Face of Eternity : The Little Angel

Whenever Mr. Angel could be seen in the mirror-like surface of the glowing water, a demonic looking face stared back at him, mimicking everything he did, like an evil reflection bent on mocking his mannerisms.

What was more or less weirder for me personally, was that when I actually took a good look at my own reflection, I appeared to be smiling with my eyes closed and my heart glowing white. It almost looked like I was sleeping inside the water.

“What in the world?” I uttered, splashing my hand into the reflection and causing a major distortion in the rising liquid wall. I reached a little further in, curious how far I could go.

A surprise awaited me when I actually touched my own hand inside the water.

“Woah!” I jumped back. “That's crazy!”

It was like a version of myself was trapped inside there, unable or unwilling to escape. She looked so peaceful.

I wondered if Mr. Angel could interact with his demonic self, but his existential crisis kept him from approaching the water. He was very rightfully afraid of seeing those demon features over himself.

“Are you going to be okay?” I asked, noticing his cowering had eased up a little.

“No,” he answered, spooking me a bit with a dreadfully dreary tone. “It’s all coming back to me…my reasons for being here.”

As moments passed, his fear was set aside and he touched the reflection. Little shard-like fragments of light scattered across his body. The fragments cut and seared his skin, leaving rather torn up wounds and burns all over his arms in particular. I closed my eyes when the shards reached his feathers, not sparing them the same burning fate.

He shrieked in pain, but his face eased into acceptance the longer the pain lasted.

“Now I remember,” he uttered, looking at the broken skin over his hands. “I have been cursed for my sins and sought relief for the pain.” He turned to me, the sparkle in his now red shifted eyes completely gone. “Child, your Master has offered me a chance to do away with my many plights. But as you can see, I am in no place to accomplish his requests.”

“My master?” I tilted my head. “Um… But you were fine a few seconds ago. Couldn’t you have done that yourself?”

“This is my true self. I am but a weak fragment of what was. And even had I not been, did I appear to be very active before? I need your help.”

A fragment of what was?

I wasn't sure what he was getting at, but it sounded like if I helped him, he'd be whole again. At least, that’s what it sounded like. But did he deserve my help? This guy wasn't human and really hasn't been very useful, so I didn’t have any obligation to him.

“Why should I help you?” I asked with a skeptical tone.

“Completing my trial will allow us both to leave. Otherwise, we will be stuck here, forever.”

Although I couldn’t remember why, something in the back of my mind was telling me I needed to leave eventually, even though this mysterious land was very beautiful.

“So, what do I need to do to help you?” I asked, concluding it was the best course of action.

“The door below is locked until the trial of sloth begins. You will need to enter into it and face that trial in my stead. When you return, both of us may leave this place.”

Immediately as he finished talking, a grinding sound shook the structure. Stone was scraping against stone, and it sounded like it was coming from where the door was.

I flew back down there, noticing that the door with the gems on it was wide open. But passed that was nothing but a void of black with a white floor leading deep into nothingness.

“What exactly is the trial?” I asked, a bit worried it was some sort of trap.

“Your Master requests that you take the talents he has provided and multiply them, returning the profit here and giving glory to he who started his work in you.”

“What’s a talent?” Was it referring to some skill I had? How exactly could I multiply a skill?

He shook his head, then sat down on the floor. “You’ll need to discover that on your own.”

This was suspicious as heck, but there weren’t many other options to try and find a way out of here. Instead of prolonging the inevitable, I made my way toward the gate.

As I stepped beyond the gem door, I turned back to see Mr. Not-so-Angel was just sleeping. Clearly he didn't care to wait up for me.

Even though this was scary, something inside of me felt warm and comforting, as if this was the right way to go. It spawned some courage in my heart.

As I stepped deeper toward the void, the ground under my feet started to crack like ice.

My wings reactively spawned out, and I tried to fly back to the open door, but a pressure fell down on me and forced me through the thin glass like tiles that made the floor.

I fell and fluttered my way down. The pressure eased the further I was from my previous elevation. Not far below was a road, something like I'd see the humans make for a city.

I landed on the road with a little more grace than my initial fall. Things were very dark, but light was rising on the horizon.

The sun revealed that I had dropped into a town. Was this Verrenville? I'd never seen it before.

At a first glance, things looked normal. Building walls had smooth stone bricks piled high to keep them standing. Lamps ran across sidewalks, some of them beginning to turn off with the morning light. Condos ran across both sides of the road, providing housing for people to stay in. There were other little details I'd come to expect from a lived-in human area. But something was off about this place.

Getting a closer look at the walls, some of the mortar lines in the bricks didn't line up at all and actually looked pretty janky. It made a lot of the bricks look misshapen and warped. If I hadn't been paying attention, it wouldn't have been obvious.

The lamps above also had some weird things going on. Some of them had two bulbs, other's had inconsistent groves on their poles. heck, a few areas just didn't have lamps at all.

Imagine a procedurally generated town, but it was made by a computer that only had composite images to go by. At a fair mid range distance, things looked fine. But get too close, and imperfections could be seen.

In all honesty, it reminded me of being in a dream. Things are just normal enough that you don't really care to question them.

Anyways, I did come here to face a trial. So what was it?

“There you are!” Some guy shouted from the building I was looking at. “Get inside. We have mail to deliver!”

There's no chance the trial was about mail! What did that have to do with anything?

“Um... Excuse me?” I pointed to myself. “Are you talking to me?”

“You see anyone else here?” He shook his head, disapprovingly. “You’re our new hire. So chop chop! It's time to work!”

“Work?” Apparently, I was already in uniform and didn't even notice.

I followed the man into the assumed post office building, being led into a storage room with many stacks of boxes and letters.

“Sir, I’m actually here for a trial.”

“No, you’re here to do your job.” The guy handed me a cardboard package. “So get out there and start delivering.”

If the trial was just to send this box to someone, it was going to be super easy. Their address was on it and everything. He also gave me a paper map showing where everyone’s homes were.

The house that this box was going to was just down the street, so it would only take me about a few minutes to run there and back. Easy stuff!

“I’ll be back in a jiffy!” I put on my working hat and saluted, then sprinted out the post office door.

The sidewalks were pretty clear at this early hour. I ran down them and quickly placed the package at the doorstep. Then I rang the doorbell so they’d know I was here.

And that’s it! A job well done, if I do say so myself.

“I’m back!” I said with a smile, returning to the post office.

“Alright. On to the next one.”

He pointed to a storage room where a guy was lugging a big sack of mail. It looked like something Santa would put on a sleigh and carry around the world.

“Does he have to deliver all those boxes?” I asked. “That’s a lot. He can't even hold them all.”

The manager guy chuckled in amusement, then put his hand on my back and pushed me toward it.

“That pile is all yours.”

“You mean, this is a gift for me?”

Maybe Santa came by and actually dropped off all my presents early this year! I was really excited. Maybe this trial wasn't so bad after all if this was my reward.

“What are you, five?” The manager's brow raised.

“Seven, actually,” I nodded.

“Alright… Well that’s actually your quota for the day.”

Quota? FOR THE DAY?! Oh my gosh. Was he actually trying to say I had to deliver all those packages? There had to be like 200+ in that bag!

“But, I don't wanna deliver all those.”

“Too bad!” The manager yelled at me. “You want to get paid, right? Get delivering!”

I started crying at how pushy he was being about this. What a jerk! Unfortunately, like he said, I wouldn't get paid if I didn’t work. And I had a feeling that pay was going to be the end of this trial.

“Fine! I'll do it.” I stormed over there and tried tugging on the sack of mail, but this was ridiculously heavy. There wasn’t a chance I could drag it around and deliver everything.

I needed to think of a way to get this to each of the doorsteps. Even one of these packages was pretty big for me, so I'd only be able to carry about two or three max.

Normally, mailmen carry their boxes around in little trucks, but I was too young to drive, so they made me do it on foot.

I ran up and down the first street to deliver anything from packages to newspapers, then heading back to the office to get the next batch of mail. I was specifically looking for anything that was meant for this particular area, that way I could at least do small chunks of the town at a time.

Once I'd delivered packages to the dozen or so on this street, I wanted to move on to the next, but that meant I'd have to cross a busy street without a traffic light. The infrastructure in this town was a joke.

Instead of walking, it was time to cover more ground with my wings. I took to the skies, increasing my speed and unlocking new areas for myself.

My stamina was starting to take a major hit from all the rushing around. On the second street, even after the first package, I was totally drained. My strength was at its limits and I was panting like a sick dog.

“This isn't going to work…” I sat down against someone's fence to catch my breath.

I didn't know if it was just me, but this tiring work was not going well. Surely my manager wouldn't pile on more work than I could handle, right? Could I have been doing it wrong? Maybe I was going too fast and not pacing myself.

I started thinking a little about how I had been sprinting back and forth to every location, doubling or tripling up on boxes, solely driven by the desire to get this over with as quick as possible. It made the packages feel all the more heavy and plentiful, like the pile of work would never end.

Part of me wanted to just stay here and forget I had a job to do. It felt so nice letting my mind and muscles get a chance to rest and relax, not worrying about an endless amount of work I didn't even want to do.

But what sort of thought was that? I wasn't made to be lazy. Humanity needed a defender, and what good would I be if I didn't want to help them all? I might be little now, but one day I'll be big enough to save the world.

“I should take it slow for now.”

If I wanted to get this over with, I needed to be more realistic and sustainable. It might take more time, but it was worth being able to work for longer.

Now with a more patient mindset, I rose up and dusted myself off from all the box crumbs my shirt and pants were covered in.

I leisurely flew back to the post office, gathering one box this time and flying to the next destination, letting the wind glide me along with it. It was a much less taxing journey.

Unfortunately, my boss didn't seem to think so. He claimed I was taking too long to get things out, but he was a doo-doo head, so the best I could do was pick up the pace a little.

~☆☆☆~

“Alright… Next box goes to a...Fiona Ripley.”

I knocked on her door a few times, then when she didn’t answer, I left the box there. But before I could leave, the door startled me as it opened and I saw a grumpy looking lady pick up the box and scowl at me.

“Is this a joke? This isn't mine!”

“Yes it is,” I argued. “You're Fiona Ripley, right?”

She confirmed that was her name, but she continued to claim the box wasn't hers. I swear to God, that box had her name and address on it. But she kept insisting that it wasn’t for her.

Oddly, when I looked at the box from here, the letters that made her name were scrambled and nearly illegible.

“This isn't mine!” The woman shouted at me as she tossed the package down and stomped on it.

*Crash!*

There must have been glass in there! What was she thinking?

“Hey!” I shouted as I started tearing up. “Why would you do that?”

“This stupid box isn’t mine! So I don’t care what happens to it!”

The lady proceeded to curse at me with a fowl mouth that rivaled Indena’s vulgar speak.

Wait… Indena?

Suddenly, the woman standing before me with a sassy pose was Indena.

“Oi, Shrimp? You just gonna stand there and stare at me like that? It's weird, wide eyes.”

“Buh…” I was speechless at the sudden transformation. It was as quick as a blink, like they'd just traded places. “Where did Fiona go?”

“Huh? Fiona… The hell’s that?”

She didn't seem to know what was going on any more than I did. But hey, she was here now.

“N-never mind.” I took her hand and tugged her down to the sidewalk. “Listen, an angel, who isn't really an angel, told me I had to do a trial…”

“Get to the point.” Indena interrupted, rolling her hand.

“Don't be a butt head!” I stomped my foot. “I need your help. If I can't deliver a ton of packages, I won't get paid. Then we can't get out of here!”

She leaned down and gave me a suspicious look. Then her head nodded and she smiled.

“That’s all I needed to hear. I got your back,” she said, bringing me a great deal of relief. Now I had an extra body to help me carry these heavy things around.

I gave her a hug, since I was so relieved not to be alone in this fight anymore.

“Hey, don't get all gushy.” She put her arms around me. “We're gonna’ be fine. Put on a tough look and face this problem head on.”

“Right,” I nodded.

~☆☆☆~

Thanks to Indena, the package delivery was going twice as fast, just as I'd hoped. She wasn't afraid to get in people's faces and force things on them, even when they claimed something about it was wrong. It was pretty funny, but I had a feeling we’d be losing our jobs pretty soon once the phone calls started rolling out to the office.

While scavenging through the seemingly endless amount of mail in the sack, I managed to pull out a package that had a funky address on it. It definitely wasn’t meant for anyone in this town.

When I investigated a bit further, I was told that I'd have to stick a stamp on the front and ship it off. Apparently someone at the front counter would provide one for us.

The lady at the counter was boredly using a big pair of scissors to cut star shapes out of paper. When we approached, she looked a little nervous.

“A…oh. Hello.” She sounded like we'd caught her doing something bad. “W-what can I do for the two of you?”

“We need one stamp, please.” I held up the package. “It's to ship this box.”

The woman nodded once she realized our purpose, then pulled out a stamp and rang it up at the register, as if we needed to pay for it.

“Oi, we work here,” Indena spoke up. “Why are we paying for it?”

“Someone has to.” the lady looked nervous. “It’ll just come out of your pay.”

“Give me a break, you dits!” Indena yelled at her. “Ain’t no way we’re paying for that!”

Good grief… Indena was being mean to her. It's like how she was with Yamin.

Yamin?

The girl behind the counter was Yamin now. Or, maybe she always was? I don't know anymore.

“Sparkle Face, You gonna give us the stamp or what?” Indena held out her hand, expecting no less than a free stamp.

“Er…” Yamin handed the stamp over and looked very confused doing it. “Here you go?” She turned to me. “Since when did I get a job?”

It seems like she was just as dumbstruck as me. Indena didn’t notice the difference, but whatever.

“Listen, Yamin, we need you here,” I told her, jumping up and down a few times. “We've got packages to deliver, and we need all the help we can get.”

“Noodle arms can't do anything.” Indena claimed. “Just forget her and let's get going.”

“Hang on!” Yamin held up a roll of stamps from under the counter. “Do you guys need more of these? I've got a ton of these under here.”

There might have been more boxes that needed to be shipped. In that case, I figured it might be best to have Yamin go find and prepare them all for shipping. That would be a huge help.

“If you can, that would be great,” I told her.

“To be honest,” Yamin snickered, “I’m not sure what my job is here. So helping you out sounds a little easier.”

“This job has been anything but easy,” Indena rolled her eyes.

I could agree with that. But having a few extra hands has been a real blessing. I’m not sure I could have gotten this done without them.

There was still a lot more to deliver. We weren’t even halfway done, so it was back to work.

~☆☆☆~

At last! The final package was delivered!

Indena and I returned back to the office, proudly smiling as we both dropped to the ground, back to back.

“What a day…” she uttered.

“You said it.” I replied.

The manager walked up to us, coupling and caressing his hands like he had some mischievous news to share with us.

“And now, we do it all again,” he smirked.

“What?” The first time was enough to completely put me out of commission. I wouldn't have gotten it all done if it weren't for my friends helping. Plus it was the end of the day, and I just wanted to hit the hay. Maybe even eat if I had a few minutes. “I wanna go home. It's going to get dark out soon.” I gestured to the sunset sky outside.

But the manager shook his head. “oh, since when do sunsets come from the east?”

No way is that east. He’s off his rocker…

As proof, he lowered his hand, revealing a compass resting in his palm. Only north was indicated on the device.

East is to the right of north, and sure as the sun was rising, he was correct.

Based on that, his implication was that I'd been working for 24 hours straight and hadn't even realized it. Now it was time to do it all over again!

The manager saw the defeat in my eyes, taking it as a sign of compliance.

“Can I at least get some breakfast first?” I asked.

“How can you eat if we haven't paid you yet?”

“Ahh crap…” Indena and I both cursed together.

Back in the storage room, the guy from before dragged out another sack of mail.

“This one’s even heavier…” he complained, but threw it over his shoulder and lugged it over. I bet Marek could easily tug that bag of mail around.

Marek…

Just like with the others, Marek appeared in place of the guy holding that bag. Suddenly, the sack of mail was trivial for him.

“Où suis-je” He looked around, completely confused, then lowered the bag to look into it. “Mail?”

I immediately had a good idea. If Marek could bring around the sack of boxes, we could cut our time in half by not having to come back to the post office!

“Marek!” I sprung up and tugged on his arm. “Follow me! Bring that bag with you.”

“Uh…” he had a goofy smile on his face. “Alright…”