Silence

."

The summer sun slowly crept across the sky as the first peals of tin bells rang out across the Kingdom, summoning throngs of angels to afternoon prayer. Lamiel, however, did not humbly bow her head in silent supplication to the Blessed Virgin. She did not even pay homage to her Son, humming "Alleluia" softly, as was her usual habit. Today she was angry and longed to soothe her heart with solitude. She walked forward, traversing the endless Gardens of Eden. The grass gently caressed her bare feet, bending under her faint weight and rising a moment later, as if forgetting the passing angel. Just beyond the orchard, full of lush fruit trees, began Lamiel's favorite spot, where she used to sit and feast her eyes on the wondrous sight. She stopped by a massive apple tree. She stood before a rippling, intensely red sea of ​​poppies. She sat on its edge, leaning against the tree trunk. A light breeze, as if in greeting, bent the flower stems, which gently bowed towards her. The garden was beautiful... Perfect... Everything in it, even the smallest element, had been created by the Lord and shone with His unearthly light.

Lamiel sighed softly. What did the allure of all the wonders of the Kingdoms matter in light of the defeat that had befallen her? She had lost her protégé again. Another person she had failed to guide through life had left a mark on her heart. This time, a girl, still a child, killed by common thugs for a few measly copper coins. Lamiel could do nothing. She only watched as her weekly trip to the market turned into a slaughter. Such were her orders...

The whole situation seemed meaningless to her. Another innocent creature had perished! Had her superiors gone mad, leaving the greatest sinners alive while bringing ever new crowds of souls untainted by evil to the Last Judgment?

"Do you know that not participating in prayer is a sin?" a melodic, powerful voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I know, and that's why I'm surprised to see you here, Lucifer. Have you come to convert me? Isn't it written: 'You hypocrite, first remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye'?"

"The Light does not cast us down because of trivial matters. But sadness dims its radiance when any of the children does not join it in conversation," the Archangel continued, unmoved.

"This radiance," Lamiel quickly resumed, irritated, "is so powerful that a momentary dimming will not be noticed by anyone.

" "There is anger, bitterness, resentment within you. These are bad feelings. Get rid of them."

Silence fell, punctuated by the cheerful chirping of birds hidden somewhere among the trees. The angel slowly sat up.

"Losing a ward is difficult for any guardian angel. I understand you... I was once one of you."

"You are the most faithful of the Lord's angels, Lucifer! Explain to me: is this justice? None of the people I cared for died a happy old man. They all died prematurely. After all, no one benefited from it! They could have done so much more, seen so much more... Their whole lives were ahead of them.

" "We can't deny the Lord's decision."

"Unless it's our magnificent Council's," the girl scoffed. "If this continues, they'll never let me prove myself, and I'll never break free from the choir of guardians.

" "The Council is appointed by the Light." Lucifer smiled gently. "Trust the Lord! Don't worry about the fate of mortals anymore. I'm here to tell you that you've been released from serving humans. Welcome among the archangels!"

Lamiel, however, didn't beam as the angel expected. A gloomy expression, full of pain and disappointment, spread across her face.

"Are you suggesting the Council took the life of my protégé so I could advance faster?"

Lucifer couldn't find the words to deny it. He stared only into the angel's pure blue eyes.

"We are slaves to our own hierarchy!" she suddenly cried, her voice trembling slightly. "Throughout my entire service, I couldn't understand this extraordinary gift the Lord gave to humanity. What was the basis of his immense love for this race? Why did he create them in his own image? They seemed to me like a sliver of the Light, some inferior copy of the Higher Beings, standing on the brink of life and death, from which even the smallest thing could push them. They, torn by emotions, oblivious to the real world, clinging to their shallow, mundane reality... Only now do I see my mistake... How intensely they live! How they seize each day! Their lives are so ridiculously feeble, like a candle flame that can be extinguished by the slightest gust of wind. Yet they can make the entire world ignite from that flame!" They are truly free, and we are stuck here as if in a golden cage, constantly climbing the ladder of hierarchy... Their life is a song, and our miserable eternity is silence... Unbearable silence...