Prelude
The woods were dark, quiet, like a secret was being held. The trees whispering behind her back. The ground lets out little cracks, as though she were cracking someone's back with every step. She felt betrayed in this forest. The tree branches scraped at her impaired wings like hands, trying to hold her back.
Her forehead had beads of sweat collecting at her eyebrows, as she breathes harder and harder, fear of nothing, nothing that may soon attack her. Running from the dark, that already had her surrounded. She stops and drops to her knees, getting them slightly dirty from the ground beneath her feet, her wings are bloody and torn to bits, only a few feathers remain perfectly intact, as she lets out little tears of sadness.
"I want to return to my old home, with the pines and shrubs that I love; This place is horrible, I don't want to be here, I don't even know where I'm going. What is this..."
Chapter 1
É
She wakes up in a clearing that has a barrier of thick pine trees, the scent of dampness and pollen fills the air. She shakes her wings softly, feeling the dried blood caked on them.
"Hmm?"
"WO! That was a weird dream." She blinked to herself wondering if Freud was right that our dreams mean something, "well to that man everything meant sexual frustration."
"Damn, I am in the woods. How did I black out like that?" "ok this is scary, in an odd place, all alone." She thought to herself "Damn sticks, what was I running from? I don't seem to be harmed by anything but from my own doing." "I forget how I got down here." But ever since that day, she haven't been able to fly. "No way out but to walk. Probably never be able to go back home again."
"Should I choose a separate job now, one to allow people know that angels exist. Show those who believe to keep believing or appear to them broken down and damaged and show to them, what their god won't do for me, one of her own and she abandons me."
"I can't even remember if I did anything to be stuck here. Is this punishment? broken down wings and a non retain able memory? "
"I don't know. So confused. Ok well gotta make the best of this. Alone, in the middle of an unknown forest, and broken down. I got think." She closed her eyes trying to relax and collect her thoughts.
"I'll walk. I can't die ... I think, and I'm bound to get somewhere sometime. Which direction though. Hm.. Lets keep this easy. Toward the sun in the morning and away from the sun in the late afternoon. At noon I have to stop, and wait."
"Hmm... I wonder if I can talk to the spirits still?" just gotta close my eyes, and feel all beings inside me, alive and dead, all aspects of life, come to me.... " She laid there closing her eyes, concentrating hard, she feels a sharp pain, coming from all all over. "AAHH! What was that?. Either I can't talk to them anymore or something bad is going down."
'And the thought hit her, "Was heaven conquered and we're left on earth now for eternity, or have I mortal body now, with wings that are damaged and sure to give me much trouble once I meet somebody. Is this why my memories of my home is rapidly escaping me? What has the morningstar done?"
"Well until I can find out I must find my way out of this forest, and figure out what in hell is going on."
"Hm... now for my direction of travel....still dew on the ground...no clouds in the sky, or at least I see blue in between the canopy openings I figure this is the morning, so lets head east."
"I wish there was a mirror to see my wings better." she folds them out trying to catch a drift of wind, pulling them back quickly from the sharp pain felt from every joint." no longer would I be allowed to see my beautiful feathers display high and mighty into the air, with dark brown and white feathers gallantly splayed out. With my robes flowing in the wind raining off shards of light that shone as though heaven meant for them to represent all of what is beautiful."
"And my voice oh how in my day it could enchant the coldest of hearts and soften the hardest of souls"
She stops abrupt, viewing a man laying on the forest floor, clothes are tattered and his feet are calloused and scratched. His face was pale white, with dirt smudged into the cracks under his eyes. His hair was messed up, with every strand pointing and in every direction. His hands had dried blood in the cracks of his nails and dirt under his toenails.
She says to her herself "Oh hello"
"he's awfully strange looking, I wonder how he got here."
Yelling loudly "Hello? Sir are you alright?"
He turns over mumbling incoherently "Hmmmrabbleohferat."
"Uh excuse me, can you repeat that please?"
"great he's unconscious. What now, I can't leave him here." "Hmmm....."
"SIR!" "and now my voice can't even wake up a man probably tossed here in a drunken stupor. I should at least turn him over so I can see who is. "
She slightly turns him over, viewing his face more closely, and her eyes widen with surprise, as she views upon a familiar face from long before.
"OH MY GOD! Gram! What...him too? Where's his wings?" She begins to shake him trying to wake him up.
"Who are you? get off me. Leave me alone."
"Gram it's me Beq, Gram, are you listening to me?" She starts to shake him more violently.
He sits up, pushing Beq off, rubbing his eyes trying to get he sleep and dirt out."Beq? Beq? Is it you? Oh my goodness, there you are, I was searching for you for so long,"
"why don't you have any wings? Where'd they go?" pointing at nothing behind him.
"I had to take on human form in order to come and search for you, I've been out here for several days looking for you." Gram leans forward to hug Beq.
"I can tell, they generally give us nice bodies but yours is getting rather malnutrition there. Here let me make something for your stomach." Beq grabs his arm and wiggles it abit.
"I hope this works, please no pain. Just close my eyes and think of a great banquet, walking through the many tables, rows and rows of white cloths nicely trimmed and silver platters all garnished with delicious food. Hmm... this doesn't seem to be hurting me."
" Now to open my eyes, I hope the glowing doesn't scare him"She opened her eyes as they glow eerie like, pale white with an occasion gleam that shift from corner to corner.
"What would your body like?"
"It's feeling like anything honestly...um....lets try some fruit and vegetables for starters, nothing too heavy." He sets his hands on his stomach feeling it rumble slightly from hunger.
"Sure thing:" "pick some berries, grapes, banana, potassium, um...carrots, tomato, celery," she giggles " peanut butter dipping sauce why not. Set them on my plate that transmutes them from the psyche world and there."
"Ok here." she sets the plate on the floor in front of him.
He folds up his legs reaching out for it"thanks."
"Um...do you mind if I ask you a question?" she stares blankly at him, as he eat his food quickly.
"No, go ahead." looking back up at her popping a grape into his mouth.
She starts to twiddle her fingers slightly "Do you happen to know what happened to me? I mean how I got here, and why my wings are torn? Perhaps also why my memory of heaven is fading?"
He has a face of disappointment, wishing that she might have still remembered their time together, sad that maybe she has already forgotten."I happen to know something as to why you're here, but I'm unable to speak of it in human form. Use of the ancient language is forbidden while on the mortal plain."
"Wow. The ancient language? We hardly use that anymore except in need of discreetness and emergency, This is not good." she looks down, worried now as to she might have done something terribly wrong. She sits down cross legged, putting her head in both of her hands.
She looks at him once again, hoping to get some relief."Not good huh?"
He looks down tearing a grape from its vine "No." she looks down also watching his fingers work the vine.
"Is there any hope of me returning?" He looks at her with a straight face that shows no emotion, no sign of hope. She thinks to herself before looking up"Please don't stare me blankly, please don't stare at me blankly. A blank stare by him means that there is little to no hope to anything." She looks up and stares right into his eyes, searching for anything. "No hope."
"So what should I do?" She lightly takes his hands, watching him look down at them, seeing a little blush come over his face.
"Follow out the rest of the test." He looks back up at her.
"Test? What test? Is that what this is? a test?" She lets go and stands up, pulling a dead twig off a tree.
"Yep, and you did something that requires of you to take it."
"I've heard of angels defying god and is required to take a test, to prove their loyalty and faith. But few have returned, far too few for me." she snaps the twig in half holding back her tears.
"I'm a goner, don't even know what I did, you can't tell me, and the test that if I fail, will pitched me into hell like some crumpled piece of paper. I'll just burn up like paper," she falls to the ground, covering her eyes hiding her face from the world, from him.
"Yep. That's why I'm here, I'm here to help you. I once was sent to take a test, much like yourself, but each test is different. I can't tell you what is to come, or how things are to go, all decisions must be made by you and you alone. But I am allowed to give one piece of advice. If it becomes between either me or heaven I want you to make the right choice." He puts his hand on her shoulder, as she uncovers her face slightly to stare at him with a confused face.
He stood there, scrawny yet beautiful, even though he had taken to human form, his eyes are still the same as they were if he were still an angel, and suddenly his face his changed to the moment of disappointment.
"How did they let you down here, I heard they don't let angels help those who are taking the test." she takes the empty plate, and frisbees it into a tree. It slides through and disappears like the tree itself were door to another dimension.
He offers her his hand, she takes it pulling herself up."A little secret between you and me, I jumped onto the back of Trey's chariot as he was deploying."
She pushes him slightly "Wait, wait, wait, you're telling me, that when Trey was leaving the station you hitched hiked? Does he know this? You know, no one ever applied to take the job of Death. if Trey gets into trouble, we'll be in trouble, this world would overpopulate and people would just start falling off the face of Earth.!"
He steps back a little to keep balance. "He knew. And he won't get into trouble. We watched our backs all the way here."
Beq points up at the sky. "Does God know you're here?"
Gram shrugs slightly "God knows all doesn't he?"
Beq grabs his shoulders , shaking him hard."Dammit give me an answer, does she know or not?"
Pushes Beq off, brushing himself off, looking up at her."He knows. And why are you calling him a she?"
She crosses her arms, slightly adjusting her weight on her feet, shifting her hips slightly. "Don't you remember, she takes the shape as to the gender we represent to help us better shape ourselves into these images, to be beautiful and wondrous to the human eye in the event that we must visit them."
"Which hasn't been done in that past 3 centuries."
"Which why people are losing faith, I honestly think God is losing grip."
"Watch it now, you're being tested."
"This very moment? You sure you can't spare a little information to what happened?"
"Nope can't say anything. Might mess up the results of this test. You might try to fix your problem instead of proving yourself worthy to return to heaven."
"True. Ok no more speak of it I guess......so what next?"
"Your call."
"Well you done eating."
"Yep."
"All right then lets head east."
"Why East."
"Because it's the direction I chose before I found you."
"Ok east it is."
"Does this forest feel weird to you."
"Nope. You also have to remember this isn't a mortal forest, it's an area set up just for your test, once you complete it, this will all disappear and change itself for the next angel."
"Oh yea, you're right."
"Do you remember your test at all?"
"Nope the memory was wiped, all that was left is the knowing that I passed. Don't know to what cost though, that's another thing I have to share with you. For approval back into heaven you must sacrifice something, something dear to you."
His eyes were sad like he knew what's to come, like he read the floor plans of this forest and overheard the battle plans. He knows something.
"What is it?'
"Nothing."
The woods were dark, quiet, like a secret was being held. The trees whispering behind her back. The ground lets out little cracks, as though she were cracking someone's back with every step. She felt betrayed in this forest. The tree branches scraped at her impaired wings like hands, trying to hold her back.
Her forehead had beads of sweat collecting at her eyebrows, as she breathes harder and harder, fear of nothing, nothing that may soon attack her. Running from the dark, that already had her surrounded. She stops and drops to her knees, getting them slightly dirty from the ground beneath her feet, her wings are bloody and torn to bits, only a few feathers remain perfectly intact, as she lets out little tears of sadness.
"I want to return to my old home, with the pines and shrubs that I love; This place is horrible, I don't want to be here, I don't even know where I'm going. What is this..."
Chapter 1
É
She wakes up in a clearing that has a barrier of thick pine trees, the scent of dampness and pollen fills the air. She shakes her wings softly, feeling the dried blood caked on them.
"Hmm?"
"WO! That was a weird dream." She blinked to herself wondering if Freud was right that our dreams mean something, "well to that man everything meant sexual frustration."
"Damn, I am in the woods. How did I black out like that?" "ok this is scary, in an odd place, all alone." She thought to herself "Damn sticks, what was I running from? I don't seem to be harmed by anything but from my own doing." "I forget how I got down here." But ever since that day, she haven't been able to fly. "No way out but to walk. Probably never be able to go back home again."
"Should I choose a separate job now, one to allow people know that angels exist. Show those who believe to keep believing or appear to them broken down and damaged and show to them, what their god won't do for me, one of her own and she abandons me."
"I can't even remember if I did anything to be stuck here. Is this punishment? broken down wings and a non retain able memory? "
"I don't know. So confused. Ok well gotta make the best of this. Alone, in the middle of an unknown forest, and broken down. I got think." She closed her eyes trying to relax and collect her thoughts.
"I'll walk. I can't die ... I think, and I'm bound to get somewhere sometime. Which direction though. Hm.. Lets keep this easy. Toward the sun in the morning and away from the sun in the late afternoon. At noon I have to stop, and wait."
"Hmm... I wonder if I can talk to the spirits still?" just gotta close my eyes, and feel all beings inside me, alive and dead, all aspects of life, come to me.... " She laid there closing her eyes, concentrating hard, she feels a sharp pain, coming from all all over. "AAHH! What was that?. Either I can't talk to them anymore or something bad is going down."
'And the thought hit her, "Was heaven conquered and we're left on earth now for eternity, or have I mortal body now, with wings that are damaged and sure to give me much trouble once I meet somebody. Is this why my memories of my home is rapidly escaping me? What has the morningstar done?"
"Well until I can find out I must find my way out of this forest, and figure out what in hell is going on."
"Hm... now for my direction of travel....still dew on the ground...no clouds in the sky, or at least I see blue in between the canopy openings I figure this is the morning, so lets head east."
"I wish there was a mirror to see my wings better." she folds them out trying to catch a drift of wind, pulling them back quickly from the sharp pain felt from every joint." no longer would I be allowed to see my beautiful feathers display high and mighty into the air, with dark brown and white feathers gallantly splayed out. With my robes flowing in the wind raining off shards of light that shone as though heaven meant for them to represent all of what is beautiful."
"And my voice oh how in my day it could enchant the coldest of hearts and soften the hardest of souls"
She stops abrupt, viewing a man laying on the forest floor, clothes are tattered and his feet are calloused and scratched. His face was pale white, with dirt smudged into the cracks under his eyes. His hair was messed up, with every strand pointing and in every direction. His hands had dried blood in the cracks of his nails and dirt under his toenails.
She says to her herself "Oh hello"
"he's awfully strange looking, I wonder how he got here."
Yelling loudly "Hello? Sir are you alright?"
He turns over mumbling incoherently "Hmmmrabbleohferat."
"Uh excuse me, can you repeat that please?"
"great he's unconscious. What now, I can't leave him here." "Hmmm....."
"SIR!" "and now my voice can't even wake up a man probably tossed here in a drunken stupor. I should at least turn him over so I can see who is. "
She slightly turns him over, viewing his face more closely, and her eyes widen with surprise, as she views upon a familiar face from long before.
"OH MY GOD! Gram! What...him too? Where's his wings?" She begins to shake him trying to wake him up.
"Who are you? get off me. Leave me alone."
"Gram it's me Beq, Gram, are you listening to me?" She starts to shake him more violently.
He sits up, pushing Beq off, rubbing his eyes trying to get he sleep and dirt out."Beq? Beq? Is it you? Oh my goodness, there you are, I was searching for you for so long,"
"why don't you have any wings? Where'd they go?" pointing at nothing behind him.
"I had to take on human form in order to come and search for you, I've been out here for several days looking for you." Gram leans forward to hug Beq.
"I can tell, they generally give us nice bodies but yours is getting rather malnutrition there. Here let me make something for your stomach." Beq grabs his arm and wiggles it abit.
"I hope this works, please no pain. Just close my eyes and think of a great banquet, walking through the many tables, rows and rows of white cloths nicely trimmed and silver platters all garnished with delicious food. Hmm... this doesn't seem to be hurting me."
" Now to open my eyes, I hope the glowing doesn't scare him"She opened her eyes as they glow eerie like, pale white with an occasion gleam that shift from corner to corner.
"What would your body like?"
"It's feeling like anything honestly...um....lets try some fruit and vegetables for starters, nothing too heavy." He sets his hands on his stomach feeling it rumble slightly from hunger.
"Sure thing:" "pick some berries, grapes, banana, potassium, um...carrots, tomato, celery," she giggles " peanut butter dipping sauce why not. Set them on my plate that transmutes them from the psyche world and there."
"Ok here." she sets the plate on the floor in front of him.
He folds up his legs reaching out for it"thanks."
"Um...do you mind if I ask you a question?" she stares blankly at him, as he eat his food quickly.
"No, go ahead." looking back up at her popping a grape into his mouth.
She starts to twiddle her fingers slightly "Do you happen to know what happened to me? I mean how I got here, and why my wings are torn? Perhaps also why my memory of heaven is fading?"
He has a face of disappointment, wishing that she might have still remembered their time together, sad that maybe she has already forgotten."I happen to know something as to why you're here, but I'm unable to speak of it in human form. Use of the ancient language is forbidden while on the mortal plain."
"Wow. The ancient language? We hardly use that anymore except in need of discreetness and emergency, This is not good." she looks down, worried now as to she might have done something terribly wrong. She sits down cross legged, putting her head in both of her hands.
She looks at him once again, hoping to get some relief."Not good huh?"
He looks down tearing a grape from its vine "No." she looks down also watching his fingers work the vine.
"Is there any hope of me returning?" He looks at her with a straight face that shows no emotion, no sign of hope. She thinks to herself before looking up"Please don't stare me blankly, please don't stare at me blankly. A blank stare by him means that there is little to no hope to anything." She looks up and stares right into his eyes, searching for anything. "No hope."
"So what should I do?" She lightly takes his hands, watching him look down at them, seeing a little blush come over his face.
"Follow out the rest of the test." He looks back up at her.
"Test? What test? Is that what this is? a test?" She lets go and stands up, pulling a dead twig off a tree.
"Yep, and you did something that requires of you to take it."
"I've heard of angels defying god and is required to take a test, to prove their loyalty and faith. But few have returned, far too few for me." she snaps the twig in half holding back her tears.
"I'm a goner, don't even know what I did, you can't tell me, and the test that if I fail, will pitched me into hell like some crumpled piece of paper. I'll just burn up like paper," she falls to the ground, covering her eyes hiding her face from the world, from him.
"Yep. That's why I'm here, I'm here to help you. I once was sent to take a test, much like yourself, but each test is different. I can't tell you what is to come, or how things are to go, all decisions must be made by you and you alone. But I am allowed to give one piece of advice. If it becomes between either me or heaven I want you to make the right choice." He puts his hand on her shoulder, as she uncovers her face slightly to stare at him with a confused face.
He stood there, scrawny yet beautiful, even though he had taken to human form, his eyes are still the same as they were if he were still an angel, and suddenly his face his changed to the moment of disappointment.
"How did they let you down here, I heard they don't let angels help those who are taking the test." she takes the empty plate, and frisbees it into a tree. It slides through and disappears like the tree itself were door to another dimension.
He offers her his hand, she takes it pulling herself up."A little secret between you and me, I jumped onto the back of Trey's chariot as he was deploying."
She pushes him slightly "Wait, wait, wait, you're telling me, that when Trey was leaving the station you hitched hiked? Does he know this? You know, no one ever applied to take the job of Death. if Trey gets into trouble, we'll be in trouble, this world would overpopulate and people would just start falling off the face of Earth.!"
He steps back a little to keep balance. "He knew. And he won't get into trouble. We watched our backs all the way here."
Beq points up at the sky. "Does God know you're here?"
Gram shrugs slightly "God knows all doesn't he?"
Beq grabs his shoulders , shaking him hard."Dammit give me an answer, does she know or not?"
Pushes Beq off, brushing himself off, looking up at her."He knows. And why are you calling him a she?"
She crosses her arms, slightly adjusting her weight on her feet, shifting her hips slightly. "Don't you remember, she takes the shape as to the gender we represent to help us better shape ourselves into these images, to be beautiful and wondrous to the human eye in the event that we must visit them."
"Which hasn't been done in that past 3 centuries."
"Which why people are losing faith, I honestly think God is losing grip."
"Watch it now, you're being tested."
"This very moment? You sure you can't spare a little information to what happened?"
"Nope can't say anything. Might mess up the results of this test. You might try to fix your problem instead of proving yourself worthy to return to heaven."
"True. Ok no more speak of it I guess......so what next?"
"Your call."
"Well you done eating."
"Yep."
"All right then lets head east."
"Why East."
"Because it's the direction I chose before I found you."
"Ok east it is."
"Does this forest feel weird to you."
"Nope. You also have to remember this isn't a mortal forest, it's an area set up just for your test, once you complete it, this will all disappear and change itself for the next angel."
"Oh yea, you're right."
"Do you remember your test at all?"
"Nope the memory was wiped, all that was left is the knowing that I passed. Don't know to what cost though, that's another thing I have to share with you. For approval back into heaven you must sacrifice something, something dear to you."
His eyes were sad like he knew what's to come, like he read the floor plans of this forest and overheard the battle plans. He knows something.
"What is it?'
"Nothing."
