A Few Days Later....

The funeral was held in the desert area of Sedona. Most of the
family was there. Mark, Jack, Uncle Wallace, cousins, grandparents,
friends. Gabriel perched high up on one of the rocks: hunched on
his knees with hands folded. He could hear the priest below. He also
saw that Mark was the most sad of the lot. The boy had gazed up to
watch a bird fly away. "Oh..you want to be a flying monkey. I don't
blame you."

The priest continued, "..the Lord make His face to shine upon her
and be gracious unto her." He let the dust fall from his hand to the
earth. "The Lord lift up His countenance upon her and give her peace."

Gabriel couldn't help but chuckle at that.


An hour or so later, the people were inside the funeral home. Mark
stood against the stone wall.

Gabriel walked on the top of the wall. He perched himself. He called down quietly, "Hey! Boy, up here!"

Mark looked up. "Huh?" It was the guy from the hospital. "How did
you get up there?"

Gabriel leaped off, landing in front of the kid. He didn't appear to be hurt in any way from the jump.

Mark thought he would be in at least a *little* pain. "Who..."

"Long story. Call me 'Gabriel'."

"Gabriel?" He noticed the scar on the neck.

"Yes.." He looked over at the casket. "Too bad about your mother."

"What?"

"I tried to get her to come with me, but she's so stubborn. 'Janice',
was it?"

"Janice.."

"Her name. Then again, she always WAS strong-willled. Even as a
little girl, on that ranch in Oklahoma. Only she could tame the horse."

Mark took a step back. This man knew stuff about his mom that no
one but him and Dad knew. "How do you know this? Hey..what do you want?! Goddamn-"

Gabriel pointed his finger at Mark. "You need to watch it, with that profanity!"

"How could she go with you if she was dead?"

"I have a few tricks. So, she finally quit. She left to the pie in the sky. Kicked the bucket. She's....taking a dirt nap."

"Hey!" Gabriel was getting personal with the jokes. "That's not funny."

Gabriel shrugged. "Of course not. Death is never funny. One thing:
You're an Evans."

"So?"

"You wouldn't by any chance be related to an Evans child named 'Henry'..would you?"

"Sure, from Maine. Somewhere in Rock Harbor. But I haven't met him. Why do you ask?"

"Personal. By the way, I had to laugh at that priest. 'The Lord give her peace'. You talking monkeys know nothing about God or Heaven! It's not what it was. Oh, well. You'll learn...Mark." He turned and started walking away.

The child was confused. Who was that man to call someone a 'talking
monkey'? Also, he knew Mark's name. No one told him. When he spoke, it's like there was something eerie about him. Something
powerful. "Too weird for me. I don't think I want to see him again."

----EDEN----

Michael, dressed in a light olive coat and blue jeans, sat in his
quarters. He and his followers had been here for millennia. It was
well-hidden within modern structures and inventions. Mankind would
never guess that the Garden was here. The loyal archangel placed
another candle on the pipe.

An Oriental angel, sporting a brown coat, entered. "Michael?"

Michael nodded. "Yes, Danyael?"

"I'm ready to depart. What is your wish?"

"It has been revealed to me...go to the North American state called Maine. There's a small town. Rock Harbor. That's where Gabriel and his brothers will be. The humans of the Evans family will be involved somehow, esppecially Mark. And Henry."

"A dark soul?"

"Gabriel wants to use it. Take Cedael, Simon, and Zebonai with you. You're only to watch, while they act."

"Yes. Is there a reason why I'm not to fight?"

"We need you for a later task. Just observe. If your brothers should fall, however, you must do what is required to survive. In any case, you must at least reveal yourself to the humans. As another mortal, unless it's too late."

"Yes, Captain. It'll be done." He ran out of the room.