Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time
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Christmas is the season to be jolly, and the town of Hudson, Wisconsin is filled with merry people enjoying themselves at a festive winter festival. The snow has been falling since the night before, but it is not the cold that most visitors feel when they come to the Christmas fair.
Instead, they are overwhelmed by the happy feelings emanating from the area, so much so that they never notice that all around them, something is brewing that will change the world forever…
A snowflake drifted through the air above a small kiosk where an angel stood on top of a Christmas tree made of books, one of the many new inventions for which Hudson was famous. “Tis the season to be jolly,” said the angel as he turned his golden gaze toward the young woman who was standing in front of him.
The young woman smiled at him. “I hope so,” she said. She had a lovely smile – or at least the angel thought so. She looked like the kind of girl who would make anyone’s heart flutter, even that of a good-natured angel with a bad habit of speaking before thinking. “What are you doing here?” he asked, sensing a kindred spirit.
“I’m just selling some books,” she replied. “They’re rather interesting. I’m sure someone will want to buy one.” She glanced towards the end of the aisle, but there was no one in sight except the other vendors, and the crowd was far too interested in the fair to notice what went on inside a little kiosk.
She sighed and walked over to a large book lying on the floor next to an empty stall. It was a hardback copy of The Angelic Histories by Frederick A. Lettmann. “I wonder how much this is worth,” she said.
The angel nodded. He liked to keep up with the latest fads, especially if it was something that had to do with the Christmas spirit. “Have you got any other books about angels?” he asked. She nodded, picked up a large leather-bound volume, and placed it on the counter. The angel carefully opened it up so he could see the title page.
The Book of Angels
A Study in History
And Science
by Charles E. Sorensen
“I think I’ve got everything,” she said. The angel smiled as he reached into his pocket for a five-dollar bill. He handed the money to the woman. “There you go,” he said. “Keep the change.” He couldn’t help but smile. Even angels needed a little money from time to time.
“Thank you,” she said. She took the money and stepped back to where she had been standing earlier. The angel turned to leave but stopped when she spoke again.
“I’m sorry. Did you say something?” he asked.
The angel looked at her. She had such a nice voice, almost musical. There was something about it that made him forget everything else and listen closely to what she had to say. “Nothing,” she replied. “I was just wondering, is this your first year here at the festival?”
“No. I’ve been coming every year since it began.”
“Well, I hope you have a good time,” the angel said. “The festival should be quite interesting this year with all the new inventions we’re seeing.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for,” she replied. “You’ll probably see me around. If not, it was nice meeting you.”
The angel nodded. “It was nice talking to you as well,” he said. “Perhaps I’ll see you again someday. It was good meeting you.” She smiled at him. “I look forward to it,” she said.
“I am sure you will,” he replied. The angel stepped away from the counter and walked down the aisle towards the exit of the building. The snow had stopped falling, but there was still plenty of it in the area and people were busy trying to stay on their feet as they made their way through the fair.
A large crowd had gathered near the food vendors and he paused to watch them for a moment. They seemed to be having a lot of fun. “Maybe I will get a chance to taste something soon,” he thought to himself.
There were lots of stalls, but only a few had set up shop that morning. The others would most likely be arriving later, or maybe not at all. He had seen many things in his time as an angel. The world was full of wonders and he loved to share them with those who came to visit.
That was why he had written the books he did. He enjoyed teaching people about the history of the angels – the good angels and the bad ones. The good angels always seemed to be more popular than the bad ones. Maybe that was because of all the wars the bad angels caused, he thought.
Still, no one ever believed in the bad angels. Perhaps they couldn’t see them as easily as the good ones could. All things considered, the angels seemed to have done pretty well for themselves, the angel thought. They were immortal. They were powerful. And, best of all, they had a direct link to God.
“God is always good,” he said out loud. He glanced back toward the book vendor, but she was no longer in sight.
The angel smiled. She had been nice to talk to. He wondered if he would ever see her again. “No matter,” he said. “I shall simply look forward to our next encounter.” The angel nodded. He knew what he was doing, after all. It had happened so many times before.
He just hoped this would be a better year for the angels than the last few had been. They needed their victories more than ever now. He sighed. War seemed to be the order of the day. The angels needed to stop it, but there didn’t seem to be any way they could do that without taking some drastic steps.
It had never been done before and he wasn’t sure how they could pull it off, but it had to be done. Something had to be done. The angels would make the decision soon enough and he would be waiting for them when they arrived.
He turned away from the stall. There was something else he needed to take care of first. He looked towards the sound. It was coming from the end of a row. “Someone is praying,” he thought to himself.
The angel stopped at the end of the row and gazed into the distance where the noise was coming from. As he did, his eyes widened in amazement. “What the—?” he muttered. “Is that the Angel of Death?” he asked. Then he understood what was happening. “He is here!” the angel shouted.
“What the—?” the man with the microphone replied. “That was the Angel of Death. What did you say?”
“I said he’s here! The Angel of Death is standing right there,” the angel shouted again. “I know that voice. I’ve heard it before. I’m sure of it!”
The man nodded. “You’re absolutely right. You’ve never heard that voice before. We haven’t either.”
“But that can’t be the Angel of Death!” the angel exclaimed. “He is the Angel of Death. He has always been the Angel of Death. It’s the name he gives himself!”
The man shook his head. “I don’t think so. Listen, when the Angel of Death comes, it’s only natural to assume that it will be the Angel of Death – that he’ll have on a long black robe and all that. But no one has ever seen him before. Now that I’ve heard his voice, I know he’s not the Angel of Death. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do what we’re supposed to though, does it?”
“Of course not,” the angel replied. “Let’s go see what’s going on.” The angel moved down the aisle towards the stall.
“Where are you going?” the man asked. “This is a big deal. Everyone is looking for him and everyone wants to talk to him. What if someone recognizes you?”
“That won’t happen,” the angel replied. “And besides, I have a special reason for going. This is my last stop before I leave the Earth. No matter what happens, this is the place where I’ll meet up with him again and then I’ll be able to ask him what is really going on here.
It’s too important to just let pass.” The angel moved past him and reached the end of the aisle. There was no one there. “The Angel of Death has gone,” he said to himself. Then he looked towards the front of the stall. He could hear a noise coming from over there. The Angel of Death’s voice, to be precise. It sounded like he was talking to someone, but who could it be? He didn’t see anyone.
He walked towards the sound and peered through the gap between the book racks. As he did, something caught his eye. There were two young men in there. They both appeared to be in their mid-twenties. One was tall with broad shoulders and was wearing a blue business suit.
The other was shorter with dark hair and a beard. They both looked so ordinary, yet they had the unmistakable look of an angel about them. And there was something else: they were both talking to each other in that peculiar way the angels have when they’re talking to each other.
The angel approached slowly, his eyes fixed upon them. He held back though. He didn’t want to scare them off. “Hi. You guys must be looking for the Angel of Death, right?”
“Yes,” the man said. “That’s him, isn’t it?” he asked. “I’ve heard about him. Everyone has. They say he walks amongst us as if he were one of us, but he is really the Angel of Death.”
“He looks just like the description we read in the newspaper,” his friend added. “Someone needs to talk to him, but no one knows how. We were hoping you’d know what to do.”
“Me? What should I know? You’re the ones who’ve heard about me, haven’t you?” The Angel of Death asked. “Well, there’s really not much more to tell. My name is… Well, my real name is a secret. So is my face. But I can assure you that I’m no angel.
In fact, I’m a pretty normal guy. Not the type to scare people, you know. That’s why it’s hard to believe that anyone has ever seen me before. People always seem so surprised when they actually do see me for the first time. But I guess that makes sense, doesn’t it? I mean, I am an angel, but not everyone believes that. It’s only natural to be shocked by the sight of me. I don’t blame you.”
The two men nodded their heads. Then one of them turned to the other. “What do you think?” he asked.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing. There’s something about him that reminds me of the Angel of Death. Like, maybe it’s his voice or maybe even his attitude, but I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is. Do you feel it too?”
“Yeah, definitely,” the second man said. “Maybe it’s just because he’s standing right in front of us and everything, but I definitely have this strange feeling about him. He’s almost as if he’s come from the past, or someplace else. Maybe from somewhere outside.”
“I agree completely,” the first man replied. “He looks like one of those old movies where the angels were all so powerful and frightening. Now they’ve got a new kind that’s less impressive.”
“But they can still do damage, right? They’re still here, after all,” the other added.
“Yes. We all know that now.” The first man looked at his watch and sighed. “Well, we’ve been talking for a while now. You know what? We’d better be going.”
“I’m afraid we won’t get another chance like this,” the second man said.
“Okay, well let’s not delay any longer,” his friend added.
They turned and walked out of the aisle. The angel stood there until they disappeared from view. He felt sad and alone, but then something caught his attention. It was the woman in the red dress standing next to him. “Excuse me,” she said. “Do you think you could tell me where I could find the Angel of Death? He was supposed to be standing here earlier, but he’s not there anymore. Do you think perhaps he left?”
“You must mean the Angel of Death from the newspaper, don’t you? Well, I haven’t seen him either.”
The woman nodded her head. She seemed anxious about something. “Yes… That’s the one. I read in the paper about someone who could help me, but I haven’t been able to find him. Maybe you know where he is?”
“I don’t, but I can give you some good advice. I know where you might be able to find him.”
The woman smiled. “Oh! Thanks, that would be great!”
She hurried off before he could answer. The angel waited until he couldn’t see her any longer. Then he moved along the aisle, trying to keep to the shadows as best he could. Soon, though, he was lost among the crowd.
The End