The Fallen Angel

Time In A Bottle

   Several theories have been developed on how human emotions arise and how they are represented in their brains.

   As humans move through their daily lives, they experience a variety of emotions. Human emotion is a subjective state of being that we often describe as their feelings.

   They can be at the heights of joy or in the depths of despair or they might feel angry when betrayed or scared when threatened.

   But sometimes human emotions are more complicated than that. Where some news can bring happiness to one and sadness to the other. But whom to help at that point is a whole new complication for me.
     As my stay on Earth prolonged in the endless search for my human, I'm trying to learn more about them and their everyday lives.

   I've completed 12 different tasks since I've been here. Helping them through their good and difficult times. It wasn't easy.

   One such mission was a young lovely couple. Lord and Lady Hermsburgh were one of the wealthiest people in Jinov. The Hermsburghs lived in a big mansion along the hillside where they owned several vineyards. Even with all that wealth, Lord Hermsburgh remained humble and noble.

   This young couple have been married for almost 10 years with three beautiful children. This family unlike many, were happy to be together. I've seen them not only uplift each other, but also others. They have always involved themselves in charity, providing shelter to the poor and providing education to many underprivileged children.

   There was happiness and peace wherever they went. Word about their kind heart spread far and wide among the borders of Jinov.

    Like every other Sunday morning, Lord Hermsburgh woke up early in the morning for his stroll in the city. He carried some money and food for charity. The city was a little farther away from his mansion. So he took his carriage and rode through the forest in the cold morning.

   He met with his officials and signed off some paperwork in the city hall. On his way back, he saw the market that had been opened for the harvest season. Through the busy streets of Jinov, Lord Hermsburgh walked around to buy something for his family.

   He bought strawberries for his children and some flowers for his wife. He carried everything back to his carriage and rode along the silent and the rocky pathway of Jinov's forest.
  
   The cold morning fog covered the entire forest, leaving him uncertain about his way. Suddenly he heard a harsh rustle among the trees and bushes. Lord Hermsburgh's horse sensed something amiss and skittered with anxiety.

  Lord Hermsburgh knew something was going on. So he stopped his carriage to inspect his surroundings. Out of nowhere two lines of rope came from two ends pinning him down to the ground. He was ambushed by a group of bandits who looted his carriage.

    Lord Hermsburgh tried his best to retrieve his carraige but an arrow to his chest had him crashing down to the forest floor where the bandits left him bleeding to death.

   Lady Hermsburgh and her children unaware of what was going on woke up to a loud knock on the door. No one could accept the horrific news that they heard from the police. And neither could I.

   As I saw this family being torn apart by this news, all I could think about was this unfair incident. Lord Hermsburgh was a good man. Why would such a thing happen to him? Why did the Lord let such an unforgivable incident happen to this family? What did they do wrong?

   I crashed down to the floor not knowing what to do or what to say.

   What kind of power do I use, when everything bad that could possibly happen already happened. I do not possess the power to reverse time, nor do I have the power to bring him back alive.

   As angry and furious as I was, my main aim as a guardian angel was to help this devastated family. So in anger I prayed to the Lord.

   The scroll opened like before, and in it was written,

"Grief can hurt, but bear with the storm. When the winds are done whipping up the sand, the weather will be gold and warm and you'll find a new path on which to stand"

   Grief is an instinctive universal response to seperation. But it's so much more different than other emotions. Happiness, sadness, anger and fear all these emotions comes and goes. But grief you see, they never really go. You just learn to live with it as time passes by.

   As hard as it was to accept this, all I could to do was to help the family push through their loss. Everyday when the thought of their loss came in, instead of locking it up within themselves they spoke to one another about their grief and shared their happy moments they had with their father

   During this hard period, just like their father, they comforted each other. One day at a time, they started to live through it. After several months, on a Sunday morning Lady Hermsburgh woke up and played "Time in a bottle" on the vinyl record. The children woke up to this music and started dancing with their mother.

   "If I could save time in a bottle.
     The first thing that I'd like to do is to
save everyday.
   'Til eternity passes away
   Just to spend them with you"

   For the first time in several months I saw the family happy. They were surrounded by warmth and happiness just like the scroll said. Though it was a sad event they knew it was time to move on and be happy again.

   Watching them dance to this music made me think about how fragile and limited this time on earth is. You can neither pause it nor rewind it. All you can do is put on your best music and dance along as time pushes you forward.

   The best one can do is to feel it when it comes. And let it go when you can. And every time it comes, it takes your breath away.