Zephan and the Vision

by Chris Wright

  'Do you think you are too inexperienced to fight against my enemy?' the Creator continued at last.

  I suddenly felt bolder. 'I know we're not like your powerful warrior angels, but angels like us might be able to get into the enemy's camp unnoticed. Sometimes. Perhaps.' I knew my boldness was deserting me, even though what I said was true.

  'What do you know about people?'

  I felt tongue-tied, but I had to answer. I lifted my arms to the sky. 'Somewhere out there you've made a very special creation. They're called men, women, children.'

  'What else?'

  I knew much more than that, but I wasn't going to show off. Compared to the Creator God I knew almost nothing. 'They live in a world rather like this, but with only one sun.'

  'That is good. And?'

  'They can't understand the invisible side of creation, for they are strangely made.'

  'Strangely made?'

  I could sense the Lord God smiling as he spoke. 'I mean they're not like angels,' I replied. It wasn't for me to question the Creator's ways. Then I remembered something else. 'They can do something angels cannot do -- they can call you Father.'

  'Indeed they can, Zephan. And you, Talora, do you know why I am sad for the people of Earth?'

  'Because they have turned away from you, and followed Diabolus your enemy?' She made her reply sound like a question.

  'That is also a good answer,' the Creator replied softly and tenderly. 'A wise one, Talora.'

  'There's still much I need to learn,' Talora admitted. 'I mean, how can people on Earth turn away from you when you love them much, much more than this little gisko loves her young?'

  'Oh, Talora, I love people even more than you can imagine.'

  Silence fell over Eltor, and we stayed on our knees.

  'You have served me well here,' the Creator said eventually. 'And now I want you to serve me on Earth.'

  'If that is your will,' I replied. I hope I made the point clear just now, when I said angels are obedient. We get great pleasure in obeying the Lord God. I guess I could say we're programmed to be like that. But I don't want anyone to feel troubled on our behalf. It simply isn't a problem.

  'O Lord God, we will serve you anywhere,' Talora added, as though not giving it a second thought, which is how it should be.

  'There is much danger there,' the Creator warned.

  Talora sounded insistent. 'We will serve you in any danger.'

  'Then you must both see for yourselves how treacherous my enemy Diabolus can be. The planet Earth is his battleground. The enemy wants to spoil and destroy all that is good. But my plan is to search for people and rescue them.'

  Talora spoke first, but now sounded hesitant. 'We're excited that you want us to go to Earth, but ... but we wouldn't know what to do when we got there. Will you send someone to teach us?'

  I'm not sure I felt over-excited by the prospect of danger. After all, I knew more about the shadow angels than Talora did. The twin suns had now reached their highest point in the sky, and the air was too hot. I looked around, but stayed kneeling. Most of the small creatures had scampered for the shelter of their burrows beneath the drelgo trees. I caught sight of the last one scurrying out of sight. Perhaps it had stayed to keep an inquisitive eye on us.

  'Zephan and Talora, lie down in the shade of that large rock and I will show you a vision. It is a picture of the battles I have fought on Earth since I first made people. You can walk around inside the vision and see many things. But you must remember it is a record of the past, so you will not be able to change anything.'

  'And when we've seen it?' I asked, wondering what was ahead for us both.

  'Then you will be ready to go to Earth to take part in my battles.'

  'I think I see,' I said, and of course I did think it at the time. As I said, we can only tell the truth. The Lord God was about to show us how it all went wrong for the human race, but it sounded as though he was going to let us see it as a sort of picture. Well, that seemed like a good idea.

  Men? Women? Children? What is it really like to be a person? That, of course, is something angels can never know. The Lord God created angels and people, but to be an angel is not to be a human. Humans know so little about the Creator, whereas we angels can regularly gather round his throne and see him with our eyes.

  'Come on, Talora, we have to lie down by that rock.' I took hold of her arm. 'The Lord God has said so.'

  'Oh, Zephan,' Talora whispered uneasily, 'why did I feel so excited a moment ago? How do people live and think? I've no idea what to do when we get to Earth.'

  'That's why we're going to see the vision, so we can learn before we go.'

  Neither of us spoke again.

  CHAPTER 3

  The Vision

  The planet Eltor became strangely dark as we lay down. We felt ourselves going back, back to a distant past.

  Suddenly I felt a stirring in the hot sand. A massive wall and buildings sprang up in front of us. A soft change of colour spread over the red sky until it became blue, the colour of my eyes. A noise filled the air.

  I raised my head. People -- not angels -- hurried backwards and forwards in and out of a gateway to a busy town. Over the gateway I could see a large sign, but it was too far away to read. I pulled Talora to her feet. No one stopped to ask us what we were doing.

  'You're right,' Talora said quietly. 'People do look very much like us.'

  I want to get one thing straight -- we're not make-believe figures like fairies and pixies! The Creator God made us, which is why we serve and worship him -- why we were here now. Actually, I want to get another thing straight -- you don't become an angel when you die. One day you'll get a new body in Heaven, but you'll still be a person. I hope that's clear.

  I looked around in excitement. Everything seemed so touchable. It was hard to understand that this was a vision of the past.

  'I'm sure we're invisible,' Talora said as we walked forward slowly. 'No one's looking at us.'

  Well, that was a relief. Imagine what it's like for two angels like us suddenly arriving on Earth from Eltor. I mean, what would people make of us if they could see our wings? No wonder angels choose to be invisible most of the time. Anyway, we couldn't have dressed like these people for disguise, even if we'd wanted to. Their clothes wouldn't go round our wings -- although I had a feeling our wings may not always be visible, even when the rest of us can be seen.

  To you, this vision would be a bit like watching a film, but not exactly. Think of it like watching a 3D film and getting inside it at the same time -- being able to walk around and touch things, but not being able to change anything. Of course, we were simply onlookers on something that happened long ago, no matter how real everything appeared. So I suppose even if they could see us, the people wouldn't be able to talk to us. Even so -- and this might sound silly -- I felt a lot safer being invisible.

  As we got closer to the town walls, we stopped. The large sign over the gateway told us we were entering Mansoul.

  CHAPTER 4

  Inside the Town

  'Mansoul?' Talora asked. 'What is Mansoul, Zephan?'

  'It looks like a fortified town,' I said. 'The Lord God must have built it for his people.' I don't think I was telling Talora something she couldn't have worked out for herself, because the high walls and the name over the gateway were easy enough to see. I think she was nervous. Well, so was I.

  'It looks good,' Talora said, frowning. 'If the Creator's own people live here, where's the problem?'

  The problem, of course, was that the Lord God had an enemy, although I have to admit the town walls looked strong enough to keep anyone out. The massive wooden gates in the wall had no gaps. We could see a large ear carved into the stonework on a tower above the gateway. A man stood on top with what looked like a huge trumpet in his hands, but he held it to his ear, not his mouth. He turned it slowly to the left and right, then back again, as though straining to pick up the slightest sound. But what was he listening for?

&nbs
p; Talora took hold of my hand. 'This must be the Ear Gate. Do you think the man will let us in if we ask?'

  I shook my head. 'This is all happening in the past. We're not able to talk to anyone.'

  'Then I'm going to fly over the wall and see what's inside the town.' Talora sounded really wound up. 'And because this is a vision, no one can stop me.'

  Call me over-cautious, but I can't say I shared Talora's enthusiasm. I wanted to check everything first, just to make sure we were really safe. 'Let's walk all the way round before going in.'

  Talora agreed -- reluctantly. We made our way past a group of men and women talking outside the high walls. None of them took any notice of us as we walked past, and I was glad about that. It's just that I still had this feeling that if people saw us, they might somehow be able to cause problems. All right, it was silly, but that's how I felt.

  'Another gate,' Talora announced after a few minutes' walking. 'I can see an eye carved in the stone over this one.'

  High on the wall a man stood with a large telescope in his hands, scanning the horizon, backwards and forwards.

  'The Eye Gate,' I guessed. This was hardly brilliant, but you find yourself saying things like that when you're jumpy. 'Come on, let's see if there are any more gates.'

  We found people unloading a large wagon of fresh food outside the next gate. Others helped carry it through the gate into the town.

  'The Mouth Gate.' It was Talora's turn to say the obvious, as she pointed up at a carved stone showing an open mouth. 'And look how fresh the food is.'

  It may seem strange that angels, who don't generally need to eat, should be able to judge the quality of food. But this delivery would make anyone's mouth water. I noticed Talora licking her lips.

  We continued our walk, and must have gone more than half way round the town when we heard a strange rushing sound. The noise kept stopping for a few seconds before continuing.

  'Quickly,' Talora said, pulling me on. 'It must be another gate.'

  I held back. The sound was scary. 'So what is it?'

  We saw it before either of us could guess -- a gate with the carving of a nose above it.

  I couldn't help making a joke. 'Let's hope we're not around when they blow it!'

  Talora was too absorbed by what she saw to even hear me. The guardian had the gate only slightly open, held by a secure chain. As we watched, we saw that no one could get in through the gap without his permission. A smell of fresh flowers and cooking filled the air. Some of the people stood on the town wall above the gate and breathed in deeply, smiling at the heady scent.

  'We'll be back where we started soon,' I said.

  'Come on, Zephan, this must be the last gate.' Talora was going much too quickly for my liking. She turned round. 'Do keep up.'

  The gate was tall and narrow. 'One more guess,' I offered.

  Talora shook her shoulders, and her wings fluttered. 'No idea.'

  We walked forward slowly. The tall, thin gate had a finger carved into the stone above it. Touch Gate, the sign said. A woman carrying a large bundle of wood on her back stopped outside. The gate moved open slightly. The guardian stood in front of her, prodding the bundle.

  'Pass in safety,' he told her. 'You present no danger to the town.'

  The woman nodded, and disappeared into a maze of narrow streets. The gate closed, blocking our view.

  'Well, Zephan, are we going in or not?' Talora asked impatiently.

  'It's closed,' I told her. 'The guard can't see us, so he's not going to open it.'

  Talora rustled her wings gently. 'Then we'll fly over the wall. It's time we explored inside.' And before I could say anything, she was off the ground and soaring over the town walls.

  Our wings look quite small and neat when folded, in the way that a seagull's wings look when it's resting. But, like a gull, when we spread our wings they're long and extremely powerful. I imagine you're thinking that if you were an angel you'd spend your time flying here, there and everywhere. But I can assure you the novelty soon wears off. Unless we're making a long journey, most of the angels I know prefer to walk. Of course, sometimes it's easier to fly, especially when we're in a hurry or need to get over high walls. And flying was the only sensible way for us to get into the town of Mansoul -- probably the only way. A few seconds later we landed unseen in one of the streets.

  Inside the town everything felt safe. Let me explain what I mean by safe. Perhaps you've visited an ancient town while on holiday, and started down a dark, narrow passageway. Plaster peeling off the walls, dirty windows, deep shadows. Your heart beats faster and you decide it's time to turn back, just in case something or someone unpleasant is round the corner. Mansoul wasn't like that. It was the cleanest, brightest town anyone ever saw. Everything looked recently built, perfect in every detail.

  We sat close to a tall tree that bore some sort of fruit. It all seemed familiar and I wondered why. Certainly this was nothing like the drelgo trees on Eltor. I can't remember the exact words, but a sign hanging from a low branch said something like, This is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Do not eat the Fruit. I don't think there were any other regulations or laws in the town. The people obviously had no wish to do anything other than treat each other fairly and honestly -- and remember their Creator. In other words, everything was just right. A bit like Heaven.

  In the centre of the town we discovered a castle, with a strong tower in the middle. I asked Talora to sit with me on the green outside the castle walls, so we could watch the comings and goings of the people.

  'War in Heaven, war on Earth,' I said quietly, still anxious that we might be overheard, although deep down I knew it was impossible in this vision.

  Talora nodded. 'It all seems so peaceful. When are we going to understand what happened here long ago?'

  Trouble was coming, I knew it for sure, and I wondered what it would be like for us, standing as spectators in the middle of a violent battle. I wanted to be back on Eltor. Or, even better, around the throne of the Creator God singing praises with millions of other angels. Millions of angels? If you were able to travel through the Universe like us, you might think it's easy to say 'millions' and have a real understanding of ... what, how big a million is? More likely, you'd know just how small a number it is. Billions. Billions of miles, billions of stars, billions of planets. Last time I was in Heaven I didn't count how many angels were gathered round the throne singing, but I reckon I should be saying millions and millions. All of us ready to work for the Lord God. I remember how Talora had often stood with me with me in Heaven in adoration of our Creator.

  Before you ask, there's no way I can explain what sort of music we have in Heaven. Even if I could sing it for you, you wouldn't be able to join in -- because you're not ready for it yet. Nor could you play it on your musical instruments, although you sometimes think you get close. It's a very different sort of music. It's ... well, it's the music of Heaven -- and I can't put it any better than that. But I can promise that you'd think it was beautiful.

  We sat on the green by the castle for much of the afternoon, chatting about what we'd already seen in the town of Mansoul. Wild flowers grew all around us, the first flowers of various colours that Talora said she'd ever seen. And she got really excited by their different scents.

  Suddenly we heard a buzz of excitement, and I was astonished to see the Lord God coming into the town. I know we were seeing a picture of the past, but even so, we fell on our knees as the people rushed up to him to thank him for the love and care he showed. This was a town with no sickness or death. No wonder everyone seemed happy.

  The people led the Lord God into the strong tower in the centre of the castle. Talora went with me, eager to see what was inside -- a stunning throne covered in gold and precious stones, surely made specially for the Creator. When he spoke, a feeling of love and peace flooded every corner of the room. The people let out a wonderful cry of praise, almost as wonderful as the praise of the angels around the throne in Heaven. I have to say
I was impressed, for until then I thought angels won hands-down when it came to praising.

  And then the Lord God had gone, as suddenly as he'd come.

  CHAPTER 5

  Diabolus

  Outside the town, green fields and tall trees stretched into the distance -- and not a drelgo tree in sight. How different everything was from the red and orange sands of Eltor. I have to admit I grew restless and kept wondering what was out there. We'd seen most of the town, and I wanted to explore the countryside. I felt drawn by a strange-looking hill that had a heavy shadow over it. On top of the hill grew a forest of withered trees, and I decided to take a closer look.

  As we flew almost silently, Talora, who was following, grabbed hold of my ankle. 'Don't go down, Zephan,' she shouted in alarm.

  I stopped, hovering in the air, looking to see where Talora was pointing. There, at the foot of the hill, within sight of the town, I saw the Lord God's enemy. I've already mentioned him. He's the one who hates the Creator and all he's made. This enemy probably hated the town of Mansoul more than anything else in the Universe.

  'I'm sure the people of Mansoul don't know he's here,' I said in a whisper, and shuddered. Maybe we'd been too sheltered on Eltor. 'He's Diabolus, the devil who was once one of God's angels. I suppose we should have expected to find him here.'

  'It's all his fault there's trouble,' Talora complained, as we continued to soar above the hill. 'Why did he decide to go against the Lord God?'

  'What's this, a riddle?'

  'No, Zephan, it's a sensible question.'

  I decided it was indeed a sensible question, and I shrugged -- which is something angels can only do with difficulty while flying. 'I've heard he wanted to be as great as God himself.'

  Talora shook her head. 'As great as the Lord God, the Creator of the Universe?'

  I said nothing. How could any angel be so foolish as to think such a thing possible? Diabolus, like all the angels, was created. Not created evil, but created with a free choice. And he rebelled against the Lord God. Some angels chose to go with him -- not just a few angels, but many, many of them. The war in Heaven was on the unseen side of the Lord God's creation, but it was so dreadful that it spilled over onto the visible side.