Irish: An Angel's Journey

by David Pollitt

Gloria asked, "Where does that little thing put all that food?"

  Irish shook her head, "Nowhere! We aren’t made that way. It goes absolutely nowhere. I mean it may stay with us for a little bit, but our bodies, which aren't really bodies like you know them, just don't need it. It just disappears. The same way yours will when you reach heaven. Eating is a lost art with us."

  Gloria chuckled an oh-sure laugh as Grace got on the bus and belched loudly, "I think Grace is rediscovering that lost art very fast." Grace's little friends started swatting at her with some magazines at her last explosive eruption. Grace loved it and without hesitation did it again.

  Irish bridled her, "Keep a lid on it, Grace. Even on earth there are such things as manners, you know." Grace didn't know what lid meant but got the gist of the message anyway.

  Grace hung her head at the scolding saying, "Sorry guys, I'm just being silly. Isn't that what you call it, Mary?"

  "Call it whatever you want, Grace. I call it being gross." Then, Mary poked her in her side. The rest of the girls started teasing Grace too, including pinching her and pulling at her braids in payback.

  Irish looked back and gave an I-give-up shrug. Gloria caught it and laughed, "Didn't think babysitting was quite this hard, huh?"

  "I suppose, but we'll be moving on once we get to the camp. She'll calm down some then; I hope."

  "Where are you going, girl? Are you two really going to leave us? Where will you go? The camp is out in the middle of nowhere. The nearest town is fifty miles away."

  Irish looked at Gloria with a mind set on her task, "Walk, if we have to. Fly, if it comes to it. I'd rather keep everything to a human standard if possible. Grace can't learn anything if we just keep doing things the heavenly way. She needs to learn your ways, all the different ways."

  The buses moved out onto a long stretch of highway; and after crossing the Nevada line, they got off onto some secondary roads. The terrain was changing now. In the distance, Irish could see the large expanse of desert hitting the mountains, exaggerating the visual effect. They crossed a little, lazy river, and everything started looking greener. The trees were growing more thickly together, and green underbrush covered the ground growing straight up the trunks of what seemed like some very old, massive trees. Thick carpets of grass with thousands of wild flowers, daisies of some kind brought a bright-yellow-white beauty into view.

  Irish looked up and saw what looked like a big vulture far above the horizon that circled high above some ragged cliffs in the distance. A bright reflection shot across Irish's vantage point and looked as if it came from the buzzard. She thought, "How funny," then sat straight up. "Gloria, do you have any binoculars?"

  "No, but I'll get you some." She shouted, "Does anyone have binoculars for my angel?"

  Grace looked up while picking up on Irish's thoughts and ran to her seat, then looked at the skyline. The binoculars were handed over the seat as Gloria snatched at them and handed them to Irish just like the doctor ordered. Grace could hardly wait for Irish to finish, but she closed her eyes and saw what Irish saw through her mind.

  Grace asked anxiously, "Do you know him? Have you seen him before?"

  "Yes," answered Irish. "He's a dark angel called Tare. He was assigned to Sudan with Dar-Raven for a long time. He's always been a favorite for unusual assignments and has been known to be close to Apollyon. He has to be one heck of a big weasel to stay around Apollyon so much. No one can even raise a head to their boss. He demands complete subjection, and groveling is considered a number one virtue, a surviving virtue."

  Irish kept her eyes on Tare for a long time. He knew he was being watched, but he wanted to be. He sailed around in wide circles with his sword in both hands as he positioned it so that it reflected against the side of the bus. "Perfect," he said to himself. "She has to have seen me by now. Maybe she'll send her protectors out to me. Got to get a head count. Apollyon doesn't like surprises."

  The bus pulled off in a different direction and caused Irish to lose sight of him. A high-arched, wooden gate appeared. It curved over the road with an attached sign that stated, "Camp Praise." The kids started clapping and shoved their faces against the windows. They passed with applause upon seeing the riding stables with its horses pressing their noses towards the buses. Kids meant sugar cubes, lots of them—the heck with the hay. On down the winding road, there were hay bales with bright targets on them for archery. They went over a creek, which had its support poles lashed together, just freshly repaired by the last group as part of their pioneering exhibition.

  A small lake appeared surrounded by thirty log cabins, and canoes were spotted turned upside down on wooden racks next to them. As they turned into a circular parking area, several girls got a glimpse of small sunfish sailboats on the lakeshore and an Olympic-size swimming pool on the top of a small hill overlooking the lake. There was so much excitement that everyone forgot their angels and stood up waiting for the buses to stop so they could pile out. They finally stopped in front of the chapel. The bells were ringing to let all the camp counselors know the new group had arrived.

  Irish gave Gloria back the binoculars and asked, "Gloria, I need to talk to Grace. Can you leave us alone for a minute?" They could have communicated with mind-talk, but Irish was also trying to get a break from Sister Gloria. Gloria yielded reluctantly. Soon, for the first time in days, she forgot about her angel in the mass excitement of their arrival.

  "What's wrong, Irish?" asked Grace as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

  "Something very strange is going on. It’s almost like Tare is trying to be seen. It's too obvious, but why? I don't understand. He threatened you, and then he keeps hanging around in broad daylight. He's acting like he wants me do something. No, he's acting like he wants me to have someone else do something. I wonder just how much of this has to do with Aaron? You know that they watch his every move. They continually keep tabs on him. Just like we keep tabs on Dar-Raven. They know how powerful he is." Irish leaned back against the seat and looked towards the ceiling trying to think.

  "That's it! Tare is trying to goad us into a fight so we show him what our resources are. He’s not as stupid as I thought. I'd be doing the same thing. But remember, he works mostly for Apollyon so that means Apollyon wants to know. Now, that's even more mysterious. Since when does Apollyon give a hang about me training a new creation? He never has before. That’s why it has to be about Aaron, but why?"

  Grace suggested, "Maybe he thinks Aaron is still around."

  "Grace, you're right," she replied smiling. "He's trying to see if Aaron is part of my group. But he should know that Aaron has more important duties than to follow us two. It has to do with Aaron. I know it does. Maybe Apollyon knows how close Aaron is to me. Has it been that noticeable, Grace? I'd hate to think that my love for Aaron would put him or anyone else in jeopardy." Irish put her head in her hands and clutched her face as if trying to force out the answer. Her hand went into the air as did Grace's. They were receiving a message from the Lord.

  "Apollyon is looking for Aaron. You're the Aaron connection whether you like it or not. They want a head count before Apollyon commits any of his forces from other areas. They want a sure thing without major losses. They want to disable Aaron just like we want to disable Dar-Raven. I'm sending a thousand more young ones, brand-new powers, when you need them. They're not seasoned warriors, but they can handle long swords. Be careful. I’m watching."

  This was the first time Grace had heard the Lord's voice since her creation, and His voice sent waves of warm glory all over her.

  How wonderful her Savior sounded. His voice was full of compassion and love. He cared for them, and they both felt it from the depths of their souls, beings as it were.

  "With so many to protect us," said Irish, "I may try something to draw Tare out. He doesn't have to know about the thousand more, but we could let him get a head count the hard way." Irish's eyes sparkled with the possibilities.

  She ran off the bus with Gra
ce following and upon seeing Gloria, yelled, "Gloria, want to help me play a trick on someone?"

  Grace smiled as she thought about her lizard trick, but this was the first time she had heard of Irish doing one. She thought, "This ought to be good."

  Gloria stood over them while Irish drew their plans in the dirt as if they were planning a war, which was really a battle. Gloria still didn’t let Irish beyond her reach, always touching her, and panicking when Irish moved too far away. She wanted to feel the peace that came over her when she did. Just being near Irish caused her physical as well as spiritual pleasure. It was hard to separate the two. Irish's aura was overpowering at times. Even with her wings withdrawn and her sunglasses on, the colors came seeping out and gave her a beautiful illumination.

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  God’s Sucker Punch

  Apollyon sent another message to Tare, "Did they spot you? Yes, then good. Have you picked the place and the time? I want you to carry her far enough away so Aaron has plenty of time to be contacted and time to get there. It also gets you away from those believers. I have five hundred ready when you give the signal. Aaron will be in so many pieces that it will take him a month to repair. Without him around for a while, we can make a lot of headway. Who knows what damage we can do? Remember, get the head count first. If there are too many, drop Grace and get out. We’ll try something else. If no one shows, Aaron will have to help."

  Tare put his sword in place and flew closer to the camp. He felt the anointing of God coming from the church members, and it gave him the sweats. How he hated it. He hoped more humans wouldn’t figure out the power of the anointing. It could literally disable a dark angel.

  At the top of a high ridge was a tall cross with sitting stones around it. It was used mostly for daily, evening services, but it had an expansive rock fireplace that was used for the end-of-day celebrations. The church gathered in a large crowd and slowly made their way to the top using the slate-rock steps in a single-file pilgrimage. Just under the cross was a sheer cliff that ended in the deep part of the lake with a hundred-foot waterfall coming directly out of the rocks into the lake below.

  Tare couldn't miss the activity. He watched as the kids made their way. They looked like they were carrying backpacks for a picnic. He spit disgustedly when he thought they probably had Bibles stuffed in them. He saw Irish and Grace at the cross waiting for everyone to get seated.

  Irish winked at Grace and asked her, "You know what to do, don't you?"

  "Sure, let him get me, then you give me the signal, and I put on what you called 'the air brakes,' right?"

  "Right. The worst that can happen, which I don't think it will, is that you might be out of commission for a while. If this works like I believe it will, he won't be bothering us for a long time. Remember, don't call for a sword, you aren't allowed." Irish stood shaking her finger at Grace as she spoke.

  "Can I just claw his eyes out?" asked Grace with a furrowed frown.

  "Well, some of that is okay. We just can't use weapons, especially swords."

  Irish looked at Gloria and motioned to start the service. Irish moved away from Grace, who stood near the edge of the ridge under the cross. Grace was alone and feeling a little abandoned, exposed, but she knew it was part of the plan.

  Tare jumped like someone shocked him. This is too perfect. He sent a message to Apollyon to have his small army ready. "When I run Grace through with the sword, it should be enough to bring out their protectors or Aaron. Head count first, Aaron next, right?"

  The group was singing "Victory in Jesus" and clapping with the fast-paced beat as Irish moved next to Gloria.

  "Is everyone ready? Remember, I only need Tare distracted for less than a minute. I don't want him to see where I'm going, especially, where I'm coming from."

  Gloria smiled broadly, "Irish, my dear angel, we got it covered. Isn't this exciting? I love kicking Satan's butt!"

  Tare was circling high above them and no one looked up; although, they saw Irish and Gloria peek skyward. They all knew the plan and gently picked up their backpacks while fingering the tie-downs while they sang exuberantly.

  Tare came directly from behind Grace at ridge level passing over the lake. The children were ready, but totally horrified by the sight of a seven-foot, black-winged angel holding a sword. When Tare caught Grace around her waist, it was like a full tackle of a prized quarterback. With an arm around her waist and his sword placed along her neckline, he did an enticing pass over the group again while keeping an eye on Irish. He figured that, she'd come to pry Grace away, but not until she called her troops or Aaron. He saw her lips moving and figured she was sending a message to Aaron for help as well as her protectors. He made another pass, but no protectors. He didn't believe it. They had to be near, still, no Aaron. Irish watched him intensely as the seconds seemed like minutes, and the blade of his sword drew a thin line of blood from Grace's neck each time he turned to watch Irish.

  "Okay, Gloria, now," whispered Irish.

  Tare was turning in one spot getting ready to shoot upwards to draw Aaron away into Apollyon's trap. Before he could move too far, the whole camp started pelting him with water balloons. Some of the kids had huge elastic slingshots that made it possible for deadly accuracy. Each camp group used these for their water sport wars.

  Tare sucked his breath in instinctively, then laughed at the onslaught while hundreds of pieces of balloon parts floated to the lake below him. He thought, "Who do they think I am, the Wicked Witch of the West, that I'm going to melt?"

  Irish used the distraction and grabbed a nearby trash can lid and shot upwards to over three thousand feet. She turned down towards Tare in a tuck-and-roll, pulled her wings into herself, and plummeted down like a skydiving champion with her trash can lid held to her chest. At this time, all she wanted was speed and lots of it.

  Grace heard Irish saying, "I'm coming, slow him down."

  Grace raised her hands directly above her head making her slip through Tare's wet grip, but instead of getting away, she dropped to his feet and locked herself to them. Tare looked down in surprise, not understanding, but felt himself being pulled downward. Grace was reversing her wing thrust and back oaring both of them towards the lake below.

  "That's not going to help, Grace. You might slow me down, but you’re going with me whether you like it or not." He looked around for Aaron and knew he had to get away from here to a more secluded spot.

  Apollyon watched the whole scene but didn't understand the purpose for any of it. He finally saw the Irish bullet heading towards Tare and understood just a little. They are trying to slow Tare down. Irish is going to ram him. She can’t use swords, but she was going to try to knock him to the ground. But why? There isn't anyone below him except the lake. Why?"

  He warned Tare, "You got Irish trouble coming. Watch yourself. She's carrying a shield of some kind."

  Tare looked around but didn't think of looking up. Irish wasn't anywhere, and then he saw a kid pointing above him. He looked up; and in that instant, he saw a gray, metal object coming down at him at lightening speed. He felt Grace let go of his feet, and she pulled out in front of him doing a low bow and said, "Ole!"

  Irish hit him with such force that not only did the trash can lid bend double over his head, but it sent him into a cart-wheeling, downward spin. When he hit the water, he was disoriented and confused. The cold water stunned him at first as he went straight to the bottom some hundred feet below. He bounced on the lake floor and heard the thundering of the waterfall nearby. He shook his head to get his bearings and started to shove off with his feet for the surface, then noticed other shapes of other angels in the water. All around him, he saw short swords and angels. Before he could finish his head count, a hundred angels started chopping him to pieces. His screams were mere bubbles, and the lake turned red with his blood.

  Grace, Irish, and the kids stood on the ridge clapping and shouting like they were at football game with the winning touc
hdown. Gloria grabbed her stomach as she got sick at the sight, then started pushing everyone back from the edge as angel body parts came floating to the surface, bobbing up and down in the waves and foam of the waterfall. A part of Tare’s face bobbed to the surface with an eye attached. Tare could see Grace and Irish standing above him, then the rest of his face with part of his mouth popped up like a cork nearby. For just a second, Irish thought she saw his lips move.

  She thought he was saying something, "I'll get you," but it was hard to tell with only half his lips hanging to his chin.

  She answered, "Not if I see you first, you weasel."

  Apollyon, sat alone in his dark sanctuary and slammed down his staff. He thought, "It will take him months to repair from this."

  From Tare’s one eye, Apollyon saw Grace and Irish talking and read her comment. He said out loud, "You're right, Irish. He is a weasel, but he’s my weasel and a good one at that. Weasels like him are hard to come by. I'll wait, and then I'll send him back again. Aaron's there, I know he is. That hundred won’t help you next time." He had seen the angels under the water from Tare's painful perspective. He thought again, "Irish, not a bad move. I need to remember that one."

  Irish turned to Gloria and reached for a hug saying, "Thank you. I love you. Be faithful till the end." Before Gloria could respond, Irish grabbed Grace by the hand, and they disappeared. Everyone looked stunned and saddened by their disappearance. Grace's little friends came over to Gloria and tearfully hugged her.

  From the air around them came Grace's voice whispering to them, "I love you all. Never forget, 'Can I eat it?'"

  They all giggled. How could they ever?

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