Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: ADAGE (10/05/23)
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TITLE: Appearances Can Be Deceiving | Previous Challenge Entry
By Art Westefeld
10/12/23 -
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As she patrolled, she found herself surrounded by orange light. When her vision cleared, she saw she was in a pastoral field. Hearing quiet footsteps, she whirled to see seven men coming towards her. They were dressed in white with wings. She wondered if she had died. The one in the center spoke in a smooth baritone, “Fear not. You need to do only one thing to remain in Heaven.”
Faith gulped, “Who are you?”
Their leader smiled. “I am Michael. These are the other archangels.”
“You said,” Faith probed, “That I need to do one thing to remain in heaven, but I’ve already accepted Christ. According to the Bible, that’s all I need to do.”
Michael answered, “Of course, dear, but we are asking for a personal favor…to prove your dedication.”
Suspicious, Faith asked, “What do you need me to do that you angels can’t do?”
Michael pointed past her. Turning, Faith saw a wall of flame. “Please breach the wall of fire protecting the underworld so we can smite the demons there.”
Noticing the burn marks on their robes, Faith said, “Guess you already tried?”
Michael nodded. Blue Flame decided that she could easily go through the wall in her energy form. Still confused, she flew to the edge of the wall and saw a metal door in the center. Faith mused, “Michael didn’t tell me about a door.”
Mistrusting Michael and the others, she switched to her energy form and journeyed under the door, burning a hole so small that no human-sized being could follow her.
When she surfaced and resumed her normal form, she saw several red figures with horns and pointed tails. She wasn't noticed, and said “Hello.”
The demons turned as one and energy blasted from their pitchforks. Faith absorbed the energy, and seeing that their blasts had no effect, the demons dropped their pitchforks and one of them walked submissively towards her. “What do you plan to do with us?”
Faith felt her suspicions reinforced a bit as the ‘demon’ seemed more concerned as to what she would do. “Well,” she remarked, “I don't plan to do anything to you, but Michael and his friends want me to bring down that wall.”
“That’d be a mistake. We are resistance fighters battling against the Star Empire.”
"Okay. Why is this location so nice?”
“We were hiding on this lovely world. We erected the atomic flame wall for our own protection.”
Faith responded, “If I take down the ‘angels’, can you send me home?”
The ‘demon’ smiled at her. “Naturally. But there’s seven of them and one of you. How can you defeat them all?”
Blue Flame smiled in return. “My friends and I beat back three troop carriers. I doubt that taking down seven soldiers would be too difficult.”
“First step,” she continued, “is to make them think their plan is still working. So…” Blue Flame reached out towards the wall and absorbed its energy into herself. Mich-Ael and the others saw the wall drop and raced towards the ‘demons’ with flaming swords.
Faith met them and commanded, “Stop! I know the truth.”
Ael glanced at his fellow soldiers and they raised the hilts of their swords over their heads. Another flash of light, and the rest of the Light Force seemed to appear beneath the sword points. Faith responded, her hands glowing with the energy she absorbed, “I know you losers are using illusions to trick me.”
Ael took one hand off his sword and touched a control in his ‘angel’s’ sash, revealing the slug/feline hybrid forms she had dealt with months ago. The Light Force disappeared as well, and they dropped their weapons. The ‘demons’ rounded the soldiers up and proclaimed, “When your Empire grants our world freedom, you can leave.”
Faith looked at the rebel and asked, “So I get why they were using illusions to trick me, but what about you guys?”
The leader smiled and said, "This is our true form, which unfortunately resembles your cliche perception of fallen angels.”
As Faith returned to Earth, she reflected on Hebrews 13:2 and realized that it works in reverse.
******** Hebrews 13:2 says in part, …'for many have entertained angels unawares.”
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