Short Stories

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Then
God said,
Let Us
make man
in our image....
let them have
dominion...
over the
birds
of the
air.
[Genesis 1:26]
**********************
Thomispheratino is
standing at attention,
just inside the Throne-
Room Door. There is
a Big Assignment Meeting
going on, this morning.
Many, many Angels are
gathered inside,
for their Holiday-Season
Assignments. At this
time of the year,
the number of Angels
sent to Earth almost
quadruples in number.
Satan is at his most
active, this time of year;
therefore, the Angelic
Host (Army) always has
a major fight on Its hands.

First, there is always
a beautiful Worship
Service. Serapherino
and his Throne-Room
Musicians perform on
their Instruments, while
everyone sings. Contrary
to popular human-opinion,
not all angels have
beautiful singing-voices.
There's a bunch of
singing-off-key;
because of this,
Serapherino has to wear
angelic-cotton stuffed
in his ears.

Also, contrary to
human-public-opinion,
the most common Angelic
Instrument is not the
harp. It is the acoustic
guitar. Only one of the
Throne-Room Angels
even has a harp, and
he only plays it
for solos,
during the Annual
Christmas Play.
At functions like this,
and other Assignment
Meetings,
Harperino is kneeling on a
purple velvet cushion
beside his golden harp,
singing along with
the rest of the Angels
(who all are kneeling
on different-color
velvet cushions).
Harperino doesn't sing
very well, and his
Throne-Room Spot is
right next to Serapherino's.
And.....
he sings rather loud.

Thomispheratino doesn't
sing, along with the others.
He is On-Assignment;
his massive wings
are standing at attention,
with him. His massive
sword is tucked in his
sheath; buldging muscles
can be seen underneath
the shoulders of
his beige gauzy-gown.
That's another myth
about the Angelic Host:
not all of them wear white.
Some wear very
festive colors; for instance,
all of the Musical Throne-Room
Angels wear beautiful
glittering gowns of different colors
of the rainbow.
The Earth-Assignment Angels,
battling the fierce
demonic army of Satan,
wear variations
of Earthly colors: soft
greens, and blues, and
violets. Their presence
is not to scare off the
demons (that is the
dominion of Archangel
Michael and his Squadron),
but rather to calm
and encourage
their guardian'ees.

Thomispheratino, who
is naturally huge and big,
is staring straight ahead,
calmly and stoically,
when he notices
something in the corner
of his eye, far below
near the bottom of the
Throne-Room Door.

It's a feather.

The feather, long
and multi-Earthly-brown-colored,
has blown in under the
Door Way. Immediately,
after, another feather
blows in: then, another....and ANOTHER.
Thomispheratino,
now frowning a bit
and squinting
curiously downwards,
breaks out of his stoic reverie.
What was going.... ON?

"My LORD?"
(Thomispheriatino's
big, booming voice
can be heard above
all the guitars and whatnot,
and off-key angelic-singing.
It's always rather noisy
in the Throne Room,
so his booming voice
doesn't upset anybody.)

[CALM NOD.]
"Yes, Thomispheratino."

"There's somethin'
going ON! Can I open
the Door, and
look OUTSIDE, for a MINUTE?"

[CALM NOD.]
"Yes,
My Thomispheratino."

"I'll just be a SECOND!"

[CALM NOD.]
[SIGH.]
______________
(Thomispheratino
quietly opens the Big
Throne-Room Door,
and steps silently out.
His big-bare-feet are
not heard, at all. By
this time, a great mound
of Earthly-brown-colored feathers
have gathered
about his huge feet and
ankles. Thomisperatino
tries to sound very stern,
but when he sees one of
the smaller angels
limping about on his little
wooden cane; he has trouble
keeping the affection
out of his big booming voice.)
"What is goin' ON?"

"NOTHIN'!
HONEST!"

(Stern-faced frown.)
(Massive wings rustling.)
"Aren't you supposed
to be in at the MEETING,
JO'ACH?"

"Uh, HUH!
I'm a little LATE!"

(Affectionately stern frown.)
(Shaking big Angelic head.)
"The SINGING has
already STARTED!"

"Uh, HUH!
I KNOW!
My voice is really BAD,
Thomispheratino! They
ain't MISSIN' NOTHIN!"

(Stern, affectionate
look.)
(Sigh.)
(Spitting out a bit of feather.)
(Look about, down the
Golden Path leading to
the Throne Room.)
"What are all these
BIRDS.....doin' out HERE?"

(Jo'ach, who is carrying
one of the birds in one
arm, while he's limping
down the Golden Path
on his cane.)
"They're...TURKEYS!"

(Thomispheratino has
to shout above all the
gobbling-racket.)
"Well......WHATEVER
they ARE.....what are
they all DOIN' OUT
HERE?"

(Jo'ach shrugs his
small, angelic-shoulders.
His gown is a motely
beige-brown, and not
glittery at all; it's thin,
way too long for Jo'ach,
and has stains
all over it:
mostly chocolate,
and orange popsicle.)
"DUNNO!
THEY JUST STARTED
FOLLOWIN' ME! I
was on my WAY....to
the MEETING...when,
all of sudden I heard
all this GOBBLING! And,
I turned around....and,
saw all these TURKEYS
WALKIN' BEHIND.. ME,
on the PATH!"

(Thomispheratino is
now standing, mouth open,
looking up and
down the Golden Path.
Turkeys, great and small,
are cluttering the Pathway
in huge numbers;
they all seem to be
following little Jo'ach.)
"Well......where did
they all...COME FROM?"

(Little shrug.)
"Probably, EARTH.....!
Isn't THANKSGIVING..
TOMORROW?"

"Yeah....I GUESS."
(Thomispheratino shrugged
his massive shoulders;
he didn't go down to Earth, much.
He was mostly
a Throne-Room-Guard,
and usually had trouble
remembering what holiday
was which:
down on the troubled, demon-
beleaguered planet.
Once he had to follow
the Lord down to Pluto,
but he didn't like it
much. He got scared,
and had motion sickness.
He had big wings, but
he rarely flew. That was
another myth, floating
down on Earth, about
angels.)
"But....WHY are they
following YOU,
JO'ACH?"

(Little Jo'ach, putting
his little plump hand
over the small, rather
nervous turkey's beak,
squinted up at the
Big Guard Angel.)
"WHAT? I can't....
HEAR YOU?"

"I SAID.......!"

(Gobble! Gobble!)
(Gobble! Gobble!)
(Gobble! Gobble!)

(Thomispheratino
shook his big curly
head, and shouted
even louder.)
"I SAID........
WHY ARE THEY
following....YOU?"

(Suddenly, Serapherino
pops his beautiful,
long-haired-curly head
out the Throne-Room
Door. His beautiful,
glittery robe sparkles
in the early-morning
sunlight.)
"WILL YOU GUYS
KEEP IT DOWN?
WE'RE ALL TRYIN'
TO SING, IN HERE!"
(Angelic pause.)
"What are you doin'
out HERE......JO'ACH?
Aren't you supposed
to be in here....at the
MEETING?"

(Little nod.)
(Squirming: trying
to hold onto the small,
nervous little turkey.)
(Shout, over all the
gobbling going on.)
"Yeah, SERAPHERINO!
I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!"

"Well.....don't BRING
that TURKEY in HERE!
Put it DOWN....and...
COME ON IN! You're
already LATE!"

(Gobble! Gobble!)
(Gobble! Gobble!)

(Little shout.)
"OKAY! JUST TELL
THE FATHER I'LL BE
THERE IN A MINUTE!"

(Angelically musical
sigh.)
(The Big Golden Door
shuts.)

(Silence, except for
a lot of loud gobbling.)

"Well.....what should
we DO, THOMISPHERATINO?"

"WE? WHAT'S... WE?
I GOTTA GO BACK INSIDE!"

"AW! COME ON!
YOU GOTTA HELP..... ME!"

(Big, booming sigh.)
"Oh.........ALRIGHT..."
(Sigh.)

"COME ON! LET'S
TAKE 'EM DOWN TO
THE PASTURE,
A'WAYS!"

(Big, booming sigh.)
"ALRIGHT........
but, HOW?"

(Little shrug.)
"SIMPLE!
THEY'LL JUST FOLLOW ME!"

"But.....how am I gonna
HELP, JO'ACH?"

(Little shout.)
"YOU CAN CARRY ME!
It'll go FASTER....
that WAY! HERE:
HERE'S MY CANE!
HERE: PICK ME UP!"

(Thomispheratino sighs,
again. He bends down,
really low, to grasp Jo'ach's
little wooden cane.
Setting it into his
sheath next to his huge
sword, he bends down
again to lift the little
limping angel, up onto
his massive shoulders.)
"Oh......ALRIGHT...
but, let's make it FAST!
I gotta get back to
my POST!"

"OKAY! SURE,
THOMISPHERATINO!
WE'LL MAKE THIS
LICKE'DY-SPLIT!"

(Big, booming sigh.)
"HEY! I THOUGHT YOU
HAD HOLD OF THAT
REAL-LITTLE
TURKEY!"

"I DID! I DID!
HE JUST GOT OUT
OF MY ARMS!
I GUESS, HE'S STILL
REALLY NERVOUS
FROM HIS TIME DOWN
ON EARTH!"

(Thomispheratino,
with little Jo'ach sitting
on his big shoulders,
turns around.)
"WHERE'S HE GOIN'?"

"DUNNO!
UH, OH!
LOOK!
HE'S ALL CONFUSED!
LOOK!
HE'S RUNNIN' TOWARD
THE THRONE ROOM!"

"WELL, CALL HIM!
CALL HIM BACK,
Little JO'ACH!
CALL HIM
BACK!"

"I DUNNO HIS... NAME!"

"ALL THESE TURKEYS
HAVE A.. NAME?"

"OH, YEAH!
ALL OF 'EM HAVE A
NAME! THE FATHER
KNOWS THEM ALL; YOU BET!"

"Well....can't ya WHISTLE,
or SOMETHIN'?
CALL HIM BACK!"

"Too LATE!
LOOK!
SOMEBODY'S OPENING THE THRONE
ROOM DOOR!
IT'S HARPERINO!
HE'S PICKIN' HIM
UP! HE'S TAKIN' HIM
INSIDE!"
(Little shout.)
"THANKS, HARPERINO!
Thank.......YOU!
JUST SET HIM DOWN,
ANYWHERE....OKAY?
HE WON'T BOTHER
NOBODY! HONEST!
I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!
DON'T LET 'EM START
THE MEETING..!
..WITHOUT ME AND
THOMISPHERATINO!
OKAY......?"

(Harperino, scooping up
the little, nervous,
gobbling turkey: simply
nods and waves.)

(The Throne-Room Door
closes.)

"OKAY, THOMISPHERATINO!
LET'S GO!"

(Big, booming sigh.)

(Gobble! Gobble!)
*********************
And
God saw
everything
that
He had
made,
and
behold,
it was
very good.
[Genesis 1:31]



In memory:
Mommy and Daddy,
feeding all
the bratty kids,
at Thanksgiving.

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