Heaven’s Tears

The Sad Angel…

Sometimes, those watching down from Heaven are affected by what they see here on Earth in ways that cannot easily be described.  One such as this was the angel, Ria.  Ria was no Archangel such as Azrael, she had no special duties to perform, Ria had no special charges upon Earth such as the angels Stemasta or Korill had, no, Ria was just an angel who spent all her time watching down upon the inhabitants of Earth and taking a great interest in as many lives as she could.  Ria sat each day on the comfort of her cloud looking down on the Earth.  Her golden hair was long enough that it covered most of her back, some strands draped over her beautiful white wings.  Ria’s face was as the saying goes, the face of an angel.  Butter truly wouldn’t melt in this mouth.  Delicately blushed cheeks radiated beauty, perfectly red lips that shamed the most lovely of rose petals and Ria’s eyes…  Her eyes shone with that immortal light of purity, almost unimaginable to mortal man.  Ria’s eyes were the deepest of blue and literally sparkled between her long lashes.  Day after day, month after month, decade after decade, Ria watched.  Over the years she sat through many different emotions; she was concerned, frustrated, she laughed her angelic laugh and she cried her angelic tears, but always she watched. 

Slowly over the years, Ria had become more and more emotionally attached to the lives of those she watched and during her viewing Ria had grown to care greatly for some of the lives she viewed.  Now at this time, as Ria began to take special interest in but a few lives, she slowly found herself caring more and more for just one of those lives in particular; the life of Daniel Turner.  This mortal man was kind and generous.  He was an average man in may ways; average job, living alone in an average home.  Daniel was not happy with his life but at the same time he was not unhappy.  He was merely contented with the way things were and did not try to change them.  Ria enjoyed this about Daniel for in his boring and uncomplicated life, Daniel had a lot of spare time.  In this time Ria had discovered that Daniel day-dreamed, only these weren’t ordinary day dreams, these were pure and beautiful thoughts.  Daniel did not fantasise about the women in his office, or about being rich and famous, no, his dreams were far simpler and far, far more imaginative.  Daniel’s mind was open and Ria had long been a visitor. 

It was a day like any other for Daniel and as usual, without his knowing it, he was being watched from a far by Ria.  Daniel sat at his desk by the window of his busy office and began to take his usual mid morning dream.  As he stared out of the window, he didn’t see the dreary skies of his city, he saw the most beautiful and perfect landscape that could be imagined.  He saw lazy clouds drifting across an ever changing sunset, he felt the soft sand beneath his bare feet, he listened to the gentle brushing if the waves against the shore of the beach he was on and he felt the cooling gentle breeze on his skin and blowing through his hair. 

Ria loved sharing this dream with Daniel, she loved sharing in the sensations he imagined, for in Heaven, there was no sand and no shore.  Ria loved her cloud dearly and Heaven itself was far too perfect to be described in words, even by an angel, but Ria wanted more and in Daniel’s imaginings she found it. 

Ria stayed with Daniel as he dreamt his way through the day.  As usual, there was seldom a moment during Daniel’s dreams that Ria was not smiling.  As Ria casually laid upon her cloud, facing down to Earth, she rested he chin in her hands and swayed her feet above the backs of her legs.  Her soft white wings were draped across her shoulders and her back like a comforting blanket.  Daniel was not dreaming at the moment, for the time had come for him to travel home. 

Daniel concentrated as he sat behind the wheel of his little car, it was one of the few times when Daniel wouldn’t be dreaming, so Ria was waiting patiently for him to arrive at his home and start his dreaming once more.  Ria gave a deep sigh as she watched her favourite mortal and as she did, she began to have a small dream of her own.  What if I were to feature in Daniel’s dreams? she wondered.  Would he have feelings for me?  As Ria pondered these thoughts she began to fantasise about what love with a mortal would be like.  It must be different from the pure love given, shared and received by everyone in Heaven, after all, mortals hold much more value in that feeling passion…  Ria had never felt passion and her thinking walked along those lines, those trails that lead to the physical attraction so easily succumbed to by mortals. 

Stemasta, a fellow angel and dear friend to Ria had once told her that passion can lead to some of the greatest feelings that a mortal can experience.  Ria had questioned Stemasta for some time about these feelings, but the other had been unable to fully explain them to her.  Stemasta had shown Ria some the passion felt by his charges and Ria had seen their sheer ecstasy both in their hearts and on their faces.  That it was love she was sure, but an entirely different kind to that which she had experienced, for Ria, unlike Stemasta and some of the others had never ventured to Earth to live out a life time and being a pure angel, her soul had never previously been mortal.  Ria had watched as some of the mortals had been passionate together, but until Stemasta had shown her his charges she had always thought that passion was nothing more than another name for lust, a messy, vulgar thing and she had wanted nothing more to do with it.  But since Stemasta’s example, the gentle and sensual love that his mortal charges had been feeling, Ria had slowly grown more curious. 

What would passion be like?  Could Daniel ever show me physical love?  I have never seen him love anyone in any physical way before…

Ria’s dreams and thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a most horrid sight.  Down below her on Earth, Daniel’s little car was driving along the road, when another man lost control of the huge truck he was driving.  The truck had been going too fast as it was and now the monstrous thing swerved uncontrollably across into Daniel’s path.  Daniel tried to avoid it but time was too short and the side of Daniel’s car struck the truck with a bone crunching impact.  Daniel’s car spun around again and again before finally flying off of the road all together and landing in a crumpled heap within a small cluster of bushes and trees. 

Ria sat bolt upright and looked down wide eyed and shocked at the scene before her.  Then Ria’s fears were realised as she saw Azrael down at the side of the car.  Azrael, the angel of death had come to safely escort Daniel on his journey. 

Ria watched shaking her head, refusing to believe that her favourite mortal, a man she had dared to dream about, was no longer a man.  No longer did he have his body, no longer would he dream of those beautiful things that Ria loved so much.  And now, Ria would never be able to be a part of those dreams again. 

Daniel stood beside Azrael now and Ria saw the puzzled look upon his spiritual face.  A short time later Daniel seemed to accept what Azrael said to him and the two left together fading from Ria’s sight.

Ria sat, still completely stunned by the events of the past few moments.  As the finality of what had just happened set in and the realisation that Daniel’s life was over registered with her, she felt a great sadness at the thought that her favourite man was no longer alive.  Then quite unexpectedly, Ria felt something that angels seldom feel; a single tear formed at the edge of one of Ria shimmering eyes.  Her tear broke free and rolled down the angel’s perfect face.  This tiny droplet reached the edge of the Ria’s cheek and still she had not stirred.  As the tear fell from the sad angel, it passed through the cloud.  Downwards did the tear fall, down, down, down through the evening sky.  For anyone looking up to Heaven at the time, the tear was visible and could easily have been mistaken for a falling star as it sparkled through its decent.  The tear continued on its little journey until finally; splat!