Mike & Gabe 2

Jacob was staring into the back corner of the cave where the tall angel Michael was playing with his giant dog Sirius. Sirius jumped and pranced around Michael like a black lab puppy, nipping at Michael, but Sirius was so big that any nip was more like a giant bite.
         “So what are we waiting for?” said Jacob
         “The Holy Spirit.” said Gabriel
         “This day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.”
         “I’m sure this must all be a little overwhelming, all will be explained in time though.”
         “Okay…can you explain anything to me now though?” asked Jacob
         “I can try, but there was little time for us to retrieve you, so we don’t know a lot.”
         “I know less than Gabe over there, I just came along for the chance to fight demons,” said Michael from across the cave, “and Sirius needed to be walked.”
         Gabriel frowned, “Thank you for instilling confidence in Jacob here, who is probably doubtful enough as it is. Now what is it you wanted to ask?”
         “Okay, yeah. Why me? Why of the 6 billion people on Earth, would God choose me to be a prophet? I’m not a holy man, I don’t work extra hard to be faithful to God; before today I wasn’t even sure I believed in God.” said Jacob, looking still at the back corner of the cave where Sirius was now on his back and Michael was fiercely rubbing the giant dog’s belly.
         “God put all humans on this planet for a reason, everyone has their purpose for being here,-”
         “But doesn’t that negate free will?”
         “No, just because all humans were put here for a purpose, it doesn’t necessarily mean all of them will achieve it.”
         “So…I was put here to become a prophet?”
         “Not exactly…originally you were put here to help a person turn to God, one who would help hundreds more come to Him.”
         “So what changed? And why such a small purpose for me?”
         “Your purpose wasn’t small, you see, by helping one person come to God you would create a ripple effect. They would bring hundreds to God, and those people would bring even more. As to your other question, it all changed when the demons broke the pact of no intervention. It was apparently decided that too many people were coming to God, so in an attempt to bring people to him Satan sent out hordes to turn the tide; and the masses would try to appease him.” said Gabriel
         “Oh, but how do I come into the picture?” asked Jacob
         “You, my son, are being given a new purpose. You are my way of countering the influence Satan is trying to place on this world.” said the Holy Spirit.
         “My Lord.” said Gabriel, kneeling down. Jacob followed Gabriel’s example. In the back corner Michael and Sirius were oblivious to the Spirit’s entry, as Michael crawled around on Sirius’ back, pinching him in places then moving quickly out of the way while Sirius tried to scratch.
         “It is good to see you again Gabriel.”
         “And you, my Lord.”
         “My Lord, please forgive me for not having faith before. I was wrong.” said Jacob.
         “It is alright my child, and I am not the one to ask forgiveness from, I am merely an extension of God, a tie here between heaven and earth,” said the Holy Spirit “And it is also good to see you again Michael and Sirius, it has been far too long.” Michael and Sirius looked up from their game, jaws agape.
         “You are some warriors, to be so completely oblivious of someone entering the same domain you are supposed to be protecting.”
         “Forgive us, my Lord.”
         “Stand up fool, you to Sirius, stop kneeling. I was only kidding.” Said the Holy Spirit, smiling.
         “What can we do to serve you?” asked Gabriel
         “Nothing, at the moment,” said the Holy Spirit “my main reason for being here is Jacob.”
         “What can I do, to serve you my Lord?” asked Jacob.
         “Jacob, you have been chosen to carry out God’s will here on earth; to counter Satan; to bring new hope to the people of earth; to, in effect, save the souls of millions. I am merely here to give you the tool you will require for such a purpose. Are you willing to do all this for the Lord?” asked the Holy Spirit.
         “I don’t have much choice, do I.” said Jacob.
         “Not true, to imply such a thing borders on blasphemy. The Lord would not want to take away one’s free will. It is the thing He wishes you to protect.”
         “So I could say no, what would happen?”
         “We would have to find another, but God wants you Jacob.”
         “Why does he not choose a more holy man though?”
         “Power, Jacob. For a more ‘holy man’ to gain power denied to other’s would bring wrath down upon that man. This is what you will have to face, because the men who believe in God are the ones most likely to doubt that you have been sent to them as a lifeline.”
         “Well I guess I can try. I don’t know how good I’ll be.”
         “Good, now come to me and close your eyes.” Once Jacob had done as the Holy Spirit requested, He put His hands on each side of Jacob’s head and a bright light flashed through the room.
         “Open your eyes now Jacob.” Jacob released the grip his eyelids had over his eyes, and he couldn’t see a thing. “I can’t see.” he said, panic creeping into his voice. “I can’t see! What have you done to me, is this the power of the Lord? To give a gift and take another-”
         “Jacob, calm yourself, give it a moment. You have been given a gift that you were not originally meant to have; your body will adjust momentarily.” Jacob forced himself to breathe deeply and calm down. His vision came back to him, “I can see again.”
         “Good. Now Jacob, you are to go to Seattle, start your journey there. Work your way across the U.S. Michael and Gabriel will stay with you, to protect you. You will come up against much opposition; pray, have faith, and God will grant you miracles to sway the people. I must go now; there are other matters I must attend to.”
         In a flash, He was gone. Michael was smiling, “Well, we got off easy this time I guess.”
         “Well, let’s get going then.” said Gabriel.
         “Can’t this wait until morning; it’s been a long day?” asked Jacob
         “Oh, yes, humans need sleep. Then we’ll stay here for the night.”
         The next morning Jacob was put on Sirius’ back, and they headed north to Seattle.  Gabriel was once again keeping an eye out for demons. The trip was uneventful until they hit the Washington-Oregon border. As they crossed the bridge over the Columbia River, Gabriel noticed a swelling in the water. The wind surfer’s on the water started heading away from it. The swell became a wave, and the wave turned into a tidal wave.
         “Michael!” yelled Gabriel from the sky. Michael looked up and then in the direction Gabriel was pointing.  He leaned leaped up to Sirius ear before leaping away, toward the oncoming wave. Sirius kneeled and put Jacob down. Jacob ran behind one of the cars that had been left behind. Gabriel watched helplessly as Michael headed toward the giant wave. There’s no way he can stop that many demons, he thought.
         As Michael headed toward the giant wave, his outfit changed and he pulled out his sword from its scabbard on his back. Snarling faces appeared in the wave. With a yell Michael swung his blade mightily into the wave. The blow barely affected the wave and it moved ever closer to the bridge. Soaring swiftly high into the air Michael quickly prayed. Lifting the sword over his head, the metal turned red, and then fire emanated from the sword. Michael dived toward the wave, the sword flame growing brighter, until it was like a miniature sun. Michael once again swung his sword into the wave, severely diminishing its size. He then chopped at the wave, making it smaller with each blow. A loud hiss came from the wave with every blow. The demons seeing the futility of trying to attack the bridge turned their attention to Michael. Before he was able to counter, the demons surrounded his feet, working their way up his body and freezing themselves so he couldn’t move. “Michael, protect yourself!” yelled Gabriel. Michael nodded and enclosed as much of himself in his wings as possible, but without his wings to keep him suspended, he started falling toward the water. Gabriel prayed and crossed himself, then clapping his hands fiery thunder sprung from between his hands, heading toward the demons and Michael. The lightning struck them and both were quickly engulfed in flames. Shrieking could be heard as the demons were burned. Michael opened his wings and stopped his plummet, smiling up at Gabriel and giving a thumbs up.
         Jacob was still crouching behind a vehicle when Sirius came up and nuzzled him, knocking him over.
         “Okay, I got it, we’re going. Help me up.”
         “Actually,” said Michael grabbing Jacob under his arms, “You’re flying with me.” Taking off into the sky Jacob felt the rush of the wind eagerly running over his skin, the feel was exhilarating. He felt good until he saw the bridge looking only a third it’s size.
         “Hey Michael, I’d much rather ride on Sirius I think.”
         “Why? Are you afraid of heights?”
         “Deathly so.”
         “Okay then, here we go.” Michael grabbed Jacob tighter then did a vertical loop in the air before doing a headfirst dive toward the ground. Jacob screamed for all 23.7 seconds of it. At the end of the descent, Michael slowed their fall and glided to where Sirius was running. “Thank you for riding Arch Angel Airlines. I hope you enjoyed your trip and will ride with us again. Have a good day.”
         When they arrived in Seattle, Gabriel came down and landed next to Jacob.
         “What do I do now?” asked Jacob.
         “You pray and wait for something to prophesize about.”
         “Okay, how long does that take.”
         “I don’t know, it could be five minutes, it could be five days.”
         “Five days! Why would it take that long for me to get a prophesy?”
         “Because of your faith, even though you’ve seen us and demons, you are still in shock. Your faith hasn’t grown at all and is still struggling with this reality. Until your faith grows, you won’t be able to fulfill your duties.”
         “I guess we’d better get a hotel then. I call dibs on the bed!” Said Michael, “Oh, and we need to get one that allows pets.”
         Later in the hotel room, Gabriel and Jacob were sitting talking more about his new role in life. Michael was down in the Jacuzzi, invisible to the world, and causing trouble by making farting noises that could be heard by the humans. And Sirius had shrunk his size, and was now sprawled out on the bed on his back; his front legs curled and his back legs spread, while his head laid on one side and his tongue half hung out.
         “So how am I supposed to deal with the priests in this area if they do reject me?” asked Jacob
         “You need to sway them. You will probably have much the same trouble Moses did. But I’m sure you will come through in the end, just as he did.” said Gabriel. There was a knock on the door. Jacob got up and opened the door. Outside were four men, each one dressed in the manner befitting holy men of their individual faiths.
         “Hello, are you Jacob, the prophet God sent?” asked one of the men.
         “Yes, I am.” Jacob said, deciding not to lie, these men knew already anyway.
                “We would like you to come with us.” Another man said.

End of Part two.