The Word of Angels

The day was a little too warm now. It’s funny how in such a short amount of time the weather can change so drastically. This time of year in Michigan it was not unheard of to have all four seasons in a single day. Today started as a crisp spring morning, but by noon it was full-blown summer. Sitting on the front porch in the shade of the old oak trees it wasn’t as bad though. 

The four of them sat and rocked in their rocking chairs, sipping on their coffee. Jewel was the one to finally break the long silence. “So, Grams has wings?”

Pa was mid-sip of his coffee when Jewel spoke and he choked; which made the coffee come right out of his nose. As he was wiping up his face and shirt he looked at Susie. “Child, you can’t keep anything to yourself can you?”

Susie looked a little sheepish “What? I thought I was having a fucked up dream, of course, I had to share.”

“Language!” Grams snapped.

Pa looked at Grams as if she had horns growing out of her head, then shook his own as if to say never mind. He got a grim look on his face as he started to tell his story.

God created angels before the creation of humans. We were loyal followers, living in Heaven. The golden city. The perfect, peaceful, beautiful city. After, I am not sure how long because time is different there, but God started the creation of humans. Once that was complete there was a rebellion amongst the angels. Some stood up for what we were created for and some were angry because they felt we did not have free will like the new pets of God, humankind.

 Revelations 12: 7-8 “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough and they lost their place in Heaven.” 

Lucifer was the leader of the rebellion, the dragon mentioned in the Bible. There were six Archangels that followed Lucifer in the great battle in the golden city before we were able to cast them out of Heaven. That is when there was the creation of hell. God made a place for punishment for all that did wrong. 

Over the centuries, as we are told, they have escaped their prisons of hell and now walk among the human race. In doing this, they brought with them the seven deadly sins. So we were told, humankind had no sin, or need for sin before the Fallen had started to spread it. The remaining Archangels, feeling they had a job to do came to Earth to find them and send them back to hell, to save the human race from the desires of these sins. 

Not all of us stayed though. Each of us has made our own choices and found our own free will. That being said, we all managed to stay on task in one way or another. The Seven Deadly must be sent back to Hell. Not only to save us but to save the human race.   

Michael is the warrior angel. He leads God’s great armies. He comes to Earth for periods of time but never stays too long. He follows and truly believes in his creator. That being said, he did break one of our rules and created life with a human, not so many years ago. When that happened he felt ashamed and fled back to Heaven to beg for God’s forgiveness. At the same time keeping his son hidden as best as he could. 

Susie paused him there, “Ty’s dad? You said earlier that you didn’t want to talk about Ty’s dad yet? Are you saying Ty is a part-angel too?”

Pa held his hand up as to pause. Then he rubbed his eyes. “Yes, but Grams and I figured we would just give you a brief info on all of us. We can go into more detail later. I just need to get through this first.”

Jewel blurted out “Well Ty should be here for this conversation too then.”

“Yes he should, and you shouldn’t, but it is what it is Chewy.” Grams was getting a little impatient. She continued the story. 

Your grandfather here is Raphael. The angel of healing. I am Chamuel, I bring peace. Even though you wouldn’t be able to tell these days. Many years ago we came to earth together, because we had a plan. We were going to settle this once and for all, but the best-laid plans rarely work out the way you want. During our time here together, trying so hard to complete our task, we fell in love and created life. Our son Gregory, our love child. We decided to stay, to live a human life, the best we could. We hid and tried to blend in. We raised Gregory as a human and tried to keep from him what he really was because we didn’t know for sure ourselves.

When he was in his early twenties he moved out, but that is after all that your children are supposed to do. Shortly after he left home, he came back and brought with him his new girlfriend. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. That is saying an awful lot considering I used to live with angels, and there is nothing that can compare to their beauty. They sat us down at the kitchen table and told us we were going to be grandparents. We were both ecstatic and terrified, all at the same time. 

We offered for them to move back in with us so we could help them out with their new little family, and mainly to keep an eye on our son. This was all new territory for us. 

You were born and you were a perfect bundle of joy. Everything seemed that it was going to work out just fine. When you were about two years old your mother left but never came home. No one was able to find a trace of her anywhere. It was like she fell off the face of the planet. 

When you were about three, that is when your father’s wings appeared in the middle of a heated discussion. Needless to say, he was all kinds of shocked and confused. Once he was calmed down we tried explaining this whole story to him. Not only was he upset that he was now a single father, the love of his life was gone, but he too was an angel of some sort. For the next few years, if you remember, he was angry, he was bitter and distant. Then one day he came home and said he knew how he could find her. He packed his bag and left. He never said how or what he was going to do. We have no idea what happened to him. 

Yes, we could have returned to Heaven to seek the counsel of God. To beg for forgiveness, but we had your father to protect, then you. We were not sure what would happen to either of you so we stayed in hiding as best we could.  

Shortly after your father left without a trace Gabriel, the messenger angel came to us. He too has been living on earth trying to blend in with the human race. At the same time, he stays in contact with God and spreads the word, when he is commanded to because that is his job. He came to us to tell us all was forgiven. This was God’s plan after all. You, my dear Q, have a “raison d’etre”, a reason for being. 

Gabriel explained that there was a prophecy that you will be the one that defeats all the fallen and corrects all that is wrong with this world. Gabriel decided that he wanted to help protect you, so he has stayed close for all these years. He tries to blend in a little better, and hide his true self.   

Grams paused to sip on her coffee. She rocked in silence for a little too long.

Jewel’s eyes got wide “AND”.

“And what?” Grams said like there was nothing left to say. 

“There are so many gaps in this story of yours. Why should we believe it?” The snotty tone was ever-present in Jewel’s voice. 

Pa cleared his throat “There is a lot to fill in but here are the key points. Angels and God are real. I and Grams were once Archangels, and yes we still have our powers and wings. We are not quite sure if we are considered fallen or not, but the true fallen need to be sent back to hell or destroyed. The only way to kill an angel, from what we were told, is with the flaming sword of Azrael which has been missing for centuries, or poison that comes from Angel Trumpet. We have never heard of an angel dying though. Other than that, we are pretty much immortal.”

This whole time Susie just sat and listened. She was trying hard to process all that they were saying. She didn’t even know where to begin with questions? Her first thought was to leave. That is always her first thought though when things get dicey. Now she realized that trait comes from both of her parents. She smiled slightly at the thought. 

Susie rocked and sipped her coffee.

Susie finally broke the silence, much to Jewel’s relief. “So when do I get my wings? Also, what powers do I have?”

A big toothy grin spread across Pa’s face. “Well my dear Q, as we said, we really don’t know? We were just created, so all that we know is that we had all of this when we woke. As for baby angels, having to grow and come into their own, that is something we are not completely sure of. Your father was the first that we know of personally and he was somewhere in his twenties when his wings appeared. Since you are getting close to the age he was then, I would think it may be soon?”

 “You sure are taking this way better than he did though.” Grams winked at Susie. “Q, will you go over to Ron’s house and get my casserole dish?”

Jewel said “So that’s it? End of conversation?”

Grams smirked but said nothing. 

Susie was ready for the conversation to be over. “Sure Grams, I’ll be right back.”

She reached up and rang the doorbell. Ron had the door open before the ringing had stopped. He seductively leaned against it, barely wrapped in a black silk robe and nothing else. “My love!” he squealed as he reached for a hug. 

She has known Ron for most of her life because he has been their neighbor for as long as she can remember. The only version of Ron that she knew was this one right here. He was only this extremely flamboyant when he was at home or in the company of his closest friends. 

Before he could get close enough for a hug, she reached and closed his robe a little more, then leaned in for that hug. Like always, he squeezed a little too tight; which made her back snap, crackle, and pop. 

“What did I do to deserve a visit from my favorite letter?” He winked and gestured for her to come in. 

“Grams sent me over for her casserole dish. The way the conversation was getting too much I needed to get away.”

Just then a much younger gentleman came into view from the kitchen. He was dressed in running shorts and nothing else. Dark hair slicked back as if he had just gotten out of the shower, even darker eyes, and abs that most men would die to have. He had a cup of coffee in one hand and gave a little salute hello with the other.

Susie had to wipe the little bit of drool from the corner of her mouth. 

“Sorry sweetie, this is Dexter, my new special friend,” Ron said. 

Susie gave a little wave back. 

Ron laughed as he gestured for her to come in once again.

Susie started to blush. “I really do not want to intrude.”

“No really I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. Dexter, can you give us a minute?”

Dexter said, “I will be on the patio if you need me.” 

Ron wait for him to exit out the backdoor before he slowly closed the front door behind her. He leaned his back up against it and looked at her in an almost empathic way. “So, they talked to you this morning?”

Susie looked at him sideways for a moment. “Why would you say that way?”

“Sweetie, I’m Gabriel. I always knew when you were to come over here looking for the ‘casserole dish’ the conversation had been started. You should know I don’t cook, bake, or any of that stuff. So there is no reason for me to have a casserole dish” He said matter of factly.

“But you are gay?” It came out of her mouth before she even thought about it. She slapped both hands over her face to hide the now extreme level of embarrassment. 

The belly laugh that rolled out of his face shocked her.

“Yes, yes I am. That doesn’t change the fact that I am the messenger of God. You will learn that there is a lot of B.S. here on Earth. Humans like to make their own minds up on what is right and what isn’t. The Bible is full of amazing stories of God’s love and grace. At the same time over the years, the meaning behind it has been twisted to the wants and needs of the human race. At some point, it has been lost in translation, sad to say. We believe it is the fault of the Seven Deadly. ”

She stood there for a long moment not saying anything.

“Q, I just wanted you to know that if there is anything you ever want to talk about, I am here for you. But obviously, you are not quite ready for this conversation.”  

She nodded her head, but still couldn’t speak. Too much to process and major functions started to shut down, like speaking. 

He opened the door for her, understanding her silence.

Susie looked nervously around the room, trying to avoid his gaze. “So you know God? What is he like?” 

Ron smiled “Yes, we all do in some way or another. She is very interesting. I am sure one day you too will get to meet her.”

“She?”

“As I said, the bible has been lost in translation over the years.”

“So what does she know about me, or what my future?”

“All I know or anyone knows, including the All-Mighty is that a daughter of Angel’s will be the savior of all kinds,” Ron said. 

To be continued…