2 Days Later.
"Dad, when will we see Mom?" Melody said very quietly. Tears welled in her eyes the entire time. Her little hands unconsciously dropped to the bed. She had already had her first surgery and felt like a leaf blown by the wind.
"Today." The doctor told me she's getting better and can visit us today.
"Just visit? Or will she go for a walk with us?
" "She might. We'll find out soon," the angel consoled her.
A few hours later, Mikael was sitting with Melody on his lap in the small hospital nursery. Meanwhile, Mare, under her own power, walked up to the window and, just like a few days ago, knocked on it. Melody slowly turned her head toward the sound. A smile spread across her face. She wanted to get up and run to her, but her strength wouldn't let her. Mare, instead, entered the room and hugged the little one. Her heart skipped a beat when she held her.
"I'm sorry, Melody, I'm so sorry."
"Mom... I understand, I'm not angry," she replied, looking at her with large, tear-filled eyes.
Mare took her in her arms again, but after a moment she hissed in pain. Mikael and Melody only now noticed how badly the devil had been injured in the accident. Her entire arm was stitched together, and only a few places were bandaged.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Melody asked.
"Does it hurt anymore. It just stings."
This was a terrible lie from the devil, because the pain from the wound sometimes prevented her from even sleeping.
"Maybe we could go for a walk? Maybe even through the hospital corridors," she said, changing the subject.
"I'd love to," the little girl replied.
Mikael said nothing. He looked from Melody to Mare. He didn't know what to think anymore. No happy thoughts came to mind, and that worried him. All he could see was little Melody in the hospital bed with her body paralyzed, and in his dreams, he saw them both being buried in coffins.
Mare had a feeling the angel must have been worried about them, so she walked up to him and kissed his forehead. Surprised, he raised his head and met her eyes with a dazed look.
"Stop worrying. Everything will be okay. You shouldn't worry, just support us. If I see that look on your face again, I promise you'll never see Heaven or Earth again."
The angel snorted and laughed. The devil always scared him, but somehow half of what she said didn't come true. They spent the rest of the day pacing the hospital until Melody fell asleep in Mikael's arms. Mare, too, had had enough of the walks. Her ankle was still bothering her, and it was the same one as before. Mikael led her to her room, where they said goodbye. They were supposed to meet the next morning anyway, as Melody was scheduled for yet another surgery. The impatient parents were on tenterhooks the following morning. Mare sat next to her daughter during the surgery, but Mikael sat right next to her. Melody's hands were shaking. She was terribly afraid. Hours passed. The little devil was already starting to doze off, even though she kept telling herself not to. In the distance, only the clatter of medical instruments and the doctor's orders could be heard. This lasted until the operation was over.
Time passed, days passed, and little Melody didn't wake up. After the operation, she had lost a lot of blood, and her body was very weak for a while. Less than two weeks before her third month, the little girl opened her eyes. Before she could see Mare lying halfway in the hospital bed, with Mikael sitting in a chair next to her. She smiled and slowly sat up. She remembered well how the doctor had told her not to make any sudden movements. She reached out and gently nudged Mare. The little devil woke up immediately. She looked at her daughter, her eyes sparkling.
"Good morning," Melody said softly in her own language.
"Good morning," Mare replied, approaching her and hugging her. Her heart was beating hard and fast.
"Dad's still asleep," Melody said.
"I know, let him sleep a little longer. He barely slept at all.
" "Was he worried about me?
" "Yes, a lot.
" "And he promised I'd be fine, so why was he worried?
" "Everyone worries, even if they were sure of something.
" "Really?
" "Yes, Melody, exactly."
The girl smiled and looked at Mare. It was a pleading, begging look.
"What's wrong?" Mare asked, as Melody turned her face away.
"Mom?" she began slowly.
"Yes?
" "Can we go home? Please..."
Mare looked at her. She was tired of sitting there. Then she looked at Mikael. She walked over to him and patted him on the back. The angel woke up so suddenly he could have fallen out of his chair.
"What's going on?" he asked, half-conscious.
"Our daughter's awake," she replied, emphasizing the first two words.
"Melody!"
Mikael stood up and hugged her. The little girl squealed with happiness.
"You're up, honey.
" "Yes, I'm not sleepy anymore, and Mom said we'd go home.
" "Did she say that?
" "I didn't say that at all, I was going to ask you about it.
" "Since when do you ask about me?"
Mare turned up her nose in displeasure. She quickly grabbed her jacket from the hanger and threw it over her shoulders. Then she left the room.
"Where did Mom go? Did she get angry?"
"No, Mom's scheming.
" "What do you mean, scheming?
" "Scheming means, er... well, you don't know what it is?"
Melody shook her head no. The angel sighed. Until now, Melody hadn't asked any questions about words she didn't know. Sam always had trouble explaining things to others.
"You know what, we'll wait for Mom. Mom's good at explaining things.
" "And you can't?
" "No," he replied, smiling.
"So you don't know what scheming means either?
" "Of course I do, but I don't know how to explain it to you."
Melody laughed, but didn't say why, as Mare strode into the room. She was holding some papers. Behind her came the doctor, so familiar to all three of them for the past several days. At the sight of him, the little girl hid under the covers.
"Don't worry, Melody, today is the last day I'll run your tests, and then you can go home with your parents," the doctor said calmly.
"Seriously?" she squealed, and shot a quick glance at Mare. The little devil just stood there, looking around impatiently.
"Seriously, so how are we going to get started?"
Melody nodded. She was happy. The thought of having so many checkups left made her want to jump out of bed and run out of the hospital. But it still took a while before she left. She remembered that she hadn't yet said goodbye to the nurses and some of the small children who were also in the ward. It had taken them about an hour and a half. If Mare hadn't picked her up on the ground floor, she probably would have wanted to say goodbye to the secretary.
They reached home in a few minutes on the first bus that came along.
At the sight of their home, they were speechless. They hadn't been there for so long. Mikael took Mare and Melody by the hand and walked them through the door. A moment later, the devil slipped out of his way and ran into the middle of the room.
"Yahoo!" she exclaimed, spinning around. "We're home!
" "It turns out I have two children at home."
Mare looked at him with feigned anger.
"Instead of reminding me how old I am, you could have consoled yourself with me instead of standing in the hallway like sticks."
"Thank you for saying that..." Mikael replied.
The she-devil laughed and ran up to them. She scooped Melody up in her arms and led her towards the kitchen.
"We'll make something French, won't we?"
"I'd love to!" she squealed.
"What about me?
" "Just sit and wait until everything's ready. Besides, get some rest; you're probably still sleepy."
Mikael didn't say anything to that. He followed them into the kitchen and started watching what they were doing. He hadn't expected there to be anything in the fridge since they'd left the house. But no one worried about that. While she still had Hagres around, the she-devil summoned him and told him to restock the supplies.
"You're taking advantage of him.
" "No, not at all, Hagres likes it. Doesn't he?"
Hagres nodded yes (after all, what else could he say).
"You can stay for dinner tonight, do you?" Mare asked.
"Really?" he said, disbelief in his voice.
"Don't ask stupidly if you can, because I won't invite you next time."
Melody continued to stare at Hagres. She kept looking at his tiny, delicate wings.
"Mare..." he said with horror.
"What now?
" "Can your daughter stop staring at me?
" "Let her do what she wants.
" "You can't be serious, can you?
" "Melody knows how much boundaries need to be maintained, right?"
Melody nodded absently. She was supposed to be peeling carrots, but she kept looking at Hagres. He intrigued her greatly. He was the size of a vegetable in her hand, and she was wondering how his eyes and nose fit on his face.
The she-devil finally took the unpeeled carrot from her and began to finish her salad.
Around noon, everything was ready. Mikael was already dozing off during dinner, but he didn't want to spoil the moment. Everyone sat at the same table and ate dinner together. Instead of sadness, there were smiles and laughter. Melody was the loudest voice. Everyone seemed to like this mood. This was how they cleared up these unpleasant few days.
By evening, Melody was already dozing off on the table. Mare took her, and she and Mikael put her to bed. She fell asleep immediately.
"I'm going to clean up downstairs," Mare said, almost tripping over the toys in the room because she'd left the room in total chaos the last time.
"I'll help you," Mikael replied, closing the door quietly.
"Come on, you're barely able to stand. Go to bed.
" The devil walked over to him and smoothed his hair, then kissed his forehead. The angel embraced him and stood there for a moment.
"I have to clean up."
"Nobody's in a hurry," he replied, apologetically, and they kissed her neck.
"Can't you wait a moment?
" "No."
After a moment, he pulled her along, took her to the bedroom, and closed the door.
Hagres looked down at them with envy. He flew across the room and, passing through the door like a ghost, entered Melody's room. He looked at her sweet face and settled down next to her on the pillow.
"Goodnight, Melody... sweet dreams."
Mikael was the first to get up the next day. He carefully got out of bed so as not to wake Mare and decided to prepare breakfast. Only when he reached the kitchen did he realize that nothing had been cleaned up from yesterday. He waved it off and grabbed a small cloth from under the sink. In a few minutes, he had cleaned up all the mess. He later shuffled toward the bathroom, but before he got there, something caught his eye. It was a large calendar hanging on one of the kitchen cabinets. He ran his finger over the days on the calendar and stopped at one.
"One week left," he said aloud to himself.
"I know."
Mare stood a few steps behind him. She was already dressed and showered.
"What's worrying you so much?" she asked, though she suspected the answer.
"I'm just wondering if the Lords of Heaven and Hell weren't lying.
" "I've had those same worries before, but it's impossible.
" "Believe me, it's possible," he replied with a sarcastic tone.
The devil walked up to him and leaned on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about it. Let's spend this week as we would like to spend our lives.
" "Yes...
" "Don't be sad. I'm with you, and nothing bad will happen. You'll see.
" "I'll hold you to your word. Devils don't usually keep their promises."
"Oh, you! I keep my promises."
"Since when?" he joked, though for a moment he wondered if these banterings weren't based on reality. He decided not to argue about it anymore.
"Since forever.
" "Because I'll believe you...
" "What are you arguing about again?" Hagres and Melody asked together, who had just come down for breakfast with sleepy faces.
"Nothing, we're just joking."
"Oh," Melody replied quietly, still not awake. "Mom?
" "Yes..."
"Dad couldn't explain to me what it meant to be clever. He said you'd definitely know how."
Mare looked at the angel for a moment with regret. Then she began explaining everything while making breakfast.
This time, they spent the day without any surprises or distractions. They finally went for a long walk and played almost the entire time in the park on the swings. By the evening, when they returned, they were so tired that they practically just went to bed. Mare and Mikael remembered the next few days as some of the most beautiful in their lives, despite the countdown. Over the course of seven days, they managed to go to the cinema, the water park, ride gondolas with Melody a few times, and visit the school. Hagres was with them during that time. He only had to disappear twice a week because the Cotugnos, having not heard from their friends for a dozen or so days, decided to visit them in person. They were very surprised to see the little toddler in the arms of the devil who had greeted them at the door with Melody. And so the week passed...
the seventh day of the last month...
"Mare, wake up," Mikael said, gently nudging her good shoulder.
"Why? I don't have to go to work.
" "That's the problem, yes.
" "What?" she said, and stood up so suddenly she would have knocked Mikael over.
She looked at him. He had his real, gleaming wings and navy blue claws back. In his hand, he held the golden gate key, which he waved in Mare's face.
"Where did you get that?"
"Hagres gave it to me. He said it was time.
" "What do you mean, time?" she began, panic in her voice. "What if we don't come back from there? Maybe we shouldn't go there at all?
" "Come on, Mare. Get dressed quickly. Hagres is already waiting for us.
" "Why are you so calm? You're the one who was so nervous at the beginning.
" "You're unreliable.
" "You're mean.
" "I know," he replied, kissing her on the lips. "Hurry up, and we'll be back soon."
Despite her fear, Mare smiled and pulled herself together. She hurried into the bathroom and put on her red dress, throwing her denim jacket over it as usual. She quickly combed her hair and quietly left the room with Mikael. They glanced at Melody and exchanged glances. They didn't want to leave without saying goodbye, but they also wanted to spare her the worry, especially since they could be back in a few hours.
"Come on," Mare said, tugging on his hand.
They both ran outside and instantly became invisible. Mare and Mikael took to the air and together opened the gates to the Cities. The angel held her hand tightly. He was nervous.
Less than five minutes later, they reached the top of the clouds and the solid ground. The surroundings were noisy and crowded. It was difficult to squeeze into the main square, as everyone was curious about who had won the prize. The angel passed little angels and devils teasing each other along the way. Then he passed some familiar angels he sometimes worked with. He smiled at them, not showing any sign of victory. He still held Mare in his arms, and some devils and angels began whispering or pointing at each other. Finally, they reached the main square. All the couples who had participated in the competition were gathered there. Some were arguing about something, some simply stood there in silence, almost turning their backs to each other. Somewhere in the crowd, Mare saw Ben and Marianne. She pulled Mikael behind her and approached them. The devil was a little surprised but greeted them.
"Hi Mare.
" "Hi Ben. Well, it didn't work out, did it?
" "As always, you have to snipe me. You could be nice once.
" "Oh, I've had enough."
At that moment, the devil gave a sign that she was in over her head.
"Hi Mikael," Marianne greeted this time. "Have you made a wish yet?"
"Yes, or rather, we have.
" "Who said we have?"
The angel looked at her, a little confused.
"Well... yes... it was."
Mare laughed and kissed him on the cheek.
"You silly."
Marianne and Ben laughed too. Then their giggles were drowned out by the loud blast of a trumpet, announcing the approach of the Lords of the Cities.
Marianne started to peek out from the crowd. Ben, seeing that the little girl wouldn't see anything, lifted her into his arms.
"Thanks," she squealed and kissed his cheek.
"That squeal reminds me of something," Mare said, unconcerned that the Lords of Hell were giving their speeches. "I'm already starting to miss you."
Mikael laughed a little too loudly, and several faces of angels and devils turned toward him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Then I don't think it's wise to prolong this ceremony," said the Lord Devil. "I invite the couple Mikael, the angel, and Mare, the devil."
Mikael took her hand and began leading her through the crowd. His heart was pounding. As it turned out later, when he hugged Mare, she felt the same way. They stood on the main podium next to the Lords and looked out at the large crowd.
"The winners receive one wish as a reward!"
Cheers erupted from all sides, then died down at a single nod from the Devil Lord. The golden-haired Angel Queen approached him. She walked calmly toward the devil and the angel. Mare flinched as she stood before them.
"Do you want your wish to be announced on the forum?"
Mikael and Mare exchanged glances and shrugged.
"Sure," they replied simultaneously.
"So what's your wish? We decided from the very beginning that you could ask for anything, but we only changed one condition in that wish. You can't ask..."
At that moment, Mare held her breath. Mikael felt her claws dig into his hand. He hissed in pain, but she didn't even notice.
"You can't ask for control of the cities," she explained calmly.
Mare looked as if she was about to faint. She turned paler than she already was. With a trembling voice, she began.
We'd like to, we..."
Her voice was breaking with each passing moment; she was so nervous she couldn't utter a word.
"We'd like to be human!" Mikael finished confidently, until the surroundings fell terribly silent.
The angel turned and looked at the Devil Lord with a surprised look. He smiled and said,
"If you've decided to take this step, you've probably been considering it for a long time. Remember, you'll only return here after death. "
"We're sure of that."
"So, farewell, my friends," the angel said, sending a powerful beam of light at them. In an instant, Ben and Marianne's faces flashed before their eyes, waving goodbye. Then they felt something disappear. It was their wings, other parts like horns and claws. They didn't know how long they'd been in that bright light. Suddenly, they found themselves back home. Everything was as before. Nothing had changed. They both looked around the room, but only they looked different. Mare's eyes began to glow brown, and Mikael's skin returned to its normal shade.
"Are we home?" Mare asked.
"I guess so.
" "We're human?
" " I guess so.
" "So we're back?
" "I guess so," Mikael replied for the third time.
"Mikael!
" "What?
" "Stop answering like that.
" "But I don't believe it...
" "What?
" "That I'm human.
" "I don't believe it either," she replied and rose from the floor. She took a deep breath and exhaled. "But I'm starting to believe it is.
" "Mare, I have a question?
" "Yes?
" "What wish did you have when you found out what the prize was?
" "Good question.
" "So, I'm listening. Has the thought of becoming the Devil Queen ever occurred to you?"
"To be honest, it was like that for a moment, but then when I looked at you, I realized I wouldn't be happy like that. I thought to myself, what if we were who we are but had human feelings? Life would probably be easier for us there...
" "And I thought you were such a selfish person.
" "You were wrong," she replied, offering him her hand to help him stand. "Come on, let's go to Melody and tell her everything
." "I'm sure she'll be happy.
" "I think so. Although I think having parents like us is a blessing?
" "Of course," Mikael replied, taking her in his arms. "But I'll tell you something now. We have to get back to work. Or rather, I do. Someone has to take care of Melody.
" "You're thinking about work, and I thought you'd think about us seriously for once.
" "I always thought about us seriously," he said with indignation in his voice.
"You know... we're not actually married."
The former angel smiled at her; now he knew what was bothering her.
"So, make me a whole list of wishes that I should fulfill for you, Mrs. Deed.
" "With great pleasure," Mare replied, kissing him hard on the lips. "Let's start life anew."
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