There was once a man. A happy, handsome man. He had a loving wife and a beautiful young daughter. The wife had a well-paying job at the local bank and the man worked from the comfort of his own home on the computer. His daughter finally became old enough to attend school, so everyday the wife would drop her off at kindergarten and drive to the bank. Everyday the man worked at home, waiting for his wife's car to pull up the driveway and for his daughter to jump into his arms, hugging him while telling about her exciting day of picking flowers, writing words in cursive, and making arts and crafts. The man's life was now one repetitive routine, one in which he was delightfully happy.
One night, however, the wife's car broke down, so her and her daughter had to take a taxicab home. It was raining and the driver could not see well through the windshield. The man waited and waited, but they never came home.
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Three months passed, and the pleasant routine was now in shambles. The man became very depressed and could not keep up with his work. He was fired from his job and soon found himself in debt. Every night the man would try to drown out his sorrows in liquor and wine. He waited, not for his wife and daughter to return, but to wake up from the hopeless nightmare that was now his reality.
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One warm summer night, the man was walking to the bar when he felt an insistent tugging on his shirt. He looked down to see a young girl with wide, watery eyes staring up at him.
She was sickly thin-an angular face covered with scratches and bony limbs indicated that she had not eaten much in days, if anything at all. She was wearing a simple white dress over her pale skin, her stringy brown hair pulled up in a high ponytail. Silky white ribbons wrapped around her ankles, the ends of which trailed on the ground and were soggy from being dragged through puddles. Bare feet scraped and bruised, broken nails caked with dirt, the girl had clearly been through a lot.
"Please help me," she sobbed desperately. "I'm lost and I can't find the way home to my family."
The man regarded her, contemplating the situation. Finally he sighed. "Alright. You can stay with me for the night."
He guided her down the street and up the long driveway leading to the house. When they arrived, he offered her food, water, and too-large clothes that once belonged to his wife. But no matter how much he insisted these things were necessary, she would not accept anything, repeatedly claiming that she "didn't want to intrude."
So the man and the girl laid outside in the grass. He pointed out each constellation to her, the way he used to do with his daughter. He told her stories that made her laugh, which made him laugh too. He realized with a start that this was the first time he had smiled since the car accident. The girl noticed this and soon started explaining why it was important to be cheerful.
"Happiness is contagious," she said. "You need to smile more." It took the man a moment to realize she meant the word 'you' as in him specifically. "I mean it," she continued. "Don't wait for someone to make you happy. You go out and make someone else happy."
They sat there in silence for quite a while. By the time the sun started to rise, the man was sure the girl was asleep. But then she spoke.
"Do you believe in angels?"
The man was so taken aback by the question, he sat up in disbelief. "Do I... believe..."
"...in angels," the girl finished for him, sitting up as well.
"I... don't know..." the man replied.
"Angels are often sent down to earth to console people. They let others know they're not alone." The girl leaned in and whispered, "But I think people can do that too."
The man turned and looked at her in shocked surprise and the girl started transforming.
A dazzling light shone around her, as if a hundred stars had descended from the lightening sky to illuminate her figure, which had begun to elongate. The scars and dirt disappeared. Her nails became manicured and healthy.
When the light cleared, a beautiful woman stood before the man. Golden curls spilled down her back over a long white robe. Miniature silver crosses connected together, interlocking to form shining armbands adorning her slender limbs. Her honey-colored skin was smooth and delicate, her face gentle, eyes fierce. Brilliant, white feathery wings spread out behind her, sprouting from her back between the shoulder blades. The woman smiled at the man, who could return it with only a look of utter astonishment. Then she spoke to him.
"Three months ago, I was tasked with a mission to change the heart of someone specific. I have done all I can. You can decide whether or not it was a success. But I must now bid you goodbye." She inclined her head."It is because of you that I can now rejoin my family." She indicated the pale gray sky above. "And if you heed my advice, then someday, you will too."The woman smiled a soft yet dazzling smile one last time, and the man returned it genuinely.
And with that, her angelic form rose higher and higher, ascending into the heavens until she disappeared into the clouds.
