Ethereal

Chapter 17

I thought back to my countless history lessons, and all the depictions of angels that have been around for centuries, had Noah been a part of that? "Okay... I'm guessing that means super old." 

He laughed, "Compared to you, I suppose." He continued to pull me along, I was wary about having to wade through the mist, but it was no different to walking along the pavement at home. "We were created around the time of Earth's creation. We were there to witness the first life, the first humans. They were created in our image." 

"Super old." I muttered to myself again, and I noticed Noah smile in response. "What's down there? On the other side of the... island." 

He frowned at my use of the word island (though I wasn't sure what else to call it), "You can't see?"

"Um, should I be able to?" 

"Hmm, I suppose you can't see as well as we can. Down there is the gates of Heaven, that's where the humans go, once they have passed on. Up here is where the angels reside, that's the Reading, the building you were just in. A courtroom, is what you'd call it, I believe. It's where the portal to Earth is, though I guess you know that." 

"Is the portal used a lot?" I questioned. "If it's the only one, how come I never came across an angel before?" 

"The portal is the only way out, but it isn't the only way in. Entilin is just one of many human portals." He answered. "I doubt it has been used before in your lifetime." 

"Oh." I nodded, I guess there wasn't usually much reason for angels to go to Entilin of all places. "So, what is there to do round here?"

Noah smiled down at me, "Well, that's why I'm here. To be your tour guide." 

As we walked further, we came across a river that cut directly across the cloudsoil. The riverbed was all white, like everything seemed to be here aside from the plants, so the water appeared turquoise, similar to what you might see in a swimming pool. 

On one end, the water dropped off the edge into a waterfall that fell far down into the clouds below. Looking in the water, I noticed there to be no signs of life, no fish that I could see. Did they have animals here? 

On the other side, the water seemed to pool out of a short wall of stacked rocks, with no obvious source within them. The sound of the water running was soothing, especially given there were no other sounds that I could hear.

"Where does it go?" I asked, gazing out towards the waterfall, it seemed to fall right into the clouds. Noah pulled me further silently, until we were stood above the river on a bridge, made of the same white marble that had been inside the Reading. The mist stayed low to the ground, so it didn't cover the bridge - it was a relief to be able to see my feet again. Though I noticed that it seemed to be repelled by the water - they didn't mix, it kept to the edges, unable to cross the river. 

Noah dropped my hand for a moment, going back onto the cloudsoil and reaching down to scoop something up. When he returned, he was holding a small, perfectly round pebble. I wondered if he was able to see through the mist that obscured my vision, he had had no trouble locating a stone within it. 

He made sure I was watching, and took a hold of my hand again before dropping the pebble into the river with a quiet thud. I watched carefully as it wound its way down before reaching the waterfall, disappearing over the edge. 

"Where-" I was going to repeat my question, but Noah gently spun me around til I was facing the stacked rocks where the water seemed to pour out. After a couple of seconds, the pebble popped out of a crevice in the rocks with a gentle pop. "Oh." I gasped in surprise. "That's... amazing."