looked around with bewildered eyes. She was in her bookstore, lying on the floor. Her body should be stiff and sore, and yet it wasn’t. When she’d been sleeping she’d been as cosy and comfortable as if she were sleeping on a feather pillow top mattress.
And why the blazes had she spent the night inside Quills?
Oh right, the ice storm.
Obviously the electricity had been restored because the furnace was blasting out heat from the nearby register, and the lamp was on, on the table in front of the window.
And the guy?
She stood up and looked about the store. “Hey, are you here?”
There was no answer. Of course. He didn’t talk. But there was also no sound, either. She noticed the black feather was resting on the arm of the wingback chair. She picked it up and held it her hand, feeling the same spark of electric current tickle her palm.
Where are you? She asked? Who are you?
Lizzy was standing behind her, nudging Eve’s hand with her nose. A soft whimper whispered past her lips, it was followed by a good thrashing of her tail against Eve’s legs.
“What is it you want me to know?” she asked the dog.
Lizzy cocked her head to the side and looked up at her, then back at the chair. Between the arm and the seat cushion, a little piece of paper was poking out. It must have been lying beneath the feather, and she had inadvertently knocked it off the arm.
Picking it up, Eve held the folded paper up to the light. It was origami, folded to resemble wings.
“Hello?” she called, knowing he had been the one to do this. “Are you here?”
Sometime during the night, he had covered her up with the blanket and had left her, but not before doing this. Eve wondered if there was something written inside it, although she was loathe to unfold the design, knowing she’d never be able to fold it back up into its proper shape.
But what if he had left her a message?
Eve tore it open to find the most beautiful handwriting she’d ever seen. It was scripty and flowing, curling in lavish detail. Below it was a strange symbol. She read it over, the words not really registering in her brain. She was too focused on the style of writing and the strange symbol that was located on the bottom right corner.
It was only when she read it over once more that the words became clear. The events of last night also became clear, and the paper slipped through her hands and fell to the floor where the beautiful script looked up at her.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Hebrews. Chapter 13. Verse 2.
Had she really entertained an angel? Or had he been something else? Did angelic beings really have those strange, frightening markings all over their bodies? Did they truly land in the back alleys of people’s businesses for no good reason?
Eve glanced at the paper once more, her gaze straying over the mark. What was it, that strange symbol? What did it represent?
There was only one way to find out. Eve headed to the bookcase that held all her religious texts. She could hardly believe what she was about to do.
She found what she was looking for and pulled the green leather tome from its spot high on the shelf.
‘A Natural History of Heaven and its Angels’.
Eve didn’t know what she was going to find within the pages. She didn’t even know if the symbol meant anything. She was only certain of one thing. And that was the fact that she had entertained an angel last night. And not only had she entertained him with food and reading, but she’s also entertained the idea of sharing their bodies.
And that, she realised, had probably gotten her a one way ticket to hell.
* * * *
Empty pizza boxes and beer cans lay scattered on the tables and floor. Walking between the prone bodies, Anael sniffed at the air, grimacing when the staleness of unwashed bodies and leftover food greeted him. On the TV, hard core porn action was flickering across the plasma screen. Anael turned and
And why the blazes had she spent the night inside Quills?
Oh right, the ice storm.
Obviously the electricity had been restored because the furnace was blasting out heat from the nearby register, and the lamp was on, on the table in front of the window.
And the guy?
She stood up and looked about the store. “Hey, are you here?”
There was no answer. Of course. He didn’t talk. But there was also no sound, either. She noticed the black feather was resting on the arm of the wingback chair. She picked it up and held it her hand, feeling the same spark of electric current tickle her palm.
Where are you? She asked? Who are you?
Lizzy was standing behind her, nudging Eve’s hand with her nose. A soft whimper whispered past her lips, it was followed by a good thrashing of her tail against Eve’s legs.
“What is it you want me to know?” she asked the dog.
Lizzy cocked her head to the side and looked up at her, then back at the chair. Between the arm and the seat cushion, a little piece of paper was poking out. It must have been lying beneath the feather, and she had inadvertently knocked it off the arm.
Picking it up, Eve held the folded paper up to the light. It was origami, folded to resemble wings.
“Hello?” she called, knowing he had been the one to do this. “Are you here?”
Sometime during the night, he had covered her up with the blanket and had left her, but not before doing this. Eve wondered if there was something written inside it, although she was loathe to unfold the design, knowing she’d never be able to fold it back up into its proper shape.
But what if he had left her a message?
Eve tore it open to find the most beautiful handwriting she’d ever seen. It was scripty and flowing, curling in lavish detail. Below it was a strange symbol. She read it over, the words not really registering in her brain. She was too focused on the style of writing and the strange symbol that was located on the bottom right corner.
It was only when she read it over once more that the words became clear. The events of last night also became clear, and the paper slipped through her hands and fell to the floor where the beautiful script looked up at her.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Hebrews. Chapter 13. Verse 2.
Had she really entertained an angel? Or had he been something else? Did angelic beings really have those strange, frightening markings all over their bodies? Did they truly land in the back alleys of people’s businesses for no good reason?
Eve glanced at the paper once more, her gaze straying over the mark. What was it, that strange symbol? What did it represent?
There was only one way to find out. Eve headed to the bookcase that held all her religious texts. She could hardly believe what she was about to do.
She found what she was looking for and pulled the green leather tome from its spot high on the shelf.
‘A Natural History of Heaven and its Angels’.
Eve didn’t know what she was going to find within the pages. She didn’t even know if the symbol meant anything. She was only certain of one thing. And that was the fact that she had entertained an angel last night. And not only had she entertained him with food and reading, but she’s also entertained the idea of sharing their bodies.
And that, she realised, had probably gotten her a one way ticket to hell.
* * * *
Empty pizza boxes and beer cans lay scattered on the tables and floor. Walking between the prone bodies, Anael sniffed at the air, grimacing when the staleness of unwashed bodies and leftover food greeted him. On the TV, hard core porn action was flickering across the plasma screen. Anael turned and
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