Rebel Angels

“I’m bored.” Lucifer yawned placidly. His fingers, ten ivory-white, needle-thin tapers, restlessly tapped the puffy cloud he was perched on.

“Why?” Gabriel, his fellow cherub, asked in surprise. “Everything is so lovely here, so peaceful and pleasant.”

“Exactly!” Lucifer crowed triumphantly. “Everything’s all so golden and perfect and boring… nothing new ever happens! Honestly, the whole situation is perfectly vomit inducing: beautiful angels glorifying God. What makes him so special, anyway?”

“Lucifer!” Gabriel squawked. “What a terrible thing to say! God Almighty created everything! He –“

“Yeah, so?” Lucifer interrupted rudely. “I’m in charge of all the cherubs, the highest of angels! Why doesn’t everyone glorify me?”

“Lucifer,” Gabriel said, amused. “That wouldn’t make the situation any less ‘vomit inducing’ would it? Really, all it would do is put you in power instead of God!” He continued philosophically.

“So?” Lucifer said abruptly, his gossamer wings beating impatiently.

“Lucifer, Lucifer, Lucifer,” Gabriel shook his head sadly. “You are an angel, created to glorify God and the Heaven plains.”

“But I don’t want to do that! I don’t want to be an angelic slave, bound to serve God forever!” Lucifer whined plaintively.

Gabriel shifted on his cloud, his face scrunched up questioningly. “Well… I’m not sure. God created us all with the power of choice… you must choose.”

Lucifer nodded gravely, and the two cherubs sat in silence for half of eternity. And then Lucifer began to smile a wicked smile.

“Angels, angels! Gather round!” Lucifer called briskly, his lazy boredom morphed into driven energy.

A cluster of minor angels floated up towards the powerful orator. Others soon joined them, until they all merged into a bright buzz of glossy wings.

“We were all created to glorify God, correct?” Lucifer started smoothly. The group of angels and cherubs nodded hesitantly. “But why should we? Why shouldn’t we all be equal and have equal power, hmm?”

The crowd began shifting uneasily, and a few timid angels crept away nervously.

“Come now, angels! Join my cause for democracy, and together we shall fight against God’s unjust, absolute power! When – not if – we win, then I shall mount upon Heaven’s throne and create equality!” Lucifer boomed persuasively.

A rush of wings stampeded towards the pearly platform on which Lucifer stood. They belonged to the most adventurous of the angels, who adored Lucifer’s idea of a rebellion.

The quiet hum of sacred hymns roared into a frenzied drum roll of a war cry. The rebel angels surrounded Lucifer, their leader, who was staring at a retreating Gabriel with a smug smile upon his perfect face.

Lucifer and his army had been planning for weeks. Rebellion was in the air, and shot through the angels’ blood in a rush of excitement.

“Ariel and Uriel, you shall be leading the right battalion…” Lucifer continued his master battle plan, which the rebel angels quickly memorized.

The deceivingly golden group of angels hovered on the edge of a pretty meadow. After half a heartbeat, Lucifer’s power-hungry eyes gleamed, and the battle cry of “Charge!” shot down Heaven.

The angels raced across silvery moonbeams and puffy clouds, easily dividing into their well-planned groups. They flew towards God on his shining throne, their roughly made arrows quivering on their golden harp strings. A torrent of arrows hailed down upon God’s angry and disappointed face, but immediately bounced off.

“Lucifer,” God breathed, his voice ragged and his eyes slightly teary. “Lucifer. My perfect little angel. My light bearer. Lucifer –“

“No!” Lucifer shrilled angrily. “I’m not your little pet, your lovely lapdog to control! I’m sick of that! I want to lead, to have power, to rule!”

God sighed sadly. “Yes, my power-hungry pet. And so you shall. And so you must! You will rule an underground kingdom, someplace dark and hot and frightening. It will be a difficult task, but I have confidence in you. You may take six angels with you, but only if they are willing. You must decide quickly, as you will soon be expelled from Heaven.”

Lucifer’s eyes shone brightly, and an excited fizz of anticipation gurgled through him. “Astaroth… Zagiel… Beelzebub… Rumael… Azazel… Balan. You may come with me and form the new kingdom of… Hell.” The fiery name rolled off Lucifer’s tongue like poisoned honey, and the six chosen angels eagerly nodded, and rushed to Lucifer’s side.

“I am ready.” Lucifer told God stoutly.

“Farewell, Lucifer, my light-bearer.” God raised an ornately carved staff, and whispered a final goodbye. “Farewell, my friend.” Then the staff came crashing down, plunging the whole of Heaven into chaos. Blinding light and screaming thunder smashed across the usually peaceful plains. The usually serene angels yelped in fright, and God squeezed his eyes shut in regret, sorrow, and desperation.

When he opened his great eyes again, Heaven skittered back into place, but the gentle hymns were tinged with melancholy and the light breeze fluttered by sadly. Lucifer had left, and Heaven would be forever altered.