Page 39 of Revelations

Tenderly guide me, for I am thy child.

Beautiful angel, my guardian so mild,

Tenderly guide me, for I am thy child.

The lyrics from the Sunday School Hymn Book of the Sisters of the Notre Dame washed over her in a soothing wave. True peace, like none that she hadever known, permeated her soul.

With her hands folded, she prayed.Why, God, why do you entrust me as a guardian for your people, especially when I feel that I’m the one in need of guiding?

“God chose you for his own reasons. We all must help guide each other.” Her eyes shot open at the very real low baritone answer.

A dark shadow blocked out all light as she craned her neck to look up. The voice belonged to a tall, elegantly dressed man in a creamy white cloak, his face hidden under a hood. He could have been a monk, but she had never seen monks wear such finery. Perhaps he was a priest? But no, that answer did not feel right, either.

Her throat constricted. Greylyn croaked, “Who are you? How do you know me?”

With a slight flick of his wrist, the man reached up to draw back his hood. He appeared older, but not old. His hair showed no signs of graying. No wrinkles etched into his smooth, golden face, with sparkling emerald eyes that matched her own. An ancient wisdom waswhat she saw when she looked into his face.

The man sat next to her and reached for her hand, squeezing it slightly. There was no warmth, neither was there a chill.

“My dear. I have known you since before you were conceived. Your soul has existed since the beginning of time itself.”

Impossible as it sounded, Greylyn knew he spoke the truth.

“I know you grow weary. All of God’s creatures do. There is not one that holds up all of the time under the stress and strain of existence. Humans, for the most part, do their best but are not built to withstand such battles as you face. Even celestial beings must renew their strength from time to time. It is faith that compels us onward, to never cease. And I am here to encourage and uplift you. Your path, although convoluted as it may seem, is righteous.”

She could not stop staring into his eyes. His words, honestly, she could not tell if he spoke them out loud or telepathically into her soul.

“I cannot give you all of the answers, but I am here to guide you. I always have been and I always will be.”

“So you’re like the guardian angel to the guardian angel?” She did not mean to sound flippant, but was that not essentially what he had just said?

He chuckled, his perfect teeth shone, and his eyes danced. Greylyn found herself smiling back at him. There was something familiar about this man, but something foreign, as well. She could not place the feeling. Had they met before?

“Well, I suppose you could say that, yes.”

“That’s reassuring, I guess.” Greylyn looked up toward the front of the sanctuary.

No one appeared to take notice of them talking in a back pew. The choir continued to sing. The priest waved his arms in unison with the music.

“So do you have a name, Mister Guardian of Guardian Angels?”

“Gabriel. They call me Gabriel.”

This news sank in for a moment. Her breath caught in her throat.

THE Gabriel? The same archangel that it’s written appeared to the Virgin Mary? THAT Gabriel?

“Yes, dear. That Gabriel,” he answered her unspoken question.

The music faded away. She only heard the rush of her own blood pulsating through her ears.

THAT Gabriel!

She had so many questions, but none formed in her mind. How long had she waited for a face-to-face with a true angel for just this opportunity? Her lips opened to speak, but she dared not even breathe.

Deep within, a comforting warmth washed over her, even as her brain struggled for acceptance. If she believed him, which she did implicitly, he was an archangel. And not just any run-of-the-mill archangel—Gabriel!

Surely, he could help her. He would certainly know about the prophecy, right? He could rid her of her weaknesses. Banish Kael from her mind? Could he do that?

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