GUARDIAN ANGEL 

 by Richard Banks  

Aerium~Guardian

Everyone has a Guardian Angel, a departed soul who, having served a probationary period in the celestial world, becomes a Trainee Angel, Second Class. Such beings, after a long period of induction, are then sent back to earth to watch over a single human being, born at the precise moment that the angel enters the mortal world. At first, the angel can neither be seen nor heard and must remain incognito, so to speak, until the human in question requests its assistance. Only then can it commence its mission, which is to keep the human from harm and be his or her spiritual guide through life’s journey? If the human at the end of his life passes on into the celestial world the Angel is judged to have successfully completed its mission; it is then awarded a first class certificate and goes on to complete its training in one of many seminaries in the ethereal world. 

      Sadly, it is often the case that many human beings are unaware of the existence of their Guardian Angel and therefore make no call on its services. In such instances, the Angel is rendered inactive and ineffectual and must await the death of its human protégé before transferring its mission to a newly born child. It has been known for Angels to be marooned on earth in this way for over three hundred years before receiving the call for help that kick-starts their mission. While the long periods of solitary inactivity that most Angels endure is extremely demoralising, it also produces moments of intense frustration that send ripples of emotional energy rushing through the human world. 

      Such a moment was threatening to overwhelm the solitary figure who, unseen by human eyes, was applying needle and cotton to his celestial robe in the garden of the Slug & Lettuce. Aerium, for such was his heavenly name, took a deep breath and struggled to quell his pent-up emotions. He remembered the last time he had lost control of his feelings and how it had caused an earth tremor in Kings Lynn. He had received a celestial reprimand on that occasion and been warned as to his future conduct. He took another deep breath and resolved not to let it happen again. 

      His sombre thoughts were interrupted by the sound of raucous laughter from within the Slug & Lettuce, where Aerium’s latest protégé, Kevin, was vying with other young men as to who could consume the most Bacardi Breezers before closing time. As was their custom the winner’s drink tab was paid by the unsuccessful contestants, whilst anyone falling over or passing-out was deposited in the ornamental water feature that the landlord had installed in the vain hope of attracting a better class of clientele. The front door burst open and four inebriated young men stumbled out into the night air carrying the prostrate figure of Kevin, whom they managed to drop several times before heaving his prostrate body into the stagnant water.

      As he lay there face down, Aerium offered up a prayer of intercession that he should not suffer serious harm. Secretly he would not have been disappointed had his prayer gone unheeded. Kevin was clearly a lost cause and the longer he lived the longer Aerium would have to wait before reassignment to another, hopefully more promising, human being. Having completed his prayer, divine intervention arrived in the form of two ducks who proceeded to peck Kevin until he regained consciousness. At this point Kevin’s survival instinct took over and he rolled onto his back and then in a sequence of erratic, uncoordinated movements managed to stagger out of the water feature and collapse onto the litter strewn picnic area. 

      It was at moments such as this that humans would sometimes sense the presence of their Angel. They did not always know that it was an Angel, but for a moment they would know that something beyond their world, beyond their understanding, was there ready and able to change their life. This, however, was not such a moment. As Aerium knew only too well, Kevin was not about to extend an invitation to him or any other Angel. Indeed, the idea that Angels existed and were seeking his redemption would have horrified him. Kevin struggled to his feet and concentrated his remaining brain power on the challenging task of finding his way home. To his relief, he managed to locate the wicker gate that gave access to the street and, despite the fact that it swayed unhelpfully from side to side, was able to manipulate the latch and turn right towards the small village where he lived. 

      Aerium followed at a discreet distance, reflecting on the many changes that had taken place in the four hundred years since his death from bubonic plague. He tried to visualise the landscape as it had been, the wattle and daub houses, the large open fields, and the common land that now lay beneath a Tesco Supermarket. One thing that had not changed was mankind’s love affair with fermented liquor and the strange effect it had on their ability to walk in a straight line.   

      The thought had no sooner passed through his mind, when Kevin veered off the pavement and began to walk in the road, weaving from side to side of the white line in the centre. Aerium embarked on another prayer of intercession. He had scarcely completed the opening line when the sound of an approaching car was quickly followed by the glare of headlights. There was a screeching of brakes, a horrified scream from Kevin as the car skidded towards him, and then an inexplicable silence as the vehicle missed him by inches before mounting the pavement and impacting into a tree. The thud of metal on oak was followed by the crash of breaking glass and a cry of pain from the driver trapped within the compacted wreckage of his vehicle. Unable to comprehend the rapid blur of events, Kevin continued his unsteady progress towards the village.

 

      For a few shell-shocked moments, Aerium was undecided whether to follow Kevin or attend to the greater need of the motorist. He sought guidance from above. An inner voice told him that his mission was with Kevin and that the motorist had his own Guardian Angel. But where was the Angel? In theory it should have been there by the car, offering up prayers and waiting for that elusive moment of spiritual insight when the human would request its help. The motorist called out in the hope of attracting the attention of some other human, but there was no response. He called out again; “Is there anybody there!” but no one was. There was a searing pain in his chest and he sensed that if help did not come soon it would come too late. 

      Blood was seeping from the corner of his mouth and trickling slowly down his face; drip, drip, dripping down his shirt. His cries for help became less frequent and less audible. Aerium drew closer to him. It might not be logical, it might be against all the rules, but his intuition told him that this human man was now his responsibility. The human was silent. There was fear in his eyes. Fear that his life was nearly done. He did not want to die alone. But then he was not alone, there was a presence nearby. He felt its warmth and took comfort in the knowledge it gave him, that his life was no more than a beginning. Nothing was said, nothing needed to be said. The man saw Aerium and through him saw the reality that human vanity had previously denied him. The man’s spirit left his body and, despite the downward tug of dark forces, rose steadily into the night sky.

 

      To his disappointment, Aerium remained firmly rooted on terrafirma. He wanted to go with the man, but the man was not his man and it was less than clear whether Aerium would be commended or censored for his intervention in another Angel’s affairs. His mission was still with Kevin who having reached the comparative safety of the war memorial, was now attempting to lie down on the narrow plinth at its base. Aerium began another prayer of intercession; there would be many more to follow. 

                                       *****

      Through no fault of the author, this is a story without an ending. That it will have an ending is not in doubt. It is merely a matter of time, but time in the celestial world passes but slowly. In time, celestial commissioners will be appointed to consider Aerium’s conduct and that of the truant Angel. In time, probably several decades from now, they will deliver their verdicts and Aerium will either receive the promotion for which he has laboured, or the censure that will prolong his existence on earth. Until then he must continue his earthly vigil in the wake of the irrepressible and irredeemable Kevin. Remember them both, in your prayers, dear reader.

 

Copyright Richard Banks