Wings of the Angel

Wings of the Angel

Prologue

The soft hum of the bus almost acts as a lullaby to lull me to sleep. Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I stare out the window.

There's nothing much to see. The driver said that we'd be driving through just some plain country side till we reach our destination. At first, watching the country side was fun. But eventually, after about a mile or so, it got boring. It'd have been much more interesting if there were some inhabitants in these plain grassy lands, but instead, they stand empty.

How far is it? I think to myself, craning my neck to see around inside the bus. The rest of the passengers on the bus seem to have fallen asleep; the soft lull of the engine no doubt too hard to resist. I can hardly keep my own eyes open.

A couple minutes later, we reach what looks like a giant wall, the kind that is built around a castle. The bus stops for about 10 seconds or so, and in that short time-span, I see that there is a some kind of booth beside what looks like a humongous gate. Our bus driver hands some kind of parchment to the man situated inside the booth, who nods and gestures one of his arms towards the gate. Almost magically, the gate opens out, wide enough for the bus to pass through.

The man inside the booth gives a smile when I pass by him. Unsure what to do, I smile nervously back at him.

Don't worry, a soft melodic voice whispers in my ears.

Startled, I look beside me. No, the little girl sitting beside me is fast asleep, her hands looped around my left arm. I look back at the man in the booth and see that he is still smiling at me. Even at this distance, I can see his reassuring eyes which makes my nervousness step down a notch. Gratefully, I lock my eyes to his and give him a small nod, along with a 'thank-you' smile.

The gate closes behind us and I face back to the front. Couple seconds later, the scene outside surprises me. It's nothing like what we had been driving through for the last three hours. The world out my window is... different.

Unlike the deserted country side, this place is covered with snow and filled with souls. There are tiny huts on either side of the road this bus is driving on. There are cherry blossom trees everywhere, almost as many as the huts themselves. Every soul outside their huts wave at us.

Suddenly, a hand comes out of nowhere and sticks itself to the window and startles me. Looking beside me, I see that the little girl is now awake and enthusiastically waving to the little kids outside who happily wave back at her. I see that the rest of the passengers of the bus have woken up too. Their expression show the awestruckness I am feeling inside.

As we drive on, we come across what looks like some kind of market on the either side of the road with souls bustling here and there. Everyone outside the window of the bus stop whatever they were doing or buying and turn to wave at us cheerfully. Feeling highly positive, every single passenger inside the bus waves back enthusiastically. Even I.

Before anyone registers it, we've come to a stop in front of a building. The driver stands up and faces us with a broad smile on his face.

"Well, here we are. If you don't mind, please make your way slowly to over there," he says, gesturing out the open door to the space in front of the building.

Everyone shuffles off their feet and slowly steps off the bus.

The way the driver says 'Enjoy! It was a pleasure being the one to drive you here.' as each passenger passes by him reminds me of the way the airhostesses bid us goodbye after a flight. The difference is, this man says every single word like he means it. But, I wonder to myself, what's the pleasure in driving a bus filled with sleeping souls for 3 hours?

Shrugging, I get off the bus and line up behind everyone else.

The bus driver bids us goodbye, closes the bus door and backs away the way we came.

Us lot wait anxiously, buzzing with excitement; what will happen to us now?

The moment the building door opens, the whole crowd falls to a hushed silence. Out from the building steps a man with blond hair and looks no more than fourty.

He walks forward with a huge grin on his face, claps his hand together and loudly and humbly says;

"Welcome to Heaven."

Author's Note

This is actually part of a long story. I've had an idea for a novel I want to write. Please give your honest reviews and ratings? I'm kind of blank on what to write on the descriptions and stuff. hmm.. oh well, anyone up for helping me? Also, I don't mind anyone pointing out the grammar problems and stuff :) Cheers x

Reviews

[Deepak Belbase]

this is what an reader expect in the begginging, description was enough to make story playing infront of your eye. The last dialouge, i think it was also the first one create a suspence, from Grassy Plains to Heaven. What was that? I'm excited to know...

[zainul]

Hi Yasu,
You have created a wonderful prologue full of excitement,suspense and curiosity.
I will wait to read what comes next.
Cheers!