Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Rivulets

(I linked to this story soon after I wrote it, but I rediscovered it today, and I wanted to post the actual text of the story on this blog.  You can find the details of the contest it was an entry for here.)

            Rivulets of blood streamed down my fist.  “What have I done?” I muttered again, falling to my knees.  The tears slipped off my chin.  The blood ran cold down my palm.
            “You made a mistake.”
            I turned to face an ageless man, his linen robes cinched with a golden belt.  He seemed to be shining, but I figured it had to be from the crying.  “I hurt her.”
            “You did, son, but it’s over now.  You’ve learned.”
            “Who are you?”  My throat burned.  I cleared the dampness from my eyes and saw that he was glowing with fourteen rays of light.
            “Your guardian angel.”  The man smiled.
            I crinkled my forehead.  “Why are you here?”
            “I am always here.”
            “Where?”
            “Wherever you are.  Standing in a place beyond belief between your realm and mine.”
            I stood and wrapped my hand with a handkerchief, thankfully clean.  “Between Earth and Heaven?”
            “Sort of.  We understand it about as well as you do.  Only God knows.”
            “Why are you showing yourself to me?”
            “It’s been months, Rickard.  You need to move past it and remember.”
            I shuddered.  “Remember?  I remember.  I remember all of it.”
            “Not that.”  The angel shook his head.  “I’m here to make you remember what you learned when you were young.  Remember that you are not alone and that you are forgiven when you repent.”
            “I guess it’s true then.”  I chuckled, looking down at my shoes.  “Unless I’m just finally going insane.”
            “It is quite unusual, being given the green light to show myself, but I could see you suffer no longer.  You’ve always believed, son.  You had only forgotten what it meant.”
            “And what does it mean?”  I tried to look the angel in the eyes, but they were too bright.
            “It means that you will always be given another chance so long as you continue to believe in Him and that He will be with you always, to conquer all.”
            In that moment the grace of God poured down upon me in rivulets.  And I remembered.  I blinked and the angel was gone.
            No, not gone.  Just there in his little place beyond belief once more.

6 comments:

  1. Hi Patrick, I just love your short pieces (Flash Fiction). You make it look so easy, but I'm guessing it must be very difficult to write them. This one was brilliant. I could just visualize the guardian angel standing in a place, beyond belief between their realm and ours, with the light shining down upon him.

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    1. Thank you so much! I think the style fits me naturally, and I have a lot of experience with the form, but it's definitely hard to get it just right so that the story is impactful.

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  2. Shared it on Twitter. Its such a mesmerizing story want people to read and get transported into that special realm :)

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    1. Thank you again! I just got the notification, and it brightened my day.

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  3. This is so good, I love little things like this. Such a deep meaning behind such a little story. I love how you can tell a whole thing in such a little space of time and really give us a feel of the characters. Yes yes yes.

    Amy;
    Little Moon Elephant

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    1. Thank you! Flash fiction is a powerful tool, I think.

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