An Angel In The Night

The joys and laughter of day slowly begin to disappear and the frustration and confusion of the night crept its way into my life, beginning its long reign over me.  I walked deeper and deeper into the darkness, looking for a way out but feeling hopeless, knowing that I had been driven here. Was this my fault, my punishment, my curse?

I stretched my hand out in front of my face only to realize that the darkness was too great.  The black that surrounded me had its own existence. It felt alive.  To look into the night was like being blind.  There were no lights and even the shadows feared this level of darkness.  To breathe felt like trying to inhale molasses, the night was so thick.  Every breath burned my lungs like sulfur.  I could hear nothing of the world around me. There was no sound, not even the sound of my own pounding heart.  The silence was terrifying.  I tried to scream but no sound was heard, it simply vanished into the night just as quickly as it forced its way through my teeth.

I stumbled around in the night for what seemed like eternity. Never finding an end to the darkness, never finding a wall to lean against and rest.  I always had to press on; thinking my only way out was to keep moving.

As each horrifying second drew on for hours on end, it began to feel hopeless.  No matter what happens, no matter how much I press on, desperate to find a way out, but the end will never come.  I knew in that moment that it was truly hopeless.

I knelt to the ground and buried my face into my hands and wept.  They weren’t just tears; they weren’t simply a result of my hopelessness.  This was my heart and soul pouring out into my hands. As each drop of blessed emotion fell from my face I saw a faint glow from each just before they vanished into the night.  Each tear formed in my eye shone with the faintest light.  It was such a beauty.

Suddenly I felt the night move.  Something was disturbing it.  I jumped to me feet wondering what the night could possibly be afraid of that it retreated, shaking as in scrambled in chaos.  Then I saw it, light.  I wasn’t sure what was making such a bright light but I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life.  The light came from behind me, I was mesmerized by the hope the light brought that I didn’t dare turn around in fear that it was only a dream.

The light grew stronger and stronger, extending around me and engulfing me in its beauty.  Then my ears heard the faintest sound and my heart melted.  This song was unlike anything ever heard before.  The sound was so heavenly that it would make any god cry from its sheer beauty.  As I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, my nostrils were filled with the most wonderful smells.  I could smell every flower on earth and every meal ever cooked.  It was so appealing that I didn’t want to exhale.  I absorbed all I could and I sat there marveling in this blessing.

I felt arms wrap around me, it had been so long since I had felt a loving touch.  The warmth from his arms was that of a summers evening, after the sun had set but the warmth it had brought still hung in the air.  There was something in this man’s embrace; it gave me courage, strength, hope and the will to get through this night.  With my growing courage I turned my head ever so slowly to look around me.  I was the most beautiful feathers beyond that of a dove’s, softer than the fur of a kitten, and more comforting than that of a fireplace on a cold winter night.  The light that shone from the feathers was almost too bright to look at.  That is when I realized that the arms didn’t just belong to a man.  They were the arms of an angel.

I wanted to ask him why he chose to help me but the words couldn’t roll off my lips.  I heard his voice in my head telling me that everything would be okay.  He turned me to face him and I saw deep into his eyes.  They were an explosion of color as if God had chosen every color of the world from his eyes, and his face as flawless as the earth on the first day it was made. He told me ‘There will always be a night after the day but take hope. Day will always return just as fast.’ He towered over me and sheltered my eyes, wrapping his wings around me so I was entirely surrounded and protected.  Through closed eyes I saw a flash of light.

I quickly opened my eyes but he was gone, vanished into thin air.  I looked beyond the place where my angel once stood and I saw mountains in the distance and valleys below me.  Such beauty as far as the eye could see.  Every color of his eyes was in their most vibrant form here.  The hills were covered in the greenest grass and you could see the wind blow through the flowers along the lakes side. The sky was blue and you could hear nature at its purest.  It was truly a brand new day and I  had the chance to see it because he chose to be my angel in the night.

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This is dedicated to a very close friend of mine, who doesn't know how much of an angel he really is!