Southern Maine
Alfie had always been a smart kid in school, but he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. Throughout his entire young adulthood, everyone around him seemed to know - or start to discover -exactly what they wanted in the future.
But not Alfie.
He had no ambitions, no career choices, no desires or future goals for himself but one. He wanted to travel. He wanted to see things that most people never would in their lifetime. He never really fit in anywhere, and knew deep down in his gut that he was destined for something great. He felt he would discover just what that was through travel. He wanted experiences.
This is why he loved the lighthouses.
Every night after his shift at the wiener concession stand - where he put in long monotonous hours taking the orders of countless tourists looking for a quick bite - Alfie would walk down to the shore to unwind without even stopping home to change out of the embarrassing uniform. He would sit there for as long as he needed, watching the tide come in and out, watching the lighthouse's eye make slow revolutions across the ocean and around the bay, always on the lookout. He imagined what it would be like to be on the other end of the beam. To have traveled far distances, and to feel that moment of great accomplishment upon seeing the lighthouse's beam, a safe harbor with new experiences just behind its light.
It was here that Alfie first met Samandriel.
Or, maybe met is the wrong word. His encounter with the angel named Samandriel was more of an experience. Yes, he experienced the odd ringing in his ears that first day. He had been mentally planning a fantasy trip to one of the many countries of the world, something he did often on the shores of Maine, where he kept no secrets from the ocean. It began suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, and escalated just as quickly. Initially, he had the absurd thought that the noise was coming from the lighthouse's beam. Or maybe he was just having ear trouble. But the noise persisted. It hurt. The ringing continued to grow, escalating quicker than he thought imaginable. It became earsplitting. It was as if nothing else existed, as if there was no room in his head for anything else. He tried to cover his ears, to protect them, but it did no good. He tried screaming, but the shock from what was suddenly happening took away his voice. There was just his head and the awful piercing ringing noise and he was in so much pain he thought his brain might explode. And then, the noise began to make itself more clear.
No, wait. Not a noise, a ringing. It was a voice.