Words of Faith

"So, who wants to read next?" Professor Pittman asked, running a hand through his copious blonde hair as he looked out at his class of freshman college students. Like every session, the students of Introduction to Creative Writing were situated in a large circle, each of them almost always in their regular spot.

His response was complete silence. Well, not quite…

One of the more boisterous students, Matt Kingston, raised his hand. "I'll read again if you want, Clark."

"No, I don't think that'll be necessary. Trust me," the young professor replied, causing the rest of the class to snigger. He didn't address the use of his first name, since it was a common occurrence that was encouraged. Clark once again scanned the room, his eyes finally resting on an eighteen-year-old girl a few seats away from him. She had her head down, and everything except her manuscript was already put away in her messenger bag, anticipating the end of class in five minutes. "How about you, Anna?"

Anna Harper didn't jump, but groaned and answered, "Can I go next week?"

"Well, you passed your story out now, right? No sense in waiting," Clark pressed.

"Okay," Anna replied, then adjusted her glasses and kept her eyes on her paper as she said, "This is the beginning of the novel I'm writing for my final project – a young adult mystery." Clearing her throat, she began, "'Melinda Grant turned around just in time to catch the small, tabloid-style newspaper that came flying in her direction…'"

While Anna read, none of the students nor the professor could see the three angels standing in the corner of the room near the door. The youngest-looking one sat in an empty desk, surveying the room with eagerness in her eyes. Next to her was an auburn-haired angel who had a steadying hand on her shoulder. Completing the trio was a seemingly elderly African American angel, torn between giving the young angel an aggravated glance and keeping an eye on the classroom proceedings.

"I'm so excited!" the brunette angel, Gloria, squealed, almost jumping out of her seat. "A real college classroom! So much learning and knowledge around all the time…it's amazing what humans do with the mind God has given them."

The auburn-haired angel, Monica, nodded in agreement. "Aye, it's wonderful. And this is only one college out of the thousands out there. This particular one is a state school for student looking to get their bachelor' degree, though some majors offer master's degrees."

"What's a major?" Gloria asked.

Before Monica could answer, the third angel, Tess, cut in, "I think that's enough questions for now, don't you? I'd like to be able to give you two your assignments before class is over."

"Sorry, Tess. I can't help it . You know how much I love books and learning new information," Gloria said. Then she muttered under her breath to Monica, "But I still want to know what a major is…"

Also in whisper, Monica assured her, "I'll tell you later."

"Will both of you angel babies stop whispering long enough to hear your assignments?" Tess interrupted, growing quite exasperated by this point. The two other angels quieted, allowing Tess to begin. "See that girl who's reading now?"

Looking at the student Tess indicated, Gloria answered, "That one? The professor said her name was Anna, I think."

"She's eighteen-year-old Anna Harper, a freshman in her second semester," Tess replied. "Anna has been writing stories for years now, ever since middle school, and dreams of becoming a fiction writer. However, even after all this time, she doesn't have faith in her abilities at all. She doesn't share her work with anybody, and while her passion is writing stories, she signed up to the journalism program because of her fear that a creative writing degree won't be practical. This doubt has gotten so bad that it has spread to her overall confidence, putting her on a dangerous road that will soon lead to major depression…if her faith in herself and God isn't restored."

"So our assignment is to reassure her of God's love and that she should continue her writing career," Monica guessed.

Tess shook her head. "The first part is right, but not the second. She has to realize on her own the career path that is meant for her. The key here is restoring her confidence in her ability to follow that career path."

"What are our assignments?" Gloria asked, then her eyes, and her smile, widened. "Do I get to be a student in the class? Do Monica and I both get to be students? Oh, I've never tried writing!"

"Well, that'll have to wait – neither you nor Monica are going to be students," Tess said, momentarily crushing the young angel's hopes for the assignment.

But Gloria perked up again and asked, "Then what are Monica and I doing?"

"'Monica and I' aren't doing anything," Tess answered abruptly, giving them both a look that said not to argue. "Monica is stepping in as Anna's advisor."

"Then…what am I going to do?" Gloria insisted.

As if mentally preparing herself for the protest to come, Tess let out a long, deep breath before answering, "You're working with me. This is Professor Pittman's second-to-last class before he leaves for a trip to Europe he's been planning for months. I'll be stepping in while he's gone, and you, Gloria, are going to be my teacher's assistant."

Gloria's face paled as she turned to Monica and begged, "Can't I work with you?"

Giving the young angel a sympathetic frown, Monica turned to Tess and pleaded, "Tess, don't you think this is a wee bit soon for her to be with anyone but her supervisor? It hasn't even been a year since she was created and…"

"I've been given orders, and you've been instructed to follow them. If the Father thinks it's time for Gloria to work with me, then it is. And that's that," Tess argued, her aggravation reaching its limit. "Ms. Wings, don't forget that while you're Gloria's supervisor, I still supervise the both of you. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Tess," Monica and Gloria replied in unison. Though embarrassed, Monica still managed to ask, "Will Andrew be joining us?"

Tess sighed. "He's around here somewhere. I think his assignment is helping a junior with a drinking problem…I've heard he's almost finished helping him though, so we may be seeing angel boy by the time this assignment is through."

Business finished, the trio returned to watching the scene in front of them. Some of the students had commented on Anna's work, and the professor was wrapping up the class. Turning to Anna, Clark said, "So Anna, I think we've established by now that you've got the technical stuff down. There's no question that you can write a sentence that flows. But…you still have a lot of work to do in order to get some life into those grammatically correct sentences. I get a sense that you're not pouring any emotion at all into your stories, and in the long run it hurts your work as a whole."

"I understand. Thank you," Anna whispered, stuffing her manuscript pages into her bag.

Turning to the rest of the class, Clark said, "On that note, that's it, and I'll see you next week. Last class before I head off to Europe! Bet you all can't wait 'til I get out of here, huh?"

The class laughed as they filed by the angels on their way out, the angels themselves watching with concern as Anna tried not to cry while she headed for the door.