"We can only exert physical force if we convert our energy and transfer it into your realm. You should not be able to feel us at all unless we do that. For example, if you were to try and touch me now you should feel nothing. But, then again, I have never met anyone like you before. Would you like to try this experiment?"
Sarah nodded, eyes wide. It had never occurred to her to try and touch a spirit before. Swift extended an energy pseudo limb, his arm in her direction. Sarah cautiously reached out to touch it. When the two of them intersected, she was surprised to feel nothing. Not even a tingle. The sensation of simply having a spirit nearby did not change as far as she could tell. She reached farther, extending her hand into his arm-like limb, up to what would have been an elbow. Still nothing. She pulled back slowly.
"I didn't feel anything," she said. "How about you?"
"I feel nothing to begin with," Swift answered. "I'm not sure if I will even feel anything if I transferred energy to your realm."
Sarah nodded. "Should we try it?"
"No," Swift responded quickly. "I am not skilled at such a thing. I fear that I could hurt you. I will not take that chance."
"Okay, I can surely appreciate that. So, there is no way for you to make physical contact with me then? I mean, like take on actual human form?"
"No, it is physically possible," Swift answered. He wasn't sure how much to say, or her reason for the request. "However, I could never do such a thing."
"Why not?"
Swift felt himself entering a gray area. He did not know what harm could come from revealing the secrets of the spirit realm. Perhaps they were not really secrets after all, but just realities that were commonly misunderstood. He debated with himself for a stretch, which was only a few seconds to Sarah.
"As an angel, I can never take human form. It is forbidden. If I were to do so I would be disobedient to my superiors. They would cast me out of their association."
Sarah considered a previous conversation before replying. "Do you mean that you would become a demon instead of an angel?"
"Yes."
"Okay, well let's definitely avoid that then. What else would you like to ask me?"
Swift had a million questions for what it was like to be a human. They swam cheerfully in his mind all the time. Each day he would add more to the list, even after thousands of years of exposure to the fleshly creatures. At the top of the agenda would be questions about love. Angels simply did not have the capacity for it. He had seen innumerous expressions of love in various forms over the centuries. It truly amazed him. Then, next would be questions about how sexual interactions related to the emotion of love between two humans. However, Swift had the sense that these would be inappropriate inquiries of a teenage girl.
"I'm not sure," Swift finally replied. "So many questions are hard to form into words."
"Well," Sarah said. "What kinds of things are you curious about?"
"Love," Swift answered.
"Oh, well, I'm not sure I can help you with understanding love," Sarah chuckled. "You know, I'm not really old enough to fall in love, I think. And, if I am, there is certainly no one that I'm close enough to that could make that happen." A touch of sadness entered her voice at that statement. She did her best to avoid acting like she deserved pity. That was something she was very tired of receiving lately.
"I'm sorry," Swift said. "I didn't realize that question would make you sorrowful."
His attentiveness to her emotional state was assuredly not human. Men were said to never notice how their women were feeling. Not that Sarah was Swift's woman. That’s not what she meant with that line of reasoning. "How did you know it made me sad?" she asked.
"I have studied people's emotional responses for a very, very long time. I can read them easily, but I'm afraid I'm still not proficient at predicting them. If it doesn't dishearten you further, can you please explain to me why my inquiry about love had such an effect?"
Sarah sighed heavily. It was not a topic she would normally expect from a new friend, but obviously Swift was very different in this regard. There was nothing remotely normal about this relationship. "Well, I guess it's because I don't really feel loved much anymore. It's not the fault of my family. When I started seeing spirit auras, and reacted to them, it created a wedge between us. I know they still love me, and I hope they know I still love them, but we are not real close anymore. I guess it's hard to explain to someone that hasn't lived life as a human. And, to be honest, I'm not real comfortable talking about it at this point. Can you ask about something else?"
"I am truly sorry," Swift replied.
"It's okay."
"I do not wish to irritate you further, but I have never had this opportunity to give advice to a human in all my life, and it has been something that I think about constantly. Would you allow me to say one thing further on the subject before we move on?'
Sarah could feel the comforting vibe that Swift was emitting, and was beginning to dread the thought of pushing him away. She had waited so long for this visit already. Her first impulse was to ask him to leave, if he insisted on making her feel uncomfortable. But it was time to be more mature, she decided. Reluctantly, she responded with a slump of her shoulders, "Sure."
"Thank you," Swift replied. "This means a lot to me. For a very long time I have seen so many people that have good hearts and admirable motives fail to simply communicate how they feel to the people they love. Relationships go stale, hearts harden, all because of a lack of basic communication. So very little is required to correct this problem. Believe me, I have witnessed many men and women do those little things that make all the difference. May I suggest that you break out of your depression just brief enough to give your parents a hug and tell them that you love them? You could not imagine what it would mean to them. It’s possible that another display of affection may not be needed again for quite some time. Just give them something, every once in a while, to hold them over. Okay, I've said my opinion on the matter. You don't need to reply. I appreciate that you let me speak my mind. So, my next very important question is this, what is it like to itch?"
Tears had started forming in Sarah's eyes as Swift spoke about communicating love. She knew he was right. Yet, that just meant that she was failing to do the so very little needed. What a terrible daughter she had become. But then, when he asked about itching, she burst out laughing and the tears ran down her face. As she hastily wiped them off her cheeks she said, "That's not fair. You get to read my reactions like a pro and I can't even see yours. Did you know you were being funny when you asked that?"
Swift did his best to simulate raising his arms to the side while shrugging his shoulders. He had no idea if it had the correct effect. "I thought it might be funny. Though, to be honest, I have no concept of what it is like to have an itch."
Sarah laughed some more. She couldn't recall the last time that she laughed so much. Swift stayed for nearly three hours before leaving her again, this time promising to return the next day. She felt so much happier now that Swift was part of her life. Sarah had no idea how long it would last, but she wanted to do everything she could to keep him around. After some contemplation, or was it procrastination, she went downstairs and hugged her parents, just as Swift suggested, and told them both that she loved them very much. They were so elated that they actually proposed going out to celebrate.
Sarah's heart and conscience rested lightly as she fluttered off to sleep, totally forgetting that she failed to ask Swift about the pale green demon. Swift promised to return the next day, so she'll have to remember to ask him then.
CHAPTER SEVEN: WATCHER
If it were not for the girl's ability to sense spirit creatures Watcher would consider her life completely boring. She apparently had no friends. Seldom did she join in on family social activities. When she did attend a gathering, she was rarely a contributing member. Her academics were good, but not exceptional. Her hobbies were difficult to determine in the short time since Watcher's assignment to k
eep an eye on her. In the past couple weeks, it appeared that the only thing this girl named Sarah was interested in was the angel, Swift.
Thousands of human beings have been the target of Watcher's steady gaze. Observe and report without any hint of emotional response or judgment was his specialty. Thus, the name given him by his peers, Watcher. Napolean Bonaparte. Adolf Hitler. Attila the Hun. Ghenghis Khan. Cleopatra. Even Nimrod, way back when the humans did not outnumber the angels. One would say his attention was often required on high profile persons of interest. History makers were the ones that earned his scrutiny. Not this Sarah girl.
To be sure, Watcher would do his duty and analyze this dull subject to his full capability. The only interesting part of the assignment was her interaction with Swift. Her subdued personality would tend to come alive in his presence. It reminded him somewhat of the children’s story of Sleeping Beauty. Sarah perceived her new angel friend as her Prince Charming. Dangerous, to be sure, and most definitely worth reporting.
Watcher had never been appointed to a subject that could see his kind before. Either that human ability was quite rare or Watcher was never needed in previous cases. He considered it quite possible that his duty was to observe his angelic coworker as much as it was to monitor Sarah. Or at least the angel’s interaction with the girl. Swift did not have the reputation of handling important projects well. To Watcher's knowledge it had been over a hundred of years since Swift had been given a legitimate appointment. All the angels were well aware of his fiasco with the Salem witch trials.
Watcher had no negative feelings toward the other spirit, though. He simply knew enough to wonder how he had earned the role. He was granted excessive time to consider the subject matter, since his observation task was boring the vast majority of the time. It was only when Swift came to visit that he essentially had double duty. Observe the girl and his comrade. In his opinion, the role of communicator with this unusual human was very important. The only gift he could see that Swift had was his ability to not take anything very serious. His conversations were unbelievably trivial thus far. Perhaps, that's what Hover felt was needed.
It didn't really concern him why or how. Swift received the assignment to establish communications with the teenager, and Watcher needed to watch. Watching is what he did best. Only this was much more challenging than he had previously ever thought possible. Since the girl could sense his presence he needed to stay distant enough to view her properly. It was only when Swift visited did she not seem to notice his approach. It was conceivable that she could not sense multiple spirits at the same time. That was substantially important to report, he thought.
Watcher seized the opportunity to report to his superior, Hover, immediately after each Swift visit. Swift himself was not required to report evidently, or Watcher would be encountering him in his approach or departure. The only spirit that had crossed his path to or from Hover so far was a demon named Char. His strength was no match for a solid entity like Watcher so he was not even moderately alarmed with the confrontation.
Char strived to intimidate Watcher and convince him with poorly constructed logic to do other than as he was assigned. Such was the demon way. However, Watcher was the epitome of loyal and obedient. He did not succumb to persuasion, nor reveal anything about the individual to which he was assigned. Yet, Char must have already known the girl's nature. Why else would he approach Watcher?
In some ways, the spirit world fostered certain aspects of unfairness. For example, demons were free to approach, even attack, angels. They apparently had free reign from their dark masters to do so. However, angels could only confront demons with a direct order and specific objectives. Thousands of years ago, demons would gang up on single angels in an effort to convert them. Those spirits that refused were occasionally destroyed. Watcher himself had lost a few coworkers to that unfortunate demise in the early days. Since then, though, a large portion of all angels were designated as Guardians. Many of them had the responsibility to keep safe their fellow angels as they went about their appointed tasks. Though, a significant share were required to watch over critical, influential humans as well.
Watcher reported his findings to Hover once again, adding Char's contact to his summary. When the observant angel asked whether or not to give detailed reports on Swift's communication technique he was surprised to hear Hover answer to the negative. There was no further discussion of the matter. So, Watcher would continue to observe, but only report what was required. He would certainly not interfere either. In most cases, his diligence would leave little time for personal interests. With this mission, though, he would have plenty of additional time to have his own projects without taking anything away from his assignment.
Project number one for Watcher’s spare time would be to figure out how and why this girl was gifted with her special ability. Project number two would be to carefully track Swift’s reaction, if any, to the close proximity with the questionably attractive young lady. Their conversations may lead to a familiarity that could corrupt the angel’s perspective. Such unfitting mentality had led to the downfall of too many angels in the past. If his spiritual coworker’s integrity should become compromised, he would need to report it to his supervisor, regardless of his mission objectives. Though watching Swift was not a direct part of his assignment, angels were always responsible for reporting any misconduct of their kind.
CHAPTER EIGHT: CHAR
Sarah rested awkwardly on her neatly made bed studying a school textbook on her tablet computer. Her academic grades were beginning to drop lately. She had become overly absorbed in her conversations with Swift, causing a lack of interest in her school work. It had pained her yesterday to bring this fact to Swift's attention. He had been routinely visiting her in the afternoon nearly every day. On weekdays, he would always arrive shortly after she returned home from school. That time slot had previously been her homework and study time. She asked that he give her an hour for required school assignments before visiting, and return to her after dinner as well. Mr. and Mrs. Hutchins were gradually getting their daughter back. She ate every the evening meal with them regularly now and joined in the discussions at the table as much as she could manage. Her younger brother and sister were treating her like a person again, too, and not like the pariah she had become.
Approximately fifteen minutes before the agreed upon time Sarah sensed a spirit behind the house. Perhaps Swift had poor concept of time or the ability to track it like humans. Or maybe he wanted to watch her family before joining her in the bedroom. Swift had asked for permission to watch the other Hutchins last week, as if he needed her approval. It was just a sign of his respect for her and she very much appreciated it. Their relationship had become so comfortable that she no longer feared for her family's safety. If anything, she believed that Swift might serve as a protector.
Pulling back the corner of the curtain in her bedroom window revealed that the spirit she noticed was not Swift at all. It was the green one, the angel that Swift called Watcher. He could be found lingering around Sarah at a distance several times per day. Though Swift insisted that she need not fear this angel, it wasn't so easy to trust a spirit that did not even try to communicate with her. In that way, he was not much different than a demon as far as she was concerned.
Once again, the green angel became aware of her attention and eased away. Sarah sat down on her bed to study again but immediately felt another presence in the front of the house. Was this new one Swift, or had Watcher circled around? As she concentrated on the tingling sensation she felt it getting stronger, informing her that it was coming closer. It must be Swift then. She put the tablet down on the bed beside her and leaned against the headboard to be ready for his approach. He had lately taken to entering through the bedroom door when arrived, attempting to make her feel more comfortable. It's not like he opened the door before entering, though. He just floated through it like he previously did with the walls.
With his aura taking a human shape, the impa
ct of sudden arrival had possibly become easier on her heart. He had even improved his skill at simulating a human skin with a visible outline. Combined, it made him look like a bright blue person, almost like a fan in a full body suit at a sporting event. Each day the detail in his face and fingers improved. His visible form took on the appearance of a healthy male about six feet tall. His hair was cut short and combed to the side like her brothers. It had no color, though. Of course, it wasn’t literally combed either. It was all just a simulation, an illusion specifically to appease her.
Sarah watched the panel bedroom door as she sensed the spirit getting nearer. With the angel, Watcher, so close it was more difficult to pinpoint Swift’s location. She was still not very good at differentiating between the spirits when there was more than one present. Anticipating his arrival, she began to imagine what improvements she would notice in his appearance. Though he had no flesh or color variation, she considered him to be undeniably handsome. His clothes had no shading either, and didn’t move normally as he walked or sat. But all in all, she was incredibly happy with his effort to make her more comfortable with his looks.
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