CHAPTER 7

As the morning sunrays invaded the cabin windows and the humming of the birds outside filled her ears with a pleasant melody, Monica tilted her head to observe a very sound asleep Andrew. Five days after they had arrived at the cozy pretty cabin on the top of the mountains, this was the first time he hadn't woken up before her.

She had slowly disentangled from his loving embrace, showered and changed into a flowered dress. The Irish angel also made a mental note to look for her sandals when her small feet touched the wooden floor as she walked back to their bedroom. With a smile upon her face, she sat down at the edge of the bed and stroked his short blond hair, still marvelled at his serene expression and wondering how she could love someone so deeply as she loved Andrew.

And as he slept so peacefully, Monica didn't have the courage to disturb him. She leaned over, her wet hair tickling his chest, and kissed his lips softly. "I love you very much..." her whispered voice and the slight caress caused him to stir a little, a hint of a content smile playing on his face. Glad that the angel of death never woke up, she rose to her feet and left the room.

Monica headed downstairs and opened the front door. The sun was shining through a completely blue sky and it was hot. She wondered if they could have their little camping adventure that night. The beauty and the peaceful atmosphere of the forest soon seduced her and the little angel climbed down the porch steps to observe more closely how nature bloomed in colourful flowers and cute little creatures. Her small and bare feet were soon walking away from the cabin and through the green vegetation spread everywhere.

There wasn't a trail in the woods and every turn she would take led her to a new path. Ten minutes were enough for her to realise something inevitable.

She was lost.

X

Andrew stirred slightly, a small sleeping grin playing on his face, before he rolled over and instinctively reached for his angelic wife. When all he felt was rumpled sheet, his green eyes immediately opened.

He was only mildly concerned given the fact that for the past few days, he had always been the one to wake up first and then he would spend the next hour simply watching his beautiful bride sleep. But a glance at the window told him that the sun was shining brightly so he knew exactly what had propelled her from their bed.

After showering and getting dressed, Andrew hurried downstairs, only slightly worried that maybe Monica had been attempting to make them breakfast but his sense of smell told him that nothing was burning. He chuckled to himself at realizing that was a great relief.

"Angel?" He called as he came down the stairs. Frowning when he was greeted with silence, the Angel of Death poked his head into the kitchen and noticed immediately that not so much as a pot of coffee had been brewed.

That was when true worry began to take shape within his heart.

Opening the front door, he called her name again, but again heard no reply and Andrew was torn about whether to go find her or to stay put in the event she returned. There were no signs that there had been any trouble in or near the cabin that had caused her to go anywhere, which only left her innocent sense of curiosity to blame. What concerned him was that Monica was one of the few angels who were directionally challenged.

He would wait, he decided, but only for a short time. With Monica, anything more than an hour could potentially lead her farther away from him and that was a thought he simply could not bear.

x

Monica walked for a long time, trying to retrace her steps back to the cabin, but with each passing minute, things looked less and less familiar. She was certain she had passed the same fallen log nothing short of three times and she was also certain that Andrew was awake by now and more than a wee bit worried. Too add to her concerns was the fact that the bright, warm sunlight was now hidden behind rather threatening dark clouds. The little angel was feeling positive that not only was she lost, but she would soon be lost and wet.

Sinking down onto the now very familiar fallen log, Monica bravely blinked back tears. Here she was on her honeymoon and maybe miles away from the angel she was supposed to be spending every moment with, all because she had fancied a walk this morning. She should have wisely just snuggled up closer to Andrew in bed and watched him sleep until he woke up...or maybe she could have woken him up in a much nicer and more romantic way than she probably did; with him finding her missing.

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes just as the first few raindrops began to fall and a moment later, the thunder rolled through the sky, causing Monica to close her eyes tightly for a moment and clamp her hands over her ears.

She hated storms.

X

Monica hated storms.

That was all the more knowledge Andrew needed to grab his jacket and on second thought, a warm blanket and an umbrella, in order to go in search of his beloved angel. He would give her a proper scolding for wandering off, but that could wait until he found her and had hugged her tightly to himself while thanking the Father for her safe return.

Putting the hood up on his jacket, he descended the porch stairs and started out into the woods, calling her name constantly as he tried to calm the rapid fearful beating of his heart. The thought of anything happening to her was enough to make him want to stop breathing. She was every breath he took and without her...

No. Andrew shook his head and mentally scolded himself for even thinking of such terrible things. Monica was lost, nothing more and he would search until he found her.