The sun was setting.

Or looked at it in awe- to him, the sun made everything glow like a radiant candle. As the sun was leaving, the brightness of the sky turned darker and darker. Colors unimaginable came and went, dancing from one hue to another. It was a beautiful sight, like an impressionist watercolor painting- reds, purples, yellows, blues, greens, and in-betweens. He didn’t notice, though. 

Like all angels, Or was incapable of seeing any colors- he only saw black, white, and shades of grey. This was all he knew, however- so it never bothered him that he couldn’t see in color. As far as he knew, he wasn’t missing out on anything, and he really was in awe of the sun as it finally escaped the sky leaving increasing darkness behind.

“Or!”

He jumped, almost dropping the piece of spruce wood he’d been shaving down. He’d been busy working on a new body for an instrument when the sun rays caught his eye and drew him to the roof. He looked up to see another angel floating in the air.

“Or! God wishes to see you,” the angel said, landing softly next to him and folding his bright white wings behind him.

“Me? Whatever for, I wonder?” Or asked politely out of genuine curiosity. All angels were skilled in something. His gift was in music and luthiering, so he assumed God was in need of either a song or an instrument.

“I don’t know exactly, but it has something to do with your voice,” the other angel replied.

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“My voice?”

“The whispers on the streets and behind closed doors say that out of all the angels, your voice is the deepest and the most beautiful,” the other angel confided. Hearing this made Or’s heart, and head, swell. 

“Of course! No other angel comes close to me when it comes to singing,” Or stated proudly with an upturned face.

Though goodhearted, angels were the most natural narcissists in the universe. Or simply couldn’t help himself, and the other angel couldn’t help admiring him for it.

“Thank heaven! You might be God’s last hope. All the others failed…”

“Failed? What…” Or tried to ask, but the other angel turned away, flapped his wings, and lifted off into the air.

“There’s no time! Come! God is waiting,” he shouted down at Or as he pointed an arm in the direction of God’s house.

“But my work…” Or looked dejectedly down at the spruce in his hands- it was going to make the most lovely violin, he just knew it…

“Or!”

“Alright! I mean, very well… I suppose the most lovely violin can wait another moment,” he politely affirmed.

Or softly beat his wings and glided down through the roof hatch, vanishing downstairs into his shop and home. He quickly stored everything away properly and then promptly returned to the roof wearing his full outfit. He was surprised to see the other angel still there.

“I know the way,” Or explained.

“God told me not to let you out of my sight until I brought you safely there,” the other angel explained back. 

Or was confused by this, but raised no further objection or doubt. He reminded himself that angels didn’t need to know- they only needed to obey. He sighed as his wings beated hard and he lifted high into the air. The other angel beated his own wings and flew away off into the night sky to lead the way.

Or followed, the horizon of the setting sun stretching far behind him.