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.
No, not gone. Just there in his little place beyond belief once more.
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.
ReplyDeleteThank 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.
DeleteShared it on Twitter. Its such a mesmerizing story want people to read and get transported into that special realm :)
ReplyDeleteThank you again! I just got the notification, and it brightened my day.
DeleteThis 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.
ReplyDeleteAmy;
Little Moon Elephant
Thank you! Flash fiction is a powerful tool, I think.
Delete