Angle: Ascension

My girlfriend Diane just got taken away by an angel. I don't mean that some really dreamy guy stole her heart. I mean, well, let me tell you the whole thing.

We were sitting in a bench in the town square near the old church. Diane was sleeping, with her face against my chest. I had my jacket around her to keep out the chilly evening wind.

This situation is always a little difficult for me. Diane has insomnia; she never gets enough sleep at home, so I want her to rest as much as possible. But she also has bad dreams and talks in her sleep, so sometimes I have to wake her up if things are getting really bad. I often have to make a tough decision, balancing her need for sleep with her need for happiness.

But the good thing is that I can sometimes change Diane's dreams by talking to her. If I talk about nice things, the dream gets better. There is something about my voice that helps her sleep well and have good dreams, so I try to help her out as much as possible.

Diane is, or maybe I should say was, the most kind, loving, faithful person I have ever met. She cared so much about other people that she neglected her own needs. Most of the people in her life simply took advantage of this, taking from her and giving nothing back. I was one of the few people that showed her even a fraction of the kindness that she showed other people.

Diane also had a habit of thinking the best of people. She refused to say anything bad about the people who hurt her. She also thought that I was a better person than she was, which was crazy. Sometimes she said that I would be 'better off' if I was not 'burdened' with her, which was equally crazy.

I don't deny that it could get difficult to care for Diane. But it was a small price to pay for the time we spent together, and the sunshine she brought into my life.

Anyway, Diane was sleeping when her face brightened with a big smile and she started talking in her sleep. She said, "There's an angel here. He is beautiful. He is talking to me. He is saying... He is offering me a choice. He says that I have earned the right to go with him. I can choose to go with him, or to stay on Earth."

With hindsight, I realize that I should have taken this more seriously. Supernatural things seemed much more real in Diane's life. Most people thought she was crazy but I just accepted it when she talked about seeing angels or fairies or ghosts.

If I was being smart and selfish, I would have told her to stay with me. But I just wanted her to be happy. I thought that she would have a really good dream, and then talk about it when she woke up. I love hearing about her good dreams, when they do happen.

So I said, "That sounds wonderful. Go with him."

"But won't you miss me?"

"Yes, I will miss you a little, but I will be happy knowing that you are happy."

"The angel says that if I stay on Earth I can do good work."

"You have already done enough good for one lifetime. You deserve this."

"Okay, well, thank you and goodbye."

After Diane said this, her face became even brighter. She was so happy that it almost seemed like she was glowing.

Then Diane really did start glowing.

A light opened out of the heavens. I could hear the distant echoes of singing that can only be described as heavenly. A bright beautiful strong presence came floating down on the beam of light and touched Diane's face.

I saw Diane transformed into an angel. She already looked something like an angel, and now pure beauty shone out, no longer limited by a body that had suffered from a bad life.

Diane looked at me, gave me a smile that I will treasure forever, and then floated into heaven.

It grew dark again. A great emptiness opened in my heart when I realized that she was actually gone. I tried to think about how happy she was now, but all I could think of was how much I missed her.

And then I thought, "What am I going to tell her parents?"