angel.
Chapter 3: Life Goes On
Nothing could have prepared Michael for this. It was one thing to see Jasmine or another person’s angel individually, but now he was seeing dozens, even hundreds of them all in one place. The surreal vision was almost too much for Michael; his breathing became heavy, and he was drenched in sweat. He tried to make his limbs move, but they refused. He just stood staring, as humans and their angels moved around him.
Jasmine had predicted that Michael would have to go through this moment. She had decided not to sugar coat it and to let him face it quickly rather than trying to baby-step him through it. He would have to get used to it one day, better sooner rather than later. Besides there were methods to deal with such things, or at least she hoped so. Jasmine gently placed her hand in his and hummed a song, trying to soothe Michael’s mind.
Mich ael was awestruck; the population of the world to his eyes had just doubled. He looked up and saw still more angels flying to and fro. Was that an angel flying alongside a light aircraft as it buzzed over the busy city? He should have expected it, but still, how could he have prepared himself? He tried not to imagine what a crowd at a concert or football stadium would look like.
Taking deep breaths, Michael managed to slow his breathing, and relax a bit. The shock was wearing off, and he had to accept what was happening. Anxiety would not change it, and, as none of the angels were aware of him, there was no threat to him. Why was he even so worried?
“ How are you doing?” Jasmine asked her voice so soft he could barely hear it.
“ Better. It was just such a big thing to take in, the scale of it. Pretty embarrassing reaction though.” Michael fought the impulse to blurt the words out all at once.
Jasmine smiled . “To be honest I'd say you handled it very well. I mean, everything since this started. You’ve managed to keep your head, but some anxiety is to be expected, with all that's happened to you in such a short time. So don’t be hard on yourself.”
“I don’t know if I'll ever get used to this...” Michael trailed off, staring up towards the High Street.
“ You will. Think of your first time in a crowd as a kid. It was scary, but you got used to it. All these things take time. Besides the angels will either get out of your way or you'll walk right through them”
“ What do you mean, walk right through them?”
“ Well we as guardians are only allowed to physically affect our charges and then there are strict rules even on that. We can choose to become insubstantial to everyone else. So they will never bump into us, or get interrupted in their daily lives by us. Sometimes guardians break the rules but that’s another matter.”
“ Well…" Michael wondered. "That’s half a comfort and half a worry. I think it’ll be even more freaky walking straight through other peoples guardians as if they were ghosts!”
Jasmine playfully punched his arm with a grin. “Stop being a baby. You'll be fine!”
“ What happened to all the sympathy?”
“ Shush, let's get you home. You can have some sympathy there. I might even make you a cup of tea.”
Michael nodded, a bit weary after the adrenaline burst from his earlier fear. Jasmine had been right though. Already, after only a few minutes of exposure, he was getting used to the angels. As Michael walked back home, he couldn’t help but sidestep angels on instinct as they approached, trying not to bump into them. Jasmine shook her head and smiled.
They walked slowly down the high street. Michael couldn’t wait to get back into his own house and slob out on the sofa watching TV for a while. Even though he'd spent days lying down in hospital, he was still tired and needed to relax. He had never been gladder he had been signed off work for a while.
Michael was about to turn into his side-road
Chapter 3: Life Goes On
Nothing could have prepared Michael for this. It was one thing to see Jasmine or another person’s angel individually, but now he was seeing dozens, even hundreds of them all in one place. The surreal vision was almost too much for Michael; his breathing became heavy, and he was drenched in sweat. He tried to make his limbs move, but they refused. He just stood staring, as humans and their angels moved around him.
Jasmine had predicted that Michael would have to go through this moment. She had decided not to sugar coat it and to let him face it quickly rather than trying to baby-step him through it. He would have to get used to it one day, better sooner rather than later. Besides there were methods to deal with such things, or at least she hoped so. Jasmine gently placed her hand in his and hummed a song, trying to soothe Michael’s mind.
Mich ael was awestruck; the population of the world to his eyes had just doubled. He looked up and saw still more angels flying to and fro. Was that an angel flying alongside a light aircraft as it buzzed over the busy city? He should have expected it, but still, how could he have prepared himself? He tried not to imagine what a crowd at a concert or football stadium would look like.
Taking deep breaths, Michael managed to slow his breathing, and relax a bit. The shock was wearing off, and he had to accept what was happening. Anxiety would not change it, and, as none of the angels were aware of him, there was no threat to him. Why was he even so worried?
“ How are you doing?” Jasmine asked her voice so soft he could barely hear it.
“ Better. It was just such a big thing to take in, the scale of it. Pretty embarrassing reaction though.” Michael fought the impulse to blurt the words out all at once.
Jasmine smiled . “To be honest I'd say you handled it very well. I mean, everything since this started. You’ve managed to keep your head, but some anxiety is to be expected, with all that's happened to you in such a short time. So don’t be hard on yourself.”
“I don’t know if I'll ever get used to this...” Michael trailed off, staring up towards the High Street.
“ You will. Think of your first time in a crowd as a kid. It was scary, but you got used to it. All these things take time. Besides the angels will either get out of your way or you'll walk right through them”
“ What do you mean, walk right through them?”
“ Well we as guardians are only allowed to physically affect our charges and then there are strict rules even on that. We can choose to become insubstantial to everyone else. So they will never bump into us, or get interrupted in their daily lives by us. Sometimes guardians break the rules but that’s another matter.”
“ Well…" Michael wondered. "That’s half a comfort and half a worry. I think it’ll be even more freaky walking straight through other peoples guardians as if they were ghosts!”
Jasmine playfully punched his arm with a grin. “Stop being a baby. You'll be fine!”
“ What happened to all the sympathy?”
“ Shush, let's get you home. You can have some sympathy there. I might even make you a cup of tea.”
Michael nodded, a bit weary after the adrenaline burst from his earlier fear. Jasmine had been right though. Already, after only a few minutes of exposure, he was getting used to the angels. As Michael walked back home, he couldn’t help but sidestep angels on instinct as they approached, trying not to bump into them. Jasmine shook her head and smiled.
They walked slowly down the high street. Michael couldn’t wait to get back into his own house and slob out on the sofa watching TV for a while. Even though he'd spent days lying down in hospital, he was still tired and needed to relax. He had never been gladder he had been signed off work for a while.
Michael was about to turn into his side-road
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