It's a WONDERFUL life

PROMPT**Is there a down on his luck angel who has to help someone before he can get his wings on Christmas Morning?**PROMPT



         Earl was frantic. Frantic, frantic, frantic. He shook from his head to his toes, eyes wide and panic stricken. This would be his LAST CHANCE. Tonight he had to find some poor, down trodden, earth bound creature who needed his help on Christmas Eve. Only thing was...this was New York City; the roughest place an angel could go. Especially a rookie like him.
         Yet, all the same, he had not a choice. So, like a star shooting across the sky, Earl crashed himself face first, smack dab on the Brooklyn Bridge. Skidding a few feet before finally coming dizzily to a stop, Earl checked out his nightly surroundings. "Oh gosh, why me?" he asked. "Why, why, why, why, why?"
         "Oh, quit your bickerin'!" a strong, thickly accented male voice shouted from somewhere in the darkness.
         Standing, and dusting himself off, Earl stood silently in shock of the outburst, straining to hear the footfalls that would tell him the owner of the shout was coming toward him, "Who-who's there?" Earl asked meekly.
         "What's it to yea, whiny?" the man asked, now appearing in the dim lights strung upon the Bridge.
         Earl could see him quite clearly; he was a tall man, a bit gruff looking; as though he hadn't shaved for weeks. The black coat he wore was torn at the shoulder, his hat was on backwards, and he stumbled forward slightly, almost falling into Earl.
         Attempting to help the man, Earl pushed him back into a straight standing position, and the man grumbled some kind of annoyance, and began to fall in the opposite direction.
         "Oh my!" Earl whispered, running around the drunken man, pushing him back up the other way, only to find him falling toward the ground face frist once again. Earl ran back around, shoving him again. This went on for a few minutes, backl and forth backl and forth. The only thing to break the cycle was Earl's clumsy stumble and inability to catch the man one last time. The fellow plunked to the ground, backside first, with nothing more than a groan.
         "Oh, oh! Oh, dear, oh dear..." Earl said frantically. "Oh, the guys upstairs ain't gonna be happy aobut this. Oh, dear!"
         "Mmmmm, shut up!" the thick New York accent became even thicker as the man attempted to stand. Earl clumsily helped him up, and together, they stumbled back to the man's apartment.
         "I don't have much time," Earl said, glancing at the clock as he attempted to make coffee for the man. "Drink this," he said, trying to sober his new friend up a little.
         "What is this crap?" he asked harshly, the smell of whiskey stinging Earl's nose.
         "Wooooh weeee!!! Someone needs a breath mint!" Earl cried, backing up and waving the air in front of him. He turned to find anything else that might sober up the man, but instead found nothing more than a wreck of an apartment. THere were no decorations, no Christmas lights; nothing. "Don't you celebrate Christmas?"
         "Not anymore," the man grumbled softly, coming to his senses a little. "Who are you?"
         Eagerly, Earl ran to his side, "I'm Earl, I'm an angel in pending for wings on Christmas morning, which is why I'm here. I have to help some poor, lowly, down, depressed, worthless, useless, sad, angry, bitter, lost-"
         "I GET THE POINT!" the man yelled, irritation and tension momentarily filling the room.
{indent]"Right," Earl said, embarrassed. "Anyway, I have to help you! I have to make you see what a wonderful life it is and think positively and...um....know the true meaning of Christmas...and um...oh yeah! You gotta know how much you'll be missed and needed if you weren't here!"
         "Right," the man grumbled, "I must REALLY be wasted, because I just think I heard you say you're an angel. And I don't think you even know my name."
         "Oh, yes I do!" Earl winked, a gleam in his eye.
         "Well, then, what is it?"
         "Bob!" Earl said excitedly.
         "No," the man said.
         "Oh, um....Bill?"
         "Try again,"
         "Jack?"
         "No,"
         "Dan?"
         "No,"
         "Francais?"
         "You're wasting my time!" the man said angrily, his lips twisting in fury as his teeth grinded together.
         "John! John, you're name is John." Earl finally yelled as the man began pushing him out the door.
         The man stopped, "Lucky guess," he said, continuing his pushing. Earl grabbed the trim on the doorway, determined not to go. He screamed and hollered, "No! Please, please! Just, let me prove it!"
         John finally quit, "Ok, prove you're an angel,"
         Magically, a light appeared from the ceiling and began to grow. John was captivated by it, and Earl said, "Keep looking at it, don't be afraid..."

~*~*~*~*~*~WOOSH!~*~*~*~*~*~

         All of a sudden they were in Albany, at John's childhood home. "Oh my gosh!" John said, "This is my old house!"
         "See? I told yea," Earl said, a glimmer of satisfaction on his face.
         There's my ma...and my dad! But...where am I?"
         "This is your past as if you weren't alive. Let's go in and see how your parents are," Earl said.
         They walked down the the front door and opened it. Inside, it was bright and warm and cozy. There were paintings and pictures and expensive decorations all over the place. John's mom and dad were at a table, enjoying a large feast with family.
         "They seem so happy, we were never this happy or wealthy growing up. Ever." John said.
         Earl was a little confused. "Maybe this isn't their house. Maybe they live somewhere else and are visiting?"
         John walked over to his mother and listened in on her conversation, "I am so glad John and I decided not to have kids. Why, if we had a child, I know for a fact we would have never started our new business. And...who knows where we'd be today without it?"
         John's face dropped. "THEY'D BE HAPPIER WITHOUT ME!?!?!?!?!?!?!" He charged at Earl, grabbing him by the throat, "Is this some kind of cruel joke?"
         Earl struggled against the raging mans hands, frightened almost into immobility. "Just wait!" he choked. "I'm sure there is an element we are missing!"
         John let him down, and they spent the rest of the night sitting on the staircase, listening to the conversations of the people before them. They listened for anything that would indicate a better life with their son; but never heard it.
         John's heart sank. He felt so worthless and alone. When his parents finally started making their way up the stairs to bed, he did not want to follow. Earl convinced him to go.
         "John," marie, little John's mother said, "I know what I said tonight, about having a child. I didn't mean it."
{indent]John looked at her, "I know, hun. Just entertaining company."
         "I'd give all this up in an instant for a baby." she said.
         "Me too,"
~*~*~
         Happy with how the night eventually ended, Earl fastforwarded John's parents future. It turns out that their business goes bust, the end up poor anyway, and are both murdered in a dark alley at a young age. "And none of this would have happened had you been there," Earl said.
         Then they came to a house, where a beautiful teenage girl sat. "Lisa?" John said, tears in his eyes, "Lisa!"
         "She can't hear you, remember?" Earl said.
         "She was my fiance...we were supposed to get married..." John said as a tear streamed down his face.
{indent]"What happened?"
         "She was killed..."
         The two watched as Lisa met and married a different young man, had two kids, and seemed perfectly happy. This made John's stomach churn; she would have never died if he wasn't alive. Yet, like his parents, as time wore on, things changed. Her husband began drinking and abusing her. He began abusing the kids as well.
         Rage filled John's heart and he swung his fists at the air, "Why I aughta!"
         "You aughta what?" Earl asked, "Yea can't do anything!"
         "I've had enough!" John yelled, "Take me home!"
         "Ok," Earl said, and suddenly they were back in his apartment. "So, wouldn't life be better with you alive?"
         "Well," John said, "I was never planning to off myself...but in all reality, no. The pain and suffering I caused others in this life eventually came around anyway, and the good things people felt for me and from me were felt at some point in time regardless. So no, I see no point to my life." John admitted. "I'm still depressed. I miss Lisa too much."
         "Well, what if I gave you the chance to save her?" Earl asked, knowing he was risking everything by breaking the rules. An angel was never to interfere with how things panned out in life unless granted permission...and there was no way anyone woudl give him permission for this.
         "Really?" John said, hopeful.
         "Sure!" Earl said, "I'll take you back to the time right before she died. You have to stop that truck from hitting her."
         "Alright!" John said. And in a flash, they were there. Snow was on the ground, people spotted the streets, and Lisa began to cross, unaware of the big truck about to turn the corner.
         John ran into the street, bulldozing Lisa over and bringing her to safety on the other side of the street right as the truck sped past. "John!? What are you doing here?"
         "I love you!" he said, kissing her passionately.
         Earl knew his time was up; and Earl knew he was in big trouble. It would yet again be another thousand years before he was granted another chance to get his wings; but the sacrifice was worth every second of one man's happiness with the woman he loved on Christmas.

THE END!!!!