The October Music, Stanza 2, Verse 2 - Day 1

A Little Piece of Heaven

            It fell to Earth on a Tuesday. I remember the time – 2:45 AM. I was awake because I have insomnia due to romantic trauma and being ignored for no good reason. I was sitting up in bed, scrolling through a particular Instagram feed, looking for the clues of betrayal I knew were there if I just dug deep enough, when a sound like metal rending tore through the air and something massive and blinding-bright slammed into the ground of my backyard.

            Naturally, I jumped out of bed, threw on boxers, and ran down the stairs to see what the matter was. When I got outside, the night was cool and dry and, somehow, nobody else was out there. No lights flicking on. No neighbors crowding, being nosy. Nothing. Just me and the crater.

            I walked over, wishing I had grabbed something before realizing weapons are useless against an unknown force. Instead, I crept up on the crater and looked in. There, curled in a ball, still blistering white but now stained with gold, lay a person. Sort of. More like a person but better. A person but greater. It was shaped like a human being but the sheer More of it brought tears to my eyes. It was something I could not comprehend. But it was hurt. Dying. I could see that much. When it looked at me, I felt the pain of eons in my bones and knew it was feeling that too.

            I reached down and grabbed its hand. A wave of energy raced up my skin, in my veins, ripped into my mind, and all I could do was hold on as I became unmoored. I felt waves crashing against my mind but still I held. Eventually, the frenzy stilled and I pulled the creature out of the crater. It helped, barely, and it draped its wounded arm over my neck once it was free. Hot, glittering gold dribbled down my torso, rivulets of treasure burning my skin.

            I helped it inside and sat it down on my couch. There were no wings. That’s what surprised me. Nothing so obvious as to tell me the nature of this thing inside my home, but the signs were enough. Falling from the sky, golden blood, something Beyond Me?

            It had to be an angel.

            Leaving it for a moment, I went to get it a glass of water. How silly and mundane for a being like that, but all things need refreshment, right? I handed it the water and it gulped it down without a word, steam pouring from its mouth.

            Curious, I sat down across from it. Explained where it was, what happened to it. It looked perturbed in a way I still don’t quite get but nodded as if it understood. Finally, I asked one question. What was its name?

            It paused a moment, as if to think, then cleared its throat and spoke with a voice like thunder inside my head.
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            “You may call me Lightbringer.”