her mind seemed to register something. I could hear her mentally call out to Willy. A second later, there he stood looking at Rachael and myself. I knew that expression. Willy knew something. What was it? He looked as if he was wondering just how much he should actually say.
“Yes, you’re running a fever. Your body is trying to adjust. I don’t think it will last much longer than a week or so.”
“Adjust! Willy what’s wrong with me?” Was this the moment? I knew one day it would come. The day I would cease to exist? Now would my debt be paid in full?
“Daniel, you’ll be alright. I told you, you’d be given a power to know if Hope was in danger. That you would be able to feel her fear.”
“William, then why is he sick!” Rachael only called him William when she was upset or worried.
Willy’s voice was tranquil and calm, just what I needed right now. He looked at Rachael then me. “Daniel… has been in human form longer than any one of us that I know of. Unlike the way we move between divine spirit in heaven and our life here with mankind, Daniel has been limited to this earth. Though none of us age or have ailments Daniel is… different than us. He’ll need time to adjust to the new power. It will need to bond with his spirit.” Just then we all jumped as the quiet, hushed surrounding of my room was broken by my annoying ring tone. My cell phone was ringing and vibrating off the night table.
“You should probably answer that. It’s Hope.” Willy said as he and Rachael walked out the door, closing it gently behind them. Picking up my phone, sure enough, it was Hope.
“Good afternoon, Hope.”
“How did you… never mind, angel thing right?”
I had to laugh sometimes she was so innocent. “No, caller I.D.” Then I could hear her laugh in the background. The extra sensitive hearing was an angel thing, but I didn’t tell her that.
“Dad said I could go stargazing tonight. If you still want to.”
“Hope, that would be perfect. Same time and place and I’ll show you the Genesis star.”
Again, I found myself leaning against a rock with my wings wrapped around Hope, protecting her. I pointed toward a cluster of stars.
“See that bright one?” as I pointed toward the north. “It’s called Polaris, the north star.”
“The Little Dipper, Dad taught me that one. I got lost once and Dad said I would always know which way was north if I found that star. So I would always be able find my way home.”
Find my way home, I never thought of it that way. I longed for home. Sometimes I questioned my memories. I knew that some of the beauty of heaven was slipping away from me.
“It’s more than that to me. The Little Dipper, as you call it. To the powers it’s called the Genesis Star, the beginning. A reminder of what we were created for.” What I once was long ago, I thought to myself.
“I don’t see a star, just a dipper.” Hope was tilting her head back and forth. I guess she was trying to see my star. Suddenly a wave of intense emotion surged through my body and the fever was starting to return. This time it was just a slight warm feeling. I pulled my necklace over my head, holding it out in front of me. I positioned it to the stars.
“The top of the sword is the North star. The next one on the handle is the hilt of the sword. The next star down from there is Heaven star. Then there’s the center star followed by the South star and the corner star is the Earth star.”
“What about the last one. What do you call it?”
“That star is the tip of the swords blade, its called… Justice.” Now, I questioned the justice I gave to the end of my sword. I knew right from wrong. It was as clear as black and white, or was it?
“What does it mean, your star?” Hope’s voice was just a whisper again. She probably felt my body tense up, not understanding why.
“It’s a symbol, a reminder. The four points on the side of the star represent North, South, East, and West. The top star points toward the heavens. The bottom star points toward earth. It’s one piece folded over then under. It has no beginning and no end. It’s to remind us why we were created, to protect all, in all directions, the heavens above and the earth below. The sword was Father’s gift, the power to do so.”
“Any other stars up there that have any meaning to you like your Genesis star?” Hope had her finger pointing upward.
“No Hope, only that one.”
“There's so many out there, they're all beautiful.” In a whispered voice, that sounded so sad. “Daniel how long… have you been here on earth. Living like the rest of us.”
“I have seen too many wars. I have seen places in this world built, and rebuilt, many times.”
“So you're not going to tell me how old you are?”
I was trying to think of a way to tell Hope that I've walked on this earth almost two thousand years. The truth, always the truth, would she understand? “Hope, I've been here for almost two thousand of your years.”
In her small voice, “Daniel… how long has it been, since you’ve been home?”
“I haven't seen heaven since I've been here. Sometimes it feels that I have spent more time walking this earth than I have in heaven.” I had no way to explain how it felt, how much I missed home. All I had was this hollow ache, a yearning to see my home. Heaven.
“Daniel look! A falling star, make a wish.”
“Hope, why don't you make a wish for both of us?”
“Daniel, why do I see you as an angel.”
“I don't know. I asked Willy. He knows the answer but he's not telling me. Actually, I’m sure that if I asked him once more, he would just tell me to talk to the hand again.”
“Talk to the hand, what does that mean?”
“Long story, I’ll explain it to you later.” All of a sudden, I felt off balance, out of sorts as if I wasn't in tune with the world around me. Then Hope gave out a little sigh and shivered.
“Hope, are you okay, are you feeling right?”
“I'm fine. I haven't been sleeping very well, just a little bit more confused than normal.”
Then it occurred to me, the restless night, the emotions I couldn't understand. It was the power Willy said I would be given, the power to understand Hope. But I thought I would feel when she was in danger, not all these other emotions. Willy also said I would learn from her. One thing I would have to learn quickly would be the difference between Hope’s emotions and her fear!
Tonight, I’ll have an interesting talk with Willy. I will have to find a way to control the emotional part of this power if I am going to protect Hope.
“Daniel, why did your “Father”
