Trinity RPG - Tales From Eden: This Hasta Be Our Secret, 'Kay? (Velvet)

[Velvet]

Mama told me there was an angel livin’ upstairs.

I thought she was fibbin’ until one night, about a week ago, I heard somethin’ movin’ up there in the empty ‘partment. I got real scared, ‘cause I wasn’t s’posed to be up so late (my bedtime’s s’posed to be 9:30, but sometimes I can be real sneaky), and I ran all the way ta her room and told her it must be one of the monsters the soldier-men are always talkin’ about. She shushed me pretty quick, and looked around, and pulled me up inta bed with her. I didn’t mind, ‘cause her bed’s bigger and there’s lots more room with Papa gone. She pinched my nose, which made me giggle, and she smiled, but it wasn’t a real smile. (I could tell, ‘cause her eyes didn’t crinkle up like they do when she’s real happy.)

She told me, “It’s okay, baby, that’s just the angel.” I didn’t believe her, and then she told me a story. She said a long time ago, before I was even borned, there was a big ol’ fight between people and monsters and angels and demons and all sortsa other stuff, and after lots and lotsa people died, all the monsters and angels and everything were all chased off. She got real quiet then, and kinda whispered that I hadta promise not ta tell anybody, ‘cause if the soldier-men found out, they’d take our angel away, too. I just kinda looked at her and scrunched my face up and thinked real hard, ‘cause I couldn’t figure out why somebody would wanna do that. Mama’s real smart, though, and I guess she knew what I was thinkin’ ‘cause she said that angels don’t look like normal people, and they have all sortsa neat powers and stuff and it scares people sometimes, even if they’re just tryin’ ta help.

When she told me that, it made me ‘member sometimes people goin’ up ta the ‘partment above ours. A couple a times it was one a the women who goes ta church with Mama, and comes over sometimes, or this guy who usedta live downstairs and slept in the hallway (he smelled funny and looked real sick and Mama didn’t want me talkin’ ta him), but he got a job and started workin’ and now he doesn’t live here anymore. Mama said the woman’s husband got killeded and she usedta cry all the time, but then she went ta see the angel and it was okay again, and the creepy guy talked ta the angel and cried lots and stopped takin’ the pills and stuff and he was okay, too. Stuff like that happened lots of times, but I never thinked about it until Mama said all that about angels having neat-but-scary powers and helpin’ people.

That was all she said about that, and I snuggled right up and went ta sleep, but… yesterday I forgot about my promise ta Mama. I didn’t mean ta tell, but we were talkin’ about the monsters and stuff in class and I got real excited ‘cause Mama had told me all about it and Jenni Loghann always gets called on but I knew somethin’ she didn’t… so I told Miss Anne about the angel and how she does nice stuff for people and makes them okay and happy. She just looked at me real funny, and everybody got quiet, and she made me go sit in time-out while she talked ta the prince-pal. I hate time-out, but when she told me Mama was comin’ ta get me I had this weird feelin’ in my tummy like somethin’ bad was gonna happen and it was all my fault. When Mama got there, I was cryin’, even though big boys aren’t s’posed ta cry, and Mama was real upset too.

When we got home, there was lotsa people standin’ around outside the ‘partment buildin’ and bunches a the soldier-men were all around the front door. That was when I got ta see the angel, and I stopped cryin’ right away ‘cause Mama was right. She didn’t look like a reg’lar person at all. She was real pretty, prettier even than Mama (but I didn’t tell her that), and prettier than the stainded glass windows with angel pictures on ‘em on Sunday morning with the sun beams all shinin’ through ‘em. She had real long hair, and it was colored like the flowers Mama grows in a little box by the window, and she didn’t say one single word at all. The soldier-men were yellin’ at her and draggin’ her out inta the middle a the street, and they started pilin’ stuff all around her. I started ta ask Mama why they were doin’ that, but she shushed me and when she looked down at me I could see her eyes all red and watery like she was gonna cry, too.

The soldier-men were all laughin’ at the angel, and I didn’t understand, ‘cause I was real scared and I didn’t see what was so funny. Then somebody threw a rock, and it went right through her and everybody was real s’prised, but one a the soldier-men glared at her real hard and her arms went up over her head. I coulda swore she looked right at me, and her eyes were this neat glowy purple like a sunset. He tossed somethin’ down on all the papers and furn’ture she was standin’ on and then it started ta burn. He spit at the angel, but it went right through her, too, and he got real mad and called her a “aberrant witch” but I didn’t understand what that meant. The angel just stood there, all quiet, and I ‘membered that Mama said angels can’t talk, ‘cause their voices is so pure that we’d all be dead if we heard ‘em.

I was ‘fraid for the angel, ‘cause if she didn’t fly away, she was gonna get burned. The fire just got bigger and bigger and the soldier-men who were yellin’ before kinda hushed for a second. I heard somethin’ then, like somebody talkin’ and I knew it hadta be the angel ‘cause it made my head all tingly but it didn’t hurt. She just said, “If this is what you need,” but her mouth didn’t move at all, even a little bit. And then she smiled, and it was so pretty I thought I was just gonna burst with happy-ness. The soldier-men started yellin’ again, but I’m not s’posed ta repeat nasty words so I can’t tell ya what they said…

I’m not real sure what happened after that, ‘cause there was this big whoosh of wind and little flamey sparks and stuff from the fire went all over the place and got in people’s eyes so they couldn’t see. Everybody yelled and ran around, and it all looked pretty silly but I was too scared ta laugh. The fire got real big for a second, but I hid behind Mama’s leg, and when I peeked, there were just these big ash flakes floatin’ around, and the angel was gone. People stood around for a little bit, talkin’ kinda quiet, but then the soldier-men finally left and we all went home. Some a the big ash flakes fell on me as I was walkin’ and ya know what? They felt just like the feathers that come outta my pillow, all soft and kinda warm.

Mama took me upstairs, and she didn’t say much but I could tell from the way her mouth was all frowny that she wasn’t happy. I could feel the cryin’ startin’ up again, and my throat was all sore from tryin’ not ta bawl like little babies do, but she hugged me real tight and said not ta worry. She told me it wasn’t my fault, and maybe our angel had just gone home. Ta be with the other angels up in the sky. I hope so, ‘cause we sure need lotsa angels now.

There usedta be an angel livin’ upstairs, in the empty ‘partment, but she’s not there anymore, and I don’t think she’s comin’ back…