CHAPTERS 8 & 9

Chapter 8

"Monica! Monica! Can you hear me? Monica, are you there?"

Andrew's shouted voice was stifled by the deafening thunders that could be heard miles away from the island. The heavy thunderstorm was hitting the region in full force, and lightning and rays crossed the dark skies, causing fear and amazement at how powerful and destructive nature could be.

The blond angel's heart was racing with the many possibilities for what had happened to her. He knew better than anyone how Monica could get easily lost due to her poor sense of direction, especially in a unexplored forest like that. He frowned a bit more imagining that she could have stumbled into a rock hidden amongst the vegetation during a short walk, or even got confused by the many trees that surrounded the area. But a sudden thought crossed his mind and it was so scary that he stopped walking, wanting desperately that he was wrong. Was the island really deserted? So far, they hadn't noticed any sign of human beings in there, but what did they know about that place? Remaining at the beach all that time didn't give them full knowledge of the island's surroundings, and its dense forest could easily hide many secrets. Monica was washing their clothes at the pond and a sudden attack would prevent any reaction from her.

Anguish tore Andrew's heart and he ran a hand through his wet hair, shaking his head. "No... that can't be! Monica! Monica, can you hear me?"

The only sound that met his ears were the rambling of the thunders and the howl of the wind.

"Where are you, angel?" he spoke under his breath as he paced beneath a tree and surveyed the clearing, trying to decide which direction to take. She had finished to wash their clothes and that might have been at least two hours before he started looking for her. Her short legs could have placed quite a distance between them in that amount of time.

The slight amount of light soon faded away, leaving him in the most complete darkness, which was only broken by the lightning and the scary rays that crossed the sky. He nearly panicked thinking that the tall trees that covered the entire forest could attract some of these rays.

The blond angel knew that finding Monica was something he couldn't do all by himself and stopped his accelerated walk to close his eyes for a moment. "Father, please... guide my steps..."

X

The deafening sound of thunderclouds caused Monica's entire body to shake from fear. She even tried to walk a bit more, hoping to have finally found the right direction. There weren't any paths, however, and every time she thought she had seen a familiar tree or rock, she glanced around and saw another one leading off in a completely different direction. She passed though trees and bushes, twigs rubbing and scratching the delicate skin of her arms and legs, and then stumbled on a root, falling down once again. Now both feet were marked with scratches and her hands and knees looked even worse.

Biting her lower lip, she remained at that exact spot. Her possibly sprained ankle and the total darkness ahead stopped her from going on. She knew that God was always with her, but that didn't make her feel better about the idea of wandering through the forest without any source of light to guide her.

Her heart was racing and she was afraid she would only end up even more lost. Besides, her hurt foot was aching badly now. The angel clenched her hands, wincing at the pain and blinking the tears that stung her sad eyes. Right now, all she could do was to sit on the muddy ground and pray.

"Father... please," she whispered, covering her ears to avoid the frightening sound of the thunders, "stay close to me. I shouldn't be afraid, I know. But I can't help it..."

She also closed her eyes, trying to focus on her dearest friend's image and on the rising sun that she knew would come out eventually; tears permanently falling from her eyes.

But another sound, apart from the howling wind and roaring thunders, called her attention. It was a slight impression - maybe the darkness and the forest were playing tricks on her mind. But after another thunder, she heard it again and this time she had no doubt: it was Andrew's voice calling out her name.

"Andrew? Andrew? I'm here! Andrew? Where are you?" with some difficulty, she rose to her feet and shouted as loudly as she could.

Relief filled her very soul when she heard the reply she wanted so much. "Monica?"

"Andrew! I'm here!"

"Stay where you are! I'll come to you," he said, and a minute later the lightning allowed her to see him walking towards her.

"Andrew..." she said, in a small voice, as he lay both hands over her shoulders, as if checking if her image was real, "I got lost..."

"It's alright; it's over now." He wrapped her in his arms around her small form, and the feeling was such that she closed her eyes, ignoring the rain, the thunders and the darkness that surrounded them. She was safe now.

"Please, forgive me, Andrew..."

"Shh... it's okay, angel... it's alright..." he admonished; any kind of discussion could wait right now. "C'mon, let's get out of here..."

But as he motioned for her to follow him, she winced with pain and grabbed his tee-shirt not to fall. "I hurt my foot..." she quickly informed, picturing his questioning look that the darkness didn't allow her to see.

Not thinking twice, he gathered her in his arms and walked forward; lightning was guiding him - God was guiding them. Monica wrapped her arms around his neck and lift a prayer for them to return to the beach in safety. Fortunately, Andrew's ability and the heavenly help that he certainly had, allowed them to reach the cave half hour later. The rain had put out the fire the wind spread the wood gathered by the cave entrance. All that was left them was the stony shelter to protect them from the storm.

X

Slowly, the wind reduced and the rain finally stopped. The dark clouds up in the sky started to fade, giving place to a night filled with the few stars that could still shine, as the morning sun was already colouring the horizon with shades of yellow and orange. Since they arrived in the cave, Andrew and Monica remained sitting on the ground, in a silent embrace, both in shock with what had happened and grateful that everything turned out fine in the end.

It was Andrew who broke the silence, noticing that his dearest friend was dozing off into a light sleep in his arms. "Monica?" He waited until she was alert and spoke again, "The wind blew lots of tree branches and twigs to the beach, I'll get them to light up a fire."

"Okay..." she replied, quietly. He rose to his feet and Monica noticed how he never used any term of endearment or had any other loving gesture with her. Instead, he just walked away without looking back at her. 

Some time later, a warm fire was lit up by the entrance of the cave, and while Monica changed into dry clothes, Andrew stood by the beach, watching as the sun chased away the few grey clouds that insisted on marking the sky. Now, more than ever, the angel of death could realise how fragile a life could be, and the uncountable dangers that it was exposed to. Finding Monica under a thunderstorm in a complete dark forest was certainly a miracle but he wondered how many other miracles would take to keep their human form alive.

Like Monica, he too trusted that God was taking care of them. But at the same time, he debated about what His plan would be.

Chapter 9

Andrew remained by the beach for some time; his heart filled with worry about their situation and the many risks they were exposed to on that remote island. And, even though he didn't show it in the first place, the blond angel was also upset. The island was unexplored, and they didn't know what secrets and dangers it could hide. Monica shouldn't have walked away from their "camping site," it was an imprudence that could have cost her a lot more than just a few scratches and a sprained ankle.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't realise the Irish angel approaching him, walking with difficulty due to her injured foot. She could easily see the distress on his face, and that fact alone caused her to feel terrible.

With some apprehension, she raised her hand and touched his shoulder lightly. "Andrew..."

Her light touch and soothing voice took him out of his reverie, and he turned around to face her. "Monica, you should have waited in the cave, your foot is hurt..."

"I'm so sorry..." she started, ignoring the pain all over her body, "... please, forgive me..."

Looking inside those sad doe-like eyes, Andrew sighed deeply. He knew how genuinely true her words were; yet, his panic and fear due to her absence were still vivid in his heart.

"What happened, Monica? Why did you go so far without telling me first?"

"I didn't mean to. I was walking around the forest and... before I knew it I had arrived at the other side of the island..."

"Well, when I noticed you were missing I panicked! I started to imagine all sorts of things, such as you being seriously hurt after a sudden fall and even the possibility of your being kidnapped!" he said, and judging by the tone of his voice she could notice he was not pleased with her.

"You're perfectly right." Monica's heart was beating faster, as disappointing her dearest friend made her feel the worst of the angels. "I guess... in a way, I was expecting to find something that could help us..." she frowned and lowered her head in shame, "...but then, I couldn't find the way back and the storm started... I ended up putting us both in danger..."

"If you were looking for something to help us you could have told me. We're both stuck in this island, Monica, and in case you get lost or need help there isn't anybody else to go and look for you but me! You could have thought about me before entering the forest all by yourself! You could-"

Monica was trying hard to hold a sob as he spoke, but her guilty was such that she suddenly burst into tears. Andrew felt his anger diminish immediately, as on that very moment he realised her fears were exactly the same fears he was keeping inside his own heart. And his harsh words only caused her to cry and increase her guilty.

Feeling terrible, Andrew didn't waste another moment in pulling her into his arms, in a tight, warm embrace. "I'm sorry, angel," he said, pressing her head against his chest and caressing her hair. Even though she had scared him deeply, he should have known that she never meant to. He should have known that there certainly was an explanation to her actions but he didn't even give her the chance to speak.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," her pleading voice only made him feel worse than he already did.

"I know, angel... I'm sorry too..." He kissed the top of her head, "The last thing I wanted was to make you cry."

They remained in that silent embrace for a few minutes, and her sobs slowly started to subside. Then, he pulled away just enough to look at her - guilty filling his heart once again at the image of her reddened crying face, wet with tears. "Let's go back to the cave, baby. I'll take care of these scratches and take a look at your foot." He said, brushing away her tears.

She nodded quietly, and with his help, returned to their shelter. There was some first aid material left such as a little alcohol and the last strap of gauze. With the help of tweezers he sat down in front of her, "Let me see your hands, angel."

Bravely, she bit her lower lip as he picked the tiny pieces of gravel from her palms and then cleaned her reddened knees. He also examined her ankle and although it was a bit  swollen, it wasn't something too serious. "That will be better tomorrow," he assured her, looking up and surprised to see tears in her eyes, "Angel? What is it? Does something else hurt?"

She shook her head, aware he was talking about a possible physical pain, and not the ache that tore her angelic heart.

Sighing deeply, he put the first aid material back into its case and held her both hands, "Talk to me, angel... Please, let me know what's troubling you."

"I know what you're afraid, Andrew... I'm afraid too..." she spoke, almost in a whisper. "I admit that what made me enter the forest yesterday was partially curiosity... But it was also the hope to find... something... anything that could help us..."

"I know that, angel, I do understand it. And that's why I have to apologise with you. I shouldn't have spoken to you like that, I didn't even give you the chance to explain yourself..." he kissed her both hands, "Please, forgive me."

"I have nothing to forgive you, Andrew... I'm the one to ask for your forgiveness, I-"

He reached out and cupped her cheek, gently interrupting her, "What if we both say we're sorry and that we forgive each other, huh?"

Happy to see a tiny, almost non-existent smile in the corner of her lips, he moved and sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and kissing her temple lovingly.

"And about my fears, angel... I want you to know that they're not greater than my faith in God. A dear friend, who I happen to love very much, once told me that. We're supposed to go through this now for some reason. God knows exactly where we are and where we're supposed to be, even if we cannot begin to understand the reason. Even when despair and misery seem to be surrounding us, it's nice to be reminded that we're so not alone... that even though I don't get what's wrong with me, God knows. It's when we are far from Heaven that we have to stay close to God."

Looking at an invisible point right ahead of her, Monica kept on speaking. "I guess was guided by my hopes to find a way out of this place... and... in a way... I left this hope go away..."

"What do you mean, angel?"

Monica finally turned to look at him - a look of defeat as if she had let the only chance of escaping from that island slip through her fingers. "I saw a ship..."

Andrew's green eyes grew wide with surprise, "A ship?"

"Yes... From the cliff in the other part of the island..."

She proceeded in telling him about her little adventure on the previous day and once she was finished, instead of disappointment, she saw the spark of hope shining in his green pools.

"Monica! They're looking for us! They're coming closer to this island!"

"But I let it go away... I... I didn't manage to talk to you in time, and-"

"Angel, there was nothing you could have done on the top of the cliff that could've called their attention!"

"I could have lit up a fire..." she insisted.

"And how in the world could you light up a fire on the top of a rock, with no logs around?"

"If I hadn't got lost I could have told you about it and you could have lit up the fire on the beach..."

"And the thunderstorm would sure have put it out ten minutes later..." he replied, determined to chase her guilt away.

That argument seemed to have convinced her. Quietly, she lowered her head. "I... I didn't think about it..."

Kissing her temple, he tightened his hold on her and sighed, "God, angel... You're so precious to me... I just wish and pray I'll never ever forget that..."

She looked at him questioningly, "You're always telling me this... You never forget it..."

Smiling, Andrew caressed her face, "Do you know how important this information is? I'll light up fires along this beach; thanks to the thunderstorm we have plenty of wood spread along the coast and in the forest, all we have to do is gather it all."

The angels spent the rest of the day working on turning "their" beach into a giant beacon, where about ten fires would be lit up by night.

X

"Orion, Andromeda... They're so beautiful tonight, aren't they, Andrew?"

The night had fallen nearly two hours before, and after a delicious dinner by one of the many fires burning on the beach, Monica and Andrew had lain down over a towel and spent some time watching the night sky. It was a warm night and the wind that was blowing from the ocean was nothing but a gentle breeze now. Besides, there were no clouds in the sky, which was beautifully decorated with a shining full moon and hundreds of twinkling stars.

Monica had pillowed her head over Andrew's arm and once she looked at him, she saw him smiling and nodding, "That's because of this time of the year. In the summer, it's very common to have starry and warm nights like this one."

"And I also remember that a while ago, you, Tess, wee Joy and I went camping and watched the stars on a beautiful night exactly like this..." she said, hands resting over her stomach.

"I never forgot it, angel." He replied, tenderly caressing her hair.

Monica's smile grew wider, "And that constellation over there... It's the angels constellation, remember? The biggest one is Tess; the tiny wee one is Joy, that is Andrew, and the other one standing next to Andrew, is Monica just because you named it this way!"

The blond angel turned his eyes away from the sky and gazed at his friend lying next to him. He could notice there was a mix of joy and sorrow in those sweet brown pools; the melancholy flowing from her heart was such that he could feel it too.

"I know, angel... I miss them too... I miss Home." He finally admitted, pulling her closer to him, in a way that she was now resting her head over his chest; seeking comfort in his steady heartbeats.

"I wish I could at least... know why we're here... if this is some kind of assignment, you know..."

"He'll show us in His own good time, Monica. Look at the sky... We're angels and we don't need to believe in God because we know that He's watching over us, we've witnessed His power. But even the most humble of the mortals would know that there's a greater power out there just by looking at this sky."

Monica searched for his hand and squeezed it. "I know..."

Andrew kissed her temple lovingly as she snuggled even closer to him. The night was warm and he had a feeling they would spend it "outdoors" this time. He hoped and secretly prayed that the boat that Monica had seen would come back and that someone could detect the several spots of fire spread in line along the beach. His thoughts were interrupted when his dearest friend stirred slowly, and as he turned to look at her, he couldn't help but smiling; heart filled with tenderness at the image of an asleep Monica.

"Sleep, my little angel... May you have only good dreams; dream about Tess and little Joy... dream about our Home. And never forget how much I love you."