4.5.2007
The Shaded Angel 2: The Gatehouse
The Shaded Angel 2: The Gatehouse by Kris Schmidt No one said anything but we were all mystified and confused as to where we were. One of us noticed that there was an open door on the left side of the room near the opening. Beyond the doorway we could see the green leaves of trees and a sandstone sidewalk. We all walked over to it and peered through the doorway. Everything beyond the doorway looked normal and quite inviting; a sidewalk lined with vibrant trees, blue skies with small puffy clouds, the air smelled clean and crisp while the air inside the room was stale. To the right of the scene we could see a small stone temple with wide open steps and large stone columns at the top. We were very surprised to see people there; Ordinary looking people dressed just as we were, some kneeled down praying on the steps and others simply looking up at the temple seemingly in adoration. A girl in our group said, "Look, there are people. Let's join them." But I and some others felt a strong sense of urgency not to pass beyond the doorway. I grabbed her by the arm before she could enter. "No", I said, "They are not people." At the sound of my voice the people at the temple turned at looked at us. We were horrified to see that their eyes were completely black, and when we looked into their eyes we felt an overpowering sense of fear and fatigue. We all backed away from the door and the people did not approach us. Suddenly we heard moaning behind us. There was a small boy on the floor near where we had appeared. He was on his back writhing and convulsing in some kind of fit. As we approached him he suddenly let out a guttural noise. Some of us backed away in fear, but I and a few others moved to the boy's side. When he looked at us we could see that his eyes were darkened. As he continued to twist in agony we realized that he was slowly being dragged by an unseen force toward the platform at the opening. We knew then that if something wasn't done he would become like the people of the temple. At once we knew what to do. I placed my hand on his forehead and began to pray. I prayed to God and asked for the boy's salvation. I began to feel slightly drained, but as I did the boy seemed to improve. Steadily he stopped moaning and his eyes began to brighten. Soon he was fine and I removed my hand. He looked up and me and smiled. I helped him up and the others came to us, looking the boy over and hugging him. He was now aware of everything we were aware of; he was one of us. There was another sound and we saw a woman appear on the left. She was in the same condition as the boy- convulsing on the ground and making dark, evil sounds. Then behind us a man appeared, he too was afflicted. One by one more people began to appear, and they were all in the throes of agony and under the influence of a malevolence power. We knew then that we would have to help them, as many as we could. We each rushed to a victim. By laying our hands on them and praying we were able to free them of the dark force and end their pain. The ones we helped became one of us and in turn began to help others. Soon our group was growing larger, but as it did more people would appear. It seemed that we were always pressed; there were barely enough people to help as those who needed it. Some of the victims got very close to the platform before they were liberated of their burden. The original group, including me, also noticed that we were tiring; the strain on our mind and our soul was strong. But we continued, and food and drink were occasionally made available. I was sweating profusely; I seemed to be working as hard as I possibly could because I could not shake a strong feeling of discouragement that seemed to permeate my mind. I noticed that the others shared my burden as well. We decided that whatever was harming the victims was trying to exact control over us as well. The thought pushed us forward with renewed vigor. There was a girl who appeared that was so strongly under the influence that one by one we tried to help her, but no one could succeed. She was screaming, her voice was strangely mixed with deviant sounds, snarling and howling, and her limbs would bend in unnatural ways. She was moving toward the platform much faster than the others, but still no one could help her. Feeling the desperation of the group I rushed to her side. I fought her flailing arms and put my hands upon her heart. I prayed over and over, but I was too drained. She was almost upon the platform and my soul cried out for help. A spark appeared in my mind and within was the answer. I called out to my brethren who came to my side. Together we linked hands, forming a circle around the girl. With the essence of all those connected to me, I then reached out and touched her. The essence was so strong that a burst of blue-white light exploded from within her, knocking us back. She stopped thrashing and was suddenly still. We watched in awe as her eyes, nearly black, suddenly gleamed with white light, and then settled back to their normal state. As she got up we all hugged her and wept in exultation at her recovery. She then went to a victim and without any guidance began to help them. We were happy for her and happy that we knew how to continue to help the sufferers. We each went out into the room among the others and began to form rings, using our combined faith and soul to assist others. After an unknown time the room was full of people, both helpers and unfortunates. As I helped a woman to her feet, I noticed that a boy was sitting on a high shelf on the right side of the room. He was pale, wearing only shorts and was grubby, as if he had been playing in the dirt. He was sitting with his left leg bent up against him and his right leg dangling over the side. He looked down at the scene in the room, as if questioning it. I made my way toward him, but as I halfway reached him he looked right at me. His eyes were oil-black, and they shined as if they were made of glass. His head tilted slightly and he looked right through me. He seemed to know who I was and everything about me. I struggled to avert my eyes from his, but they held me with a strange power. I began to pray and sweat rolled down over my eyelids. Finally I was able to break the spell. Though I was still far away from him I heard his voice as if he was in front of me. "Why do you persist?" he said. "You cannot save them all." Soon there was an army of us, and the victims began to wane. We then noticed a sound coming from the opening. It came from beyond the cliff and beyond the mountains. It was the sound of Hell, and it was angered by our presence and our actions. The blackness in the sky began to grow and form clouds which roiled and churned. We sensed a vile presence beyond the mountains as the noise became more pronounced. It was the sound of a million tortured souls crying out in agony, and as they wailed our hearts strained. We wanted to help them but knew we could not cross the platform. Finally there were no more victims, and the sea of people around us looked out at the mountains and the darkness that was beyond it. It seethed in anger and hatred at us but we held our ground. It seemed to move toward us, but suddenly was repulsed by another force. We were awash with the feeling of serenity and knew that the task which we had been given was completed. One by one we began to disappear until only the original group remained. We looked at each other and smiled, and the righteous presence presented us with the feeling of thanks and appreciation. We hugged one another one last time and we watched as the room began to fade. I felt my consciousness pulled back to my body, and felt right with the world.
http://www.netsaga.is/media/files/Ep-IdM11-1.mp3
I found myself in a large, open room. There were other people there, having appeared just as I did. We were all strangers; no one knew one another, how we had arrived or where we were. The room was immense like a hangar; a cylindrical shape with a high vaulted ceiling. The floor sloped down slightly toward the opening at the end. We all walked slowly toward the opening because of the view outside. At the end the floor stopped at a raised platform. The platform seemed to be ground level because it ran all the way outside. When we got to the platform immediately we knew not to step onto it, but we didn't know why. Outside the room the ground was flat and seemingly made of rock. It continued for a distance and then seemed to stop, as if there was a cliff. Well beyond the cliff's edge there was a range of coppery-colored mountains which seemed to hold up the sky. Beyond them the yellow sky turned black and smoky.
"No," I said, "I know I can't. But I will save as many as I can, and so will the others with me." Suddenly I noticed that we had all stopped and were looking at the boy. In our mind the suggestion came to pray for him. Though we were reluctant we began. He acted as if in pain, and with an aberrant screech he vaulted from his perch and flew through the doorway on the left. We praised one another and went back to our work.