Short Story / Screaming At Angels (Analysis)

Screaming At Angels-

 

 

 

 

Sometimes, from where she would sit at the café, the birds would sweep in and steal her bread.  Oftentimes, like right now, she would smile about this.  She would laugh to herself, feeling that wonderful warmth sweep through her body as she did so, knowing that just by smiling she was helping the entire universe in it’s effort to heal.  Magna was not considered extraordinarily beautiful by anyone.  Not that she wasn’t pretty; quite the contrary.  It was just that from where she sat outside a small café in a small town somewhere in middle America, she was the one person that attracted the least amount of attention.  And she would have it no other way.  Hers was a great effort to remain almost anonymous.

The angels came to her on a Sunday.  She had just gotten done with church and was on her way home to her cats and some lunch.  Her cats always made her smile and the cracked peppercorn chicken salad sandwich was also part of her happiness.  She opened the door to her small apartment and was instantly greeted by Tabby and Abby, two cats of great color and importance in her life.  They rolled around her legs and feet, purring and cooing until she squatted down and offered them some love.  A few minutes of that and then she was in the kitchen prepping her lunch.  And that’s when the angels made their presence known.

The first sound was like a sharp cracking sound; like glass slowly splintering.  Magna stood up straight from her spot in front of the open refrigerator.  She tilted her head in that curious way that is usually reserved for animals when they hear something odd.  She waited a moment, sure that she was indeed just hearing things.  And when the sound came again, this time louder and sharper, she closed the door of the fridge and looked around her kitchen.  But she was alone, save for Tabby and Abby who had come running at the sound of her startled voice.  They both rolled around her feet again, slowly this time, cautious.  

“Look’s like momma’s got a case of the spooks,” Magna said to the two cats.

And then a flash of bright yellow light splashed the whole kitchen and for the briefest of moments Magna would have sworn to anyone who asked that she had seen a glimpse of what Heaven might look like.  But as the light flashed across the kitchen, bathing everything in it’s yellow magnificence, something else occurred.  In the wake of that terrific light, two old women remained behind, standing in Magna’s kitchen looking perfectly content.  And of the five beings that stood in the kitchen; Magna, Abby, Tabby, and the two new ladies, only the old ladies looked comfortable.  They simply seemed to belong.

“Magna Hagopian?” the shorter of the two old ladies said.

Magna started to speak but realized that her voice would not work.  She cleared her throat and tried again.  “Yes?” she managed. 

“We are very pleased to meet you, Magna.  My name is Dorothy, and this fine lady next to me is Lizbeth.  

But Magna couldn’t speak or move.  What had just happened had shaken her.  Not in some terrible life-threatening way, but in a more profound way.  A soul-shaking way.  So she stood still for a moment and took in the scene.  The way the room seemed to be slower than normal.  Like a DVD running on slow, two frames per second.  She noticed her cats licking their paws, totally comfortable with the two ladies in the room.  And for all Magna knew, the cats may not even see the ladies.  Maybe the whole scene was in her head.  A weird delusion brought on by too much caffeine and chocolate.  But Magna also knew better.  She wasn’t prone to weird thoughts or strange delusional fits.  She was Magna Hagopian, loving daughter to Casi and Jeroen Hagopian.  She had a wonderful childhood, raised in the suburbs on milk and whole grain breads.  Hers was not a life filled with anything out of the ordinary.  And yet here she stood, in her kitchen no less, watching as two older women watched her clear her thoughts.  And that’s when Magna decided to just go with the flow and see where this little incident went.  She focused her attention on the woman who called herself Dorothy first.

“Hello, Dorothy.  Nice to meet you.”

Dorothy nodded with a curt smile and motioned towards Lizbeth.

Magna understood the gesture.  “And hello to you, Elizabeth,” Magna said.

“Not Elizabeth, dear.  Lizbeth.  No E,” Lizbeth said, sounding more than a bit annoyed.

Magna was taken aback by this.  What kind of self-righteous bitch, one that appeared to be almost angelic no less, would concern herself with matters of such little importance.  But Magna was still in awe of these two glowing figures.  So she kept her mouth shut for the moment.  “My apologies, Lizbeth.  Nice to meet you both.”

Dorothy moved towards the small kitchen table and pulled a chair out.  She sat down and waited for Lizbeth to follow suit.  And then Magna made her way to the table and sat down as well.  The cats scrambled underneath, finding comfort around Magna’s feet.  Dorothy cleared her throat then, bringing all at the table to the utmost attention.  The woman seemed more like a drill sergeant than some celestial being, Magna thought.

“It might seem more than a little strange that we are here, Magna.  But I can assure you that we mean you no harm.  Quite the contrary, actually.  We are angels, if you can believe that given my partners’ propensity for correcting people about her name.”  Dorothy shot Lizbeth a very ugly glance and then continued.

“But whatever the case, we are here for a very specific reason.  We are here on a mission from God.”

Magna immediately thought of The Blues Brothers.  It was a movie that her father watched almost weekly, thinking that it was the funniest thing he had ever seen.  Magna had seen it a few times herself, but never thought it more than a sometimes funny comedy.  But she knew that line as well as anyone.  And when Dorothy spoke it, Magna couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear.  She knew the older woman would wonder why she smiled, but decided to let her ask a question if she needed to.  After all, if these ladies were indeed angels, wouldn’t they be able to read her thoughts?

“I can, Magna,” Dorothy started.  “But a lot of the time I choose not to.  Not a huge fan of that movie, by the way.  But I assure you, WE are here on a mission from God.”

Magna’s smile disappeared then, instead turning into serious concentration as she slowly began to realize that maybe something important was about to happen in her life.  Maybe she wasn’t bound to what she always thought of as a very safe existence.  And by the time Dorothy finished her next sentence, Magna would know with absolute certainty.

“I think it might be time to listen up very carefully, Magna,” Lizbeth said, leaning forward in her chair and focusing intently on Magna’s eyes.  “What you are about to hear is going to change your life forever.”

“The mission we were given is simple in the saying, but will prove to be much more complicated than you can imagine.  It will take a lifetime of loyalty and commitment.  But in the end, the world will be saved,” Dorothy said.

Magna shuddered then, thinking only of her family and how they might react to this whole situation.  How her father might first laugh and then get serious as he told her to stop keeping her head in the clouds.  She thought that just might be the most fitting comment he could say, given the situation.  But she still shuddered, and wondered just how long before she might go crazy.

“We came to you for two reasons,” Dorothy said.  “One is obvious; we were told to.  But the other reason was because we knew who you were on the inside.  Your soul, if you will.  That thing that people talk a lot about but don’t really have any concept of what it is.  Where we come from, that soul is everything.  It’s as important to us as air and water might be to you.  More so even.  Without the soul you have nothing.  Anyway, the task is this: you are charged with bringing love to the masses.  Making it more popular, if you will.  And by doing so, saving all of mankind.”

Lizbeth, still leaning in intently, spoke up.  “Simple in the saying, but more complicated than you can imagine,” she said, reiterating the words spoken not a minute earlier by Dorothy.

And Magna could not agree more.  She thought for the first time about why she was the one they had chosen.  She had never lived a very religious life.  Had argued when her parents wanted to go to church.  Was bored silly during her years in Catholic school.  And even laughed during parts of Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ.  Not because she thought the movie funny, far from it.  But because Mel failed to capture the real reason for Christ’s demise.  Not to show how much he suffered, but to spread love.  And that’s when it hit her.  Was she being charged with a similar task?  A task that only the Son of God had been given in the past?  Surely not!  She would never dream of comparing herself to Christ, but if the message was the same?

“You are not the second coming, child.  Don’t even begin to think that.  He works in mysterious ways and we do not question what He chooses.  But you can rest assured that yours will be a much different fate than that of Jesus,” Lizbeth said.

“Are there others like me?” Magna asked.

Dorothy and Lizbeth shared a thoughtful glance and then turned back to Magna.

“There are others.  Many others, actually.  But so many have failed in their tasks,” Dorothy said.

“How could they fail?  Aren’t they locked in to some foolproof routine?” Magna asked.

Dorothy smiled.  “I wish that were true, Magna.  I really do.  But even a task given by Him is not without the possibility of failure.  He simply puts the tools in your hands and then lets that crazy idea about free will take over.”

“He’d take that back if he could,” Lizbeth said slightly under her breath but loud enough for Dorothy to hear her and shoot her another ugly glance.

Tabby and Abby scrambled out from under the table and shot out of the kitchen.  Magna watched them go and then turned her attention back to Dorothy and Lizbeth.  “So what now?” she asked.

“Now, you either decide to do this or not.  It’s that simple,” Dorothy said.

“And if I say no?” Magna asked.

“Then your life will continue to be empty,” Lizbeth said and a sharp chill raced up Magna’s spine.

She had never thought of her life as empty.  She was actually quite happy.  But then a very dark thought struck her.  What would her life be like after this event.  How could you go back to some mundane routine knowing that maybe you could have helped all of mankind.  That maybe you could have changed the lives of millions.  How could she possibly refuse.

“I’ll do this,” Magna said solemnly.  

Lizbeth stood up and pushed her chair in.  Dorothy smiled one last time and then stood up also.  She pushed in her chair and moved closer to Magna, almost gliding.

“Wait,” Magna started.  “What do I need to do?”

Both of  the angels shared a thoughtful glance.  They moved together towards the kitchen sink.  Magna could tell they were getting ready to leave and a huge wave of sadness struck her.  They had been here in her kitchen for such a short time, but she already felt like her life was more complete.  

“All you have to do is smile, sweetie,” Dorothy said.  And then they simply vanished in a wave of beautiful yellow light.  The kitchen was awash with the glow, and this time Magna was SURE she had seen what Heaven looked like.  And the smile on her face never seemed so big.

 

And so she sat in the little outdoor café and watched as her smile radiated outwards, crashing into every solemn face and ugly comment.  She watched in awe as those solemn faces and ugly comments shattered into the air and became an invisible rainbow of joy that splashed down onto the patrons in a glorious shower.  Magna had been charged with her task nearly a month ago but this little routine never failed to move her.  She couldn’t understand how anyone could not continue with this.  It all seemed so easy.  Easy, that is, until she got home that night and found out what her angel friends had been up to.

She arrived home a little after six and the sun was just starting to dip in the west.  She felt good, having had only one large latte and a delicious sun dried tomato bagel with low-fat cream cheese.  She had made more than two dozen people smile.  The day seemed complete.  But when she opened the door to her place she heard the ruckus immediately.  There was a crashing in the kitchen that sounded like pots and then Tabby and Abby came racing out to greet Magna in a terrible fit of panic.  Magna squatted down like she always did, but this time the cats jumped up onto her top and clung there.

“Oh my.  What is it?” Magna asked, coddling both of her cats as they slowly calmed in her arms.  Another crash from the kitchen, this one sounding like silverware crashing to the ground, rang out.  Magna grabbed both cats and put them on the ground.  They stayed near her feet, circling around them as she made her way to the kitchen.

“What is going on in there?” Magna shouted.

“It’s Lizbeth,” Dorothy said from the kitchen.  “She’s incorigable!”

Magna moved into the kitchen and saw what mess awaited her.  All of her pots and pans had been pulled from where they hung over the island in the center of her kitchen.  Several drawers had been pulled open and their contents spilled out onto the floor.  And off in the corner of the room, puffing on a cigarette, was Lizbeth.  She looked winded, but angry.  And to her left, in the other corner of the kitchen, was Dorothy.  She was leaning against the wall looking exhausted.

“What on Earth happened here, ladies?” Magna asked.

Dorothy and Lizbeth looked at each other like children caught doing something bad.  Lizbeth leaned forward to speak, but Magna held her hand up and silenced her.

“Let Dorothy explain,” Magna said.  

Dorothy shot a snotty look towards her angelic counterpart and leaned away from the wall.  “Lizbeth here seems to think that we should not have bothered you with this task,” Dorothy said.

Magna looked towards Lizbeth.  “And why is that?” she said.

“Oh, can I speak now?  Am I allowed?”  Lizbeth said.  “Wonderful!  Well, it’s simple, missy.  You were not the one we originally were told to call on.  We had other qualified people.”

Magna looked towards Dorothy for some kind of confimation and the look Dorothy shot back at her told her it was true.

“Go on,” Magna said.

Lizbeth took a deep drag from her cigarette and moved towards Magna.  “As normal and mundane as it might sound, we have lists that we take into account when we get assigned to this type of work.  And it is work, mind you.  Anyway, these lists are pretty much set in stone.  We don’t stray from the list and we most certainly don’t pick someone not on the list.”

Dorothy made a motion towards Lizbeth to silence her.  “We have probably said enough, Lizbeth.  Let’s discuss this elsewhere,” Dorothy said.

But Magna was a rock.  She held a hand up to both ladies, silencing them immediately.  Magna marveled at how wonderful it felt to shut these two bickering women up.  There was nothing she hated worse than arguing.  

“No,” Dorothy started, “I’m a big girl.  I can take it.”

Lizbeth smirked and Dorothy shrugged her shoulders.

“Anyway,” Lizbeth said.  “You were not on the list.”

“And yet for the past month I have been doing exactly what it is you asked of me, right?” Magna said.

“That’s right, Magna.  You have.  And you have been doing it rather well I might add,” Dorothy said.

“Oh, cut the crap, Dorothy!  You know as well as I do that this won’t last.  It never does.  These damn mortals always get bored with this stuff.  It’s only a matter of time.  That’s why we use people on the list.  He approves the list.”  Lizbeth pointed a finger skyward and Magna knew she meant God.  

And then a very disturbing thought struck her like a punch in the gut.  If He didn’t approve her to be on the list, and yet she was doing the job anyway, was that a form of blasphemy?  Magna didn’t like that thought at all and immediately pushed it out of her head.  She felt the cats rolling around her feet and was brought back to her kitchen and the oddly comical scene playing out in front of her.  Having a visit by angels was one thing, but to see them arguing was quite another.  It brought the whole idea of smiling to the forefront.  Magna looked at both ladies and smiled as big as she could.  Lizbeth smiled back and then started laughing.

“What is so funny?” Magna asked.

“You smiled at me as if you thought that might work.  We are made of love, sweetie.  There’s nothing you can do for us,” Lizbeth said.

Dorothy only grimaced, as if she tasted something awful.  “Let her be, Lizbeth,” Dorothy said.  “She’s been doing exactly what she’s supposed to.”

Lizbeth flicked her cigarette into the sink where it simply vanished.  She then stormed from the kitchen.  “Blow it out your ass, Dorothy,” she said on her way out, and Magna would have sworn that she flicked Dorothy the bird as she left the room.

Dorothy stood there only a moment longer.  “I’m really sorry about all of this, Magna.  You really should not let it affect what you’re doing though.  You should be proud of this task,” Dorothy said, and then she too left the room.  This time there was no great splash of yellow light.  There was only silence, and a mess for Magna to clean up.

 

Magna spent the next three days in a flurry of activity.  She tried to stay busy with her task, obviously, but also tried to reconnect with some friends.  After college, she was very busy trying out her new career as a journalist.  She spent most of her time writing for several small newspapers in Kansas, and then moved back to her home in O’Fallon, Illinois.  But the time in Kansas brought her many friends that she realized she missed very much now that she was away.  So now she wanted to reconnect, and maybe smile at those friends if they needed some joy in their lives.

Most of the correspondence she had with her friend Holly was via email.  It was quick and easy, and Magna hated the telephone.  But Holly was always a good listener and Magna a good feeling that maybe a phone call was in order this morning, just before she started out for the café and her task of smiles.  So she picked up the phone and dialed Holly’s number.

It rang only once before Holly answered.

“Hello?” Holly said.

“Holly!  It’s Mags,” Magna said.

“Holy shit, Mags!  I haven’t heard from you in forever!”

“What are you talking about?  I repsonded to an email yesterday,” Magna said.

“You know what I mean.  On the phone.  So how have you been?” Holly asked.

“Wonderful.  In fact, more wonderful than you can possibly imagine.  Wanna meet for lunch?”

“Of course.”

And so plans were made and a lunch date was set.  Magna smiled when hung up the phone.  It would be so good to see her friend Holly again.  She hadn’t actually seen her in person in nearly four months.  So lunch would be good.  It would also be good to tell someone about what had happened in her life.  She wasn’t sure how her friend would take it, but she knew that if Holly was accepting of this, it would take a great weight off of her shoulders.  Magna needed some reassurance that she wasn’t going crazy.  And so far, Tabby and Abby were the only ones who knew anything about the odd little ladies that had visited her in her kitchen.  She wondered how Holly might react to the news of angels and a mission from God.  Magna had a feeling that she would react like a good friend, with smiles and comfort, even if Holly didn’t believe her story one bit.

 

They had lunch a small bread shop just off the main strip.  The smell inside always made Magna think of home.  Fresh bread seemed like comfort food to her, and having a good friend share some shaved turkey on rosemary wheat seemed delightful.

“You know,” Magna said, after they had devoured almost their entire sandwiches.  “My life has really taken a strange turn in the past month or so.”

Holly offered up an odd look and a tilt of her head.  “Really?  Now this sounds interesting.”

“Well, I won’t beat around the bush, so here goes.  I’ve been visited by angels recently,”  Magna said.  And then waited, bracing herself, for Holly’s response.

Holly looked down at the table and then back up at Magna.  “Now that’s interesting,” she said.  “In all the years we’ve known each other, Mags, you have never come up with a story like that one.”

“It’s not a story.  And I know how that must sound, but it’s true.  And the funny part is, that’s not even the most intriguing part of the story,” Magna said.

“It’s not?”

“No.  These angels that visited me are old ladies who argue,” Magna said, pausing for effect.  She wanted Holly to feel the weight of those words.  She wanted to step back from normal thought and think that maybe she was telling the truth about this.  So she waited patiently while Holly processed the words.

It took only a second longer before Holly responded.  And when she did, it was not the response Magna was hoping for.

“Okay, something is wrong here.  Did you call me out here as some kind of joke?” Holly asked, clearly agitated.  “Because if you did, I don’t like it.  I haven’t seen you in forever and when I do you tell me some bullshit story about angels and old ladies and God knows what else.  Why?”

Magna was dumbfounded.  He jaw seemed locked in place and her head was too heavy.  How could her best friend from college, a friend that knew her better than anyone else, react like this.  Magna did not expect her to be totally understanding-a story like this WAS a bit out there-but she did expect some sort of rational dialogue to take place.  Even if Holly had cracked some jokes at her expense it would have been better than this little rant.  When she was finally able to speak, Magna chose her words carefully.  She wanted nothing more than to lash out and be just as angry.  But she also knew that she had something else in store for her friend.  She had a smile that would crack even the toughest shell.  So Magna smiled like she had so many times in the past month, and waited.  The normal response time was immediate.  Magna smiled and then the person she smiled at stopped their frowning or ugly face and smiled back.  It was that simple.  Sometimes there was a faint glow that would cross between Magna and the other person, but not always.  But now, sitting across from her friend, there was no faint glow.  And Holly’s face had not changed one bit.  Something was wrong.

“Why are you smiling at me like that?” Holly asked, more agitated than before.

“I just thought you might understand, Holly.  I haven’t been able to talk to anyone about this and it was starting to drive me crazy.  I just needed to talk.”

“Yeah, well maybe you should talk about it to a shrink.  You clearly have issues, Magna.”

And that was how lunch ended.  Holly’s biting comments about shrinks and Magna sitting alone at the bread shop, a dirty tray in front of her and an empty seat across the table.  She wanted to go home.  At least there the cats didn’t think she was crazy.  And even if they did, they certainly never showed it.

 

The last thing in the world Magna wanted to deal with was bickering.  But that’s exactly what she got when she unlocked the door to her apartment and barely opened the door.  She had had a lousy afternoon and wanted nothing more than to sit down in front of her TV and chill out.  But the old ladies were at it again.  They were just inside the doorway when Magna opened the door.  Lizbeth was clearly upset about something, putting her fingers in Dorothy’s face and talking very loud.  Magna bent down and picked up Tabby and Abby and then closed the door behind her.  She could only imagine what the neighbors might be thinking about this nonsense.

“I will not sit by and watch this happen, Dorothy,” Lizbeth said.

Magna moved in between the two ladies, feeling a cold rush of air sweep over her.  It was as if the caustic argument translated into a chilly atmosphere.  

“What is going on with you two!” Magna shouted.  She was so tired of this.  These ladies argued constantly and never did it in private.  They made her home some sort of spiritual battleground for their nonsense, but Magna had a feeling from the look on Lizbeth’s face that this might not be some small squabble.  These ladies were clearly passionate about something.  And that was what worried Magna the most.  

Dorothy moved around Magna and got near Lizbeth.

“This woman does not know when to let things go,” Dorothy said.

“Me?” Lizbeth retorted.  “I’m just trying to save someone some serious grief here.”

Magna held out her arms and shouted, “Both of you stop this right now!  Sit down!”

Dorothy and Lizbeth looked as if they had been slapped across the face.  They paused only briefly and then made their way to the couch where they sat at opposite ends and barely looked at each other.  Magna set the cats down and then moved over to the loveseat adjacent to the couch.  She felt like a mother about to scold her children.

“You two have been going at it ever since you visited me.  And while I really could care less if you argue, I do care that you do it in my home.  I have neighbors, you know,” Magna said.

Lizbeth glared at Dorothy and then settled her gaze on Magna.  “There are so many things you need to know.  And Dorothy doesn’t agree with me.  I’m simply tired of dealing with the lie,” Lizbeth said.

Dorothy put her head down, clearly unhappy about Lizbeth’s comment.

Magna looked over at Dorothy and glared.  She wanted answers.  “What is she talking about, Dorothy?”

“It’s not that big of a deal, Magna,” Dorothy said.

“I think I’ll decide that,” Magna said.

There was a long silence then.  No one seemed willing to speak and a great weight seemed to settle on the room.  Dorothy fidgeted with the hem of her long dress and Lizbeth simply glared at her.  But Magna was a rock.  She continued to look at Dorothy, not taking her eyes from this bizarre angel until she decided to speak up and tell her the truth.  Finally, Dorothy spoke.

“The other day, when you heard Lizbeth tell you about the list that we use to recruit help, remember?” Dorothy asked.

Magna nodded.

“Well, that is true, of course.  We use that list because He demands that we use the list.  But again, I knew enough about you to know that should have been on that list.  So convinced Lizbeth to go along with me.  She did, reluctantly.”  Dorothy paused here, folding over the hem of her dress, clearly nervous about continuing.

“Keep going, Dorothy,” Lizbeth said, almost smirking.  She seemed to be enjoying this.

Dorothy looked up from the hem of her dress and continued.

“What you’ve been charged with, Magna.  This task that you have agreed to do.  There’s more to it,” Dorothy said.

Magna sat upright.  She did not like where this was going.  Her lunch with Holly had left a profoundly ugly feeling in her that only got stronger as Dorothy spoke.  There was something dreadful hanging in the air.  And as Dorothy geared up to speak again, Magna stood up and left the room, leaving Lizbeth and Dorothy just staring at each other.

 

Magna looked around the kitchen, wondering what she could break.  She wanted to smash everything in sight.  Dorothy had made it clear there was something more to her task, and Magna knew without a doubt what that would be.  She didn’t know how she knew, she simply did.  And the feeling was dreadful.  How could they have lied to her like this?  Lizbeth, the one with the pretentious name and worse demeanor turned out to be the sane one.  The one angel that could be trusted.  And while Dorothy’s motives may have been pure, her choices were not.

Magna pulled open the nearest cabinet and scooped out everything inside.  Cups and glassware flew from the cabinet and shattered on the ground.  The plastic tumblers bounced and clanged on the floor scaring Abby and Tabby from the room.  Magna continued pulling out everything from the cabinet and then she moved on to the next one.  Boxes of cereal flew out behind her and splattered on the ground.  A jar of unopened mayonnaise exploded and splashed the back of her legs.  But right now she felt nothing except anger.  And how could that be?  Wasn’t she charged with the task of saving the world because she was so happy?  Wasn’t she the savior of a million people just by smiling? 

“Fuck that!” Magna said out loud.

Dorothy and Lizbeth glided into the kitchen just then and surveyed the scene.  They moved close to Magna, hoping to calm her in some way.  She pulled another handful of stuff from the cabinet and then turned around.  The three women all looked at each other and a sense of panic settled in.  Magna suddenly felt very claustrophobic.  She wanted to run from the room.

“Tell her, Dorothy,” Lizbeth said.

“Yes, tell me, Dorothy.  By the way, is it customary for angels to lie?” Magna said.

“I only lied to protect you, sweetie.  If I had told you everything, you would not have done the job.”

“But at least it would have been my choice, right?” Magna said.

“You don’t know how important you are.  I went outside His rules to get you involved.  Most people would consider that an honor.”

“Dammit, Dorothy!  Why do you insist on assuming what’s good for me?  I agreed to do it because I could not imagine what my life would be like after knowing what I COULD do.  How could I go back to my normal life knowing that there was something so wonderful out there that was just waiting inside of a smile,” Magna said.

“So why are you so upset then?” Dorothy asked.

Magna shot a quick look at Lizbeth.  She was only staring, not moving, weighing the scene.  Magna hated her for that.  She wanted support at that moment and found none.  So she turned her attention back to Dorothy.

“I’m upset because I am not ready to die,” Magna said.

“Who said you were going to die?” Dorothy asked.

Magna only glared.  Dorothy looked down at her feet, clearly ashamed of her continued reliance on glossing over the truth.  She looked over at Lizbeth, hoping for some support.  But like her blank stare at Magna, Lizbeth offered Dorothy only emptiness.  It’s your fight, her eyes seemed to be saying.  And that would be right.  Dorothy had made this mess.  And had hurt a soul in the process.

“So how does it happen?” Magna asked.

Dorothy didn’t answer.  She sat down at the kitchen table, pushing aside a plastic tumbler that had settled on the chair.  Lizbeth moved towards Magna and put a hand on her shoulder.  Magna shuddered.

“It happens when there’s no more happiness, Magna.  When your life reaches a point when you just can’t seem to deliver a genuine smile.  And it will happen, by the way.  It always does.  That happiness you have is like gas in a tank; as it runs down it gets harder and harder to keep up that good will.  You were chosen because you had a large tank, so to speak.  Dorothy was right in choosing you.  I only wish she had given you all the facts.”

Magna started to cry.  And with each tear she felt a thousand pounds lighter.  She didn’t know why it felt so good to cry, but it definitely did.  Dorothy didn’t look up at her, but Lizbeth kept her hand on her shoulder, gently rubbing it and giving her comfort.

“How does it happen?” Magna asked in between sobs.

“It happens like you’re going to sleep.  You simply stop being,” Lizbeth said.

Magna chuckled.  She almost expected that her demise would be something like that, but when Lizbeth said it it made it seem almost comical.

“You expected something a bit more dramatic?” Lizbeth asked.

“No.  Actually, I thought the only fitting thing that could happen is for me to simply pass away in my sleep.”

“You seem okay with all of this,” Lizbeth said.

Magna chuckled again, wiping her nose on her sleeve and smiling.  “Do I have a choice?”

Lizbeth moved towards Dorothy and tapped her shoulder.  Dorothy looked up with eyes that seemed too heavy.

“I think it might be time to go,” Lizbeth said.

Dorothy nodded and stood up from the table.  She offered Magna a thoughtful smile.  “I’m truly sorry, Magna.  Sometimes that free will moves past this physical world.  And even up in the clouds, amongst the beauty of Heaven, we angels make mistakes.  None of us is infallible.”

“No one?” Magna asked.

Lizbeth smiled at Magna’s attempt at sarcasm.  “Almost no one,” Lizbeth said.

The Dorothy and Lizbeth moved towards the archway into the living room.  They both looked back over their shoulders and offered Magna a smile.

“Keep smiling, Magna,” Dorothy said.

“We’ll see you soon,” said Lizbeth with the faintest hint of a sarcasm in her voice.  Magna knew that look and thought that it could not have been any other way.  Lizbeth was who she was, and that comment solidifed her in Magna’s mind as the most enjoyable angel she ever had the pleasure of knowing.

The two angels floated away into the air and swirled into nonexistence, leaving the apartment quiet and still.  Even Tabby and Abby were nowhere to be found.

In the kitchen, amidst the debris of her destructive tantrum, Magna smiled.  She thought she had quite a bit of gas left in her tank.  Enough for many more trapped souls to be set free.  She looked down at her feet and made sure she had her walking shoes on.  There was at least a million miles left in her tank and she intended to walk it with a great big smile on her face.

 

END