Last Night I Met an Angel

A Story by Laura Ann Ford

Last night I met an angel invading my restless slumber. Her beauty was so bright I thought I might go blind. Her dress of gold and white billowed out behind her as she floated on the breeze. Her silken hair glistened though the sun did not shine. Her blue eyes danced when she smiled at me and asked, “Dear One, are you happy here on earth?”

Now, I was taken aback and could not find my words. She turned her head to the side and waited patiently for my reply. “I don’t know,” came my shivering voice, after some time. She giggled a bit, reaching out her delicate hand.

“Come,” she said. “Take my hand and walk with me.” I took her hand with some hesitation and felt my feet leave the ground. The room went white and for a second there was nothing but silence. A sense of peace filled my soul, as the world around me seemed to change. Soon, I found myself standing on the bank of a raging river all alone.

“Hello!” I cried, completely terrified.

“I am here,” came her sweet reply. I looked up to see her glide across the rolling waters toward me. She tapped her toes in the current, calming it instantly.

“Where are we?” I asked. “Why have you brought me to this place I have never seen?”

“Do you see that place, up high on the hill?” She pointed up towards what should have been our gray, cloud-filled sky. Instead, the clouds had rolled away, and the skies parted revealing a city of gold. The gates of pearl stood open wide, and for a moment, the fear had overtaken me.

“Is that heaven?” My voice trembled. “Am I…”

“No My Dear, you are very much alive.”

“Then why?”

“You have once seen the fires of hell; smelled the brimstone rise from Satan’s tongue. That, you have carried with you until this day. You fear the Lord, not as you should, but in the same way that you fear the devil. He is Almighty, and filled with love. He wants you to live for him and one day you shall see his face. He does not bring you pain, or hurt, or death… He brings you life anew. He is the only escape from the burdens you hold upon your weakening back. Set them down here at this place. Let him throw them back into the raging waters and wash your sins and fears away. Give it all to him or heed my warning; that pain you feel will multiply times ten. Those tears you cry will rain down for eternity as your agony intensifies until you think you will die, but you never will. The fires will engulf you forever and ever, and Satan’s hideous tongue will lash you just the same.”

I stood wide-eyed in fear of her words. How could such horrible images come from such a magnificent being? Looking back up, I found the gates had closed, and I asked why.

“It’s not your time.” I was silent as the need arose in me. I clenched my fists down at my sides. My heart was racing, mouth dirt dry.

“Why do you fight it?” she asked so sweetly. “Tell me Friend, what is your greatest fear?”

“I have two,” I answered her. “I don’t want to be alone, and I’m afraid to die. Why?”

“Oh, hallelujah!” she exclaimed. “In Christ you are never alone. He is behind you, beside you, in front of you, and inside you. He knows your thoughts, your fears, and how many times your heart beats in a day. In Him, you have no reason to fear death. You will mount up with wings and fly away!”

“No more fear?”

“No more fear. Will you let Him in? Will you let Him stay?”

There was no more fear. There was no hesitation. “Yes,” was my reply, and she laughed and danced without touching the ground. The laughter turned to music and in an instant, I knew whom she was. The tears fell as I embraced her, and she whispered her love.

“I miss you,” I told her. She told me she knew but one day we would be together again. Then she took me by the hand, and the world disappeared once more.

I awoke in my bed early the next morn. The room smelled of lavender and roses. On the pillow beside me lay a long white feather, tinted with flecks of gold. I stroked the cloud soft item against my cheek, and as it vanished into the air, I realized she had truly been there. I could still feel her presence, though her face, I could not see.

“Goodbye,” I felt her say. “Until again we meet.”