6:00pm
COLE'S HOUSE
Cole walked through the door. As he hung his coat up, he smelled pork chops in the kitchen. His mom must have been cooking.
Lynn came into the living room. "Cole, why are you home so late?"
"I was playing with my toys in the church. Sorry, I just lost track of time."
"Oh. Well, dinner's all ready. How was your day?"
"Mom, this may sound weird, but..I saw.."
"It's okay, son. Remember, you told me. Was it those ghosts?"
He shook his head. "No, something else. An angel."
"Angels?"
"Yes. It was Cadmiel."
"Who's that?"
"He's the Angel of Destiny."
"So, this guy...was he nice? What's he like? Is he like the ones on TV..
you know, Michael Landon. Or the ones on 'Touched By An Angel'?"
"No, Mom. That's *television*. This was REAL. They know all our
names, they know how to really fight, and they are identified by a
symbolic scar on their necks. Father Martin told me it was angelic
script."
"How can you see angels, as well as ghosts?"
"I'm not sure. I've always had this gift for seeing the supernatural. Ghosts are a part of it. Angels are another."
"So..what did he want?"
"He just said that he's glad I accepted my destiny. Oh, and someone I know needs help."
"Who?"
He sat on the couch. "He didn't say. He just quoted some Latin phrase. I think it means...'A scholar's ghost is trapped or residing between Heaven and Hell, in Purgatory'. Then he said it's where all the other souls go."
"Whoa. ALL souls? Now, I know that Purgatory is a waiting place,
but they have to go sometime. To be judged by their Creator. You
know, so they can go to wherever they're supposed to be for eternity."
"I thought about it. I don't understand it either."
"But what was that about a scholar's ghost? Someone you know?"
"I don't know many. I guess it's a healer, a helper."
"You mean, a physician? That's what they were callled back then, in
Rome and Greece. Like a doctor, a philosopher."
"Right! But I only know a couple. Dr. Burnstein, our dentist. Dr. Parks, the doctor at our hospital."
"Oh, and Dr. Hill. The prick I spoke to after that situation at Darren's birthday party."
"But I still don't get it."
"You don't get what?"
"They are all alive."
"Oh. No, there's another one. Didn't you mention a doctor who had
helped you over the past few days, that therapy counselor?"
"Huh? Oh..Malcolm Crowe."
"Yes, the child psychologist."
"He had to say goodbye to his wife. I never saw him after the school play. I just thought he went to Heaven."
"But this angel said he was in Purgatory, that he'll need your help."
"That has to be it. But how do I help him? I don't know, Mom. He's 'up there', I'm stuck down here."
"We can hope. Believe that he'll be ok. You can always pray. That
might cause something to happen wherever Malcolm is at."
He stood up. "...Aha. That's a good point. I'll do that. But I need privacy."
"Sure. I'll be setting the table." She walked into the other room.
Outside, on the roof of a building across the street, Cadmiel stood. He had been watching Cole and his mother. The angel smiled. "Good. Very good. Yes, Cole. *Pray*. Then, we can act on your behalf, that your friend can return to aid you." He spread his wings. Then, he folded them. Someone was coming. He turned around, to see an angel land on the roof.
He was a very big, imposing figure with the appearance of a Native
American: long hair, fierce facial features, dark sunglasses over his eyes.
Cadmiel grinned. "Hello, Uziel. What brings you here?"
The smile wasn't returned. The creature replied with a serious tone,
"Cease the formalities."
"Fine, down to business. What do you want?"
"Why are you involved with mortals lately? That isn't like you to
interfere with their lives."
"Why? It's always been about one thing. Destiny. Their fate is
determined by what they do, whether or not they follow their
preordained path."
"But why the sudden interest in the boy? What is he to you? This.. *monkey* who sees ghosts!"
"He is their hope. He accepted his true path."
"But he did not realize this alone. Another soul was responsible. A disembodied spirit, a dead one."
"The scholar didn't know he was dead. Therefore, your accusation is
faulty. The boy is about to embark on a path that not even he could
understand."
"Why? Because he is a bridge between the spirit world and Earth?
Because he can see spirits?"
"That's part of it."
"Very well. I'll leave you to your foolish plans. I assume you know
about the nephilim?"
"Diabolus? Of course, the son of Lucifer. He arrived in this city not too long ago."
"Gabriel knows that also..that's why we're here. The demon-spawn will
not live for long. The free will of a human, the power of a fallen archangel..bad mix. Our Creator did not tolerate them in Noah's time."
"I know! I was there, remember?! We all were, we saw His wrath on
the Fallen. But these are different times. HE does not involve himself directly anymore. Why do you ask of this..what's your point?"
"The nephilim will perish. If not by me, then by the hand of Gabriel. I discovered that DJ, as he calls himself, will attend school..the same area this 'Cole' goes to."
"Yes, Cole's friends are playing with DJ now. So?"
"So..the boy is not meant to know of our war. None of the talking
monkeys are. I shall only say this once: Cole Sear will NOT interfere
with us! If he is in the way, he will learn the pain of eternal suffering, if only for a moment." He heard the faint sound of a trumpet. "And now, I leave! Gabriel is calling." He turned around, standing on the ledge. He spread his wings and took off.
Cadmiel watched him soar. "No. You will not win, Gabriel. Cole will
survive. He must. The humans need someone to carry on the message,
that they may be prepared for their fate, regardless of who wins this war." He looked back at the window, where he saw mother and son eating at the dining room table. Yes, the boy's prayers were heard. Now, the angel leaped off the roof, allowing his wings to spread out, taking him higher. He had to find Simon.
COLE'S HOUSE
Cole walked through the door. As he hung his coat up, he smelled pork chops in the kitchen. His mom must have been cooking.
Lynn came into the living room. "Cole, why are you home so late?"
"I was playing with my toys in the church. Sorry, I just lost track of time."
"Oh. Well, dinner's all ready. How was your day?"
"Mom, this may sound weird, but..I saw.."
"It's okay, son. Remember, you told me. Was it those ghosts?"
He shook his head. "No, something else. An angel."
"Angels?"
"Yes. It was Cadmiel."
"Who's that?"
"He's the Angel of Destiny."
"So, this guy...was he nice? What's he like? Is he like the ones on TV..
you know, Michael Landon. Or the ones on 'Touched By An Angel'?"
"No, Mom. That's *television*. This was REAL. They know all our
names, they know how to really fight, and they are identified by a
symbolic scar on their necks. Father Martin told me it was angelic
script."
"How can you see angels, as well as ghosts?"
"I'm not sure. I've always had this gift for seeing the supernatural. Ghosts are a part of it. Angels are another."
"So..what did he want?"
"He just said that he's glad I accepted my destiny. Oh, and someone I know needs help."
"Who?"
He sat on the couch. "He didn't say. He just quoted some Latin phrase. I think it means...'A scholar's ghost is trapped or residing between Heaven and Hell, in Purgatory'. Then he said it's where all the other souls go."
"Whoa. ALL souls? Now, I know that Purgatory is a waiting place,
but they have to go sometime. To be judged by their Creator. You
know, so they can go to wherever they're supposed to be for eternity."
"I thought about it. I don't understand it either."
"But what was that about a scholar's ghost? Someone you know?"
"I don't know many. I guess it's a healer, a helper."
"You mean, a physician? That's what they were callled back then, in
Rome and Greece. Like a doctor, a philosopher."
"Right! But I only know a couple. Dr. Burnstein, our dentist. Dr. Parks, the doctor at our hospital."
"Oh, and Dr. Hill. The prick I spoke to after that situation at Darren's birthday party."
"But I still don't get it."
"You don't get what?"
"They are all alive."
"Oh. No, there's another one. Didn't you mention a doctor who had
helped you over the past few days, that therapy counselor?"
"Huh? Oh..Malcolm Crowe."
"Yes, the child psychologist."
"He had to say goodbye to his wife. I never saw him after the school play. I just thought he went to Heaven."
"But this angel said he was in Purgatory, that he'll need your help."
"That has to be it. But how do I help him? I don't know, Mom. He's 'up there', I'm stuck down here."
"We can hope. Believe that he'll be ok. You can always pray. That
might cause something to happen wherever Malcolm is at."
He stood up. "...Aha. That's a good point. I'll do that. But I need privacy."
"Sure. I'll be setting the table." She walked into the other room.
Outside, on the roof of a building across the street, Cadmiel stood. He had been watching Cole and his mother. The angel smiled. "Good. Very good. Yes, Cole. *Pray*. Then, we can act on your behalf, that your friend can return to aid you." He spread his wings. Then, he folded them. Someone was coming. He turned around, to see an angel land on the roof.
He was a very big, imposing figure with the appearance of a Native
American: long hair, fierce facial features, dark sunglasses over his eyes.
Cadmiel grinned. "Hello, Uziel. What brings you here?"
The smile wasn't returned. The creature replied with a serious tone,
"Cease the formalities."
"Fine, down to business. What do you want?"
"Why are you involved with mortals lately? That isn't like you to
interfere with their lives."
"Why? It's always been about one thing. Destiny. Their fate is
determined by what they do, whether or not they follow their
preordained path."
"But why the sudden interest in the boy? What is he to you? This.. *monkey* who sees ghosts!"
"He is their hope. He accepted his true path."
"But he did not realize this alone. Another soul was responsible. A disembodied spirit, a dead one."
"The scholar didn't know he was dead. Therefore, your accusation is
faulty. The boy is about to embark on a path that not even he could
understand."
"Why? Because he is a bridge between the spirit world and Earth?
Because he can see spirits?"
"That's part of it."
"Very well. I'll leave you to your foolish plans. I assume you know
about the nephilim?"
"Diabolus? Of course, the son of Lucifer. He arrived in this city not too long ago."
"Gabriel knows that also..that's why we're here. The demon-spawn will
not live for long. The free will of a human, the power of a fallen archangel..bad mix. Our Creator did not tolerate them in Noah's time."
"I know! I was there, remember?! We all were, we saw His wrath on
the Fallen. But these are different times. HE does not involve himself directly anymore. Why do you ask of this..what's your point?"
"The nephilim will perish. If not by me, then by the hand of Gabriel. I discovered that DJ, as he calls himself, will attend school..the same area this 'Cole' goes to."
"Yes, Cole's friends are playing with DJ now. So?"
"So..the boy is not meant to know of our war. None of the talking
monkeys are. I shall only say this once: Cole Sear will NOT interfere
with us! If he is in the way, he will learn the pain of eternal suffering, if only for a moment." He heard the faint sound of a trumpet. "And now, I leave! Gabriel is calling." He turned around, standing on the ledge. He spread his wings and took off.
Cadmiel watched him soar. "No. You will not win, Gabriel. Cole will
survive. He must. The humans need someone to carry on the message,
that they may be prepared for their fate, regardless of who wins this war." He looked back at the window, where he saw mother and son eating at the dining room table. Yes, the boy's prayers were heard. Now, the angel leaped off the roof, allowing his wings to spread out, taking him higher. He had to find Simon.
