Chapter Two

My first step to becoming a full-fledged angel was receiving
my new body.

I was apprehensive at first, since I didn't know how this 
was going to happen.  It might sound crazy, but I had this 
mental image of a new body hanging up in a closet just like
you might hang a coat on a coat rack.  I would just pick it 
up and slip into it. Surely this couldn't be what it was 
like.

I was wide-eyed as Seiya led me into heaven. The soft, 
healing light was shining all around, bathing me in its 
warmth. The grass was as green as emeralds, the flowers 
sparkled like jewels. There was a delightful floral scent 
that was the most elegant, luxurious perfume ever made. And 
the streets were actually--yes, you can believe those gospel
hymn writers--made of gold. They shone under the white 
light, and felt as soft as ground underneath my feet.

Seiya led me through the streets, intent on business but 
graciously keeping his 'walk' to a slow pace in order to 
allow me to gaze in wonder at my majestic surroundings. 
Every now and then I'd see or feel another angel passing me 
by, and waves of welcome and encouragement would radiate 
from them. But surprisingly, we were the only two I could 
see for long periods of time.

"Seiya, why aren't there more people...err, angels around 
here?" I asked him.

"This isn't a busy part of town.  It's where most of the 
residences are located, but angels take very few vacations, 
so they aren't around very often." He chuckled. "Think of 
it as the suburbia of heaven."

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"Well, your mansion *is* located here," Seiya told me as I 
simultaneously thought, 'mansion?'

"But we aren't actually going there. We are have another 
place to visit--the Eternal Springs."

The Eternal Springs was a small building, located in the 
center of a cropping of houses that we had just come upon. 
From the outside it was unassuming but oddly imposing. The 
houses around it were made of stone, but the Eternal Springs 
was overlaid with a thin layer of gold. It had no windows 
and a flat roof; it just looked like a small golden block 
in the middle of a heavenly neighborhood.

Seiya led me through the doorway and shut the door, and I 
immediately felt claustrophobic. The room was covered in a 
warm, steamy mist, and the walls had been inlaid with 
cedar--the smell was extremely strong and made me heady, as 
if it were incense. The light was softer here, though I 
couldn't find its source; the mist was too thick in front of 
me.  I could hear the smooth trickling of water like a 
mountain stream and the gentle sound of waves lapping 
against the shore. 

"To receive your new body," Seiya said softly, reverently, 
"you must  go forward.  There is a pool just ahead, and 
submerge yourself in it completely."

"But I can't see it," I said somewhat nervously.

"Trust me."

I did.  I flew towards it , instinctively knowing how once 
Seiya had shown me , slowly.  Almost immediately I felt a 
warm, revitalizing sensation in my feet as I stepped into 
the healing waters.  I kept going forward; the pool was 
sloped evenly downwards, and soon I was up to my waist.  I 
took a deep breath and let myself sink completely beneath 
the surface.

I felt an electric current rush throughout my being, shaping
and forming me as it surged through my body.  I reached out 
with my hand and realized I could move fingers.  I tried to 
kick and discovered I was moving legs.  I arched my back and
could feel my hair whipping around my body, feeling like 
silk to my skin.  I stayed underwater, drinking in the 
warmth and comfort, until I could feel the soothing, 
absolving current dissipate, and then reluctantly began to 
surface. 

I took a deep breath and began to walk on my newly born legs
back towards Seiya.  He was holding out a shimmering, 
pristine white robe in front of him for me to step into.  I 
accepted his help, oddly enough not feeling any 
embarrassment or shame whatsoever at my nakedness.  But in 
heaven, there was no need for the stigma that exists on 
earth.  Humans feel guilt and shame only because we are so 
centered on self that they forget the perfect vision.  We 
were all made in the image of God, and everything He makes 
is beautiful and a tribute to Him.  It is a reason for 
praise, not disgrace.

I tied my robe with a thin braided rope, then shook my hair.
I wore it down, its long golden length falling all the way 
to my ankles.  Silently Seiya walked me over to the door and
we stepped outside.  Out of sheer force of habit, I tilted 
my head upward to drink in the warmth of the light. I took a
deep breath of air.  There was something special about the 
creation of the body...the way it was so intrinsically 
designed and complicated, yet performed each function the 
way it was intended to do.  It's true that on earth this 
reliability was not always the case, leading to tragedy 
like sickness and disease; but that was not the fault of the 
Creator, but the Created.  And now that I had shed my 
earthly body, I knew that my heavenly one would never cause 
me any problems ever again.

Seiya broke through my reverie, gazing at me in admiration.  
"You know, you make a lovely angel," he said softly.

"I bet you say that to all the seraphs," I teased, and he 
laughed. 

"It is true that all newly born angels are beautiful," he 
admitted, "but you're so...so..." 

He paused, then broke off.  "Well, as you can imagine, there 
are a few differences between abiding in a heavenly body 
than a temporal one.  And it's my job to teach you how to 
utilize those differences.  Would you like to start your 
training?"

Any of my previous misgivings had been completely 
obliterated by the moment.  "Am I ever," I told him.  He 
flashed me a wide, boyish grin, and I was suddenly aware of 
how nice his smile was.   I flushed and looked away.

"We begin our training by going back to the beginning," he 
said cryptically, then flashed me another smile and 
clarified.  "That is, would you care to go back to earth?"

I felt a nervous flutter in my stomach.  How *did* I feel 
about this?  I would spend my present with constant 
reminders of my past all around me.  A twinge of insecurity 
nagged me.  I hadn't known who I was then, and still didn't 
know now.  Who was I, anyway?

I would never find out if I never even started the journey.  
And earth was as good a place as any to begin.  "Why not?"  
I said, hiding my feelings with a casual shrug of my 
shoulders and another grin.  "I haven't got an eternity."
	
"Oh," Seiya said with a laugh, "I wouldn't count on that. 
But you're right.  Let's go."

He took my hand, and I expected to start flying again.  I 
tried to prepare myself but suddenly the world around me 
shifted.  My heart leapt up to my throat as my surroundings 
spun around me in a dizzying kaleidoscope and I opened my 
mouth to scream, but before I could..

...we were gone.