The Angels' Mirror Pack 2: Books Four through Seven

by Harmony L. Courtney

  “I know we just arrived, and we haven’t even seen where we’ll be staying yet, but…” She looked over at her husband, whose eyes grew clouded, and at the team before them, whose faces grew curious and yet concerned.

  “Come with me,” Jessica said quietly. “I’ll take you over now, and maybe your husband can get your room set with Zebedee and Robert’s help while we see what’s the matter,” she continued. “I nurse there part-time, so they won’t question my bringing in a child whose insurance hasn’t kicked in in this state yet. They won’t hassle you if I’m with you.”

  Calico sighed in relief and nodded.

  “No,” Romeo said, his words quick. “I need to be there, too. We need to do this as a family. He’s had too many scares in the last year and a half for me to stay here and not know what’s happening.”

  Jessica shrugged. “Suit yourself, then, and follow me. One of the men will see to it your luggage is sent to your rooms,” she assured them, then bent down to Angus’s level. “And you, little man? We’re going to make sure you get better really fast, alright?”

  Calico wished the woman hadn’t gone and assured him of that; how did she know he’d be alright?

  And yet, she knew they had to have hope. Angus had come this far, and God wouldn’t let them down. Not with their son; their only child. He just wouldn’t.

  Or would He?

  Jesus was His only begotten Son, and look what happened to Him.

  Of course, that was a totally different situation, but still… it was the one thing that held her back from hoping and knowing that God would forever watch over and keep their son safe; that He would protect Angus from premature death.

  Holding tight to Angus’s hand, and watching as Romeo grabbed hold of his other, they followed Mrs. McAndrews out into the hall, back down the steps, and to her beat-up looking Volkswagen van. She unlocked the doors with the click of a button, and they all piled inside. Once they were out the gate, it took another ten minutes or so to arrive at the parking lot for the hospital, where she let them out and went to find a parking spot. “Just tell them you’re with me and I’ll be in as soon as I can,” she told them reassuringly.

  Calico stared up at the looming building, took a deep breath, and, her son and husband at her side, did her best to look calm as they entered the building and headed to the check-in desk.

  “We need someone to look at our son,” she heard her husband begin as a dizziness overcame her. She felt herself begin to fall, but couldn’t call out or stop it with her limbs, her body in slow motion as the floor rushed up toward her face and then, nothing.

  When she awakened, she found herself on a gurney next to her son, and her husband was looking into her face, obscuring her view of the ceiling.

  What had happened?

  Forty Six

  Vancouver, Washington… June 23, 2025

  Dirk made his way up the supermarket aisle, doing his best to seem like he knew what he was doing. Pausing, he glanced at the variations of macaroni and cheese before him, keeping an eye on the women just a few feet ahead of him. Tossing three different styles, a box each, into his cart to try them out, he continued forward until he was right behind them.

  He’d spotted Paloma and Tawny several minutes prior, outside, and figured that today would be as good a time as any to introduce himself, if only he had the opportunity to do so. He and the others had spread out through the city in the hopes of finding someone in the group they were concerned with helping, and as far as he knew this had been the first sighting outside of the neighborhoods they lived in.

  “Pardon me,” he said with a smile. “I couldn’t help but wonder if you could help me with something?”

  The women – one pale and red-headed and the other dark and braided, both of whose hair was a bit white– turned to him as he spoke. “I’ve got these different styles of macaroni and it’s the first time I’ve been in a supermarket for a while. Do either of you have a preference, or a different suggestion? My, er,” he paused, feeling bad that he was about to say it, “my late wife did all the shopping.”

  Paloma gave him a sympathetic frown, and Tawny moved to check his cart. “Know how to cook,” she asked. “’Cause if so, I gotta tell ya, freshly made is so much better.”

  “I’ll do one better,” Paloma said, a smile lighting her face suddenly. “If you’re living in this area, and if you’d like, why don’t you let us teach you how to prepare a few dishes so you’re able to get back on your feet again? It’s got to be so hard for you, with the loss of a loved one so close, but… if you can learn something new, then maybe….”

  Her words trailed off, and Dirk smiled. “You know, ladies? I really appreciate that. And you’re right… losing a loved one is the hardest thing,” he said, thinking of the loss of being in Heaven with his angelic siblings and with the Godhead face to face; he missed it terribly, and he was sure the loss would come in handy, as it probably helped him grieve convincingly.

  “I’m Dirk Mason,” he said, holding a hand out, first to Tawny, and then to Paloma. “Thank you.”

  The women introduced themselves, and he smiled again. “Well, lead the way, then, ladies. I’m glad to have found someone so kind. My roommate and I sure have been sufferin’ somethin’ awful in terms of food when we’ve tried to make anything ourselves,” he said truthfully. “Same with our neighbors.”

  Giving off a nervous laugh, he reminded himself that there were some things that angels just shouldn’t attempt to do on their own. Cooking, apparently, was one of them; they’d had to order takeout for nearly every meal that wasn’t cereal or fruit.

  He and Ferris had had a difficult time, indeed, trying to figure out how to read recipes and follow them. They could use all the help they could get; so could Zollo, Omega, and Casimir, who had been able to establish themselves in the apartment next to theirs.

  “Well, why not all of you come over this evening for a barbecue, and then we can set ourselves a plan,” he heard Paloma saying, to his utter delight. “A few extra people never hurt our group, and it might be good for you to get to know a few more people. We don’t live all that far from here,” she said, a sympathetic look still in her eyes, though now they shined, too, with excitement or joy, he wasn’t sure which.

  “You’d be alright with five bachelors coming to your house?”

  “We’re actually going to go to the park and you could meet us there, if you’d like. Might be easier for everyone,” she said before describing the park in question. “You know where it is?”

  Dirk shook his head. “New to town, but I’m sure we’ll find it. What time?”

  “Well, Edward – that’s my husband – he and I were planning to begin setting up around five thirty, so any time after that would be fine, I’d guess,” she said, looking to Tawny for confirmation. The woman nodded and smiled.

  “Sounds good, then,” Dirk told them. “So, um… should we just make a list of a handful of things we’d like to learn to make, or what?”

  “I tell you what,” Paloma told him, patting his arm as other shoppers continued to walk around them. “I’m in no rush, so why don’t we work on gathering ingredients for a few things now? That way, you’re all set to go,” she told him confidently.

  “I think I can handle that,” he replied, praising God silently. “And I greatly appreciate it; I’m sure we all will.”

  Paloma pulled her phone out and called Chosen to make sure someone would be there to help her carry the groceries in, started her van, and headed home, her thoughts on Dirk Mason.

  Something about the man seemed eerily – but pleasantly – familiar to her, but she couldn’t place what it was. When she heard he was a widower, her heart had gone out to him, and it took everything she had not to begin crying right there in the supermarket. But teaching he and his friends how to cook?

  That, she could do.

  With Tawny’s help, and hers, there was bound to be a way to help the men out, and who knows? Maybe some of them would become frie
nds… if not to her, then to Edward, Jason, Justice, Mark, or some of the other men.

  Her thoughts then drifted to Mark as she turned onto Mill Plain and headed east.

  What would become of him? And when would his trial resume?

  He had been making strides, though he was still weak, and she knew he couldn’t hold off the court system forever, no matter the cause or state of his health. In fact, she had spoken with Eugenie about it just yesterday and was surprised he hadn’t already been called back. His attorney had been able to get him a bit of reprieve, and that time would be up by next Tuesday.

  Then where would he be, and would he do a lot of time, or a little?

  Paloma sighed, turned onto 136th and headed toward WinCo to grab the last few of her groceries before going home.

  Parking quickly, she made sure the doors were locked, found what she was looking for, and made it through the checkout within ten minutes of arriving. Then, finally, she was on the way home for good until time to get to the park.

  Forty Seven

  Edward made sure he had everything packed into the ice chest and called the twins to come carry it to the van as he reached for a hat to shade his face from the sun. Then, he went to offer Kristof help getting outside and settled as Paloma and Cherish fed the chickens and cat a final time before leaving.

  “Everyone about ready,” he called as he went back into the house one last time. “If we’re going to be on time, we need to leave in about five minutes,” he told whoever was listening. “So make sure you’ve got everything, please.”

  Kristof and the boys were already buckled in by the time he got back into the driver’s seat and then, rushing out the door soon after, his daughter, followed by his wife, who locked up.

  There was a basket hanging from her arm.

  “What’s that for, Mama,” Cherish asked once they were all in and ready to go.

  “Well, we have a few guests coming. I meant to tell you earlier, but kind of lost track of time.”

  “Guests,” Edward asked as he turned onto Mill Plain and headed west, toward the park. “What guests?”

  “Well, Tawny and I ran into someone at the store, and he seemed pretty down and out, confused, unsure what to do when it came to food preparation. A recent widower, it seems, and so we kinda invited he and four of his friends to come to the barbecue and she and I plan to teach them how to make a handful of different meals so they don’t altogether starve or end up with takeout every day,” she announced as they pulled to a stop at the light.

  “So in other words,” he heard Duncan saying directly behind his head, “you took in more strangers, just not right into our house, right?”

  Edward tried not to laugh, even though he, too, had been unprepared for this disclosure. “Well, we can’t say we’re not friendly folk, I guess. So, let’s do our best to be neighborly and kind, and see what this is all about. Can’t judge what and who we don’t know,” he told them, smiling, as the light changed.

  Taking a left at the Safeway, then going past the old Baptist church before turning right, he pulled into an empty spot along the curb and shook his head.

  What had Paloma gotten them into this time?

  And what would it mean for their plans to go to Israel?

  Dirk stood with Zollo, Casimir, Ferris, and Omega as they watched the Stuart van, and then the Rutherford vehicle, pull up within moments of one another. The families busied themselves with unpacking for a few minutes, and then Edward and Cherish helped the old man get out of his seat as they walked toward Dirk’s little group.

  “You made it,” Paloma said, smiling, as she followed the trio up the curving asphalt trail toward them. “And most everyone else should be here by six,” she continued, the basket over her arm swaying slightly as she walked.

  As her family and Mr. Sage moved toward some tables, Dirk and his fellow angels –er, neighbors – followed them in near-silence. After everyone had set down their supplies and goods, Paloma introduced each of her family members, as well as Kristof, to Dirk and the others, and then, he introduced those he had brought.

  “Nice meeting you all,” Jason, the last to be introduced, said once he got back from a return trip to the car. “Looking forward to talking with each of you. But for now, I need to go wrangle the grill and get it over here, if anyone would like to help with that.”

  Zollo and Ferris, as well as Duncan, offered their help and between the four of them, made quick work of maneuvering it to where Jason wanted it. Then, as others began to arrive, Jason got the fire going for it and Dirk, without much else to do, sat beside Kristof and began to chat with him, trying to gauge what he could about the man.

  And so, as the sun beat down on them, he listened to the throaty whispers of a man dying of cancer spread his life before him like paints on a palette. The griefs and joys were summed up in five or six concise sentences, and then, Kristof seemed out of breath. Dirk left him be after that, and allowed Chosen to show him a few card tricks as they waited.

  As Tawny’s family arrived, and then Justice’s, he and the other angels in disguise were introduced to each; and then Masao, Anouk Chanel, S. Gillam, Angelique, and Rose appeared, with Nehemiah in tow. Finally, to round out the party, Eugenie, Mark – still very weak – and Majesta got there just as Jason was pulling the first round of hot dogs, Polish sausages, and hamburgers off the fire and sliding them onto a plate.

  Paloma and Tawny were busying themselves getting place settings set up and everyone had brought something, other than he and his friends.

  How could I forget to bring something, Dirk thought as he watched the others setting out the miscellaneous picnic items – everything from potato salad to a fruit and cream salad, and from cold cuts to cold colas and bagels with cream cheese – and he sighed. He could have at least brought some chips. He knew what to do with those.

  “Hey, I have no idea who some of these people are,” Mark Jeffries announced loudly as he sat in a vacant seat next to Omega, his voice slow and slightly slurred. “I know I’ve been out of the loop for a bit, and my brain got a bit dis- discombobulated, but…. Is there something I’m missing?”

  Dirk watched as Omega held a hand out for him and introduced himself. Mark’s face shifted just enough to show his discontent with newcomers as Dirk moved to introduce himself, as well. The others lined up, and each shook the man’s hand, then made sure to say hellos to Eugenie and Majesta, who seemed a bit flustered at – what?

  Chosen and Duncan had saved a place for the girl to sit between them, and Eugenie had found a place next to Rose and Nathaniel on the end. Across from her was Tawny, and Paloma on the end. It seemed that, other than Izzie and Chosen trading spots, the men were all on one end and the women on the other at their table. And when Dirk glanced around, the other tables held similar patterns.

  A smile formed on his lips, and he couldn’t help but thank the Lord that He’d orchestrated such a gathering. Would it have occurred, had the angels not come down to walk among them, or was this for the benefit of getting to know each other?

  All things had a purpose and a reason, but could there be multiple reasons for this get-together?

  Dirk began to consider all the possible reasons he could think of for the gathering :the thing was, they all boiled down to relationships, and to Israel; to the reason the mirrors were created, including the one that was sitting at the Stuart home as the group had their lunch in the park. But how to get everyone on the same page without giving away that some of them had already met he and his companions in angelic form. That would never do, would it?

  "So, Dirk," he heard Edward saying, pulling him from his thoughts. "Where do you hail from?"

  For a few moments, there was silence, and then, saying a quick prayer, he began to say the one thing he had been dreading.

  "I've got a confession to make, actually; we all do," he said, pointing to each of his fellow angels, who stared at him a moment before nodding.

  "Alright," Edward said, setting his fork do
wn and looking Dirk in the eye.

  The rest of the group at their table were looking at him, and he could sense that everyone else was, as well.

  "I'm not really a widower," he began. "And my real name isn't Dirk Mason; in the earth this time around, yes. That's my name, and that’s who I am: a widower. So as far as the identity I have been given this trip, I have spoken truth, but Edward, Paloma," he said, then turned around to look at each of the others, "Justice, Jason, Masao... you've met us before. We spent time together in the Timeless Now; inside of eternity itself, we walked the Keys of Praise. And we have been sent here to help you with getting ready for Israel, for you heard what you believed you heard, and the water is, indeed, the water you believe."

  Paloma moved suddenly toward him, taking him aback until he realized she had her arms wide for a hug: something not possible on the other side. Something that, in angelic form – as Kalev – would have killed her, but now was a blessing to both human and angel alike.

  “I knew you felt familiar, but I had no idea…,” she began, then cut herself off as Dirk stood to accept the hug; the whoops, hollers, and surprised expressions around them dull to his ears in comparison to her voice.

  As the lone woman among their visitors in Heaven, Kalev had been fascinated. She was only the fifth living female he could recall to ever approach the thrones outside of prayer alone, and Kalev knew that, as such, there was something special about her.

  Through time and eternity, men had made trips to the heavens for various reasons, but even men were few and far between. Kalev could count thirty three, now that Justice, Edward, Masao, and Jason had entered in. And therefore, something was special about them, as well.

  Humans came before the thrones in prayer, at times with fasting, as well. But for the Father to call to the spirits of such a small portion of humanity to bodily rest in His presence in the Timeless Now of eternity was almost unheard of. It had been nearly three hundred years since the last people had been called forth and responded to that call.