Wings On Fire

A Heavenly Fire

I dreamily wander the stacks of scrolls in the Holy Library. I relive our kiss. I visualize Barachiel's soft gentle lips exerting a soft pressure upon my soft plump lips. I softly trace my lips and gently glide my delicate fingers down my neck resting them on my trembling bosom.  I flex my wings allowing them to spread out and gently flutter. The heavenly glow of the clouds shimmers through them casting a luminescent shadow upon the scrolls neatly stacked on the ornamented glassy shelves. I scarcely hear the soft pattering of feet behind me. 

Nervousness emanates from his celestial being, "Uh, Aziraphale...I...I uh...I'm sorry for trying to...for...sigh...I'm sorry I scared you with my actions." he looks down in defeat.

I look Gabriel up and down, "What was it that possessed you to do such forbidden acts upon my being?" I muse. 

Gabriel strokes his hair, "Uh...Lucifer...Lucifer told me to do it..." he cracks a wisecracker smile.

I huff, "Why in heaven's name did you go through with it?!" I almost growl. I feel feisty for some reason.

His smile fades, "I don't know...maybe because I like you, but now I see you fancy somebody else so, I'll never do it again...mmkay?" he rambles.

I roll my eyes and look at him again, "sigh...I forgive you..." I mumble. 

He smiles, "Alright! Well, see ya, later Aziraphale!" he waves goodbye and saunters out of the holy library. 

I saunter to my desk and plop into my chair. I rest my head in my hand and sulk. Gabriel ruined my mood. I don't like him much, and I only work with him if I have to. I sigh and close my eyes. I didn't have them closed for very long when a soft huskiness gently dances into my nose. I smile and open my eyes. Barachiel's fiery locks flow around his face and shoulders like the sunrise. I feel fluttery inside as I gaze lovingly into his molten chocolate eyes. 

I beam from ear to ear, "Oh, Barachiel!!! How wonderful it is to see you!!!" I get up from my desk and hug him. 

Embracing me, "Oh, Angel, it's wonderful to see you too. I brought something for you." he gently loosens his embrace. 

I loosen my embrace and smile, "Really? What is it? Is it a star? A new story to add to my collection?" I ramble on in excitement. 

Barachiel chuckles, "Oh, Angel, you are quite special." in one swift movement he lifts his hand and shows me what he brought, "It's an apple, from god's garden", he smiles.

My smile fades, "Barachiel, you stole from God's garden?" nervousness takes over and I flutter my wings uncontrollably. 

Barachiel takes my hand, "Angel, calm down, I didn't steal it, I merely took what I wanted, besides no one was around." his eyes plead with mine. 

I calm myself, "You still shouldn't have taken the apple. You keep it I don't want it." I cross my arms and turn away from him. 

He sighs, "Well if you change your mind the apple will be on your desk." he softly pats my shoulder and leaves the Holy Library. 

I slowly uncross my arms and look toward the desk. There in the middle of it is a bright red apple glittering in the heavenly beams of light. As I look at it, a peckishness bubbles its way into my being. Should I try this tempting fruit? I ask myself. I want to bite into its delectable flesh and taste its crisp juiciness. I'm so entranced by the apple that I scarcely realize that I picked it up until it touches my lips. I stop and put it down. What just happened? Did the apple entrance me? Oh, I want to taste it so bad! 

To eat or not to eat. That is the question. Should I taste God's fruitful knowledge? Should I not taste that knowledge and toss it away? It is tempting...so, so, tempting. To test temptation is a fate that I may or may not be willing to forgo. I am torn between tasting the delicious fruit and tossing it away. I set the apple aside and decided to go for a stroll. 

I am walking along the ethereal clouds going nowhere in particular. This newfound peckishness bubbles up in my celestial being as I try not to think about the beautiful, shiny, red apple sitting on my desk in the library. I am so focused on trying to push down this peckishness that I scarcely notice that I have entered God's garden.

My nose catches the delicate aroma of apples and wildflowers. This causes me to stop and look around. I find myself in the apple orchards. The apples on the trees gleam and shine in the ethereal light of the heavens. The peckishness grows stronger the more I gaze upon God's forbidden fruits. As I am gazing, I reach up and wrap my hand delicately around the precious fruit and pull it from the tree.

I hold it in my hand and gently stroke it. The peckishness grows even stronger as I hold the forbidden fruit. It grows so strong that I put the apple to my lips and bite into it. The deliciously fresh juices bathe my tongue in its sweet flavor as my teeth merrily crunch the crisp flesh of the apple. At that moment my whole being vibrates and I feel elated and happy.

I munch merrily on the apple. When I finish that apple I grab another and another and another until I am surrounded by nothing but apple cores. My belly becomes slightly rounder than usual causing me to stop and look at what I have done. I drop the apple I was about to eat and look up at the tree. It is barren of all its fruits.

I begin to panic, "Oh no! What have I done? I ate all those apples!!! What am I going to do?" I ramble to myself.

In my panic, I flutter my wings haphazardly causing the leaves of the tree to flutter down around me. I begin to cry. My knees buckle and I collapse to the ground. I curl up in my wings and resolve myself to never come out of them again. Shame and fear bubble up inside me. All the knowledge in heaven could never have prepared me for this moment.

As I lay there, all the secrets of life itself seem to collect and form and be made sense of in my head. The knowledge overwhelms me and I grow weary and decide to rest my eyes. In my rest, I hear a voice. It is soft and worrying.

"Aziraphale! Aziraphale! Wake up, Angel, wake up! Aziraphale!" The voice echoes into the void of my mind.

I search for the voice and cannot find it. The voice grows quieter and quieter. The closer I get to it the quieter it grows until it's lost in the void completely. A hand reaches into the void and grabs me, shakes me, and tugs at me in a feverish disposition.  The hand proceeds to pull me down into darkness. Down and down and down I go until a red-hot heat surrounds and engulfs me. What is this place? Why did God create it? What is its purpose? Only one word comes to mind...Hell...where the fallen angels shall go. What fallen angels? Oh God, please don't let me fall! I'm so sorry for eating your fruit! Please, God, have mercy on your faithfully loyal principality! I shall never disobey you again! You have my faith and my loyalty always! I fall to my knees and clasp my hands in prayer and pray for her forgiveness. My eyes sweat passion and regretfulness.

Alas, a pure shimmering light breaks through the darkness and engulfs me in its sanctity and purity. The heat dissipates as coolness kisses me. I ascend to heaven and find myself awakening on a soft bed of clouds. Above me is Barachiel. His eyes overflow with concern and regret. He gently strokes my cheek as he looks me over.

A tear falls from his eye, "oh, Angel, I thought I lost you." He gently places his forehead upon mine and closes his eyes.

I sigh, "Oh, Barachiel, I have had a fright. I am fine now, deary. Just peachy." I flounder my sincerity and begin to cry all over again.

He wraps his arms around my celestial being and gently kisses me. I sigh and kiss him in return. I gently seep my fingers into his fiery locks of hair. So soft and airy. His lips are soft and delicious.  A fire is lit. It grows brighter and brighter. My being sings with pleasure as Barachiel strokes my leg gently shifting my tunic. We intertwine our essences together with every stroke,  every kiss, every caress, and every moment of bliss. I begin to feel a different kind of peckishness. The kind that thirsts for the touch of a lover.

Our energy combines and forms a crescendo of luminescence so bright the whole of heaven noticed. This is the moment that started and ruined everything...and us. Barachiel and I did something or should I say created something that was never meant to be...or was it? That my friends is the ineffableness of it all...