The Stolen Star

by Halyna Franko

  Part 2

  Michael and Ben’s Adventures

  With a feeling of joy mingled with excitement and fear Michael and Ben flew off into the unknown. Two questions sprang immediately to mind: where were they going and why? Why had the Angel chosen them? Had they died and were on their way to another world? Their stream of thoughts was immediately interrupted by the Angel:

  “Don’t worry, you are alive and well. Soon we will find a place to stop and talk about everything, but for the time being just sit back enjoy the ride. It’s not every day that you go on a journey like this is it?”

  “Yes, this is just incredible!” the cousins exclaimed in unison.

  The starship was going so fast that the world outside was transformed into a blur. The only sensation they could feel was when the machine changed trajectory upwards or to one side. Then they found themselves plunged into darkness as if flying through a dark tunnel. The starship shuddered slightly and they shot out into a light blue space.

  The flight path along which they were moving was demarcated on both sides by pink points of light that looked rather like street lamps. Other flying machines of all shapes and sizes seemed to come from out of nowhere: there were big ones and very small ones, long cigar-shaped ones and others that were as round as a ball. They were all flying in different directions, turning at the junction to take whichever course they needed to follow.

  “This is the Angel highway,” the Angel explained to them, “each one of them is rushing to get to an errand or are on their way home.”

  “But where is their home?" Ben asked.

  “The city of the Angels, you can come and visit once you have completed your mission.”

  Tower-like buildings sprang up on both sides of the highway.

  “These are way-side hotels where you can rest, they are called camping spots and have been designed like normal resting places for earth dwellers. After all, you are tired aren’t you?” the Angel asked.

  The brothers happily nodded their assent.

  The starship made a perfect landing near one of the towers. It appeared to be floating in mid-air without any paths or lawns leading to it – just surrounded by a light blue nothingness. Michael and Ben clung to their seats. “Don’t worry,” the Angel smiled, “you can get out of the machine without any fear. Look, there’s a magic path here.” And sure enough, a path appeared out of nowhere the moment the cousins decided to get out of the machine.

  Next to the tower were the most stunning flowers, which gave off the most wonderful scent and green lawns bordered with beautifully trimmed bushes. Michael thought for a moment and said:

  “This is just like our neighbourhood in London.”

  “Well, whatever you wish for is the thing that will appear,” the Angel informed them.

  But Ben cried out: “But I want it to be just like the city of the Angels!”

  “So do I, could you make everything be as if it was beyond our wildest dreams,” said Michael.

  “Okay let it be as your imagination will have it.”

  And the Angel ordered the boys to close their eyes for a second. When they opened them the most wonderful air gondola had appeared next to them, equipped with a pair of snow white wings instead of oars. They were surrounded by a multitude of stars that instead of staying in one place constantly moved from one place to another giving off a silver moonlike gleam.

  “Why are there so many stars?” asked Ben.

  “Well, actually they aren’t stars at all but the divine hosts.”

  “Can we see them?” asked Michael.

  “Now you can.”

  The Angel flapped his wings, which until that moment had remained almost unnoticed by the boys.

  And all the stars became angels of all ages and sizes. They all sang a hymn, which poured forth in a delicate melody.

  The gondola was carpeted with petals, which formed the shape of a seat that would meld itself into the shape of its sitter. When the boys had sat down the Angel asked them if they would like a heavenly or an earthly drink.

  “Oh heavenly please!” the cousins chorused.

  The Angel waved his arm and a table with two glasses appeared. The Angel explained that this drink would immediately restore the boys’ spirit and strength. And indeed, the boys had never tasted anything like it. Its bouquet and taste was extraordinary and seemed to flow directly into the blood stream immediately reviving its drinker. It was as if a friendly hand had removed all the boys’ worries and fatigue like a wet coat in winter.

  After some time the angels turned back into stars and the gondola slipped seamlessly between them.

  “And who’s driving the gondola?” Ben asked.

  The Angel replied:

  “The gondola is itself an Angel."

  The cousins’ jaws nearly hit the floor in surprise. Then they began to tenderly stroke the gondola on its side and wings. The gondola seemed to purr in pleasure, increased its speed and proceeded to make the most elegant and exhilarating manoeuvres. The boys were completely enthralled! No fairground ride could begin to compare! The Angel couldn’t help smiling at their enraptured faces.

  “Look. There's the tower.” The gondola glided right up to the entrance and the boys and the Angel went inside. They found themselves in a huge space, which appeared to be an enormous room with walls that were completely different from each other. The first wall, which stood opposite the entrance, was completely white. On the walls next to it were the most beautiful paintings with fantastic animals and scenes from nature depicted on them - but the most remarkable thing was that they were constantly changing. The scenes and creatures would move as if in slow motion until a totally different picture seamlessly appeared. On the wall above the entrance shone many different coloured stars, which seemed as big as the sun. They also constantly changed their appearance and in the light of these suns the landscapes depicted on the walls took on the most enchanting forms. Under the light of a bright orange sun, birds would fly and flowers would bloom so that you could even smell their wonderful aroma. The red sun gave the animals greater energy as they went out to hunt and caused the trees to produce the most astonishing variety of fruits. The blue sun gave out a much more peaceful energy. Snakes would lazily bathe in its rays while the birds nestled on the branches and other animals would languidly return to rest in their dens.

  In the middle of the room stood a table and a remote control with a large array of buttons. Next to the table were three armchairs. The Angel invited them to sit down at the table and asked:

  “Have you read the Bible?”

  Michael and Ben nodded their heads:

  “But there’s a lot that we don’t know.”

  “Never mind, a lot of adults haven’t read it at all. Let’s have a quick lesson or, to be more precise, let’s watch all the most important events in the Bible. In front of each of you is the remote control. If you want you can watch the events that interest you in more detail,” explained the Angel.

  “But there’s only one screen?” Michael exclaimed in surprise.

  “Each of you will see what he wishes to see. But now I’ll start the film rolling.”

  The whole wall became a huge screen. At first it showed nothing, just a light blue twinkling light.

  "In the beginning was the word, and the word was God."

  A huge beam of light exploded on to the screen with an incredible force. Then there appeared the heavens and the earth, the seas, rivers and all the livings things in them or on them that have been preserved over the ages. And there was the Garden of Eden with its bright sun, blue skies and trees bearing various different fruits. It was filled with all sorts of benign and tame animals. And in the middle of all the beauty of God’s creation was a man and his wife. They were happy. But from out of a “black hole” appeared the Evil one in the form of a snake. He began to tempt man to try to know the unknown. The snake whis
pered:

  “This fruit is extremely interesting, all you have to do is reach out and you will be all-powerful.”

  And the man thought:

  “It would be good to know everything…”

  And he had barely finished expressing this thought before the Evil One had tricked him out of his paradise. And this is how the Evil One came to live among people. Brother killed brother out of jealousy and the earth became filled with wickedness. And then the Evil One launched himself with great force and penetrated the heavenly firmament. A great downpour covered the earth and the world became flooded. But God succeeded in warning Noah about the disaster. He built an ark and took his family on board along with one pair of each animal and bird. When the earth became flooded, Noah, his family and the animals were all saved.

  Michael saw how Noah suffered. Surrounded and tossed by rough seas and drenched by a constant downpour with no end in sight for one hundred and fifty days. Michael felt as if he himself was in the ark and even his clothing felt soaked right through. And Noah cried out to God and Michael cried out with him. The downpour stopped, the waters became calmer and the wind began to blow. The dove that Noah released did not return. Land could be seen! Everyone was saved. Michael looked with gratitude at the Angel and he smiled back:

  “God promised that the earth would never experience such a flood again.”

  They leafed on further through the Bible. The boys saw Moses. He had been destined to lead the People of