Short Stories

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For all
have sinned
and
fall short
of the glory
of God.
[Romans 3:23]
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(Small, woeful voice.)
"SERAPHERINO?"

(Serapherino looks down:
his satiny, long black curls
swinging gently across
his smooth dark shoulders.
Serapherino is in the middle of
tuning his angelic lyre;
his beautiful long nose,
and high cheekbones glint
a little, in the light of
a passing Heavenly cloud.
His sculptured and
graceful fingers
rest for a moment
on the lovely strings
of the huge, golden lyre.
Threaded within
the soft feathers of
Serapherino's wings are
delicate strands of
pure gold and silver:
they shine like the
strands of sparkling
ornaments on a beautiful
Christmas tree, and
his halo like the
shining angel atop
the Christmas tree.)
"What is it,
little Jo'ach?"

(Jo'ach squints, and
sighs, woefully. His
big thick glasses slide
a little down
his push-button
of a nose. He runs
a damp, plump hand over
his rumpled mess of scruffy,
very mousey hair, and
leans on his cane:
limping rather awkwardly,
on his bad foot.
He squints, once
more: peering up at the
exquisitely tall, and
musically talented,
and
very sweet angel
of a friend.)
"Do you think
I'm... HANDSOME?"

"JO'ACH!"
(Pause.)
"SURE!
OF COUSE,
YOU ARE!
I think you're VERY
HANDSOME!"

(Squint.)
(Limp forward.)
(Leaning on cane.)
(Little screech of a
voice.)
"Ya DO?"

(Serapherino's beautifully
clear voice echoes in the
Heavenly hallway. A little
bird, sitting atop the
branch of a Heavenly tree,
hears his voice, and
begins to chirp, in response.)
"YES!
Of COURSE!
Why....
you're a VERY
handsome ANGEL!:
VERY HANDSOME!"

(Jo'ach pushes his
glasses up his nose,
again. He peers up
at Serapherino's huge,
and glinting, magnificent
wings, and then up at his
beautifully sculptured face:
squinting once more.)
"REALLY?"

(Serapherino's large
dark eyes are serious,
and full of sincere
sympathy. As Serapherino
nods his head, a long strand
of his thick black curls
moves across the lovely
curvature of his back and neck.
His beautifully shaped lips
tremble a little, with the
sensitivity of
a passionate artist,
and the heart of a true,
and loyal friend.)
"Why.........YES!"

(Jo'ach beams a big,
toothy smile: staring
happily up at his friend.)

[RUMBLE.]

(Both angels look up.)

(Jo'ach small mouth
drops open.)
"Uh, oh."

[ANOTHER RUMBLE.]

(Jo'ach woefully gapes
up at the Heavenly sky.)
"Uh, oh."
(Woeful glance over at
the big, beautiful angel.)
"Uh oh, Serapherino......
are we in TROUBLE?"

(Serapherino looks down
at his long and graceful
feet: they are bare,
of course. He blushes,
slightly, and then frowns
with great embarrassment.)
"Hm......Jo'ach?
Could you hold my
LYRE, for one MOMENT?"

"SURE, SERAPHERINO!
SURE! YOU BET!"
(Jo'ach stumbles a bit,
while he tries to catch
the edge of his friend's
golden lyre: leaning on
both it, and the plain
wooden cane. His small,
raspy voice rises with
anxiety.)
"But.......WHERE YA
GOIN'?"

"Hm..........."
(Serapherino looks up
at the Heavenly sky;
the blush now spreading
evenly over his
magnificent cheekbones,
and strong,
clefted chin.)
"I just have to fly over
to the Throne Room....
for a minute. It's OKAY."

(Jo'ach squints, with
intense curiosity. He
continues balancing his
friend's huge golden
lyre, and his cane: limping
forward a little, on his
bad foot.)
"Ya SURE?
Ya WANT me ta'
go.... WITH YOU?"

(Serapherino shakes
his curly mass of long,
dark hair. His wings
have already begun to
open widely, as if
prepared for flight.)
"Oh, no.....JO'ACH!
You just go and SIT OVER
THERE! I'LL be FINE!
Just go over, and sit on
that BENCH...BY THE LITTLE
DUCK POND! JUST STAY...
THERE!"

"Ya SURE?
Uh, UH!
I'm goin' WITH YOU!
Just WAIT....OKAY?"
(Jo'ach begins limping
forward, and dragging
along his friend's lyre:
his own wings much too thin
and weak for flying.)

(Serapherino sighs,
exasperatedly.
He waves one hand back
to his little friend,
while taking magnificent flight.)
"NO, JO'ACH!
STAY!
STAY THERE!
I'LL BE RIGHT BACK!"

(Jo'ach, squinting woefully,
as he noisily
drags the golden edge
of his friend's lyre along
the Heavenly sidewalk,
stubbornly shakes his
rumpled head. His small,
limp halo sits askew over
his messy hair.)
"Don't WORRY, SERAPHERINO!
I'M COMIN'!
I'M COMIN' WITH YOU!
DON'T WORRY 'BOUT
A THING! I'M RIGHT
BEHIND YA! I'LL MEET
YA OVER THERE, OKAY?
JUST WAIT...TILL I GET
THERE, OKAY?
I'M RIGHT BEHIND YA,
SERAPHERINO!"

(Serapherino, alighting
now above the big white
clouds of the Heavenly
Sky, calls down from
afar. His call sounds like
that of a very anxious
owner of a big, sloppy
puppy dog about to bound
down the steps and out of
the house.)
"NO!
NO, JO'ACH!
NO!
STAY RIGHT THERE!"

(Jo'ach, huffing and
puffing, not used to
all the exertion, calls
up toward the sky as
he limps along, dragging
the big golden lyre.)
"UH UH, SERAPHERINO!
I'M COMIN' WITH YA!
I'LL BE RIGHT THERE,
OKAY?
I'LL FIX EVERYTHING!"
(Puff.)
(Puff.)
"DON'T WORRY 'BOUT IT!"
(Puff.)
"I'm RIGHT BEHIND
YA!"

(Serapherino, already
high in the Heavenly Blue
Skies, rolls his big dark
eyes in good-natured
exasperation. He sighs,
and shakes his beautiful
dark head.)
"Oh......
LORD....!"
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The Lord
is merciful
and gracious,
Slow to anger
and
abounding
in mercy.
[Psalm 103:8]

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