Vero continued in the direction indicated by the buck. He saw a grove of trees ahead. A man stood before the trees, holding a flaming sword. Vero recognized his face but he wasn’t exactly sure where he had seen him. The man then turned his head and Vero saw that his face morphed into that of a lion’s.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for you, Vero,” he said as his face then changed into that of an ox.
“You’re a cherubim,” Vero said, eyeing the four wings coming out of the angel’s back.
“Yes,” the cherubim answered, his face once again transforming, this time into that of an eagle’s. “You have the book?”
Vero reached into his pocket and pulled out the blue sapphire.
“Well done.” The cherubim smiled.
Vero held out the gem to the cherubim. The cherubim shook his head, his face again that of a lion’s.
“You deserve the honor,” the cherubim said, stepping aside.
When he moved aside, Vero saw a wilted, shriveled-up tree. A perplexed feeling came over him. It was so ugly, especially in comparison to all the beauty he had already seen in the garden. Vero hesitated, not sure if he should approach the tree.
The cherubim nodded, letting Vero know that it was the correct tree. Vero stepped in front of the tree. There was a sadness to it, as rotten fruit hung from its branches.
“Any action not in harmony with God’s will always has unhappy consequences,” the cherubim said.
Vero looked at the tree, wondering where to return the book. As his eyes studied the branches, he saw one branch that bore no fruit. Vero realized that this was where Eve must have taken the forbidden fruit. As Vero held the blue sapphire to the end of the branch, the cherubim gently touched his hand, stopping him.
“Before you return the book, do you want to know what everything you’ve experienced was for?” the cherubim’s oxen face asked Vero.
Vero nodded.
“Look,” the cherubim instructed, gazing into the sapphire. “God has given you the gift of sight. Use it.”
Flames danced and twisted into symbols. Vero stared intently at them. His mind totally focused.
“Daniel Konrad, Jr.?” Vero shot the cherubim a confused look.
“Read on.” The cherubim motioned.
As Vero continued to study the sapphire, he voiced the things as he read them. “He is the reason the book needed to be returned,” Vero said aloud, transfixed with the stone in his hand. “The child will grow to be righteous, and bring much goodness into the world.” Vero paused, taking that in.
“Lucifer was desperate to know the name of this baby so he could drive the parents apart, and would have done anything to prevent his birth.” He looked at the cherubim, who nodded.
Vero continued reading. “Daniel Konrad and Davina Acker are the child’s parents.” Vero had to pause to smile, as it all seemed to be a bigger plan unfolding before his eyes.
“Davina will give birth to the child in an alley in a big city. She won’t make it to the hospital in time, but she and the child will be fine,” Vero read, astonished.
“What is it?” the cherubim asked.
“I dreamt about this a few years ago. And Clover was there too!”
“As was I,” the cherubim said. “Now you may return the book.”
“Just . . . give me a minute. I need to see one more thing,” Vero said.
“Are you sure you want to know?” the cherubim’s lion face asked, having read Vero’s mind.
“I need to know,” Vero said, locking eyes with the cherubim. The conviction in his gaze seemingly gave the cherubim his answer.
Vero opened his hand and looked deep into the sapphire. The tiny flames began to form into shapes, then symbols. Vero stared at the symbols, reading them silently in his mind. His body trembled with tears. It was the most devastating thing he would ever read. Vero closed his eyes, trying to be strong . . . for he had just learned the date of his earthly death.
Vero held the blue sapphire to the branch where no fruit hung. Upon contact with the branch, a large fruit pit—a stone—formed around the blue sapphire, encasing it. A perfectly red and shiny skin then formed around the stone. It instantly grew into a magnificent fruit, although Vero wasn’t sure what fruit it was. It was different from anything he’d seen on earth. It sort of looked like an apple crossed with a pomegranate. Before Vero’s eyes, the rest of the tree transformed. It grew into a magnificent fruit tree with plump, healthy fruit clinging to its branches.
Vero had returned the book from whence it had come.
Michael hugged Kane on the steps of C.A.N.D.L.E., as Uriel stood a step below. Vero, Greer, X, and Ada sat on a ledge watching. A tear streaked Greer’s face.
“Greer, you’re crying?” Vero said.
“Say another word and you’ll be the one crying,” Greer said, throwing him a threatening glance.
Kane turned to the others. “I’m sorry, you guys. I’m so sorry.” His eyes were downcast.
“Stop, it’s over,” Michael told Kane. “When you are forgiven, that is the end of it.”
Kane nodded.
“You can’t imagine how proud we are of each of you,” Michael said, extending his gaze over the fledglings.
Kane looked away.
“We are most proud of you, Kane,” Uriel said. “The greatest battle we fight is the one within, and in the end you emerged victorious.”
Kane locked eyes with Uriel, and smiled gratefully.
“All of you were outstanding,” Michael said.
“But it’s not right. Pax should be here with us,” Greer said. “It’s not a good day.”
“But it is,” Michael said.
“No, he was so brave. Pax fought hard and for that he winds up in the choir?” Greer said, exasperated.
“But he is not in the choir of angels,” Uriel said.
“But when we fail in our training . . .” Vero said.
“This was the real deal,” Uriel said. “This was not training.”
“So what happened to Pax?” Greer asked, the panic rising in her chest.
“For his bravery in the face of evil, Pax ‘got his wings,’ as some would say. He has become a full-fledged guardian angel,” Michael said, with pride in his voice.
Vero’s face lit up. “So he made it?”
Michael nodded.
“That little twerp became a guardian before me?” Greer said with an outraged look that quickly turned into a huge smile.
“All in time, Greer.” Michael smiled.
“Michael . . .” Vero said, hesitant. “Um . . . we probably wouldn’t have found the book without Rahab’s help.”
“Oh, yes, Rahab. We are grateful to him, and I’ll see what I can do about having his sentence commuted.”
Michael wrapped his wings around himself and vanished.
“And now it’s time for all of you to go back,” Uriel said.
Greer grabbed Vero and hugged him tightly. Ada smiled. She joined in and hugged Vero too. Kane looked to X, who shrugged. They joined the group hug. Vero fell over, taking everyone down with him.
“Get off of me!” Greer yelled as she fought her way out of the pile. “I’m claustrophobic, you know that!”
Everyone got back on his feet.
“You’ll see each other soon enough.” Uriel smiled furtively.
Vero looked to Kane. “I see you in few minutes in Sri Pada.”
“If it’s okay, I think when I get there, I just want to go home. Can you make some excuse to your mom?”
“Yeah, I get it.”
One by one, the angels closed their eyes and vanished. Only Vero remained standing. Uriel placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Raziel would like a word with you.”
There was a whirl of wind, then Raziel stood before them. Uriel nodded to Raziel and moved away, allowing them privacy.
“Sit,” Raziel motioned.
“Sure.” Vero nodded.
They sat on a marble ledge.
A smile
formed at the corners of Raziel’s lips as he looked at Vero. “Vero, I want to thank you,” he said, his eyes full of emotion. “Long ago, I failed, and you made things right for me. I will always be grateful to you. You are a very fine, noble angel.”
“Thank you.”
“When I first saw you at C.A.N.D.L.E., I’m ashamed to say I was disappointed in you. I didn’t think you were up to the task. You couldn’t fly. You were scrawny, but God knew what He was doing when he chose you. And it’s not only because you had the vision to read the book.”
Vero looked to him, curious.
“It’s because you’re good. Few can resist the power that the knowledge gives them. And I know that from firsthand experience.”
“You felt it too?”
“Absolutely.”
“It was so tempting especially when Lucifer was messing with my mind,” Vero said.
“But how much more stronger are we that we both resisted?”
“I guess we’re more alike than what we knew.”
“Yes.” Raziel smiled.
“All these years you thought God was punishing you for losing the book. You thought having no memory of the book was your punishment . . . but maybe you’ve been wrong. Maybe your lack of memory was a gift.”
Raziel gave Vero a curious look.
“By not remembering it, Lucifer would leave you alone.”
Raziel considered for a moment then stood. He bowed his head to Vero. “I look forward to working with you.”
In an instant, Raziel vanished. Uriel walked over to Vero, who stood. “We are all grateful to you,” Uriel said, his eyes bursting with pride.
“Thank you,” Vero said, a bit hesitant.
“What is it?” Uriel asked, concerned.
“It’s, um . . .”
An understanding look came over Uriel. He had read Vero’s mind. “You’re time on earth is nearly over,” Uriel said, gently.
Vero nodded.
“Earth is not your true home,” Uriel said, cupping Vero’s chin. “And it’s not their true home either.”
Vero looked to Uriel, taking in his words. Vero hugged Uriel tightly, for he truly loved Uriel. After a moment, they broke apart.
“All of you belong with God, and one day, all of you will be with Him . . . and everything will be as it should be.”
Clover stood on the steps of the peace pagoda. The pilgrims had all left to continue their trek up the mountain. Tack sat on a bench, drinking a bottle of water. Suddenly, a huge smile spread across Clover’s face.
Vero was walking up to the peace pagoda. She screamed and ran to her brother and wrapped her arms around him. Tack’s face lit up.
“Did you return it?” Clover excitedly asked.
“Yeah. We did it!”
“Woo-hoo!” Tack yelled. “Do they know that I helped? Not that I’m looking for credit or anything . . . but I could sure use some.”
“Where’s Kane?” Clover looked around.
“Kane and Adrik won’t be joining us.”
“I saw who Adrik really was.” Clover shuddered. “Was Kane like her?”
“No, he’s good.” Vero smiled.
“Really?” Tack asked.
“Well, he went through a rough patch, but now he’s okay. We’ll just have to come up with some excuse to tell Mom.”
“What happened? I want to know,” Clover said.
“I’ll tell you everything as we walk up,” Vero said.
“But we don’t have to now,” Tack said, eyeing the many, many steps leading to the top of the mountain.
“You don’t want to be a quitter, do you?” Vero asked.
“Come on, Tack,” Clover said. “We’ve come this far, let’s finish.”
“You guys are killing me,” Tack said, getting up.
Vero, Tack, and Clover climbed to the top of Sri Pada. Along the way, Vero told them everything that had happened, both outside the garden and inside: of the dragon, of Lilith, of Pax’s bravery and Kane’s conversion. They were so fascinated that Tack didn’t seem to realize that after two hours of climbing, they had reached the top of the mountain.
A bell hung near the sacred footprint. As tradition, each pilgrim rang the bell for the number of times they have ascended the mountain. Clover rang the bell first, followed by Tack. When Vero got to the bell, he paused a moment, took the handle, and said, “For you, Pax, buddy. Well done.” And he rang the bell once. Other pilgrims followed. As the clangs of the bell echoed into the distance, Vero knew that God had heard the sacrifice of each and every pilgrim.
30
THE ANGEL VERO
Life settled back into normalcy after the trip to Sri Lanka. Dennis got his plans approved—Sri Lanka was going to get the extra canals. Nora continued to work part time at the hospital, and Clover, Vero, and Tack went back to school. Danny and Davina were also friends again, determined not to waste a single moment before his move out West. The two vowed to stay in touch. Vero smiled, knowing that they definitely would, knowing that he would see to it.
With only a few days left in the school year, on a balmy June evening the Lelands sat down to dinner. Vero looked across the kitchen table. Dad and Mom were laughing—something funny had happened at work. Clover pushed half her peas off her plate into her napkin. It was an ordinary night around the dinner table. And Vero knew it would be his last.
“Vero, eat please,” Nora said. “Since when don’t you like my meatloaf?”
“My stomach hurts,” Vero said.
Nora’s scolding expression turned to concern. “Did you eat anything earlier? Something not agree with you?”
“Not that I can think of.”
“Go lie down on the sofa.”
As Vero got up from the table, he caught Clover’s worried look. Vero didn’t want to alarm her. He flashed her a reassuring smile. As he lay on the sofa, Vero heard the sounds of his family finishing up dinner.
This is how it will be from now on, Vero thought. It will just be the three of them sharing a meal. Sometimes, in moments of brutal awareness, the brain thinks of the dumbest stuff. Maybe it’s a defense. But Vero wondered when he was gone, and it was pizza night, would they still order two pizzas or would it only be one? A tear escaped from his eye. He laid only a few feet away from them, yet Vero never felt so far away from his family.
He fell asleep on the sofa. Nora and Dennis watched as Vero moaned while twisting and turning in his sleep. Nora felt his forehead. It was so hot to the touch that her hand instinctively pulled away.
“He’s burning up!” she turned to Dennis. “He needs the ER!”
“Vero, Vero,” Dennis said, trying to rouse his son. “Come on, Vero . . .”
Dennis reached under Vero and lifted him off the sofa.
“Clover!” Mom shouted hysterically as she helped hoist Vero to his feet. “Clover!”
Clover ran into the room. She saw her Mom and Dad walking Vero to the front door. She knew. The blood instantly drained from her face.
Oh, God.
Please, not now.
I’m not ready.
“We have to get to the hospital!” Mom screamed.
“Where are the keys?!” Dad shouted, his hand fumbling under the schoolbooks left on the entrance table, while holding Vero with the other.
The table lamp crashed to the floor.
“Here they are!” Clover yelled, grabbing the keys off the table.
Dennis’s car was parked in the driveway. They walked Vero to the backseat and lay him across it. Nora sat with Vero’s head resting on her lap. She stroked his head and sang softly to him—lullabies that she had sung to him when he was a baby.
Clover sat beside her father up front, quietly praying. But she knew. She knew. But she still asked.
Please, God, not now.
Please, I’m not ready.
The car pulled up to the ER as an ambulance drove away without its siren blaring. Dennis jumped out of the car and ran around to the back. He and Nora gently lifted Vero from t
he backseat. Nora turned to Clover. “Tell them we need a gurney!”
Clover ran to the hospital’s glass doors. They opened automatically, and she raced over to the nurse on duty, whom she recognized.
“Mrs. Matthews, my brother needs a gurney!” she shouted.
The middle-aged woman looked over to the double doors, and saw Nora and Dennis walking Vero inside. She sprung from her chair and ran to them.
“Nora, what’s wrong with Vero?” Mrs. Matthews asked.
“I think it may be his appendix!”
“Lay him here!” Mrs. Matthews yelled as she wheeled over a gurney.
They lifted Vero onto the stretcher.
“We’ll take him to room two,” Mrs. Matthews said with a hint of panic in her voice.
Nora and Dennis followed the stretcher as Mrs. Matthews whisked it to the examination room. Clover did not follow. Inside the waiting room, she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and called the only person who would understand: Tack.
“Please come now,” she tearfully begged. “It’s happening, and I don’t know if I can take it . . .”
After a CT scan, the doctor told Nora and Dennis that Vero had a highly inflamed appendix and would need emergency surgery. Otherwise it would burst, spilling infectious material into the abdominal cavity, which would most likely be fatal.
Despite the 103.6 fever, Vero was conscious. Nora, Dennis, Tack, and Clover crowded around his bed, not wanting to leave him. As the doctors and nurses stuck all sorts of needles in him, prepping him for surgery, Vero smiled to his parents.
“You still believe those cosmonauts saw angels?” Vero said in a weak voice to his dad.
“Yeah, I do, with all my heart,” Dad said, then quietly wept.
“I’m glad you’re the one who found me,” Vero said to Nora, who kissed Vero’s forehead, her tears drenching his hair.
An aid unlocked the wheels on the gurney.
“Time to go,” he told the family.
Dennis leaned over, tenderly kissing Vero’s cheek. As Vero was wheeled past Tack and Clover, it warmed his heart to see Clover wrapped up in his best friend’s arms. He knew Tack would keep true to his word and always be there for Clover.
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