, who was sitting next to him. She had a huge smile on her face as she looked at her phone.

"What are you so happy about?" Jay asked.

Aimee, who was thirty-five years old and had Down Syndrome, turned toward him, the grin still plastered on her face.

"I just found today's Brewer line-up."

Aimee was a huge Milwaukee Brewer fan. She watched every game she could and knew more about the players than anyone.

"Is Joey Anderson playing today?" asked Jay.

"Yes. So is Hector Rodriquez and Mike Walsh."

"Who's your favorite player?" asked Jay, though he already knew the answer. The two of them had shared this conversation many times.

"All of them."

"But who do you like the best?"

"Everyone."

"You can't like everyone best, you goofball."

"You're the goofball." Aimee giggled gleefully.

By this time, Jay was smiling just as joyfully as his daughter.

A family walked by, heading toward the trail. A young boy, about six, stopped and stared at Aimee before being dragged along by his mother. Jay thought about how rarely anyone noticed Aimee's differences. Society was much more aware and understanding than it was twenty years ago.

"I do have a question," announced Aimee as she often did. "When's Mom coming back?"

"Oh, it'll be a while." Jay and Maggie enjoyed trips to the North Shore of Lake Superior to see the waterfalls. They made the trek once or twice a year. Aimee would come with them about half of the time. They loved having her with them, but Aimee wasn't a big fan of the long hikes. She was short in stature, a little overweight, and had very small feet. Her shoes were children's size four. Because she had poor balance, Aimee couldn't make the hikes that involved a lot of climbing or walking through roots or rocks. When the family stopped at a park or trail that was too difficult for Aimee, either Jay or Maggie would hang back with her while the other walked the path to the waterfall. They would take turns staying with Aimee. Tetagouche trail was Jay's turn to sit and wait.

"I do have another question," continued Aimee. "Can I go to the bathroom?"

"Of course you can," said Jay. He pointed to the restroom building at the far end of the trailhead parking lot. "You can go. I'll wait here. Watch for cars."

"I will."

Aimee stood and began to slowly make her way across the parking area. Every few steps, she stopped and turned her head side to side, making sure none of the cars were backing out of their spots.

Jay watched her the entire time it took her to reach the restrooms. He trusted her. He knew she would be careful, but it was second nature for him to be protective.

Once Aimee was inside the ladies' room, Jay turned back toward the trail. He jumped visibly when he noticed an old woman sitting next to him on the bench where Aimee had been sitting moments before.

"You and your wife have done an excellent job raising your daughter," said the woman.

Jay immediately reconsidered his initial assumption that the woman was old. Sure, she had white hair and was wearing a beige pantsuit with a white shawl draped over her shoulders, but her face didn't appear elderly. There were no wrinkles on her forehead or crow's feet extending from the corners of her eyes. Yet, her eyes were deep and knowing, like pools of wisdom.

"We try, but it's all her," said Jay, deflecting the compliment.

"You have done more than try," said the woman. "It is wonderful that Aimee has her own apartment and can be so independent, yet you still watch over her."

Jay tilted his head and stared at his visitor. "How do you know that?"

"I know everything about Aimee. I have been watching her entire life."

"What's going on here?" Jay began to rise from his seat.

"Please sit down. I can explain everything."

Jay felt compelled to listen to the woman. Her voice had a calming effect, and her mannerisms exuded a mixture of compassion and authority.

"I have been tasked with the duty of watching Aimee, and when necessary, intervening for her good. I have rarely had to do that because of how well you and Maggie have done."

"By who?"

The woman shrugged. "I think you can guess."

After a pause, Jay found his voice. "Are you saying that you are Aimee's guardian angel?" The idea sounded inconceivable even as Jay said it.

"If that is a term that you will accept, then, yes. I am Aimee's guardian angel."

"That's crazy." Jay began looking around for some kind of hidden camera or somebody filming them with their phone. "Is this a gag? Did Maggie put you up to this?" His wife was not the type to pull this sort of practical joke, but that would be a much more acceptable explanation than the one the woman was presenting.

"We don't have much time," continued the supposed angel. "Maggie will be back in ten minutes, and you have an important decision to make."

"What kind of decision?"

"I have been given the authority to make you an offer. You have earned the right to have a miracle if you choose to accept it."

The woman paused, waiting for Jay to comment, but Jay just continued to stare at her.

"If you ask me to," she continued, "I can make it so that Aimee would not have been born with Down Syndrome."

This time, Jay jumped to his feet. "That's ridiculous. I don't know what kind of cruel joke you think you're playing. You need to leave me and my family alone."

The woman waited for Jay to finish his outburst and then spoke calmly. "I understand how unbelievable this sounds. But imagine not crying yourself to sleep the night your daughter was born. Do you remember how you couldn't sleep that night and started reading from a book of science fiction short stories and read the tale of some colonists on a planet where all the children born were somehow less evolved. That was a painful time for you."

"How'd you know about that. I never told anyone that night."

"I know everything about Aimee's life and those who love her. I am not perpetrating some sort of hoax. I am making you a legitimate offer. Imagine not having to spend all those hours worrying about what her life would be. Not having to make all the sacrifices you and Maggie made."

"How could you do that? I mean, you can't suddenly make Aimee not have Down Syndrome."

"It would not work that way. If you accept the offer, this reality would disappear and be replaced by a reality where thirty-five years ago you and Maggie would have become the parents of a baby girl without an extra chromosome."

Jay shook his head. "I don't understand."

"All of your memories from this reality will be replaced by those of the new reality. You won't remember that first night. You won't remember all those hours of teaching her to memorize sight words so she could begin to read or worrying her health. All those recollections would be replaced with new ones, ones involving the raising of your daughter."

Hundreds of scenes from the past ran through Jay's brain like some sort of sports highlight reel on steroids. Aimee scooting on her butt to get around before she started crawling at the age of two. Meetings with physical and occupational therapists. Maggie spending hours advocating for Aimee at school. Taking Aimee to Special Olympics practices and events. Watching her be just as excited for the competitors that beat her than for herself. Seeing teachers and other students in Aimee's school accept her and included her in activities like the school play.

It struck Jay that more of the memories were positive than not.

"Yes," interrupted the angel, "those would all go away. Trips to Special Olympic practice might be replaced by softball practices or dance recitals."

"Aimee would be a dancer? That would be cool. I'd like that, except I would never do one of those father-daughter recital numbers."

"I cannot tell you what the new memories will be. Like life in general, you don't get to know what is to come."

"So, let me get this straight. If I choose to accept this miracle, all of reality for the last 35 years will be altered? That seems like a big deal."

"It's really not. You will simply be dropped into a different timeline. A timeline where everyone has known the new version of Aimee since she was born."

"That would change a lot."

"Most definitely. You may be changed. It remains to be seen if you would be as patient as you are now if your Aimee wasn't a part of your life. Will your sons be as caring and compassionate as they are? Maybe they will have better lives without having spent so much of their childhood watching out for their older sister. Your decision has many consequences. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you if they are good or bad."

"What about her health?" asked Jay, momentarily being drawn into the possibility and forgetting it's outrageousness. "Would she not have any of the issues she's had to deal with?"

The woman shook her head, slightly. "It is impossible to tell. She could end up having other problems. She will have the same chance of random illness as everyone else."

"Shouldn't my wife have some say in this. She's done more for Aimee than I have."

"That is not for me to decide. I have been directed to give you this choice. Maggie may well get to make the same decision."

Jay found himself wondering how he had been pulled into this discussion. It was ludicrous to believe this was all real. Why was he even thinking about making this outlandish decision?

"But what about Aimee? Will she have a good life? Will she be happy?"

The angel shrugged. "I cannot say."

"What if I accept your offer and Aimee has a miserable life? She's happy now . . . but there are so many things she will never get to do. Her life could be so different. Can you at least tell me if the other Aimee would get married and have a family?"

Ignoring Jay's question, the woman said, "You must choose. Your wife will be back very soon."

"I still don't believe any of this. You're saying that all I have to do is accept your offer and instantly all my memories will be changed and the whole world will be different."

"Only things that have to do with Aimee. No one will remember anything about her in this time line, including you."

"I don't want this responsibility. I can't deny Aimee a better life, but I don't know that it will be better. I would have taken your miracle in an instant when she was first born, but now it's so much more difficult. I love Aimee the way she is. We love her the way she is. But does she deserve better? Would it be better?"

"I need your answer. Maggie is almost here."

***

"Who were you talking to?" asked Maggie as she stepped down from the trail onto the landing where the bench was located.

"What?" said Jay, confusion owning his face.

"Never mind. Where's Aimee?"

Jay pointed toward the restrooms across the parking lot. "She went to the bathroom."

As Maggie and Jay looked on, the door to the lady's room swung open, and a tall, handsome woman wearing blue jeans and a green hoodie emerged. The woman scanned her surroundings, looking for someone. Her gaze stopped on Jay and Maggie for a second before she started walking away.

The restroom door opened a second time and Aimee stepped out. She began crossing the parking lot, heading toward the bench. With each step, she looked to the right and left, making sure there weren't any cars coming.