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THE TOWN GLOWED UNDER the afternoon sky. Crisp winter air had not quite left, but flower buds peeped their sleepy eyes.
Jediah held his breath. For the first time in ages, humans—God’s Image Bearers—walked before him. They were most sacred of all life. Made up of a body, soul, and spirit, three in one, they echoed the Triune God Himself. Yet as he surveyed the crowds, Jediah frowned. Most of them wore broken fragments of His Mark on their chests. Without His Holy Spirit, their symbols were incomplete, as if partly erased. They were meant to bear a bold, completed sigil.
As he leaned from his perch on the rooftop, Jediah’s energy heated, pounding and thirsting to cross the dimensional divide from the second realm to the first for the first time.
“So, is everyone ready?” Nechum asked.
Jediah stood up and nodded, careful not to look too eager.
“Very well.” Nechum stroked the caramel color out of his hair. The locks smoothed straight under his palms as he painted them into a dark brunette with each swipe. He then lengthened it, pulling it down the nape of his neck. By the flicking of his wrist, it twisted into a neat braid. Nechum then rubbed the aquamarine out of his eyes and replaced it with hazel. Soon his entire form turned feminine and petite, and with a final shake of his clothes, he swapped his blue uniform for a T-shirt, shorts, and flat shoes.
After they all altered their appearances, Jediah and the others followed Nechum down from the roof and into the cramped alley.
Nechum stared at the sidewalk, then signaled everyone to step further back. “Okay, I know some of you have never entered the physical plain before. Crossing over might, well, feel a bit weird, but don’t be alarmed. Whatever sensations you’re about to experience are normal. You’ll be fine.” Nechum’s form dimmed, losing its heavenly luster.
Jediah followed suit, suppressing his energy and forsaking its essence. He gasped. It didn’t hurt. Rather, it put him in shock. The second he cut himself off from the spiritual realm, every instinct in him wanted to go back. A weight dropped in his newly forming gut. His internal energy scrunched itself into a dot, and weird, heavy insides filled the newly emptied spaces within him. Then he felt something hard, like sticks sprout and branch out in every joint, and soon a flesh coat vacuum sealed itself to the firming bones.
Trembling, Jediah sucked air into lungs for the first time. His unaccustomed angelic senses ran wild. The tiniest sound banged in his eardrums. His fresh knit skin tickled to air molecules and shivered from cold and cooked from heat.
“It’s okay,” Nechum assured. “It’s okay. Give yourselves time. The strangeness will lessen in a minute.”
Jediah raised and flexed a hand and felt every delicate tissue and muscle stretching. Looking around to check on the others, Jediah saw Laszio sucking in heavy breaths and Eran pinching his arm, testing how skin folds and springs back into place. Only Akela and Alameth stood by, unfazed and clearly well practiced.
***
Jediah strolled down the sidewalk, more conscientious of himself than he had been in his life. He admired Nechum, who weaved through masses to and fro with ease. How long did it take him to gain the confidence to pass humans so effortlessly? Jediah feared his true angelic strength might come out and harm whomever he bumped into.
Aiming to act natural, Jediah focused on the streets instead. Stores were strung along both sides of the road. Scented wood chips scattered from the carpentry shop’s open air workbench. A bakery unleashed smells of buttered rolls and cinnamon with every swing of its doors, and several windows displayed products meant to catch the wandering eye.
Nechum led them to the shady street corner by the crosswalk, where fewer people traveled. He signaled them to wait, and Jediah, as well as all five of them, stopped in a perfect row.
Nechum looked back and shook his head. “Um,” he whispered. “Maybe, try to make it look a little less intentional.”
Everyone shuffled, turning their line into a less definable shape.
Giving an assuring smile, Nechum nodded, “Better.”
“So, where are you taking us?” Laszio asked.
Nechum pointed. “We are going to have some practice in this shop.”
Jediah beheld a glass door with a sign that blinked “Open”. It appeared innocent enough, yet he stared at it like it intended to eat him alive.
Reaching the door, Nechum grabbed the handle, ready to open it for them. “I’m thinking going in and just making pleasant conversation is a good way to get everyone’s feet wet.”
“What do people talk about?” Eran asked, as he folded his arms and sized the entire building up.
Nechum shrugged. “The weather. The store. Easiest way to start a conversation, though, is to ask them about themselves. Don’t ask anything invasive. Just stick to the basics.”
“Okay then,” Akela chirped. “Let’s go.”
Nodding, Nechum opened the door but froze with it half ajar. “Oh, one moment.” He cringed. “I’m sorry. I should have mentioned this before. There are a few things to keep in mind. Not to make any of you nervous or anything, and I don’t mean to overwhelm anyone, but try to remember not to break anything. Don’t buy anything either. Don’t ask about politics, and most important of all, don’t forget to blink.”
“To blink?” Laszio approached Nechum. “What’s to blink?”
Nechum’s feet shuffled a moment. “Um, well, it’s, uh, this.” He shut and open his eyes.
Laszio squinted, then fluttered his eyes.
By the uncomfortable expression on Nechum’s face, Jediah guessed Laszio’s attempt wasn’t convincing.
“Um, close,” Nechum said. “Try it again but a tad slower.”
Laszio’s second ‘blink’ made him look sluggish and sleepy.
Dead silence fell between them until Nechum nodded. “Doing better.”
***
The angels clustered close together as they passed rows of nicknacks. Jediah peeked over the shelves at humans lined up before a beeping device. A young lady, burdened with shopping bags, left the seller’s desk and bumped against the door. She grunted, trying to push it open.
“Hang on.” Akela ran to her aid and opened the door.
“Thank you.” She nodded without so much as looking him in the face.
Akela placed a hand on his chest and bowed. “Tis an honor, milady. Would you like me to carry your bags for you? Where are you headed?”
A strange, disturbed look crossed her face. “Um, no. Thanks but no.”
“Are you sure? It’s no trouble, really. I insist. Let me help-” Akela reached for a bag.
She lurched back. “Pervert.” Her shoes scraped the sidewalk as the heavy door shut in Akela’s face.
Akela’s eyebrows dipped as he turned to Jediah. “Was it something I said?”
Nechum drew to Akela’s side, patting his shoulder. “No. You’re fine. It’s just the times. There’s a lot of suspicion going around these days. Just keep personal space in mind.”
Jediah winced. This would be much harder than he thought. He watched Alameth pass several customers, but the Destroyer didn’t bother to say anything. He stuck to head nods and courteous bows. Jediah considered adopting his example. It seemed the safest option.
A man crossed paths with Laszio and dropped a pair of tagged sunglasses. Laszio dipped down to retrieve it.
Snap!
The glasses laid in two pieces in Laszio’s hand. His cheeks reddened as he offered the broken object. “I’m terribly sorry.”
After considerable staring at the glasses and Laszio, the man scowled. “Are you jossin’ me? I just paid for those.”
Poor Laszio could only mumble more apologies as the man continued berating him.
At a loss, Jediah racked his brain to rescue him from such awful embarrassment.
Before he could come up with something, Nechum stepped between them and picked up the pieces. “Terrible, isn’t it? The cheapness of plastic. They don’t make things to last anymore, do they?” The man’s anger subsided as Nechum continued. “We’re so very sorry, sir. We’d be happy to pay for the damages, if it’ll help.”
Laszio’s eyes widened. “I don’t have money.”
Nechum gently ushered Laszio aside. “It’s okay. I do.”
Jediah then noticed him pull a brown leather square from his pocket. “How much was it?” Nechum asked.
“Seventeen.”
“Hmm.” Nechum leafed through pale colored strips. “I’ve only got twenties... here.” The man accepted the flimsy paper. “Keep the change.”
As soon as the guy left, Jediah whispered in Nechum’s ear. “How’d you get money? Did God give you that?”
“I earned it from scattered jobs here and there.” Nechum stuffed the pouch back into his pocket. “Can you imagine what would happen to the world’s economy if God just manifested money for every ministry angel on the planet?”
Jediah never felt so stupid. Despite thinking through what Nechum said, he couldn’t grasp the concept.
Nechum smiled. “Never mind. It’s not that important.” He paused. “Uh-oh.”
Jediah turned to see Eran fumbling through his words to find a conversation piece. The mother he spoke to inched away and gripped her daughter’s hand. Jediah couldn’t figure out why until he noticed how Eran stared into her. He wasn’t, as Nechum put it, ‘blinking’.
Jediah stepped behind her. Gesturing for Eran’s attention, he pointed at his eyes and demonstrated a blink.
Eran squinted back.
Jediah blinked harder and faster, but then the woman turned around and saw him. She gave the same put-off look the first lady gave Akela.
Suppressing his rising panic, Jediah waved. “Hi. Sorry, my brother and I need to...um...go. Come on.”
Eran took the hint and followed him into another aisle.
Jediah released a breath. “Blink, Eran. Don’t forget to blink.”
“I’m sorry, sir. This whole thing feels so odd.”
“I know, but it’ll be okay. We can only improve from here.”
***
Later that day, Jediah returned to the safety of his angelic form and pulled the hood of his blue cloak low. They were leaving by plane in the morning, but if he wanted to see more of the town Nechum so loved, he couldn’t risk being recognized by anyone—angel or demon.
As he strolled the village outskirts, he lost himself in the sunset. He couldn’t even remember the last time he saw one. The horizon traded blue for crimson and crimson for violet. Crickets, hidden in the wheat field, chirped between the stalks. Then the last speck of sunlight ducked behind a hill, and thus coronated the moon and its starry courts to govern the world.
“Enjoying the view, Captain?”
Startled, Jediah turned around to see Nechum raise his hands in apology. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
Disappointed that Nechum saw right through his disguise again, Jediah shook his head. “I’m that bad at hiding, huh?”
Nechum pursed his lips and wrung his hands. “Well, um, kind of.”
Jamming his hands into his pockets, Jediah laughed at his own pathetic-ness. “I expected as much.”
Nechum scuffed his heel against the gravel. “You’re not that bad an actor. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you—coming to earth after all these years. It’s a far-cry from the days of Eden you might have remembered.”
“But what about you?” Jediah asked. “Training hopeless cases like me and leaving all these humans you care about?”
Closing his eyes, Nechum dipped his chin down and nodded. “My stand-in will watch them in my stead. Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to say goodbye. I’ve said goodbye a hundred times to thousands of people who never even met me. Most of which I’ll never see again.” His shoulders sagged, and he bit his lip. “But yes. It never gets any easier.”
After a moment of silence, Jediah gestured toward the road. “Care to join me? I thought about taking a walk, and I’m liable to get lost anyway.”
“Oh, this place is small,” Nechum laughed. “You couldn’t if you tried.”
As they walked, Jediah felt no need to speak. There was something in the way Nechum carried himself that seemed so un-rushed; like he demanded nothing of you nor expected anything from you. Not at all like the troops Jediah directed from day to day, and yet Jediah couldn’t shake the feeling that Nechum kept glancing at him. He knew ministry angels possessed an empathic sense. How much of himself was Nechum reading? “Is something wrong, brother?”
Nechum averted his gaze. “Sorry, sir. I’m making you uncomfortable.”
Hearing the shame in Nechum’s voice, Jediah took his shoulder. “Hey, enough apologies, and I’m your brother right now. Not your captain.”
Still, Nechum’s chuckle quaked. “Right...right...”
They took a right into a residential area. The houses were past their heyday, but appeared able to keep their owners warm and dry.
Nechum halted and stared ahead.
On instinct, Jediah reached for his concealed sword. “What is it?” He followed Nechum’s line of sight. A young girl sat on a porch with her knees drawn to her chin. A purple spot splotched her face, and her eyes were red-rimmed. Jediah clenched a fist when he noticed the bruises. What senseless coward dared hurt a child?
Nechum left Jediah’s side and crouched in front of her. She could not see him, but her heaving sobs calmed at his touch. Then, to Jediah’s surprise, Nechum’s clothes turned white. It seemed a mystery at first, but then the girl put her legs down. The Mark of the Trinity pulsed with the Holy Spirit of God inside her. As Jediah gazed upon it, those longings he repressed earlier deepened against his will.
Nearby, a stray cat, light on its paws, slinked along the wall and sat just behind the girl. It looked at her with half-opened eyes as it wrapped its tail over its front paws. Something sparked in Nechum’s face when he noticed the calico. He approached the feline, and upon placing a hand on its tiny head, he dissolved and merged inside it.
The cat gained a silver glint in its eye. Jediah marveled as Nechum steered the little creature he possessed, making it rub its whiskered cheek against the girl’s back.
The girl snapped her head around to a squeaky “mew”. “Oh,” she sniffled. “Hello.” She stroked its fur as it contentedly pushed against her palm.
With distinctive feline grace, the cat helped itself to her lap and gave that secret grin all cats seemed to have when they’re happy. Its velveteen paws pushed and pressed on her knee and purred. The girl opened her legs wider. Then the little calico plopped on its side. Its exposed, pillowy white underbelly prompted the girl to let out a cheery laugh.
Without thinking, Jediah inched closer to the scene. He reached out a hand to touch the girl’s shoulder but retracted it. His whole being trembled. Then, building up the courage, he touched her shoulder. Shekinah glory from his Lord filled him, turning his clothes white and sending shivers through his soul. Christ’s Spirit felt like...home.