Guardian angel

Amredin left the stuffy bar to stretch his wings. He really shouldn't have done that. If anyone found out, he'd face a judgment, with the Archangel Gabriel having the upper hand. This certainly wouldn't end well for him. In the worst-case scenario, he'd be forced to give up his profession. He'd have to give up the job he loved and couldn't imagine life without. What could he do then? He'd probably get some menial propaganda job, sending leaflets to Hell, or worse, join the ranks of the unemployed hanging out at the "Under the Broken Wing" tavern. At best, he'd have to listen to a long sermon from Archangel Gabriel on the duties of a Guardian Angel, or be sent to a two-week training course on... Certainly a boring topic. The

number of unemployed Angels increases every year, in direct proportion to the growth of the world's population. Strange as it may seem, yet...

Guardian Angels are dependent on their charges. Where one is, there is another. People who commit evil deeds and go to places full of Evil stain their Angel's robe. Over time, his garments become increasingly gray. So do his wings. In extreme cases, he begins to lose his feathers. Such an Angel can no longer fly to Heaven. He usually quits his job on his own, but if he doesn't do it soon enough, there's a chance he'll get fired. A nervous breakdown. This happens quite often, especially when ambitious Angels strive to complete a task that is beyond their strength. In such a case, they end up in the Support Center for Shattered Angels. There they receive the appropriate dose of Love and rest for a few earthly days. If they are very, very ambitious, they return to their ward. Most, however, never return to humanity. They join a group of unemployed people in the "Under the Broken Wing" tavern to pray with them, between mugs of beer, for the Apocalypse to come as soon as possible.

It is a sad sight: dirty and desperate Angels sitting in a bar, drinking beer they can't get drunk on. It's hardly surprising, though. People long ago stopped hearing the rustle of angels' wings, and the words whispered in their ears didn't reach them at all. The only way to communicate with them was via text message. Unfortunately, the Office of Professional Conduct named after St. Kinga banned the Angels from using cell phones, considering them harmful and fraught with addiction. The Office was accused of traditionalism and fear of technological innovations, but unfortunately, this proved ineffective. Although rumor has it that St. Kinga herself has not complied with the regulation and secretly texts with the Archangel Gabriel. Thus, the Angels lost their last means of communicating with humans. Of course, dreams remain, but humans have long since ceased to attach importance to them.

People destroyed Angels with their lack of faith in their existence. Humans began behaving so outrageously that even the oldest Angels, remembering Sodom and Gomorrah, couldn't recall anything like this happening before. They felt unwanted, rejected, superfluous, and not to mention unheard! It's no wonder, then, that they began abandoning unfaithful humans to await the End of the World with their friends.

Rarely did any human realize their companion's departure. Sometimes someone suddenly felt more alone than ever before, but these were rare occurrences. Humans often felt lonely and misunderstood, which, of course, didn't stop them from hurting their closest and most faithful companions—the Guardian Angels. They believed that the only things that could help them were alcohol and drugs, which brought the desired oblivion. In doing so, they made themselves and the Angel miserable, who, despite everything, suffered more because the means of oblivion were ineffective.

Amredin carefully considered all the pros and cons and, praying to Heaven for a strong psyche, returned to the stuffy bar.