CHAPTERS 10 & 11

Chapter 10

The weather remained hot and sunny on the following days, and the two angels turned into human form were particularly grateful for that. Monica and Andrew had now fallen into a routine that consisted in looking for food, cooking, washing clothes at the pond and lighting up fires along the beach at the beginning of the night. After that day on which a thunderstorm hit the island, no other ship or boat was seen, and sometimes they wondered if they had given up looking for them.

On that morning, Monica had taken a bowl and offered to go berry picking in the forest. By now, she knew that area well enough to go and come back without getting lost, and Andrew had full control of the time she left and the time she would return. If Monica took a bit more than the usual to return, he was ready to go after her.

Always barefoot, and now with her long hair tied up in a haphazard ponytail, the Irish angel started to collect the small roundish fruits from small bushes spread around the forest. The gentle sunrays that managed to shine through the vegetation were like natural spotlights illuminating her auburn locks and her fair complexion, and, wearing that white loose dress that went a bit bellow her knees, Monica certainly looked like an angel. Sometimes, life in the island reminded her of the early days of her existence, when she would walk along the green fields of Ireland and through its evergreen woods, admiring the exuberant Nature that surrounded her.

The only difference was that now she was permanently stuck to a human body and fighting not to let it perish.

Sighing deeply, the angel bit her lower lip and, after placing some more berries inside the bowl, she looked at herself. She had lost weight, and sometimes she was too tired to  do the daily tasks that she had volunteered to do. Aware of Andrew's worry once he noticed that, Monica elected to hide her exhaustion from him as much as she could. He too was tired and thinner, and if he found out the truth about her, he would certainly overload himself with a lot more work. It wasn't fair.

Monica was almost finishing to pick the berries when a sudden noise startled her. It was the lowest of the sounds, yet, she was sure she'd heard something or someone moving not far from her. With her heart beating faster, the little angel looked around her, trying to see through the dense vegetation that grew everywhere.

"Andrew? Is that you?" she said, not really sure of where to look. Some seconds later, the little noise repeated itself, and caused her a sensation of fear that she hadn't felt since the day she got lost in the forest. "Hullo?"

The slight wind that was blowing against the island slowly made the trees canopies move, making a sound similar to the one she'd heard before. Scared and unsure of what was really going on, Monica stepped back and quickly left the clearing.

When she returned to the beach, Andrew was already preparing the fire to cook lunch, but seeing the expression on her face, he stopped what he was doing to give her full attention. "Angel?"

"Andrew..."

"Is everything alright?" he wanted to know, approaching her and gently touching her shoulder, not missing the haunted look in her eyes.

Monica didn't know what to say, as she herself was still confused about the incident in the forest. "I... I think so... but I'm not sure..." she replied, looking back at where she'd come from and then at him.

Patiently as always when it came about listening to that complex and adorable angel of God, he picked the bowl full with berries from her hand and placed it together with the other food. Then, he took her hand and guided her to sit down on a fallen tree trunk, which they had been using as a bench.

"I can see something is bothering you..." he said, sitting down next to her, permanently holding her hand.

A small sigh escaped her and she turned her eyes to the ocean. Andrew knew she was trying to organise the many thoughts that were crossing her mind at that very moment and, even though it made him more anxious, he elected to wait. She would voice them to him. She always did.

A minute later, the little angel looked back at him. "Are you sure we're alone in this island, Andrew?"

That was certainly an unexpected question, and it made him frown with concern. "Why are you asking me this, Monica? Have you seen anything, have you-"

"No... I..." she averted her eyes from his again and shook her head, loathing the fact that she was causing him to worry about something that she herself wasn't sure of, "... I was berry picking just now and... well, I suddenly was under the impression that I was being watched..."

His eyes grew wider immediately, "Watched? But what caused you this impression, did you see something different, did you-"

"N-no..." she interrupted him again, confusion clouding over her face, "...I heard a noise... a small noise..."

"A noise?"

"Yes..." Monica looked back at him regretfully, "...when I heard it again, I saw that the wind was making the trees canopies move slowly... some leaves even fell on the ground..."

"I see... And did you see or notice anything else? Any other sound..."

"No..." Sighing again, and visibly ashamed, she lowered her head, "I guess deep inside I was afraid of the forest itself... It scares me sometimes, I keep on remembering the day I got lost and..."

As Monica's voice trailed off, her dearest friend wrapped his arms around her shoulders, in a warm embrace. Gratefully, she leaned on him, searching for a shelter from her fears and comfort to her troubled heart.

"It's alright, angel. I understand. Everyone needs a break sometimes, even angels."

"Do you think I might be starting to imagine things, Andrew?" she suddenly raised her head and looked up at him, with extra worry.

With a reassuring smile, he shook his head in disagreement, "No, angel, of course not..." Rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand, he kept on talking, "... a bad memory trigged your fears, and the fact that we've been isolated here for almost a month made things even worse." The blond angel said, even though he made a mental note to investigate it further; his protectiveness had been already alerted.

"I believe you're right. And... I'm sorry I made you worry..."

With his heart filled with tenderness, Andrew caressed her face, never tiring to admire the meekness of her Gaelic features. "You don't have to apologise, angel. And I do want you to tell me everything. All that you think and feel... Even the smallest details. Promise me that?"

Biting her lower lip, in a way the he found particularly endearing, she nodded her head. "I promise."

"Okay. Then what do you say about helping me out with lunch, huh?"

Now she looked at him sceptically, "Do you want me to help you to prepare it?"

Laughing, he kissed her hand, "Yes, and when we get back I want you to show Tess that you learned some seafood dishes!"

Happy to see a slight smile in the corner of her lips, he helped her on her feet, and both angels started to work on lunch. Andrew also invented a jelly made with the berries that Monica had picked up earlier, and they had their first desert in a very long time.

Chapter 11

Morning had been busy for both angels, especially for Monica, but Andrew knew that keeping her engaged in an activity was the best way to make her worries disappear. Patiently, he explained how to clean and prepare a fish, and how he would make the berries desert. Usually, the blond angel would have taken a lot less time to prepare it all by himself, but listening to his beloved friend's chattering and watching as she little by little returned to her own self was worth all the time in the world.

After lunch, they lay down on a towel under the gentle shadow of a tree, and as Andrew had predicted, the little Irish angel soon fell into a deep sleep, lulled by the gentle breeze that blew from the ocean and by his soft caresses in her hair. He held her for some time, not missing how thin her human form was turning into. Help was becoming more and more urgent as the days went by, and even if she hadn't mentioned anything about her recent tiredness he had a plan to reduce her daily tasks. The Irish angel's human form was already small and fragile and she had to save energies if they were to stay in the island for a longer time.

Slowly, he disentangled from her loving embrace and rose to his feet. After certifying she would be alright, Andrew headed to the forest, planning to inspect the surroundings carefully. He was almost sure that the island was uninhabited, being nothing but a tiny spot in the middle of the vast ocean. What Monica felt was probably the effect of terrible flashbacks from the night she got lost in there, in the middle of a thunderstorm. Yet, just for precaution, the blond angel entered the forest and walked along the dense vegetation, attentively scanning the area.

With his long legs and strong form, he soon reached the end of the forest and the rocky part of the island. Like Monica had described to him, it was like jumping into another place - another planet, due to the peculiar landscape of grey stony floor that expanded to the horizon. A series of ragged cliffs soon called his attention. Remembering his friend's words about the ship she had seen, Andrew couldn't help but to climb the highest of those cliffs, hoping that he could have the same view. Expecting that help finally arrived.

Once he reached the top, he was tired and breathing hard, and wondered how Monica had managed to climb up in there. Maybe because it'd been a few weeks earlier, and she was stronger than now. He carefully surveyed the area and the horizon searching for anything that could resemble a boat. Andrew also observed the blue sky, hoping that an airplane or helicopter was flying around the region.

But after a while, he let out a frustrated sigh and decided to return to the beach before Monica woke up. The island - and everything else within miles away, were absolutely deserted.

X

When the blond angel returned, his dearest friend wasn't lying on the same place he'd left her, but he didn't have to look for her for more than a few seconds. Monica was standing at the beach, gazing at the ocean as the waves licked her small feet. With her arms crossed in front of her chest and a crocheted scarf tossed over her shoulders and arms, the little angel seemed to be lost in thoughts. But his loving presence was something she would never be indifferent to.

"You didn't find anything, did you?" she said, as he approached her.

A slight smile appeared on Andrew's lips: she could be weak, but was still able to feel his presence. "No, angel. I didn't." He said, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Deep inside, I had a feeling you wouldn't." She finally turned to look at him and smiled, "And I'm glad that it was just my impression."

"Well, so am I. If I am to spend some time in a deserted island, then I guess I already have the best company!" he joked, and then showed her the small bouquet with delicate wild flowers he'd picked for her on his way back.

Smiling, she took the small but meaningful gift from his hands and smelled their sweet perfume. Andrew watched as she ran her delicate fingertips on the coloured petals, and it amazed him the fact that she would always treasure any gift as if it was unique, even the simplest ones like that small bouquet. Andrew's heart was full - even in a deserted island, away from the rest of the world and unsure about their future, she was able to bring out the tenderness and compassion deep inside his very soul.

"You're certainly the most beautiful of God's creations, angel..." he suddenly said, gently stroking her face and causing her to turn her eyes from the flowers and back at him.

"And you're being far too kind, you know... Though we shouldn't cultivate vanity, I don't think I'm as beautiful as you're saying right now!"

There was no sadness in her words; in fact, she was joking about her appearance. Andrew shook his head in disagreement, his smile growing wider. "There's something I've noticed about you a long time ago... You're the best image of an angel..."

"Tess wouldn't be all too happy hearing you say that..."

"She would agree with me that you have the power to make all the ones around you feel so special." He said, cupping her cheek with his hand.

Slightly blushed, she leaned on his touch and covered his hand with hers, "You're the one who has the power to soothe my heart and put my soul at ease, Andrew. You have the patience to hear my secrets, and... even though God is watching over me, He sent me an angel to protect me while I'm on earth doing His work."

"Well... now you're right... I'll always be by your side, doing all these things you said... You're very precious, angel. To everyone, and specially to me."

They stood quiet for a few moments, just gazing at each other as if time had frozen. The island, the sinking of their boat, the long wait for rescue... all these things were forgotten now, and both angels felt their hearts flooded by a sudden joy that neither of them could explain where it was coming from, but which had become quite familiar to them whenever they were in each other's company. A bond that was as natural as breathing.

With a tear threatening to fall from her eye at any moment, Monica reached over and touched his face, which was now covered by a slight blond beard.

"And talking about appearance..." he joked, taking her hand and kissing her palm.

"As long as I can see your eyes and all the trust that you're able to transmit with them, I'm fine..."

She suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly; head resting against his chest and the tear finally falling from her closed eyes. The blond angel returned that loving embrace and kissed the top of her head repeatedly, debating between worrying about their current situation and enjoying to have the little angel he loved so much in his arms, where no harm would ever threaten her.