“That’ll be ten, ninety-nine,” the cashier said, handing a plastic bag full of goods to the boy. The boy reached into the pocket of his hoodie. Unable to find his wallet, he began to pat down his joggers before eventually pulling out his wallet. After handing eleven one-dollar bills to the cashier, the boy took his bag full of goodies and left the store. “Thank you, come again,” the cashier said as he left the convenience store.

Living next to a convenience store was, well, convenient. Everything he needed was a ten-minute walk away. “I would never walk there if it was fifteen minutes, though,” the boy thought, reaching into the plastic bag to pull out a bag of chips. It won’t hurt to eat one bag on the way back. It’s all air anyway. The world would be perfect if there were more chips than molecules of air in one of these bags. After walking for about a minute, he came across a small cardboard box. The boy reached into his bag of goodies and pulled out a small bottle of milk. He sat beside the box, reaching in as he sat to pull out a small plastic bowl. He set the bowl down and poured about half the bottle into it. The snow below him melted, soaking his cotton joggers. The boy didn’t mind. He simply looked up at the sky, searching for the stars. Of course, there wasn’t a single one to be seen. The pollution created by humans simply blotted out the stars, masking the beauty of the night as if it were a heavy layer of makeup.

The boy reached up and untied his hair, which had been tied up in a bun. His hair flowed down, reaching his chin. As he gazed at the night sky, indulging himself in his bag of chips, he could see two glowing orbs among the snow. As soon as he noticed them, the orbs leaped up. A cat popped out of the snow! It walked over to the box and let out a purr. As the cat turned and walked over to the bowl filled with milk, the boy could see three tiny heads pop out of the box. Three silky white kittens jumped out of the box. One stumbled and fell before sinking into the snow. The boy pulled the little kitten out of the freezing pit and put it down by the bowl of milk. The boy smiled, watching the four little creatures help themselves as he opened another bag of chips.

As he finished his second bag of chips, the cat brought over one of the kittens and set it on his lap. It walked back and fetched the second one, then the third. Before he knew it, there were three little kittens curled up on his lap. He smiled as he watched the cat set itself down beside him. It wouldn’t hurt to stay out for a bit longer. Haven’t been out in weeks, anyway. The kittens quickly fell asleep, flakes of snow falling on their coats. The boy once again found himself looking up at the night sky. As he gazed at the sky, hoping to see even the faintest glimmer of a star, he couldn’t help but wonder why he was searching. He knew he wouldn’t be able to see one. Yet as he gazed upon the curtain of darkness above, he couldn’t help but wish a star would appear before him. Perhaps he knew it was coming- a sixth sense of sorts. Perhaps he didn’t. After a moment, he saw what looked like a star in the corner of his eye. He blinked. At that moment, all he saw was a white streak across the sky. Was that a shooting star? It was probably just the exhaust from a jet- I am near a military base.

After a few minutes, the boy brushed the snow off the kittens and placed them back in the cardboard box. The white cat stood up. The cat stretched itself and let out a long, satisfied purr before climbing into the box. The boy stood up and pulled a small piece of cloth over the box. He poured the rest of the milk out before continuing his walk home.

⬖==================================================================⬗

Ring-Ring

The boy reached into his pocket as he climbed the stairs to his room in the studio duplex. He pulled out his phone and quickly put an end to the incessant ringing. Exactly twenty minutes. The boy smiled satisfyingly as he put his phone back in his pocket. Walking towards the door, he began to pull his keys out of his pocket. He inserted the key.

Click

He began to turn the doorknob. It wouldn’t turn. He shook the knob and the door along with it. The door opened. Moonlight flooded into the room, illuminating a face that shouldn’t have been there, illuminating lustrous, feathery wings … that shouldn’t exist.

?

He could see a boy sitting in his chair. Legs crossed, the boy in the room tilted his head slightly.

“Hello,” the boy smiled, “I’m Gabriel, one of th-”

“Sorry!,” the boy said, interrupting Gabriel. “Must have gone to the wrong studio!” He quickly shut the door. Without skipping a beat, he rushed toward the stairs. He didn’t make it halfway down before the door swung open.

“You opened the door with a key! How could it possibly be the wrong apartment?” Gabriel yelled. “Come back!” The boy continued to rush down the stairs. Looking over his shoulder, the boy could now see the full scope of Gabriel’s wings, no longer confined by the space of his studio apartment. The angel let out a sigh as he reached out towards his wing. Plucking a feather, he stared intently at the boy. The boy reached the bottom of the stairs and began to run.

“𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡!” Gabriel shouted. His voice rang and echoed around the duplex, bouncing off the walls and eventually within the boy’s skull. The boy froze. Unable to move his limbs, the only movement from the boy was his blinking. Plucking another feather from his wings, the angel slowly sat atop the stairs. “𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡 𛲡𛲡,” the angel commanded. The boy’s body turned and began to scale the stairs. At first, each step took tremendous effort, but as the angel fine-tuned his control over the boy’s body, the movement became much more efficient. The boy watched his body move, unable to even express his horror.

“Do you know how hard it is to freeze a human’s body? You’re lucky I’m an archangel, I even made it so you could blink. That way your eyes won’t dry out,” Gabriel said proudly. “You couldn’t have just sat and talked it out with me? No one ever takes me seriously,“ he said, letting out a sigh. The boy walked back into the room and turned on the lights. The angel came in behind him and began to pull the door close. As the door closed, the boy began to regain control of his face. Slowly, he could begin to feel his neck. Then his shoulders. Then his arms. As the numbing sensation was slowly drained away from his toes, the boy once again had control of his body.

The boy collapsed on his bed, droplets of sweat dripping down the sides of his face. The boy laid in bed. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, but his breathing wouldn’t slow. Gabriel threw a towel on his face. The angel pulled over the only chair in the room, turning it so that the back was closest to the bed. Resting his arms on top of the back of the chair, he sat. Gabriel put his head down on his arms, staring intently at the boy. The boy, still breathing heavily, could only glare at him from the corner of his eye. “That wasn’t very fun for either of us, was it?” The boy mustered the strength to turn his head. Despite this, he lacked the mental strength to form words. All he could do was stare at the angel, its wings bent to fit the room. Still resting his head on his arms, Gabriel moved one arm out, rotating his hand so that his palm faced the ceiling. Slowly, a folder began to materialize above his palm. Every passing second added more mass to the folder and more particles to the air. The particles swirled and swirled until eventually, a complete folder appeared in the angel’s hand. Across the folder read a single word.

Candidate

“I already know everything about you, Leo,” the angel said with a grin. “I know about why you’re living by yourself in this tiny studio. About why you never ended up going to college. About why … you’re not happy.” The boy looked at the folder, then at the angel. The angel’s smile was one without happiness behind it. The boy saw the angel’s tired eyes, devoid of life of motivation. At that moment, he saw desperation. He saw himself. Gabriel sat up. “Do you want a second chance, Leo? I know I do, and for that, I need you to help me.”

The angel plucked a feather from his wing, “𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡.”

Particles of light swirled around the bed. Leo smiled. He sat up quickly, swinging to face Gabriel. “Of course I want a second chance.” He looked at the angel, whose smile had brightened when he heard the words. “But,” Leo began taking stock of the situation, “if you know everything about me, what makes you think I’m not happy now.”

“Aren’t you a bit too calm?” Gabriel asked, glancing down at the bag of goodies Leo had bought.

“Well,” Leo started reaching down to pull out a bag of chips, “even if you kill me, there really isn’t anything I could do about it.” He popped the bag of chips open.

“Is that so?”

Leo looked at the angel, one eyebrow raised. He blinked. At that moment, the folder was gone. Specks of light swirled. The tips of five blades began to materialize around the angel. The lights continued to swirl until, finally, five spears floated around the angel. “Are you okay with dying today?” Gabriel asked the boy. The angel returned to resting his head on his arms. Gabriel glared at the boy, his eyes as lifeless as a rock. Leo matched his look.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Leo looked down, his long hair covering his face like a veil. After a moment, he looked up slowly at the angel. He smiled lifelessly. “Of course I am,” he said, giving the otherworldly being his answer.

“Is that the answer someone who was happy with their life would give?” Gabriel asked as he rose from his seat, the swords around him dematerializing into specs of light. The angel’s arms and legs looked as if they were about to crumble away into dust. As he walked, his body looked as if it were barely able to keep from dematerializing.

Leo laid on his bed. “I guess I wouldn’t say I’m happy.” He popped a chip into his mouth. “You’re right, I’d say I feel more content than anything.”

The angel dragged the chair across the wooden floor, which shrieked in pain. Gabriel placed the chair by the window, relieving the floorboards of the slashing pain, halting its sharp scream. “Being content might be worse than being unhappy,” the angel said, sitting down. He placed one arm on the window sill, bending it towards him so that he could rest his head upon it. “Nothing ever changes when you’re content,” the angel said, squirming in his seat. Leo continued to eat his chips as he watched Gabriel constantly fidget and adjust his head. “At least when you’re unhappy, you try to change something,” the angel continued. Determining that he would never be comfortable resting his head on his arm, he decided to simply prop up his head with his hand, relaxing the rest of his arm on the window sill.

“Sometimes it’s better to just be happy with what you have,” Leo started, “sometimes you try to make things better, but they only get worse. You know what they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

“Actually, it’s paved with concrete.” The boy could see a slight smile on the tips of the angel’s mouth. Gabriel stared into the dark blanket beyond the window. The night was like a beast to him; it stretched across the land without restraint, greedily swallowing the sky and all before it. “I could never just sit and watch,” the angel said, reminiscently, “I could never live with myself if I had to constantly wonder whether or not I wasted an opportunity.” He turned to the boy, “You’re lucky, you know,” the color left the angels eyes. His pupils turned pitch-black, a shade so dark it swallowed light, as if it were the night itself. “At least you can die … you won’t have to worry about anything after that.”

Gabriel returned to gazing at the night sky.

Leo popped another chip in his mouth. He stared at the angel, whose light blonde hair began to poke out from under his white hood. Seeing the angel’s light blond hair, Leo realized he hadn’t seen much of the angel’s face. He stared at the angel, adjusting his angle slightly, trying to get a good look at Gabriel’s face. However, the more intently he stared, the less he seemed to see. The only part of the angel’s face that was illuminated below his hood were his eyes. Sitting down, the angel was barely tall enough to look out the window. For someone so important, he was quite small. His mouth had delivered a soft, youthful voice, yet he spoke as if he had walked alongside creatures of antiquity. Leo could see Gabriel’s eyes move below his hood. Although the angel’s face continued to look out the window, his pupils moved to the corners of his eyes and glanced at the bag of chips.

“Do you want one?” Leo asked.

The angel quickly turned his body to face Leo. “Are they good?”

“I think they are. Here, try one,” Leo told Gabriel, extending an offering to the angelic being. Gabriel reached into the bag and pulled out a rustic, light brown chip. He held it in front of his eyes, turning it left and right. After a moment, he took a tiny bite from the edge of the chip. After determining that the snack was indeed delicious, the angel put the rest of the chip in his mouth. Leo could see the angel’s eyes slowly begin to hover over the bag. He smiled slightly, reaching down to pull out another bag. “You can have this one,” he said, tossing the bag. Gabriel, caught off guard, fumbled the bag between his hands until he finally gained control over it. He popped the bag open. Gabriel pulled out a handful of chips, which he stuffed into his mouth without hesitation.

“So what is this second chance you were talking about?” Leo asked the angel, who continued to stuff himself full of chips. The angel looked up at Leo. He placed the bag on the window sill, brushing his hands together afterward. Clouds of powder flew off his hands, dissipating into the air around him.

“I need you,” the angel began, “to die.” The angel popped another chip into his mouth. “I need you to die, and I need you to reincarnate into another world,” he said, smiling. “Isn’t that a dream come true for you? I know that’s really popular these days. You’re pretty lucky, you know.” The angel pulled out another handful of chips.

Leo stared at the angel. Not long ago, he was as lifeless as the ant Leo had squashed that morning. Now he was invigorated, immersed in his own little world. The angel’s demeanor could only be likened to that of a child, one who had been subjugated by a bag of barbecue lays. Despite this, Leo had seen and felt his power first-hand. It wasn’t completely out of the question that the angel might be able to reincarnate him.

“Why would I want to completely restart my life?” Leo asked. “I’ve already been through twenty years of this hell. What’s the point of reincarnating and having to start over.”

“Well, for one, you wouldn’t be reincarnated in this world,” Gabriel responded, continuing to chomp down on the crispy chips, “you wouldn’t have to start completely from scratch, either. You’re bored in this world, aren’t you? That’s why you play that pretend game on the box thing,” the angel said. “You’re pretty good at the game, aren’t you? Your character is the strongest mage, if I remember correctly. Wouldn’t you rather be able to actually use magic? Wouldn’t you rather be an actual powerful mage, instead of just pretending to be one? Also, that world’s a dangerous place,” Gabriel noted, setting the bag of chips back down, “if you hate it, you could die whenever you want to.”

The boy laid down in his bed, staring at the ceiling above. After a moment, he slowly began to sit back up. In his mind, the offer wasn’t a bad one. It was much better than his accursed, drab reality.

“You said it yourself, my life is boring. Why did you choose an average person like me?”

“I didn’t choose you. Father did,” the angel answered plainly. “Well, more specifically, he chose six of you, then rolled a dice.”

“His father? … God?” Leo thought, putting the pieces together. “Then why’d you say you need me?”

The angel looked at the boy as he moved a finger to his lip, tilting his head to one side.

“Mmmm. I need you to buy me another bag of chips,” the angel said, smiling widely. “Just kidding. If you decide to take father’s deal, you’ll have to pick one of the four archangels as your patron.” Gabriel’s smile faded. “I need you to choose me.”

“ A patron?”

“Your patron is like your sponsor. You could say your “class” is based on your patron as well, since each of us specializes in certain skills. Many candidates end up serving as the heads of state for their patron’s kingdoms and bring forth long periods of wealth and prosperity,” Gabriel explained. “It’s impossible for a kingdom to survive in the other world without a patron, whether it be an archangel or a lesser angel. The game is pretty complicated. Well, it’s only a game for father, it’ll be a life for you,” Gabriel said laughing. “Father will explain the rest before he reincarnates you. If you please him, he might even make you an angel.”

“Me? An angel? Would that mean … that I could see her again?” Leo wondered. “If you need me, that must mean that your kingdom is weak. Why should I pick you to be my patron?”

“I mean, you’re going to be a mage, right? My specialty is magic. If you choose me as your patron, you’ll be one of the greatest mages to ever live. ” Gabriel asked. The angel stared at the boy, he looked him up and down. “It’s not like you’re going to be some kind of knight or anything, you don’t look like the knight type.”

Gabriel looked out the window and returned to gazing at the starless night sky.

“I need your power, or the power you’re going to have,” he said plainly. “A candidate is only chosen when the previous one is killed, or no longer able to perform their duties. Sure, there are other minor reincarnations, but their power pales in comparison to that of a candidate.” Gabriel glanced at the boy. “A candidate’s power has always brought a golden age along with it. Undeniable military strength, an economy that blesses the lives of every noble and serf, a period of innovation that brings inventions one could only imagine to life. Having a candidate all but guarantees at least one of those things.” The angel looked out the window. “My kingdom hasn’t had a candidate in over a thousand years,” Gabriel said sadly. “My people have been pushed to the edge of the world, treated like animals, enslaved. Please …,” Gabriel looked over to Leo. A white droplet welled up in his eyes, contrasting with the darkness beneath his hood. Leo could see what must have been melted snow streaming down the angel’s cheek. “Please, choose me as your patron. Please … save my people.”

Leo could see it. He could see the desperation in Gabriel’s eyes as he asked Leo to help him. To help his people.

“I’ll do it. I’ll reincarnate.” Gabriel wiped the tears from his eyes. “But I want to talk to your father about a reward.”

` “And your patron…?”

“I’m going to be a mage, so it would only make sense to choose the archangel who specializes in magic,” Leo answered with a smile. “I’ll save them. Every last one of them.”

“Thank you,” Gabriel said as the downpour of rain from the angel’s eyes continued.

“So when do I meet your father?”

Gabriel held out his hand, and the specs of light returned. Once again, they swirled and swirled and swirled some more. Eventually, a sword appeared in the angel’s hand.

“In just a moment,” the angel responded, swiftly swinging the sword down towards Leo.

Gabriel smiled at the headless body before him. Gabriel plucked a feather from his wing, “𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡 𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡 𛲡𛲡 𛲡𛲡𛲡𛲡,” the angel commanded. A black circle with letters rotating around the edges appeared around the body. Slowly, long purple bands enveloped the body and began to drag it into the abyss that lay within the circle. Gabriel walked over to pick up Leo’s head. He threw the head into the circle, where it began to sink. The angel climbed out of the window. He looked back one last time and watched as the circle slowly shrank until nothing but the letters that were rotating around it remained.

“Thank you,” Gabriel whispered before flying towards the city beyond the skies.