Lemuria

by Burt Clinchandhill

  “Oh...” Raphael pondered the idea. “So you can see things that have not happened yet?”

  “I am all that has happened and all that has not yet happened,” Jehovah answered.

  After hearing that Father could see the future, I became curious. In fact, we all did. We had so many questions for Father, but he would not, or could not, answer them.

  “I am unable to tell you that, my sons,” Jehovah replied to our countless questions.

  “Why?” we all asked simultaneously.

  Jehovah let out a calm laugh. “I have given each of you the ability to make your own choices. The choices you make will ultimately send you down different paths, and even though I see the results of each choice, they are still yours to make.”

  Even though Father could see the future, he would not predict it. Most of us were satisfied with Jehovah’s answer. Ramiel, on the other hand, was not. “Father, would it not be easier if you just tell us what choices to make?”

  “I could,” Jehovah vanished into thin air. A moment later, he appeared in front of Ramiel. “But if I did, life would not be as fun, and that is our main objective.”

  Ramiel chuckled as Jehovah rubbed the top his head. I see now that Father knew us better than we knew ourselves. Having fun was the only thing Ramiel ever wanted to do. Raphael too, which was probably why they grew close.

  I figured the conversation about Father’s future-telling abilities was over, but one of my brothers was still not satisfied.

  “Father,” Lucifer called out to get Jehovah’s attention. “I would be happier if you just told me what lies ahead.”

  We all stared at Lucifer who had a serious expression on his face.

  “Is it really that important?” Michael asked with a grin. “You do not want to be surprised like the rest of us, big brother?” Since Michael and Lucifer were created before me, I was unsure which one came first, but I knew now. Big brother, the title along with many others, would stick with Lucifer.

  Lucifer turned to Michael, and an arrogant smile replaced the serious expression, one we would all grow accustomed to. “I do not like surprises, little brother.”

  Little brother—what Lucifer always referred to us as. Although condescending at times, I usually enjoyed when Lucifer called me his little brother.

  I followed Father with my eyes as he glided over to my big brother. He stared at Lucifer for a moment without saying anything. It was awkward.

  Instead of telling Lucifer what he wanted to know, Jehovah called out four more names. “Uriel, Nathaniel, Sariel, Abdiel!”

  Just like before, that same bright light flashed in four separate spots behind Father, blinding us. When I regained focus, four more angels stood in front of us. These four seemed quite different from the rest of us, with more than physical attributes making them special.

  Two of these newly created angels were more unique than any of us. Abdiel and Sariel looked exactly alike, identical twins as you would say. Nathaniel was just as big as Sandolphan and Douma, but his black hair hung down to his shoulders. Uriel was built just like Michael with short red hair. Something about these four angels vexed me. They all had an emotionless look about them. I was not the only one with this odd feeling.

  “Ramiel,” Raphael whispered. “What do you think about them?”

  “I do not know. Something about them does not seem friendly at all.”

  Raphael glanced quickly at the four angels. “They are probably no fun to be around, but what is wrong with those two?”

  I assumed the two Raphael was referring to were Abdiel and Sariel, since they were the most unique.

  “Raphael, if you have something you wish to know about us... ask us, not him,” Uriel stated.

  “Us...” Raphael said in a confused tone. “I was not saying anything about you.”

  “No?” Uriel asked with an attitude. “You were just talking about Abdiel and Sariel, so I repeat, what do you want to know about us?”

  “Ooh, he is a touchy one.” Ramiel chuckled.

  I could tell that Raphael disliked the way Uriel was speaking to him. I would not have liked it either, but before an argument could start, Lucifer stepped in. “Calm yourself, Uriel. Raphael was just thinking about Abdiel’s and Sariel’s appearance. Gabriel was wondering the same thing too.”

  My brothers stared at me. I looked to my big brother, curious how he knew what I was thinking. Lucifer just smiled at me and pointed to his head. Mind reading was probably one of his most impressive talents.

  “Does our appearance bother you, Raphael?” Abdiel broke the awkward silence.

  “No,” Raphael replied. “I was just curious why the two of you look exactly alike.”

  Abdiel glanced quickly at Sariel who remained ominously quiet and then back to Raphael. “Why do you look the way you do?”

  Raphael thought about it for a short time. “I do not know. This is the way Father created me.”

  “Exactly,” Abdiel snapped.

  Uriel, Nathaniel, Abdiel, and Sariel were definitely a different breed from the rest of us. One thing I knew for sure was that they were not fond of Raphael, nor was Raphael fond of them.

  “Father,” Raphael called to him with a smile. “Are we not enough to watch over your magnificent kingdom of nothingness? Was it really necessary to create them?”

  “Yes,” Jehovah answered without hesitation.

  Uriel glared at Raphael. “Do you have a problem with us?”

  “No.” Raphael shook his head. “I just do not like you!”

  I found Raphael to be funny while Uriel, on the other hand, did not. My brother glided towards Raphael, but before he could do anything, Lucifer moved between them.

  “I told you to calm down. I will not tell you again,” Lucifer ordered sternly.

  Heeding Lucifer’s words, Uriel returned to Nathaniel’s side. Raphael gave Uriel these weird looks, sticking out his tongue and whatnot. Raphael stopped when he noticed Lucifer eyeing him. That was the kind of presence our big brother had. We all respected him, but there was something else about Lucifer that caused us to fear him too.

  At the time, I found it odd our big brother and not Father ended the bickering. Jehovah did not seem bothered by it. In fact, Father was so busy doing something with his hands that I do not even know if he noticed the squabble.

  “Father, what are you doing?” Xaphan asked.

  “Planning,” Father answered as he vanished without a trace. None of us knew where Father had gone, but a moment later we heard his voice. It was so loud that it echoed throughout the endless void. I will never forget what he said.

  “Let there be light!”

  Again, that familiar bright light shone in the far distance. The light grew brighter and brighter, and then boom! It happened so fast that I was unsure what hit me first—the blinding light or the deafening noise. I did not know whether to hold my eyes or my ears. Regardless, in the blink of an eye, I became deaf and blind. This was merely the beginning.

  As I held my eyes, a force pushed against me, subtle at first and then intense. Instinctively, I spread my wings to brace myself. While I struggled to stay in place, my sight slowly returned. My brothers were using their wings to support themselves too. Well, not all of my brothers. Raphael had his arms wrapped tightly around Sandolphan’s waist, and Ramiel grasped onto Raphael’s legs. At the time it was not funny, but now that I reminisce, it was amusing to watch those two hold on for dear life.

  Raphael’s grip loosened and then came apart. The two were sent twirling into the unknown. Forcas was the next one to succumb to this force. Rampel screamed his name as Forcas disappeared from sight. One by one, my brothers were sent tumbling through the void until there were only four of us left: Lucifer, Michael, Rampel, and myself. I was unsure how long I could keep withstanding this energy. It felt like my body was being pulled toward something I could not see. I grew weary. By the look on Rampel’s face, I knew he was no better off than I. Lucifer and Michael, on the other hand, seemed to be
hovering complacently.

  Rampel was the next to go. I trembled in fear for the first time as I watched my brother get blown away. I knew my time was coming shortly. My weary wings could no longer support me. Before I shared my brothers’ fate, Lucifer reached out and grabbed my hand. I held on as tightly as I could.

  “Do not worry, little brother,” Lucifer said with that smile of his. “You will be fine.” Then he released me. Lucifer always swore that I slipped from his grasp, but I know he let me go.

  I tumbled aimlessly through the void, although it was not as it was before. There was light, and even though I could not see him, I felt my father’s presence all around me. The last thing I remembered was hitting something, or something catching me. Then I went unconscious. I am still unsure how long I was out for, but I remember hearing my big brother calling my name.

  “Gabriel? Gabriel, where are you?” Lucifer shouted. I slowly opened my eyes as my big brother descended upon me. “I have been looking everywhere for you.” Lucifer knelt beside me.

  There was something different about Lucifer, but I could not place it. I was still disoriented. My ears were no longer ringing, but I still had trouble focusing because of the brilliant light from the sun. The significance of there even being sunlight had not yet hit me.

  “What happened?” I rubbed my eyes.

  “Well, I could tell you, or...” Lucifer extended his right hand. “You could see for yourself. Unless you want to lie around here forever, little brother.”

  “I did not want any of this. If I remember correctly it was not my choice to be lying down here in the first place.” I smirked.

  Lucifer laughed, helping me to my feet. I stood up and realized that I was no longer standing in a void. There was so much to see now. The yellow light from the sun above, the green grass beneath me, and the few colorful trees in the distance now decorated the darkness I was once in. I must have been unconscious longer than I could have imagined. There was so much to see now.

  “So, this is the kingdom Father spoke of?” I studied my surroundings.

  “Part of it. Father calls this place Heaven. This is the home he created for us.”

  Us. The word sparked memories of my brothers being blown away before me. I had been so taken aback by my surroundings that I had forgotten about them. I looked around, but none of my brothers were in sight. “Where are the others?”

  Lucifer pointed toward the east. “Most are over there. I will bring you to them, but first you need to cover up, little brother.”

  That is when I realized what was so different about him. Lucifer was no longer naked. A white robe shrouded his body, and white boots covered his feet.

  “This is from Father.” Lucifer handed me a robe and boots like his.

  Both the robe and boots were weightless, and my wings were able to pass freely through the back. I was fascinated by this; I kept spreading and retracting my wings. Lucifer gaped at me as if I had lost my mind.

  “Follow me.” Lucifer stretched out his wings.

  I trailed my big brother into the air. Flying came naturally to me. The feeling of the wind coursing through my wings, the view, the freedom... I loved all of it. As we made our way to the others, I could not help but notice all the different creatures roaming on the ground. There were even other angels flying around, although there were two notable differences between them and us. These other angels had white wings and eyes.

  Lucifer and I were not in the air long before we saw Raphael lying on a grassy hill by himself.

  “What took you so long?” Raphael asked as we descended. “I was getting tired of waiting for you.”

  “I can see that.” Lucifer glanced around. “I thought I told the others to stay here. Where did they go?”

  Raphael pointed into the sky. “They wanted a better view of Father’s kingdom.”

  “Is that so?” Lucifer stared into the sky. “What about Michael? Has he returned with Forcas yet?” Raphael shook his head. “Well, when they return, let them know where we are.”

  “Sure,” Raphael answered sarcastically. “Not like I want to see the rest of Father’s kingdom too!”

  Lucifer smiled and signaled me to follow him.

  Before I joined my big brother in the air, I walked over to Raphael. “It is nice to see you again, brother.”

  “It is nice to be seen again,” Raphael replied with a smile.

  I followed closely behind Lucifer as we flew out of Heaven and into the darkness of space. Once there, I saw the rest of my brothers hovering complacently, marveling at the universe Father had created. It was an amazing sight, to say the least. At one point you must have gazed into the night sky and admired its splendor, so, I am sure you can imagine how it felt to be in our position.

  From this height, I could see Heaven in its entirety. Unlike Earth, Heaven was set-up in levels, seven very large levels. Without seeing it for yourself, it may be hard to comprehend, but just think of Heaven as a mountain of plateaus or a giant staircase. Each step was a different level, complete with different environments and beasts. However, Heaven was just one of the many splendid sights to behold.

  I can still remember the first time I saw Earth. I was unimpressed. It was empty, dull, and visually unappealing. I would have never imagined this barren rock would soon be the source of all our problems. However, despite its bare appearance, this tiny planet hovering far below Heaven captured our attention. Father was moving across the Earth. We could not see Him, but we could definitely feel his presence.

  “I wonder what He is doing?” Xaphan asked aloud as he rubbed his chin.

  “He did not say,” Michael answered as he, Forcas, and Raphael rose beside us. Raphael and Forcas looked just as captivated with their surroundings as the rest of us. “However,” Michael continued, “Father did say we should enjoy our paradise until he returns.”

  “He did?” Metatron asked. “And when did he say this?”

  Michael glanced at Lucifer with a smile. Lucifer smiled too. “While you all were resting,” Lucifer answered.

  Somehow Michael and Lucifer had survived the beginning. While we were unconscious, they were witnessing it all. We were all special in one way or another, but that was when I knew Michael and our big brother would prove that they were the best of us many times over.

  In the meantime, Father had left us to our own devices.

  It was Forcas who asked the question. “What are we supposed to do now?”

  “I do not believe you were listening.” Raphael directed Forcas’s attention towards Heaven. “Father said to enjoy the paradise He created for us, and that is what I plan to do. Let us go see what this place has to offer.”

  Raphael turned to the rest of us to see what we thought of his idea. I liked it, but our big brother had other plans.

  “There will be plenty of time to explore Heaven, little brother,” Lucifer replied. “But first I believe we should honor Father for all that he has done for us.”

  “Honor him how?” Raphael’s smile faded.

  Lucifer scratched his head as he pondered the question. “Well, Father created a home for us, so let us return the favor.”

  I could tell by Raphael’s disturbed expression that he wanted no part in this. My brother loved Father just as much as the rest of us, but building a home did not sound like a fun way to spend his time.

  “Do I have to?” Raphael whined.

  “Of course not,” Michael answered before Lucifer could answer yes. “We can do both. Those who want to explore Heaven can go with Raphael, and those who want to build Father a home can come with Lucifer and me.”

  Before making our choice, we all turned to our big brother to make sure he approved of Michael’s proposal.

  Lucifer glanced at Michael quickly and then back at us. “That sounds fair to me. Who wants to go with Raphael?”

  Douma, Forcas, Ramiel, and Rampel immediately raised their hands. I wanted to raise mine too, but I also wanted to help honor Father.

  I could n
ot decide what to do until Ramiel grabbed my hand. “Come with us, Gabriel. There is no telling what Father will have us do when he gets back. This might be our only chance to really explore this place.”

  I smiled at my brother and raised my hand.

  “So I assume the rest of you will help build Father’s home?” Lucifer asked. Sandolphan, Metatron, and Xaphan nodded. Uriel, Nathaniel, Abdiel, and Sariel made no gestures at all.

  “What about you four?” Lucifer asked. “What will you do?”

  “We shall wait for Father to return,” Uriel replied.

  I thought it was an odd choice, and so did Raphael. He gave Uriel a look filled with confusion. “You are going to wait?”

  “That is what we said,” Nathaniel retorted.

  The rest of us turned to our big brother, who just shrugged. “Leave them be. If the four of them want to wait, then let them wait.”

  The Four; the name stuck to Uriel, Nathaniel, and the twins from then on. Since they were created together, always stayed with each other, and referred to themselves as we or us, the title fit perfectly.

  I said farewell to my brothers as Lucifer led them into Heaven. They had decided to construct Father’s home on the top level, but first they descended into the lower levels to seek aid from the other angels.

  “Last chance,” I warned the Four as we prepared to descend into Heaven. Uriel dismissed me with a bored wave.

  My brothers and I followed Raphael back into the fifth level of Heaven. It probably would have made more sense to start at the top or bottom and work our way up or down; however, while waiting for Michael and Forcas, Raphael had encountered creatures he wanted to show us.

  I remember being filled with excited anticipation as Raphael kept saying how unforgettable this journey was going to be. How right he was!

  —-End of Special Sneak Preview—-

  GRAB THE FULL EBOOK TODAY!

  YOU’LL FIND LINKS TO YOUR FAVORITE RETAILER HERE:

  THE WAYWARD SONS OF THE EMPYREAN Series at Evolved Publishing

  ~~~