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New Beginnings

Everything in Varsus at first glance looks like Earth. Then when you look at things you realize how stupid it would be to even compare the two. The door to the Guardian home opens into a high balcony on the top of a building in the center of the town square. In every direction there is windows looking down on the magnificence below. I wish I had gotten to stay and watch the world  from up there longer but the man in blue insisted that there were too many things to do and we couldn’t stay long. We went to his office a few floors down. Large chairs surrounded his deck. As I sat I sighed in relief, these were the most comfortable chairs in all of existence. The man pulled up a chair beside me,

“My name is Marcus, I am the leader of the Guardians of Varsus. I welcome you to our home and hope that you will enjoy your new life here. There is so much for you to learn in the coming days but we don’t have much time before you will need to begin your mission here with us. While you are here we want you to think of us as family, every young soul to come through that door is like a child to me and needs a group to help them through this time of mourning one's own death. Here we aim to make things as simple as possible while also teaching you what is needed to do the job.”

As pressure welled up in my head and the words overcame my thoughts I couldn’t help but let a tear escape. This man who I had just met was willing to do so much for me. He pulled me close as I released all the pain and emotions that had built up over the last 24 hours as I hang on the tree on Earth.  

    When I was finished crying Marcus stood and walked over to a side room connected to his office. After about five minutes of rummaging he emerged with a bag of items which he proceeded to hand to me. I reached my hand in and rummaged around inside. The first thing I pulled out was a set of blue clothes identical to the robes Marcus was wearing except it was designed with a more feminine cut. He motioned towards the dressing room next door. I was suddenly very conscious of the rain soaked, muddy sundress that I had died in still clinging to my body. As I locked myself in and looked in the mirror the face that I saw in the reflection was almost unrecognizable. The face was still mine but the skin, softer yet devoid of color. The eyes staring back were a brilliant ice color and hair chestnut brown laying in soft curls over my shoulder. I looked like a corpse lying in a casket in my Sunday best and then got rained on, yet I was standing and moving, interacting as if I were still alive. As I peeled away the last bit of humanity I had left and changed into my new Guardian clothes it was as if the entire weight of the planet had been removed from my back. As I exited I caught a glimpse of my new look. With every step the blue hues shimmered with a radiance that seemed almost majestic. I looked like an angel. Eager to see what else was in the bag. Next was a small charm in the shape of wings that were made of blue topaz and resting on a silver chain. He looked at me adding a very serious air to the room as he draped the pendant around my neck and helped clip the fastener behind me. It gleamed in the sunlight and then vanished before my very eyes.

“Close your eyes” a voice from inside my head urged. Obediently I squeezed them shut, and let Marcus guide me across the room to a wall of mirrors I had noticed before. When I opened my eyes I could truly look at myself for who I had become. Resting neatly between my shoulder blades, to my great surprise, was a translucent set of wings. They had the same general shape as what we all know as wings however instead of feathers they appeared to be made of water. They were clear and looked like they were constantly moving with reflections of a hundred colors glimmering in the light. When Marcus put that necklace on me, he gave me my wings. Thus my life as an angel began.