eyes.
“Hello, Jasmine,” said an angel right in front of her. A male face with unusual green eyes and blonde hair stared at her. Jasmine almost stumbled back in suprise.
“ Jazen . For goodness sake, don’t scare me like that. I was finding my place in the symphony.”
“ Oh, sorry. I was just passing by and noticed you there. Are you OK?”
“ Yes, fine, just running an errand,” Jasmine replied
“ Oh, good to hear. Your charge is well?” Jazen asked.
“ Yes, he’s fine, but why are you here?”
“ Oh…well, I’m on high to be cautioned. I've violated a tenet with my charge. But I just can’t help myself; I care for her much and want her to know someone is there for her in her times of need. She looks so lonely sometimes, Jasmine. It is horrible!”
Jazen hasty explanation revealed a lot more to Jasmine than he intended. Angels seldom lied. They could obfuscate rather than outright lie, but it being generally frowned upon. Nevertheless, Jazen was more honest than any angel Jasmine had met, and tended to talk too much.
“ Violating tenets is not wise, Jazen." Jasmine said sternly. "If you truly care for her so much, you will be more careful. If you keep doing it, you may end up reassigned. You could even inadvertently harm her.”
Tenets were the rules passed down to guardian angels to ensure that they operated reasonably. Rules such as no direct contact, no direct intervention, no relations and no harm. Relations between angels and humans were almost unheard of. No guardian angel ever violated the rule against harming their charge, unless they were falling. Even the most evil of humans deserved redemption. But some did break the no-direct-contact or intervention rule, and Jazen was a serial offender. Of course Jasmine would be breaking the very same rule, although with divine sanction.
“ Well, anyway, I had best be going” Apparently Jasmine’s warning had fallen on deaf ears . Jazen bowed and hurried off before she could reply.
Jasmine sighed and waved half-heartedly at the diminishing form of Jazen. She knelt and uttered a quick and silent prayer, before preparing to return to Earth. She wanted to stop by and see some of her fellows, but she should go back sooner rather than later. She was lost and unsure of herself but, embracing the music of the symphony, her faith overcame her doubts.
She spr ead her wings and they began to glow. She flapped them twice to gain lift, and below her, a ring of light formed. She slowly descended into it and started her journey back to Earth, passing through the layers of the symphony. From above, a shaft of light shone down warming her. Her doubts melted away and she knew everything would be all right.
Chapter 2: Getting Used to Things
Michael’s dreams were disturbed. They began with pleasant memories of the home- cooked meals his mother used to make for him, along with a bizarre mix of women with wings cooking for him and winking suggestively. Lack of a girlfriend for a year must have warped his mind. After a while, though, these dreams faded into something more sinister.
He was standing on a desolate plain, scorched black and devoid of life. Craters dotted the landscape. In the distance, he could see the ruins of what looked like a city, torn apart by some unknown force. The landscape was dark, and only a red glow along the horizon provided any illumination. Above, only turbulent sky of the same violent hue swirled.
Mic hael began to walk, then to run, anything to get away from this place. It had a feeling of wrongness, of evil. He stumbled on a stone and staggered a few paces, before landing face first in dust. He looked up at a figure that stood before him, though he couldn’t make it out.
“ Soon ” it said. At that moment, Michael was pulled upwards by a bright light, taking him away from his nightmare and back into the waking
“Hello, Jasmine,” said an angel right in front of her. A male face with unusual green eyes and blonde hair stared at her. Jasmine almost stumbled back in suprise.
“ Jazen . For goodness sake, don’t scare me like that. I was finding my place in the symphony.”
“ Oh, sorry. I was just passing by and noticed you there. Are you OK?”
“ Yes, fine, just running an errand,” Jasmine replied
“ Oh, good to hear. Your charge is well?” Jazen asked.
“ Yes, he’s fine, but why are you here?”
“ Oh…well, I’m on high to be cautioned. I've violated a tenet with my charge. But I just can’t help myself; I care for her much and want her to know someone is there for her in her times of need. She looks so lonely sometimes, Jasmine. It is horrible!”
Jazen hasty explanation revealed a lot more to Jasmine than he intended. Angels seldom lied. They could obfuscate rather than outright lie, but it being generally frowned upon. Nevertheless, Jazen was more honest than any angel Jasmine had met, and tended to talk too much.
“ Violating tenets is not wise, Jazen." Jasmine said sternly. "If you truly care for her so much, you will be more careful. If you keep doing it, you may end up reassigned. You could even inadvertently harm her.”
Tenets were the rules passed down to guardian angels to ensure that they operated reasonably. Rules such as no direct contact, no direct intervention, no relations and no harm. Relations between angels and humans were almost unheard of. No guardian angel ever violated the rule against harming their charge, unless they were falling. Even the most evil of humans deserved redemption. But some did break the no-direct-contact or intervention rule, and Jazen was a serial offender. Of course Jasmine would be breaking the very same rule, although with divine sanction.
“ Well, anyway, I had best be going” Apparently Jasmine’s warning had fallen on deaf ears . Jazen bowed and hurried off before she could reply.
Jasmine sighed and waved half-heartedly at the diminishing form of Jazen. She knelt and uttered a quick and silent prayer, before preparing to return to Earth. She wanted to stop by and see some of her fellows, but she should go back sooner rather than later. She was lost and unsure of herself but, embracing the music of the symphony, her faith overcame her doubts.
She spr ead her wings and they began to glow. She flapped them twice to gain lift, and below her, a ring of light formed. She slowly descended into it and started her journey back to Earth, passing through the layers of the symphony. From above, a shaft of light shone down warming her. Her doubts melted away and she knew everything would be all right.
Chapter 2: Getting Used to Things
Michael’s dreams were disturbed. They began with pleasant memories of the home- cooked meals his mother used to make for him, along with a bizarre mix of women with wings cooking for him and winking suggestively. Lack of a girlfriend for a year must have warped his mind. After a while, though, these dreams faded into something more sinister.
He was standing on a desolate plain, scorched black and devoid of life. Craters dotted the landscape. In the distance, he could see the ruins of what looked like a city, torn apart by some unknown force. The landscape was dark, and only a red glow along the horizon provided any illumination. Above, only turbulent sky of the same violent hue swirled.
Mic hael began to walk, then to run, anything to get away from this place. It had a feeling of wrongness, of evil. He stumbled on a stone and staggered a few paces, before landing face first in dust. He looked up at a figure that stood before him, though he couldn’t make it out.
“ Soon ” it said. At that moment, Michael was pulled upwards by a bright light, taking him away from his nightmare and back into the waking
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