Snippet #860269

The scent of freshly turned over soil intermingled with the sound of the hoe being thrust into it. The man or so he seemed was planting tender young plants that would grow to feed the people of the village.This village despite the modern way of life maintained an idyllic and timeless way of doing such a simple act as planting this year's crops of vegetables. Sure people had cellphones, laptops, and satellite t.v but the timeless act of growing food was done in the same fashion as their forefathers had done it. The only concessions to the soulless modern society way of doing things was chemical fertilizer as the tourists from the various cities complained of the smell of manure. And while the mayor publicly laughed at the delicate noses of city folk the word went about quietly. With the mayor's office subsidizing the cost of chemical fertilizer it was not really a big deal for the farmers. And furthermore the money the delicate and useless city folk brought with them meant a lot for the local economy and so it was with little hesitation the farmers made the switch.

But for this man who seemingly was human it didn't matter. All he cared about was the simple yet pleasurable life this timeless village lived with. And so he went on planting as the sun rose higher in the azure sky beating down a gentle warmth on this village and the farms that surrounded it. Sweat pooling on his back the man discarded the blue t-shirt he wore and let the sun bask his bare upper body.

" Hey mister, I got your lunch." A young girl's voice rang over the freshly worked fields causing the man to look up from the beans he was planting. Running across the field being careful to keep her steps light so as not to disturb the soil overmuch was the source of the voice. A lightly freckled face hidden underneath a large sun hat while a light red dress covered her body. She was the 6 year old daughter of the farmer the man with the hoe worked for. Slung on her arm was a small basket no doubt containing this lunch she spoke of.

Coming to stop beside the man she beamed up at him with a smile that could have lit the darkest room.

" Thanks Debra, I was kinda getting hungry." The man spoke laying down his hoe and beginning to walk to the nearby edge of the field. He like the girl kept his steps light as possible. His voice held a beautiful and calm tone, as if he spoke with the voice of an angel. So charming where it's tones the local priest had roped the man into singing in the choir where he showed some discomfort in being the center of attention.

" That's what Ma thought Steve. She said a man who works as hard as you do must be hungry by now." Her voice too held a beautiful and calm tone with none of the cynicism of an adult. As they walked together to the edge of the field she looked up at the man now known as Steve. What she saw would have disturbed most knowing adults. Where the world saw a six foot tall light tanned man wearing jeans and work boots she saw a seven foot tall angel with six wings covered in the shadows his fall had wrought upon him. But so young was she that Debra took it for granted that 'Steve' was just another of the five workers her father had hired.

However the name Steve was a lie created by the fallen angel so that he might live in peace amongst the humans he had refused to bow to when commanded to by his God. Although the endless centuries he had lived amongst humanity had shown him why God had considered Adam and his legacy greater then the angels he had created. They where prefect in every way, their faith truer then any angels for it was wrought out of free will and not instilled into their very soul. And that free will was hard for most Angels, even this fallen one had to struggle to rebel against the command to bow so hard it was like fighting his very core.

His name was Aeneas Lumen and all who knew that name would laugh with irony at the sight of his black wings although white feathers intermingled with the black ones might make them pause. But none of that mattered to him. He was a fallen angel who refused to become the demon his brethren had. And so he dwelt in the land of Adam's legacy as a Guardian of the Sons and daughters of that legacy. He defended humanity's interest in the war of Angels and Demons for he felt such a race as humanity was above Lucifer and Jehovah. For a man's fate was up to that man to determine and control and no one else. if he should so choose the philosophies of Lucifer or Jehovah so be it but faith and destiny must be chosen out of their own free will.

And thus he lived amongst humanity in secret for the black feathers of his six wings terrified most people. With the rare exception of Debra who could see past the image he crafted to hide his true form. But she was unknowing of what those black feathers meant, perhaps in a few years time Aeneas would have to leave this idyllic and timeless village for he did not want Debra to ever come to fear him.

Even as they walked the fallen angel thought of leaving. For it would be best perhaps to leave when Debra was still young and thus when she grew older could be convinced the image of Steve she saw was nothing but a childhood fantasy.