And the angels which kept not their first estate
But left their own habitation, HE has kept in everlasting chains
Under darkness, until the final judgement
Jude 1:6
As they approached the Milky Way, towards heaven and the Father, Ethjab observed the beauty of creation.
He could never get enough of it's splendor. Every planet, ..to the most minute, sang a different song which collectively sounded like a well orchestrated and unified mass choir.
Every corner of the universe was filled with the Son's glory. And it was all unfathomable joy.
Though his two escorts glued themselves to his side, they needn't have had to. He would not have dared to escape, ..and miss the spectacular display in front of him right now ? .
And there was still heaven to behold once again, ..at least from afar.
It was torture to be going back, ..but to see it again, even from afar, ...would be worth it.
Ages past, when the exile of the fallen began, Ethjab had longed hopelessly for home.
And now he was going back_even if it was for a brief short moment .
They flew past a frozen red planet and into a whirling vortex that seemed to pull them in.
Minutes later, on the other side of the vortex, they beheld a wonderful site.
Heaven, the glorious city of GOD, His angels and saints. It was even more beautiful than Ethjab remembered it . Yet he knew he would not be allowed to enter in.
The threesome landed very close to the southern gate. The same vicinity where the host of heaven trained for battle and groomed their horses.
Without his former comrades giving him so much as a glance, Ethjab was lead into the outer rim Court of the Twenty four elders.
However only five were present and they waited patiently for him to be brought towards their thrones .
Also seated far above the elders was the Father. HE shone so bright that all Ethjab could see were his mighty hands placed motionlessly on his knees.
The great White structure was a simple replica of the real one in the city of gold. It was one out of many judgement rooms located right outside heaven's borders.
Still, one could see within the pearly walls as if through a gigantic screen.
He would have bowed his head in shame for his rebellion, but how he longed to see the splendor before him once again.
"Eli'mene'naj!, you who once made joyful noise unto the LORD, how low you have fallen and why have you deceived the nations so shamelessly,? one of the elders' voices' boomed from above, "you have already been condemned and so also your lord who lead you into rebellion"
Ethjab's whole being shook with deep ache. He hadn't heard his beautiful name spoken in almost five thousand years.
"Now you will once again continue to serve your punishment in the pit" announced another elder, "but first you will be allowed to address the Father"
The fallen angel fell on his knees and bowed low. Loud sorrowful mumblings flowed from his mouth as he remembered his beginnings_his home, forever lost to him.
But now, as it was after he was cast out, ..there was no hope.
"What can I say to my Maker whom I betrayed" Ethjab cried out in anguish, "I left my glorious domain appointed to me and fought against my Creator , ohhh ..woe unto me for I am doomed , my glory and power forever gone from me. Even my Father cannot look down at me for HE who is holy does not behold iniquity!".
Silence prevailed in the assembly for a long period of time. Then all the elders glanced at one another and nodded.
"It is time Eli'mene'naj ," declared the fifth elder, standing up and stretching his right hand towards the golden doors. He gazed at Jerub who stood behind Ethjab all the while.
Jerub, as if on cue, reached down and pulled Ethjab up by the arm, "Stand Eli'mene'naj, your time is up, your evil reign over the mountains is finally over. You are to serve your sentence in the pits of Uranus till the day of the LORD's wrath".
At this point, Jerub could have been talking to a rock for all Ethjab cared . He heard nothing more.
All he remembered was a once upon a time beautiful eternity that was his.
*********
Saluu awoke in a hospital bed with a piercing pain that ran from one end of his body to another.
He screamed as loud as he could but no sound erupted from his lips. His eyes gradually adapted to the bright fluorescent light above him.
He could barely make out the white form of a nurse who stood by his bed, trying with little success, to take his vitals.
The high priest was able to make out her young face. A pretty face it was, but twisted with fright and disgust. The young lady was visibly shaken, and he quickly guessed what was making her feel uncomfortable.
Saluu tried to move his hands, but nothing happened. Then he tried his legs but also felt nothing.
What was happening to him!
*********
Nurse Clara glared in horror at the sight on the orthopedic bed. It neither looked human or inhuman. It was just a mass of flesh with open sores on almost every inch of it's dark brown skin.
If not for the distinct human features of the head and feet, Nurse Clara would not have believed a man was under all that lump of flesh.
Mabel, the other nurse had vomited up her lunch and gone home sick after some town folk brought him in.
The surgical lights in the operating room had exposed the fleshy mass wrapped up in an old wrapper.
His pulse was so low, even the doctor on duty had refused to operate in an attempt to close up the old man's deep wounds .
No one believed that he would survive till Morning. But it was morning and the old man was still alive.
How this was even possible was beyond her. And there even seemed to be a slight improvement because his eyes were now open.
Yet his sores were so deep. And the putrid smell that they emitted _awww! .
Clara had never smelt anything like it before. The stench of rotten eggs was far better than this.
She held her breath as she leaned towards the man's torso and gently sponged him down with a wet towel.
The sponging did very little to abate the smell and by the time Clara was through, four white towels had become yellow brown from pus and dirt.
She placed them in a plastic bucket beside her feet before spraying the room with an air- freshener .
Still her patient stared at her.
Confused and unblinking eyes shouting out to her from an obviously torn soul.
He looked so lost, yet angry. Only GOD knows what happened to him.
Suddenly, Someone rapped on the door behind her, startling the nurse into dropping the air-spray.
"Oh.. so sorry to rattle you like that" whispered Pastor Jacob, "just came to check on the old man we brought in last night. We were told he was in this room, twelve blue".
Nurse Clara nodded her head in affirmation, "Yes he is" she replied softly, hushing them in. "And wide awake too. We had hoped you would check on him today".
"Hope no problem nurse,?" asked Lydia who stood together with Papa j and Amari.
"No problem at all" said the nurse, " we need his personal data because nothing is
showing in our records about the name you dropped yesterday, ..Saluu right?"
"Yes, but I think you should open a new file for him" said Papa j
Amari stepped closer to the bed and glanced up at the nurse hopefully, "if you don't mind, can we have a word or two with him?"
"I I ..don't think that would be wise right now" nurse Clara stammered, " the doctor wouldn't want anyone stressing this particular patient for now"
"We have spoken to him already" Lydia interrupted, " and he has allowed us fifteen minutes with the patient"
The nurse was still visibly uneasy but knew she had to obey the doctor's orders . She collected all the cleaning items she had used to sponge the old man down and quietly excused herself from the room.
Pastor Jacob closed the door behind her as the ladies pulled up plastic chairs placed by the side of the wall and sat beside the bed, their hands each covering their mouth and nose.
Pastor Jacob stood behind the two women as he lead them in prayer.
All Saluu could do was to glare at them. The old man was shocked that the very people he sort to kill now stood over his smelly rotten body interceding for him.
============To be continued==============