I'm not really sure ifI will continue this or not. I stopped writing it because of writer's block, and I never really could pick it back up. Please review and tell me what you think about it, and maybe I'll consider picking it back up, if people call for it. Thank you!
Disclaimer: anything unrecognizeable is mine.
Alessandra burst into the house, her raggedy doll and unruly red hair flying out behind her.
"Mami! Papi! I found an angel in our yard!" she cried. Her mother and father looked up from where they sat on the couch and looked at each other. Her mother sighed, brushing a strand of mousy brown hair behind her ear.
"Alessandra. You know full well that there is no angel in the backyard. How many times have we gone over this?" her mother said taking the excited child into her arms. But Alessandra would not sit still. She squirmed out of her mother's arms and jumped up and down.
"But I'm serious this time! There's really an angel and she's beautiful!" she cried. Her father sighed and stood.
"Alessandra," he said sharply. "Listen to me. There are no angels in the backyard. Neither are there faeries or leprechauns. So I'm going to take you outside and prove that there are no angels. And then we'll hear no more of this. Understood?" her father said sternly. Alessandra took no heed to his tone of voice, but instead jumped up and down all the more excitedly. The three of them went outside and started out towards the back of the small cottage. On the way they met up with Alessandra's brother, Nicholas, who was standing there at the corner of the house, gaping open mouthed, at something in the garden.
"Nicholas?" his mother called. He turned, his brown eyes wide with amazement.
"Mama. You've got to see this," he whispered. Alessandra cheered and raced ahead with her brother in tow and her parents following close behind. But Alessandra's mother and father stopped dead at what they saw.
Lying at an odd angle in the middle of the garden, lay a young woman. She looked no older than 21 years of age, and she glowed with vibrant youth. She was beautiful beyond words, with waist length silvery blonde hair that surrounded her head like a halo, and milky white skin without a single blemish or freckle. She was clothed in a gown of blue, that in no way could even harbor thoughts of being anything but pure. But the one feature that made the parents stop and stare were the large white wings that lay open, sprouting from the back of the girl. The feathers of the wings were such a pristine white, and only some of the feathers had been bent while some that had come off lay scattered around the body.
"Oh my Lord most high," Alessandra's mother muttered as she stepped forward. "Michael, look. Alessandra was right for once. Oh, she was right," her mother whispered to her husband.
"She was right, Gretchen." Alessandra and Nicholas slowly approached the fallen angel, barely daring to breathe lest they wake her. Alessandra reached out a tentative hand, her other hand clutching her doll tightly against her, and touched one of the feather's of the angel's wings. She jumped back almost as soon as she made contact and then smiled.
"Alessandra! Don't touch her!" Michael called.
"But she's an angel, Papi! She won't hurt me!" Alessandra called defiantly back. Her and Nicholas then bent over her, running their hands over the bent feathers of the angel's wings.
Suddenly, the girl stirred and moaned, turning her head. Alessandra shrieked and her and Nicholas ran behind their parents, peeking out as the girl awoke. The angel opened her eyes and blinked. As she regained consciousness of her body, she tested her limbs, happy that nothing had broken. But of course nothing could break, she was in heaven-
The angel sat bolt right up, her unearthly blue eyes wide with shock. Before her she saw a small family huddled together, staring at her in wonder. Around her she saw small crops on the brink of death, and patches of snow littering the frozen earth. A small cottage lay a few yards away, with scraps of fabric lining cracks so the cold wouldn't get in as easily. Her eyes turned back to the family and she felt as though she would cry.
"Where am I?" she forced out. Even though her words came forced, her voice was melodic and had an English accent to it. The man cleared his throat.
"My name is Michael, and this is my wife Gretchen, and our children, Alessandra and Nicholas. You're in Transylvania," he said hesitating, unsure of what the angel's reaction might be.
"I'm on earth?" she whispered to herself in disbelief. How had that happened? How could she be here? The last thing she remembered was falling a great distance before she passed out. She quickly ran her slender hands over her wings mending all of the broken feathers. That cheered her a bit, knowing that her powers were still with her. As she healed herself of minor cuts and bruises, Alessandra shoved past her parents and ran up to the girl.
"Are you really an angel?" she asked.
"Alessandra, get back here!" Gretchen called, but the child ignored her.
"Yes, I am," the girl said. She smiled at Alessandra. "And what's your name?"
"Alessandra and I'm six years old!" she said proudly, puffing out her chest. The girl laughed, a silvery laugh, the sound of wind whispering through trees on a spring day.
"My name is Degana," she said, bending down to Alessandra's height. She folded her wings and they melted into her back, leaving her in a human form.
"Wow…. How do you do that?" Nicholas asked, breaking free from his father's grip and approaching Degana. Degana turned to him, waited a moment, then suddenly her wings burst free and spread to their full width. This caught the children off guard, but when they recovered, they giggled and Alessandra clapped her hands gleefully. Michael and Gretchen smiled and came a little closer to watch as Degana hovered in the air a few feet above the ground, and then did a somersault and landed.
"And how old are you, Nicholas?" Degana asked, as once again she folded her wings away.
"I'm eight. How old are you?" he asked innocently. Degana chuckled.
"Older than you no doubt."
"But why are you down here and not in heaven with the other angels?" Alessandra asked innocently, her head cocked to the side and a confused expression on her face. Degana stopped laughing and the happiness faded from her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak words that wouldn't come but was thankfully saved by Gretchen who sensed the awkwardness.
"All right, lovies," she called. "Time for bed."
"Aw, but it's still light out," Nicholas whined, but even so, him and his sister walked into the cottage.
"Ah, but soon it won't and you know what happens when you're outside alone in the dark, don't you?" Michael said. Then he roared like a monster and chased the children as they squealed and giggled, into the house. Gretchen approached Degana sadly.
"Come, child," she said. "Come inside. You don't want to be caught outside either." Degana followed the kind woman inside just as the last few rays of the sun dipped beyond the horizon.
Inside the cottage it was warm and snug as the children slept up in the loft, already sound asleep. Michael, Gretchen, and Degana sat around the small wooden table in the kitchen sipping herbal tea. Degana was lost in deep in thought that she didn't hear Gretchen's question.
"What? I'm sorry," Degana said, snapping out of her thoughts.
"That's all right, dear. I said what are you going to do now? Do you know how you got here? Or how to get back?" Gretchen asked, pouring herself some more tea. Degana stared down into her tea cup, sloshing the remainder of it around.
"I don't know. I don't know why I'm here yet, my memories still have not returned to me. It's very perturbing," Degana said quietly. Michael nodded sympathetically and Gretchen laid her hand on Degana's, her soft brown eyes were sad.
"Well, I'm sure your memories will return soon enough. But for now, you should get your rest. I'll see you in the morning."
Gretchen and Michael let Degana sleep in their room and they instead went and slept in the loft with the children. Degana immediately went down on her knees and clasped her hands together. She prayed fervently for the next ten minutes, seeking God's help to why she was here. But God didn't answer her. A bit panicked, she tried again and again, but there was no response. God had abandoned her. Tears streamed down her face as she crawled into bed and curled into a ball. Her wings came out and enfolded her in a white feather cocoon. She cried herself to sleep.
Degana knelt in front her Lord, tears streaming down her face as she looked up pleading to Him. Her large white wings, were drooped but spread behind her. Angels lined the great room, and among them were many of her friends. Her best friends, Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael, stood next to her Lord, their arms crossed as they stared back at Degana, their faces showing no emotion, even as her eyes pleaded with them.
"Please, give me another chance," she pleaded for the hundredth time. The Lord's face was impassive as he shook his head.
"You will be cast down to earth, to live for eternity among the mortals. Never again will you set foot beyond the Pearly Gates and into heaven. You have betrayed some loyal friends and even that I cannot forgive," the Lord said. Degana knelt in shock, tears still running down her cheeks.
"I will, however, show some mercy and allow you to keep your wings. They were something you earned, and things you earn can not be taken away, no matter what happens. Go now. You are banished from these halls."
The next thing, Degana knew she was falling through the air, with everyone looking down from the clouds.
Degana woke suddenly, sweat-stained and crying. She sat up and wiped her streaming eyes, forcing herself to calm down. So that's what had happened. She had been banished from heaven. But what had she done? Who had she betrayed? The Lord had forgotten her and would never answer her prayers again. She sobbed, covering her face with her hands.
The bedroom door opened slowly, and Alessandra and Nicholas peeked their heads in. They looked at Degana confused and then entered the room, quickly shutting it behind them.
"Angel, are you all right?" Alessandra asked, climbing onto the bed. Degana, stopped crying and wiped the tears from her eyes, smiling at the child's innocence. She took Alessandra into her arms and hugged her.
"I'm just sad. I'll be all right though, don't worry about me," Degana whispered. Nicholas crept onto the bed.
"Mom and dad said you can come eat lunch now, if you'd like," he said.
"It's lunch already?" Degana said surprised. Alessandra wiggled out of her arms and jumped off the bed.
"Yea! And when you're done eating you can come with us to pick berries! Come on and hurry, Angel!" she said excitedly. Nicholas followed her out of the room. As Degana watched them leave, her smile slowly faded from her face, but she sighed, rubbed her face, and went to the kitchen to eat.