Adult-FanFiction.org : Movies

The Kindness of Strangers	By : Kittenmommy Category: M through R > Prophecy, The Views: 1453 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Prophecy movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
“The Kindness of Strangers”

Epilogue 1

“Giving Thanks”

*****

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Sorry this has been so long in coming –
I’ve been sick with bronchitis since October and haven’t
really felt like writing until today!

*****

Whenever he had the chance, Gabriel came to Earth, to the plane of
existence where humans lived. He liked to watch them, often
spending hours sitting on a park bench or in an uncomfortable chair
in an airport. Or he’d walk the streets of a major city:
London, New York, Chicago, Denver. It didn’t matter, as
long as there were lots of people.

Ironic, really – he’d spent so many centuries hating
and resenting these people for even existing, for holding a special
place in The Creator’s heart. But now, having lived as
one of them, he understood. Though they may enjoy The Boss’s
favor, their short lives weren’t easy. So much suffering
and illness and uncertainty, things that angels never faced, never
worried about.

The place he had come to today was called Cleveland. It was
snowing here now, big fat fluffy flakes. Gabriel briefly
allowed himself to feel the cold, and actually shivered as an icy
wind from the lake whipped his long black coat around him.
Disappointingly, the streets were almost deserted today. Must
be the weather keeping everyone inside, he mused.

On Euclid Avenue, there was a convenience store where Gabriel
sometimes bought the local paper. He looked in the window and
saw that it was empty aside from the clerk, a young freshmen at Case
Western Reserve who hoped to be a doctor one day. Her head was
bent over a thick textbook, her long black hair curtaining her face.
When he pushed the door open, the little bell above it jingled and
she looked up at him and smiled.

“Hey you,” she said. It was what she always said
when she saw him; he had no idea why.

“How’s it going?” he asked, taking a copy of The
Plain Dealer from the newspaper rack.

She shrugged. “Pretty quiet today.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” He put the paper on the
counter and dug around in his pocket for change. “Didn’t
see too many people out there.”

She shrugged again. “Thanksgiving.”

“Ah.” He had completely forgotten about the
holiday.

She peered past him, out the window. “Damn,” she
said quietly. “He’s back.”

“Who?” Gabriel turned to look and saw a homeless
man huddled in the doorway, seeking shelter under the overhang.
He wore a long, tattered coat and a hat was jammed down on his head.
Strands of gray hair poked out here and there around the edge.

“Cops chased him away three times already,” she
continued.

“Why not let him stay?” Gabriel asked.

“Mister Henderson doesn’t like it… says he’s
bad for business.” Mister Henderson was the owner of the
little convenience store. “Not much business today,
though,” she continued.

Gabriel was still watching the homeless man. “His
name’s Alan Becker. Used to work in the rubber plants
down in Akron, but when they closed back in the seventies, he came up
here looking for work. Spent the rest of his life doing odd
jobs. When his wife got cancer, he lost everything –
money, car, house – paying for her care. Now she’s
gone and he’s homeless.”

This wasn’t the first time that he’d told her the life
story of some random person, and she shook her head. “You
make up the most interesting stories about people,” she mused,
for that was what she thought he was doing. “Tell me
mine.”

He turned back to her and sighed. He wished she wouldn’t
ask, but she always did… and his answer was always the same.

“Your story isn’t written yet.” Which
wasn’t exactly a lie; things could still change. The Boss
sometimes deviated from His Plans for reasons that were known only to
Him.

“All right,” she agreed, laughing. “Let me
know when you finish it.”

“Yeah… I’ll do that.”

The bell above the door jingled as someone else came in.
“Boy it’s cold out there!” the new arrival said,
rubbing his arms and stamping his feet.

“About time you got here, Pete,” she said amiably.
She made a sweeping gesture, taking in the entire empty store.
“Can’t you see I’m swamped?”

Pete laughed. “I hope I can handle it all by myself!”

“Yeah, well that’s it for me,” she said, closing
her textbook and stuffing it into her book bag. “I’m
outta here.”

“Any special plans?” Pete asked as he took off his
coat and came behind the counter.

“Back to my apartment for a Swanson’s frozen turkey
dinner, and then more studying.” She suddenly remembered
something. “Oh, wait – almost forgot.”
She quickly rang up the price of Gabriel’s newspaper and put
his money in the till. “Now you’re all set,”
she told him with a smile.

“Thanks.” He folded the paper and stowed it away
in an inside pocket of his coat.

“You’re going to spend all day Thanksgiving studying?”
Pete continued, incredulous.

“Yep,” she agreed. She pulled on her heavy
winter coat and slung the strap of her book bag over her shoulder.

“All work and no play make Jen a dull girl,” Pete
said, and glanced at Gabriel for confirmation. “Right?”

Gabriel shrugged. “I don’t think she’s
dull.”

“See?” she asked, vindicated. She came out from
behind the counter and turned briefly to stick her tongue out at
Pete.

“It’s just not right,” Pete persisted. “No
one should be alone on Thanksgiving.”

“Don’t worry, Pete – I’ll live!”
Her hand was on the door.

I’ll live.

“Be careful out there,” Gabriel said suddenly.
“There’s… you know… all kinds of people
hiding in alleys… waiting to grab young girls like you…
and stuff.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “You sound like my
parents!”

“Your parents are right!” he retorted, and she
laughed.

“See you guys later!” With that, she was out the
door.

“Hey, have a happy Thanksgiving,” Pete said as Gabriel
followed her out.

“Yeah… uh… you too.”

Outside, the angel stood on the sidewalk and watched her until she
turned the corner and was out of sight. He would have liked to
follow her, but he knew that he wasn’t supposed to interfere in
The Boss’s Plans.

Even if it was Thanksgiving.

He knew what that holiday meant to the people who lived on this
particular part of the Earth, and he wondered how thankful her family
would be, this year and in years to come.

He tilted his head up to look at the sky.

“I’ve always obeyed, always done what You wanted.”
His voice was bitter. “But You can’t make me like
it.”

A moment later, the sidewalk was completely deserted. A flock of
iridescent white doves fluttered skyward, dancing between the fat
white snowflakes that continued to fall.

*****

There were hands grabbing her tearing her coat her clothes
hurting her please don't please stop oh please a knife –

Jen stood in the alley, watching the three men who were crouched
over a young woman lying in the bloodstained snow. They were
doing terrible things to the poor woman, but for some reason she
wasn’t very concerned about it. It didn’t have
anything to do with her, after all.

She gradually became aware of a presence behind her, and she
turned and looked into the blinding white light surrounding the Angel
of Death.

And understood everything.

“Hey you,” she said, and smiled.

*****

Later, Gabriel stood on a large snow-covered porch on another
street in another city, this one called Pittsburgh. The streets
here were just as deserted as the place he had recently left, but
this area – Shadyside, it was called – was quiet and
suburban.

He wondered briefly what he was doing here, what had compelled him
to come to this place.

No one should be alone on Thanksgiving.

It wasn’t his holiday, but he found that he didn’t
want to be alone nonetheless… nor did he particularly want the
company of his own kind at the moment. They had never lived as
a human and so they just wouldn’t understand.

He put his finger out and pressed the button by the door. He
heard the faint chime of the doorbell from within the house, and then
approaching footsteps and the sound of the door being unlocked.

The door opened, and Ben Finkelstein stood there, regarding him
with a puzzled expression. He obviously didn’t recognize
Gabriel in the guise of a mortal, without his wings and his elaborate
robes.

“Can I help – ” Ben began.

A little red-hair girl came running into the foyer, eager to see
who had come to visit. When she saw the angel, her eyes widened
in surprise.

“Gabriel!” she exclaimed happily, and threw her arms
around his waist.

“Hey, Kiddo,” he said, patting her head.

Gabriel saw recognition fill Ben’s eyes. “Please,
come in,” he invited, ushering the angel inside, into cozy,
reassuring warmth and the tantalizing aromas of cooking food.

“I hope I’m not imposing – ” he began.

“Don’t be silly – everyone will be glad to see
you!” Ben assured him.

“Thank you.”

“Maureen!” Ben called over his shoulder. “Better
set another place at the table!”

FINIS.
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Kindness of Strangers