March 12th, 1999 | Sic Transit
SCENE: An incinerator located in the Chemistry Department at the University of Texas at Austin.
TIME: Very late on the night of March 12th, 1999.
PERSONAE: Reziphel, an Ofanite Servitor of Fire. Gabriel, the Archangel of Fire.
Reziphel: Sneaking around in a chemistry building turning on the incinerator.....oh boy! Maybe I can just open the door and stick my hands in there, or yeah, my head even.
Reziphel puts his head in the incinerator. His hands are burning, and his eyes are closed, concentrating on the flames.
Reziphel: Ahem... Gabriel? you out there? gulp This is fun... even if she doesn't show...
Reziphel squirms as if something is tickling his feet.
Reziphel: Maybe i can get more of the fire out here hee-hee-hee-hee, hey!
He turns around and looks. Gabriel is standing behind Reziphel.
Reziphel: Gabrielle?!? Hi, it's good to see you. smiling
Gabriel(le) looks at him. Her eyes look funny. One pupil is a lot bigger than the other and there are flames dancing in it. The other is a bright, bright blue. It's a startling contrast.
She cocks her head to one side, and reaches out with a finger to trace the lines on Reziphel's face.
Gabriel: You are one of mine. What do you call yourself?
Reziphel: Other vessels call me Sam, but I've felt my name as Reziphel.
Gabriel: Reziphel...Reziphel...And what do you want of me, little wheel?
Reziphel: Rez for short, and I've been working with other angels, but they don't go real fast, and... Oh, I wanted to know if I was on the right path. It gets confusing when you're with other angels who don't see it the same way as you do. I've hurt people, the humans, it felt right in some ways and scary in others.
Gabriel: Your path is a circle, little wheel. You must bring the humans back to where they started. You must burn out their cruelty, so that they may start again.
Reziphel: Even if they die... so be it. I think I understand.
Gabriel: Sometimes the circle has to be drawn very deeply...
She puts her finger on the wall of the incinerator and it sinks into the metal a good half inch as she draws a circle. The edges of the circle smolder a bit.
Reziphel: What about the ones that just stray from the path? They can be brought back, right? They're imperfect, I don't know that they can make a perfect circle. And then there are the others, the other angels, and the other demons.
Gabriel: They must try. They must. There are wheels within wheels. It is all that matters.
Reziphel: Their path is their own, I dare not force their path any less than I would allow them to force mine. And they can be so much stronger. Sometimes I've found the need to stay my hand. It's uncomfortable.
Gabriel cups Reziphel's face in her hands.
Gabriel: Do not despair, little wheel. You do My Work.
Her hands are flaming now, and Reziphel's hair seems to be rising from his head in flames too. She releases him and spins away.
Gabriel: Do I not tell you when you go astray?
Reziphel twitches at a sudden pain, and then straightens again. Gabriel is at arm's length now, and stares at the circle she has drawn in the wall, seemingly oblivious of Reziphel's presence. There are little flames licking around the circle.
Reziphel puts his hand on the circle and traces it with his finger. It is very hot, and, surprisingly, he feels the heat. He looks at Gabriel.
Reziphel: There is so much I need to learn... I saw a demon move, I saw horror in the reflection of a dead man, I saw the dove in flight. What message did it carry?
Gabriel: Yes....yes..... Her eyes are wide, both pupils now dance with flame. You are a messenger, My messenger.
Reziphel: gulp And the message?
He finishes tracing the circle and steps towards her, eyes wide and listening carefully.
Gabriel: Little wheel.....will you take my message? Will you keep it safe until it is time? Will you? Will you???
It is as if she is shouting in a very quiet voice.
Reziphel: I will deliver what you will me to. Only ask and it is thine.
She takes Reziphel's face in her hands again, and her eyes seem to flame towards him. They burn, hotter than anything Reziphel has yet felt. There is the sensation of something passing between them.....it is...it is....what? It burns.
He feels her lips on his forehead; he cannot see. Her lips burn, too.
Gabriel: Thank you, little one. Keep it safe until it is time.
Rez accepts it, gratefully. He blinks back eyesight with his tears. Gabriel looks tired, her fires banked.
Reziphel: Thank you my lady. May I ask what I carry, or shall that be revealed when the time is right?
Gabriel: You will know, when it is time. I must go, little wheel. Is there anything else you wish of me?
Reziphel: If I'm allowed, I want to be able to race the wind, to chase the bird in flight. May I have another vessel? Or teach me to move like they do... As your messenger, I would have the form of a dove.
Gabriel has turned to go, but looks back.
Gabriel: A dove? Perhaps... She looks thoughtful. Then she looks at Reziphel again. But wouldst thou not prefer the phoenix? To flame at its going, that stirs the wind of the firmament?
She raises a hand hesitantly.
Reziphel: I am not so bold, but may one day be. If you truly think me ready I will, but I would deliver hope if it is my choice. The phoenix, as much as it stirs the soul, must leave cinders in its wake.
Gabriel: Ah. She drops her hand, and looks briefly disappointed. So be it.
Reziphel's form wavers and disappears, and sitting in the palm of Gabriel's hand is a dove, gazing up at her. She lightly strokes its feathery cheek, and tosses it into the air.
The dove flutters unevenly for a few seconds, getting the feel of its wings, and when it settles down again, Gabriel is gone.
Reziphel, as a dove: Good journey, my lady and thank you.
As the scene fades to black, a snow white dove is trying to figure out how to close the door to the still-burning incinerator.