Did you whisper in Mrs. Carrillo’s ear and make her think Kathy was talking?”
“No.” The Little Angel of Independence blinked. “I swear I didn’t.”
“Hmm. And did you make Kathy stomp her hooves?”
“No.”
“Hmm.” The Archangel of Independence pressed his lips together. “This Mrs. Carrillo has quite an imagination.”
“Yes. And she’s doing my job.”
“How so?”
“She’s giving Elena lots of praise, so Elena feels more self-confident and independent. I’m glad of that, of course. But I don’t see how I’ll earn any more feathers this way.” The little angel climbed up a maple tree, swung from a branch, and landed beside the archangel again.
“You’re the real acrobat.”
The little angel laughed. “I’m just a climber.”
“A climber who’s earning lots of feathers. With every word of encouragement from Mrs. Carrillo, you earn another one.”
“Really? Why?”
“Well, it was your action that brought them together. Somehow you sensed that knocking Kathy out of the tree onto Mrs. Carrillo’s head would make things turn out right. You have good instincts. And just look at your wings.”
The Little Angel of Independence spread his wings. “They’re almost fully feathered.”
“And you’re not even holding my hand,” said the archangel.
The little angel smiled at the Archangel of Independence. “I guess I’m getting ready to do this sort of work on my own.”
“I guess you are.”