A 'Touched By An Angel' Story

By: Yvette Jessen

The darkened sky looked completely uninviting as the group of boys wandered through the streets. It was Halloween night, and the boys' faces were covered with the make-up or masks, which would hide their true appearance from the world.

"Come on you guys, hurry up," one of the boys called out. His voice muffled by the werewolf mask he wore over his head. As he spoke those words of authority, the others rushed to catch up with him. "We're going to miss out on all the fun if we don't get a move on."

The group of boys began to run even faster, but as they did, they separated themselves from the last boy in the group, the youngest member, eight-year-old, Jordan Daniels. The small boy was running as fast as he could to catch up with his brother, Kyle and his friends. After a few seconds, he got winded, stopped, and tried to catch his breath. This action brought the other boys to a screeching halt and they turned around and stared at him. Self-consciously, he looked innocently around in the hopes of diverting their focus onto something else.

The same boy in the werewolf costume jogged over to the boy and grabbed his arm and stared down at him with contempt in his pale green eyes. "Look, Jordan, if you can't keep up, then you're not welcome to hang out with us."

"Kyle, I'm trying," Jordan said softly, his voice quavering. If truth were known, this small child was probably the only one among them who did not like Halloween. Well, maybe he would like it more if he didn't have an older brother who constantly did mean things to him.

Last year Kyle had volunteered him to sit at the dunking booth for the school's Halloween party. The result of that escapade was that Jordan caught a terrible cold and was stuck home from school for two weeks afterwards. He wanted to tell their mother about what had happened, but Kyle had threatened to mesh him to a pulp if he did. As a result of his brother’s bully tactics, he remained quiet about this and said nothing to anyone about it.

Sighing sadly, he could hear Kyle's voice, which brought him crashing back down to earth and the little boy, looked down at the ground. "But Mom said…" Jordan's small voice piped up and he was abruptly cut off.

"…I don't care what Mom said," his 12-year-old brother snapped. "It wasn't my idea to bring you. If you don't want to get lost, then you'd better learn to keep up."

"Hey, Kyle, why don't we test your brother and see if he has nerves of steel?" one of the other boys asked and the group began to laugh sardonically.

"Yeah, let's see if the squirt has what it takes to do something really scary," another boy suggested.

After thinking about that suggestion, Kyle smiled and nodded. "Good idea, Chris. I think I have just the thing." He looked over in the direction of a darkened and fenced in part of town. As he continued to stare, his eyes narrowed and he broke into a wide Cheshire cat grin.

"What?" Jordan asked. "Guys, my mom said that I'm supposed to stay with you, tonight."

"OK, so be it, but before we go trick or treating, we're going to do something totally in the spirit of Halloween. We're going to the cemetery," Kyle said dramatically. "We do this every year, right guys?"

The other boys nodded and began to chortle among themselves. "That's right," Chris said loudly. "Every year, one of us gets elected to miss out on tricks and treats and show all the others just how brave they can be."

"Yeah," Kyle said smiling down at his little brother.

Jordan knew this look and he backed up ever so slightly. As he did, he could feel the hand of his older brother gripping his upper arm. "Kyle, let me go."

"No, we’ve unanimously decided that you will be staying at the cemetery this year. You're going to have to find your way out all by yourself." With that, two of the boys grabbed Jordan's arms and held them in a viselike grip. As the younger boy struggled, Kyle pulled a bandana out of his pocket and covered his little brother's eyes with the cloth.

"OK, guys, let the initiation begin," Kyle said as the assemblage of boys grabbed Jordan by his arms and legs. They carried him in the direction of the large cemetery, which was three streets down and over from where they started.

"B-but it's Halloween," Jordan objected as he struggled against their hold and kept trying to reach towards the bandana that concealed his eyes. Soon, he felt the darkness beginning to overwhelm him.

"Yeah, so?" One of the other boys asked. "If you're really tough then you can stay there all night. Come on, let's get over there, and see what happens. Maybe you'll have luck and run into the grim reaper there." As the older boy began to laugh, Jordan could feel his hands beginning to tremble from beneath the bandages that were part of his mummy costume.

"Come on guys, let's drop off the squirt and go and have some real fun," Kyle said and then in the most menacing of voices, he began to address his little brother. "One word about this to Mom and you're going to be corn flakes by morning. Understand?"

Jordan nodded obediently as the boys managed to carry his squirming and kicking body inside. After a few minutes, they reached the inner sanctions of the cemetery and practically dropped Jordon onto the ground. All around them, the boys could see the eerie lights of nearby streetlamps. Without even pulling the bandana out from in front of his eyes, they took off, all of them laughing. Once their voices vanished in the distance, Jordan began to grope with the bandana that was tightly covering his eyes.

Once he had managed to pull the bandana from his eyes, he looked around and could see fog and shadows literally covering him. The fog had managed to conceal the streetlamps, and now the only light that was prevalent in this place existed were from the moon. Instead of offering him any sort of comfort, all this did was terrify him. He could feel his hands continuing to tremble, and after a few seconds, he managed to sit down, the dew-covered grass beginning to seep through his costume and leave his clothing wet.

Closing his eyes, he could feel the tears brimming under his eyes. I hate Halloween, he thought sadly as he tried to find some sort of orientation in this place.

*****

"I hate Halloween," Andrew mumbled to his friend and fellow Angel of Death, Adam. The two of them were watching the children running from house to house on that darkened Halloween night.

"Well, it's not my favorite holiday either, but at least you are getting some time off, I've got a possible car accident going down in ten minutes, and this could go either way, so I guess I'd better get over there and see what's happening. If it works out the way I hope, I’ll hopefully be able to come back," Adam said smiling weakly. "Don't let it get you down, Andrew, thankfully this only happens one night a year." Once he said those words, he disappeared leaving Andrew alone with his moping.

Once Adam was gone, Andrew sighed deeply as he sat back down on a nearby bench. It was all for the better anyway, he thought grimly as he looked around. Halloween was supposed to be fun for people, but not for an Angel of Death, who tended to view all this scary stuff as just an excuse to make his job harder.

Andrew had opted to spending this particular evening alone. Somehow, he figured that his gloominess would annoy Tess to no end. She seemed to be rather fond of the typical Halloween candies as opposed to trying to philosophize about the meaning behind the day. Neither she nor Monica were as affected by this holiday as he and Adam apparently were.

Looking around, he could understand why. The costumes got more dismal with each passing year. The make-up they used these days made people look like miniature horror movie figures instead of young children. Whatever happened to plastic masks of Kermit the Frog and Darth Vader anyway?

Andrew sighed deeply as a child dressed as a grim reaper ran past him, loud laughter emerging from them, thus indicating that it was a little girl beneath the makeup. He stood up and walked in the direction of the church were Tess and Monica were volunteering as assistants for their Halloween carnival.

After some moments, when he heard the voices of some of the local boys, he stopped and began to listen to their conversation more closely. As he overheard them, the color suddenly drained from his face as he heard specifically what they had done. Seconds passed and his instincts told him that he should find Tess and inquire as to where the local cemetery was, but instead of running off, he inched closer to listen.

"Suzie, you're not going to believe this, but we actually managed to leave the trouble maker at the cemetery," one of the boys was saying.

"That's going to scare him half to death," Suzie said looking at the boys in disbelief. Anger was evidently showing in the girl's eyes, and she regarded them with disapproval.

"Maybe, but at least we'll have him out of our hair for awhile," Kyle said as Andrew began to walk in the direction of the church's parish hall.

Once he came inside the building, he could see that Monica was hard at work at the face-painting booth. Coming closer, he could see that she was painting a small pumpkin on a little girl's face. "Monica, do you know where Tess is?"

"Yes, she's working on getting some music put together for the musical chairs game," Monica said as she finished the face painting and the little girl bounded off the chair and went to show her mother. The young caseworker stood up and began to rub her hands together. "Oh that was so much fun. I'm glad the Father sent us here; this has been a wonderful carnival. Would you like me to paint something on your cheek Andrew?" As the Angel of Death shook his head, he looked at Monica, who was still bubbling over about what she had done. "I have painted more today than throughout all of eternity…"

"Monica, some thing is not right here," Andrew said softly interrupting her. "I overheard some boys outside. I think they left one of the younger boys alone out at cemetery."

"That's one of your typical Halloween pranks, Angel Boy," Tess' voice emerged and she approached her two younger charges. Her expression was warm and she smiled gently at the Angel of Death.

"Perhaps it is, but Tess, the way they were talking, I'm not so sure that what they did was completely innocent," Andrew said. "Some thing just did not seem right."

"Then follow your instincts," Tess said smiling as she rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. "If you ask me, I think you're just a tad bit paranoid because you don't like Halloween."

"No, it's more than not liking Halloween, Tess," Andrew insisted. “Something is wrong. If there is a child at the cemetery at this hour, then something could happen to him.”

Monica shook her head as she looked at Tess. " I think the world of you, Andrew but this time I have to agree with Tess. You've hated Halloween since the day we met, and there's nothing that will ever change that. Perhaps, you're looking for trouble where none exists."

"Maybe you're right, but I'm still going to check this out. Do you guys know how to get to the cemetery?" Andrew asked.

"It's about three blocks from here," Tess said. "Just follow the main road going east. You should reach it without any problems, it's on the right side, you can't miss it."

Andrew nodded as he walked towards the doors. Before leaving he turned around and looked at this as he spoke. "Good luck with the carnival. I might come by later and see how things are going."

Tess and Monica smiled and nodded as their friend left and they returned to their prospective tasks.

Once outside, Andrew did as Tess had said and began to walk through the small town and in the direction of the graveyard. Strange that I would be drawn to the cemetery on Halloween night, he thought grimly. Somewhere, deep inside of him, he knew that there had to be a reason for all of this to have happened. He had also been an Angel of Death long enough to know that there was no such thing as mere chance.

As the street grew emptier and more barren, he sighed deeply. I guess I'll know soon enough what the fascination with this place is, he thought. He crossed over to the other side of the street and was now standing in front of the cast iron gates that led into the cemetery. Slowly, he opened the gate, a strange creaking sound emerged as though they had not been opened in years.

This was definitely the feel of Halloween, he continued to contemplate as he walked into the graveyard. All around him, he could hear the sounds and see the various sights of the holiday literally encasing him. He watched as the clouds blew lazily in front of the moon giving the entire area a hazy sort of sensation. He buttoned up his trench coat as he felt the cold autumn air against his face. Picking up his pace, he continued to walk slowly through the yard, the headstones only lit by the reflections cast by the moon.

As he passed a large stone structure, he could recognize the historically significant stones that were much taller than the modern-day counterparts. He was not really sure if the child he was looking for was still there, but after a few moments, he heard the sounds of crying in the distance, and this confirmed his assumptions.

He began to walk towards and in the middle of a clearing, he could see the outline of a child sitting on the ground. As he came closer, the angel's heart went out to the small boy. He was crying and Andrew hesitantly approached, but said nothing, he simply watched as the child continued to rub his bandaged covered hands over his eyes.

*****

Jordan was still afraid. It had been about an hour since his brother and friends had left him in this place. Every single sound that he heard seemed to mount his terror and it was now evident that the boy was terrified. Any onlooker who happened by and saw his state would conclude that the child was in trouble. He continued the dubious task of trying to get the white cloth from his mummy costume out of his eyes. Like the bandana that had concealed his vision, this white cloth had managed to slide down and cover his eyes. As he tried to remove it, he discovered that his hands were trembling so much that he was unable to even budge the persistent cloth.

As he made some last ditch attempts, the words of his brother continued to resonate in his mind. The more he thought about this, the more he wanted to cry, but he also realized that he needed to try and figure out where in this large graveyard he was and how he would be able to get home.

Suddenly, without warning, he felt a hand on his shoulder and he screamed, the fright emerging as he tried to back away. Whoever it was, he was going do everything he could to get away from whoever it was that was now beside him.

As he tried to back away, he could feel that the person who had touched his shoulder had exerted even more pressure on it thus preventing him from backing up too much. He continued to scream hysterically. "NOooooo!"

"Shhh, It's OK, don't be afraid," a gentle but strong male voice emerged above his shrieking and he raised his head. He still could not see anything, but tried once again to back away. Seconds slowly ticked by and he heard the reassuring voice once again. “I’m not going to hurt you.” Abruptly, he stopped trying to get away, the gentle sounding voice somehow causing him to relax.

The small child nodded numbly, but began to tear at the bands that were wound around his head. "I can't see," he managed to cry out, as the man crouched down next to him.

"Then, let me help you," he spoke again. "It looks like the material from your costume have somehow inched its way down and has covered your eyes completely. You can't see anything, no wonder you are so afraid."

Seconds passed and Jordan could feel the material being removed from over his eyes as well as the gentle fingers of the man brushing against his face. Once the boy was completely freed from them, he looked up. When he could not see who had aided him, he reached a hesitant hand out towards the man and abruptly felt the man taking his hand and shaking it. The man released his hand so that he could sit down on the ground next to him. By this time, his eyes managed to focus a little bit better and could see the face of the person who had helped him. The man did not look to be all that old, maybe in his 30's, his hair was cut short and he was dressed in light colored clothing.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" The man eventually asked. He could almost instinctively tell that the child looked as though he was about to jump out of his skin.

Instead of speaking, the little boy shrugged his shoulders and looked at the man seated next to him, but then his gaze returned to the ground. "You can talk to me, it's OK, I won't hurt you," he repeated and the gentility of his voice caused Jordan to look up again.

"M-my brother and his friends," the small boy said, but instead of speaking further about what had happened, he merely released a helpless sigh. "I am a coward, just like they said."

"No, being afraid doesn't make you a coward," the man said.

"B-but I am, when I felt your hand on my shoulder, I-I thought you were the grim reaper," the boy admitted softly. "It's Halloween, you know?"

The man could feel his face flush, and grateful for the darkness, he spoke, his voice soft. "Yes, I know, but what if I were to tell you that there's no such thing as a grim reaper?"

"H-how do you know?"

"Well, let me ask you something. Do you think that God would create this creature that makes little boys afraid of death or leaves you scared and alone on Halloween night?" He asked.

"I dunno," the weak answer emerged.

"He doesn't, I can assure you," the man whispered.

"W-who are you?" The small boy asked.

"My name is Andrew," came the gentle answer. "What's your name?"

"Jordan," he said softly.

Andrew smiled gently. "Well, I'm really glad I found you, Jordan, I overheard your brother in town talking about you. That's why I came out here, I wanted to find you and make sure you were alright."

"You did?" The little boy asked weakly.

"Mm-hum," Andrew nodded.

"He's so mean to me," Jordan said softly.

"I think older brothers and younger brothers are always going to be like rivals to one another. They just don't relate all the time with one other," Andrew said smiling gently.

"Maybe, but he does things like this to me all the time," Jordan said.

Andrew nodded. "You know, sometimes that can be really hard. But, I have to say that bringing and leaving you in the middle of this cemetery on Halloween night goes a little bit beyond just being a prank. It's not very responsible at all. What if something were to have happened to you?"

Jordan looked afraid, but he shook his head, and began to shudder slightly. "You know, if I tell my mom what Kyle did, he'd mesh me to a pulp. He said so himself."

Andrew nodded and smiled gently at the small boy. "What's say I help you get out of here, and then we go and have a talk with your mother about this?"

"Kyle will kill me, Andrew," Jordan said softly. As he spoke, the angel could see the sheer fright that crossed the face of the little boy.

"So what are you going to do?" Andrew asked.

"Nothing," Jordan said sadly.

"Nothing?" Andrew asked skeptically, his surprise evident.

Jordan looked at the angel. "What can I do?"

"Face your fear," Andrew said.

"Yeah, that's why my brother and his friends left me here. They said that I would have to face all the ghouls and goblins on Halloween night in the middle of a cemetery. Who's to say that when you're gone that I won't meet up with the grim reaper?" Jordan asked bitterly.

"Jordan, look at me," Andrew said softly, his voice grave.

The little boy glanced over at where the angel sat.

"There is no grim reaper, OK?" Andrew said as soon as the boy's attention was on him. "Do you know what really exists, and I don't mean ghouls, ghosts, and goblins?"

The little boy shook his head.

"There are angels, and there are some who have a very special job; they take people to God when their lives on Earth are through. There is nothing scary about an angel, is there?" Andrew asked.

"I guess not," Jordan said softly. "But, I'm still scared."

"I know, but I'm going to tell you a secret, and it's the reason why I know there is no such thing as a grim reaper," Andrew said as he began to glow. "I know all of these things are true because I'm an angel, Jordan."

Upon seeing this strange man glowing in front of him, Jordan stood up and backed away from him. It was no mistake, terror was written all over the face of the little boy and once he was on his feet, he fled through the graveyard in absolute horror.

"Jordan, don't run away, I want to help you," Andrew called out as the light vanished and he began to run after the little boy. "Father, please help me find him," he muttered under his breath as he followed the boy. Running between the trees that separated a number of the gravesites from the mausoleum, he could see the whiteness of the boy’s costume. He continued to follow until he reached the northern border of the cemetery.

*****

Back at the church, Tess and Monica were still assisting at the church's carnival. As they worked, their eyes remained on Helen Daniels, their assignment. She was hard at work until her eldest son, Kyle, came into the hall. A group of his friends came in as well, and it looked as though the group planed on participating in the festivities.

"Mom, can Chris and I go to the haunted house?" Kyle's voice could be heard by both angels, and they exchanged concerned glances.

Helen looked up and smiled. "Sure, but don't be too late." She looked throughout the group of boys and when she could not see her younger son, she looked at Kyle. "Where's your brother?"

"I don't know," Kyle lied. "We were out trick or treating and I guess he wandered off again.”

"That kid is going to be the death of me," Helen muttered and looked at Tess. "Tess, would you mind getting the rest of those pies set up? I have to go and see if I can find my other son. He's eight and his brother said he wandered off again."

"Of course, honey, don't give it another thought," Tess said as Monica came over to where she was now working. Helen followed Kyle outside.

"Andrew was right, this is more than a prank,” Monica said. “Do you know where he is, Tess?”

"Andrew found him at the cemetery," Tess replied. "It's really a bigger mess than I surmised, Angel Girl."

As they spoke, Suzie came into the hall and she looked around as though intending on finding someone. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, baby, what can we do for you?" Tess asked.

"I-I was wondering if Mrs. Daniels is here," Suzie said. "There's something I need to tell her and I think it's important."

"Well, unfortunately she had to step outside in order to find her son," Tess explained. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I don’t know if there is,” Suzie began, her voice trailed.

Tess looked at her. "Come on honey, you can tell me, something tells me that it's very important."

“Well, the thing is, just before I got here, Kyle came up to me and said that he and his friends had dumped Jordan at the cemetery. I don’t know why, but he always acts like some kind of macho stud around me and most of what he does is cruel and unfeeling. What scares me is that I heard on the radio when I got home that the police are on high alert around this area. They said it's especially dangerous for kids to be out by themselves. I wasn't going to tell anyone about it, but I'm kind of scared for Jordan now. He really shouldn't be out there by himself," Suzie said.

"He's not, baby, there’s someone with him," Tess offered smiling gently.

"I’m not so sure of that,” Suzie said. “No one really knows that he was dumped at the cemetery. My guess is that he’s still there," Suzie said. "At least, that's where Kyle said he was, so I think that is where people should start looking."

"Don't you worry, we'll find him," Tess said and glanced towards the door and could see that Kyle and some of his friends had returned to the hall. As she regarded them, she could feel her eyes filling with rarely expressed anger. Finally, she looked at Monica. "Aside from being there for Helen, it would seem as though we're back on the clock so to speak, Angel Girl," she said once Suzie had walked away.

"I had that feeling anyway since Andrew was here earlier," Monica said softly.

*****

Andrew was still looking for Jordan less than a half an hour later. “Father, please help me find him. I truly didn’t mean to frighten him. I just wanted to help him, and now I've terrified him.” He found a bench and sat down, all the while glancing skyward.

After a few moments of prayer passed for Andrew, he stood up and walked slowly in the direction of a tool-shed, which was located on the outskirts of the large cemetery. He opened the door and peered inside. "Jordan, are you in there?"

When he heard the gasp, he knew that he had found the young boy, and as he looked around the darkened shed, he managed to find a light switch. He flipped it up, the lone bulb illuminated the room and he could see that the little boy was cowering in the corner.

"Oh, Jordan, I didn't mean to frighten you," Andrew came over and sat down on the sawdust covered floor and looked into the wide eyes of the frightened child.

"P-please, d-don't hurt me," Jordan whimpered as he backed away from Andrew.

The Angel of Death sighed deeply. "I wouldn't hurt you, Jordan."

Jordan looked up for a split second before lowering his gaze once again. He shook his head, the words refusing to emerge and he tried to keep his eyes from meeting those of the angel.

"Why are you so afraid?" Andrew asked, but Jordan continued to shake his head. "I thought most of the children liked Halloween, I thought they liked being afraid, or emanating death as the grim reaper or dressing as ghosts and goblins. I didn't know you were different."

Jordan looked up. "I don't like being scared."

"And I don't like being the reason that you're scared," Andrew said softly.

"You don't?"

"No," Andrew said and shook his head sadly. "I'm very sorry that I frightened you, Jordan. I didn't want to make you even more afraid than you already were."

Jordan looked at Andrew. "W-what happened to that light?"

Andrew smiled weakly. "Angels don't always glow. Sometimes you pass an angel on the street and you don't even know it. We 'glow' when we tell people what God intended for us to remind them of."

"What were you going to tell me?" Jordan asked softly.

"That God loves you, Jordan,” Andrew said and smiled weakly at the little boy. “He knows that you're afraid of what may be beyond that door, but He's always with you."

"That's it?"

"Well, there's a little bit more that I still need to tell you, but I don't need to glow to tell it to you," Andrew said softly. "You don't have to worry about those creatures that scare you, because there is no grim reaper. There are angels, and I'm an Angel of Death, and I am sent to help people when they are ready to go Home to God."

"I'm not ready," Jordan said softly.

Andrew smiled gently. "No, you're not, but when you are ready, you won't see this image of a man dressed in a black robe carrying a scythe. You'll see someone who is glowing, and who will take your hand and lead you to Heaven."

"You make it sound nice," Jordan said softly.

"It is nice, it's not the images that you see on Halloween, it's something more spiritual; and special. You see, Jordan, angels won't hurt anyone. We are there when you need us," Andrew smiled at the boy. "Are you still afraid of me."

Jordan shook his head, but within seconds, he could hear his mother calling his name. "Oh no, now I'm really in trouble."

"What's wrong?"

"That's my mom outside, and Kyle probably told her I ran off," Jordan said softly. "Andrew, will you come with me? I may need you."

"Sure," the angel smiled at the little boy and they stood up, dusted themselves off. Andrew then opened the door to the shed and turned off the light.

*****

"Jordan!" Helen was shouting as she ran through the cemetery. "Where are you?"

"Mom?" Jordan's voice erupted through the stillness as Helen came out of the clearing and she broke into a run when she saw him not to far away.

As soon as Helen reached her son, she wrapped her arms around him. "Where have you been?"

"It's not my fault," Jordan said softly.

"It's never your fault,” Helen said crossly. “Kyle showed up at the church, and said you had wandered off, so I want to know just what is going on.”

"It’s not my fault, Mom, really," Jordan said, but without warning, he could feel the tears brimming from beneath his eyes. He turned away for several moments and watched as Andrew came closer.

"He's telling you the truth," Andrew said when he reached them. "Your son was left here by your older son. I overheard them talking in the town square near the church earlier this evening. After hearing what they had done, I went and asked my friends how to find this place. Then I came out here and found Jordan."

"Who are you?" Helen demanded.

"He's an angel," Jordan said and sniffed.

"An angel. Well, Mister Angel, I think you picked the wrong holiday, this is Halloween, not Christmas," Helen said sarcastically. "And as for you, young man, two weeks no TV privileges."

"Your son is telling you the truth,” Andrew said. “Everything that happened tonight was not because of something he did. It was something your older son did.”

“This is none of your business,” Helen said rudely.

“Perhaps not, but it is the truth,” Andrew said as he began to glow. “I am an angel, Helen.”

This time, the woman raised her head, her wide eyes regarding him. "You're an angel, b-but I don't understand."

"Mom, he's an Angel of Death, and he's not like the grim reaper, he's really nice," Jordan said softly. "His name's Andrew, and he's my friend."

"Y-you're the Angel of Death?" Helen asked.

"Yes, I am," Andrew said softly and continued to speak, almost in anticipation of her next question. "Your son is in no danger by being in my company, in fact, you know two of my friends, Monica and Tess."

"Those two ladies who volunteered at the church are angels, too?"

"Yes, and we were sent here to help with your church carnival, because you and many members prayed for a little help with this fundraiser. The Father always answers your prayers, this time He sent His angels," Andrew said.

"But, how did you end up with my son?"

"It was accidental, but when I overheard your older son talking to one of the girls in town about what they had done to Jordan, I came out here looking for him. I knew that it could have been dangerous for him to be out here by himself."

"Why didn't you tell me what Kyle's been doing?" Helen asked.

"He would have beat me up, Mom,” Jordan said.

“Yes and he also has experienced you not believing him,” Andrew added. “You’re a good mother, but for whatever reason, your older son seems to have more backing from you than Jordan does.”

“I don’t understand,” Helen said softly.

“Well, Jordan, tell your mother what really happened last year,” Andrew said.

“When I got really sick?” Jordan whispered.

“Yes,” Andrew said nodding.

“I remember that,” Helen said. “I had to take you to the hospital, and you seemed to have caught early stages of pneumonia.”

“I had to stay there for a week, and the food was so gross,” Jordan said.

"It was the week after Halloween, and you had been hallucinating, talking about having seen an angel,” Helen said with an obvious shudder. "I don't think I'll ever forget that, because I thought we were going to lose you."

"Jordan didn't hallucinate about the angel, Helen, he did see one, it was my friend, Adam," Andrew said softly. "He a very sick little boy. The reason he had gotten sick was because he had been forced to sit in a dunking booth at the Halloween party at Kyle's school. It had been cold out and afterwards, Jordan walked home completely drenched from the dunks he had endured there."

Helen looked at her son. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"He didn't because he is afraid of his brother, Helen," Andrew said. "So much so that he didn't know if he could even talk to me about what had happened without being afraid that Kyle would somehow find out." As he spoke, the little boy looked dejectedly down at his feet. Seconds later, he could feel the hand of the angel on his shoulder. "You know, sometimes it takes facing the things you’re most afraid of as a way of overcoming it."

Jordan looked up at Andrew. "That's easy for you to say, you're tall, I'm just a squatty little kid."

Andrew chuckled, but got down on his knees so he would be eye level with the little boy. "I once told my friend Dillon about David and Goliath. Did you ever hear this story?"

"Yeah, in Sunday school once, we talked about how Goliath was really big and David was this little guy," Jordan said softly.

"Well sometimes that's how it is," Andrew said softly. "Sometimes, people have to learn to use their intelligence rather than stature in order to accomplish things. I know the story talks about throwing rocks and defeating a giant, but it's really about facing challenges and not backing down from them."

Helen watched this exchange for a few minutes and smiled as Andrew got back on his feet. "Andrew's right, Jordan. I realize now how much I've been unfair to you. I know that Kyle says and does a lot of things that could hurt you, and perhaps I didn’t really notice it until now. Will you forgive me?"

Jordan nodded. "W-what about Kyle?"

"Well, you let me handle him, but if he does anything else to you, I want you to tell me immediately. What he is doing to you is wrong," Helen looked up at Andrew. "You probably already know all of this, but after my husband walked out, he left me to raise these two boys by myself. Kyle and Jordan don't see me at home very much because I have to work rather long hours to make ends meet. I guess that's why I didn't really see what was going on."

Andrew smiled gently at the woman as she continued.

"I don’t really know how much I can do, or if I would be able to make it through all of this,” Helen said. She could suddenly feel the tears in her eyes and slowly, she wiped them away. "I have faith, but sometimes even that wavers."

"Faith is a very important thing to have, Helen," Andrew said. As he spoke, Jordan pulled on the sleeve of his jacket and he leaned down so that he could hear the boy whispering something to him.

Once Andrew nodded, he straightened out and looked at Helen. "Jordan said that you're a good mother, and he's right. Helen, God knows how hard it's been and He loves you more than you can imagine. He also knows that you have tried, and He understands that you're not perfect. The truth is, you don't have to be, just be you, and let Him do the rest."

Helen nodded and as the tears streamed from beneath her eyes, she hesitantly approached and hugged Andrew with all her might. "Thank you, Andrew."

"There's something else," Andrew said once the embrace ended. "Jordan asked me if I could take him back to your apartment after he does some trick or treating?"

"Yes, that would be fine," Helen said softly and looked down at her watch. "I know that if he's with you, then he'll be safe, and besides that I need to get back to the church and have a little talk with Kyle."

The angel nodded as Jordan looked at his mother. “Mom, do I still have to go without TV for two weeks?”

Helen laughed weakly, but shook her head. “You don’t.” As she walked away, the two of them watched as she disappeared between the trees.

As soon as she was gone, Jordan looked at Andrew. "How'd you know all that stuff about me anyway?"

"I'm an angel, Jordan, if I didn't find out from God, then Adam told me," Andrew said and smiled down at the little boy.

"I can't believe my mom would let me stay out here with you," Jordan said. "That's really cool, huh?"

"Why is it so hard to believe?" Andrew asked.

"I dunno, she's always been so protective of us, and you're like a stranger, and they always said one shouldn't talk to strangers," Jordan replied. "I mean, not really but…"

"…I think I know what you were trying to say," Andrew smiled gently as they started to walk through the cemetery towards the gate that would lead them back to the street that led back into town.

"Andrew?"

"What is it?"

"I was just wondering why an angel would be hanging around a cemetery on Halloween night. I mean, all those people are in Heaven, right?" Once Andrew nodded, he looked at him somewhat frightened. "Unless there might be some ghosts still hanging around here."

Andrew chuckled and turned to face the little boy, his expression earnest. "Listen Jordan, there are no ghosts, and there is no one out here but us. Please believe me, you really have nothing to be afraid of, OK?"

Jordan looked around somewhat skeptically. "OK I believe you, but I still want to get out of here."

The angel smiled, nodded, took the hand of the little boy and they left the cemetery together. "You know, the only thing bad about today is that I didn't really get any candy. That's the only fun part of Halloween anyway."

"Well, it's not too late, why don't we go and see what we can do about that?"

"That'd be great, but my costume is ruined," Jordan said.

Andrew smiled gently at the boy. "Yes, the costume does look beyond repair, but what's say we go meet my friends, and then between the four of us, we can figure out how to spend the rest of this evening?"

"You know, usually I hate Halloween, but because you're here, I guess it's not so bad, after all," Jordan said.

"The same holds true for me, Jordan," Andrew said smiling gently at the boy.

*****

As they arrived at the church, Tess and Monica seemed ready to leave the carnival and take a break. Tess was smiling when Andrew and Jordan arrived. "Where's my mom?" Jordan wanted to know.

"Well baby, your brother got caught vandalizing the men's restroom some time ago and when your mother got back, she had to go and have a nice long talk with your brother as well as the minister," Tess said sadly.

"That figures," Jordan said sadly. "Every time my mom even starts to listen to me or understand me, Kyle goes and does something stupid and I'm forgotten by everyone again. It's not fair, and now I guess my mom's going to have to pay the church to fix things up, and that means no allowance until that's done." The little boy looked devastated.

"What do you mean you're forgotten by everyone?" Andrew asked as he looked down at his young friend. "We're here and we're not going anywhere until we are able to help you out a little. I mean; Jordan, you know now that God hasn't forgotten you."

"I know, it's just that Kyle is always doing stuff like that,” Jordan said softly. “He's just never gotten caught doing it till now. Andrew, I know why he does it, I just wish sometimes that I could do stuff like that myself because it’s really hard. I know that’s wrong, but I’m the one who always misses out.”

Tess rested a gentle hand on the boy's slumped shoulders. "You know baby, sometimes it's just hard to cope when you have so much anger brewing around inside."

Jordan looked up at her without raising his head; his eyes were filled with sadness. "You think that maybe Kyle's doing this stuff because he's unhappy?"

"It's very likely, but also obvious that you're dealing with the same kind of anger Tess is referring to," Andrew said. "I know that you're afraid because of what you've seen happening, and that's OK. That doesn't mean that everyone is going to forget about you, though," Andrew said softly and the three angels walked with the little boy away from the church.

"I guess I won't get to have any fun today," the little boy said miserably.

"Who said?" Tess asked and looked at Monica. "Could you go to the car and get the blue package out of the back seat?" She handed the auburn headed angel the keys and watched as she walked away.

Once they were alone, Tess smiled gently at the little boy. "While she's doing that, let's go and have a mug of cocoa."

The three of them walked in the direction of the still open ice cream parlor and they went inside, found seats, and sat down.

As soon as they had ordered, Jordan looked at Tess. "You're an angel too?"

Tess nodded and smiled. "Yes, baby."

"I wish you guys could always be here. I don't have any friends except for the boys my brother hangs out with and none of them are very nice."

As they continued to talk, Suzie came into the parlor and when she saw Tess seated at a table, she approached. "Hey."

"What are you doing here?" Jordan asked weakly when he saw the girl who was three grades ahead of him, standing next to the table.

"I wanted to make sure you were OK," Suzie said. "Can I sit down, my feet hurt?"

"Sure baby, have a seat," Tess said.

Once Suzie had sat down, she looked at Andrew. "I saw you in town earlier, and I guess you overheard what Kyle said to me when he told me what had done to Jordan." Andrew nodded and the girl continued. "Listen, just for the record, I'm not Kyle's friend, I never was. The truth is, I was just so angry when he told me what he did. I think he was trying to impress me, but cruelty is cruelty and I won't be a part of it…" Her voice trailed and she looked at Jordan.

"Before I moved here, we had this program at my school and it was called 'big brothers and big sisters', and it was run by kids like us. What would happen is we would sort of adopt a younger boy or girl as a little brother or sister. What would happen is that we would all become friends and hang out together. My big brother graduated from high school two years ago and he's a sophomore in college now. We still write letters to each other and stuff, but I thought maybe you and I could start something like that here."

"You'd be like my big sister?" Jordan asked.

"Well, yeah, but only if you want," Suzie said. "I know that Kyle treats you really bad, and sometimes you just need someone else in your corner to stand up to him."

"I don't know if I like the idea to being a little brother to anyone else…" Jordan said softly and he looked at Andrew and Tess.

"You don't want someone like Kyle is all, but you know, it wouldn't be like that. I won't abandon you, and I won't leave you in the middle of a graveyard to tend with the ghouls and ghosts on Halloween night, I'll just be there as your friend," she said.

"There are no such things as ghouls and ghosts," Jordan said.

"Excuse me?" Suzie asked.

"Never mind," Jordan said but he nodded in response to Suzie's offered friendship. As the waitress placed a mug of cocoa in front of him, he gripped the handle and took a sip of the hot liquid. After a few seconds he looked at Andrew and got a reciprocating nod from the Angel of Death.

"Well, I think that's a wonderful idea," Tess said as Monica returned and found a vacant chair and sat down at the table.

Jordan took a second sip of his cocoa and after he replaced the cup, he smiled weakly at Suzie, but managed to offer her a weak nod. When he saw Monica, his eyes fell on the box she had brought with her. "What's that?"

"Costumes," Tess said. "There's something in here for all of us."

"Oh no, Tess, you're not going to get me to dress up," Andrew said shaking his head. "You know how I feel about Halloween, the gruesome horror show. How could you forget that day that the little boy dressed as 'death' knocked on the door?" He paused and when he saw Tess giving him a stern look, he sighed deeply, knowing full well that he had lost.

"You know, Andrew, your face looked just like it did the day you were at the 'books and bachelors' auction," Monica said and watched as the Angel of Death's face flushed. "Here Jordan, why don't you open this and see what kinds of costume the Father selected for us?"

"The Father?" Suzie looked at Jordan as the boy stood up and began to pull the ribbon off the large light blue box.

"God," Jordan said smiling weakly and opened the cover, not even seeing the strange look that crossed the girl's face.

As the boy pulled out the costume for Monica, the Irish angel smiled. The costume was Cleopatra, and she could see the jeweled collar of the toga style dress and the matching crown with the sphinx at the top. "Oh goodness, this is quite lovely," she said upon seeing it and once the boy piled it into her arms, she began to pull it over her clothing.

The costume Jordan pulled out for Tess was a mass of dark brown fur, and Suzie giggled when she recognized it. "A teddy bear, you're a teddy bear. What a great idea."

Tess smiled weakly as she accepted the costume and she too began to put it on, leaving Andrew to zip the back, all the while hoping that the zipper would not get stuck in the process.

Jordan next pulled out a costume, which looked to be the Scarecrow from the 'Wizard of Oz' and he looked at Andrew. "I guess this is yours, right?"

"No, actually, that one's mine," Adam's voice emerged and he joined them at the table and looked at Tess. "That car accident didn't happen," he looked relieved as he regarded the two children with a warm smile. "I was told that I was needed here, something about going trick or treating."

"Nice to see you Adam," Monica said smiling as she adjusted her headpiece.

Jordan was left staring up at Adam and as he realized who it was who was now standing next to him. Instead of initially speaking, he regarded the Angel of Death with shock still evident in his large sapphire eyes. "You were with me last year?" He eventually asked, his attention on the box suddenly diverted.

"Yes," Adam smiled.

"Thank you," the boy said softly.

"My pleasure, Jordan," Adam said as the boy stuck his head back inside the box and pulled out another costume, this one a full skirted blue dress and golden crown.

He looked around the with puzzlement in his eyes. "Who gets this one?" He asked no one in particular. "I don't want to dress as a princess."

"That one's Suzie's, Jordan," Tess said and Jordan dropped the gown in his friend's arms and then stuck his head back inside the box. Seconds later he pulled out Andrew's costume and began to laugh when he laid eyes on it.

Lying on the table was a black colored wig, and a sequenced suit and boots that looked as though they had come out of a catalogue for the 1970's.

"Elvis!" Suzie laughed as soon as she recognized it. "I love it, now you can sing 'I Just Want to Be Your Teddy Bear' with Tess."

The group laughed, and Jordan peered back inside the box and when he saw his costume. As he fished it out, he could feel the tears welling in his eyes when he saw what had been selected for him. He wiped his hand over his eyes and stared down at it. He had wanted to have this for Halloween for years, and had come to understand that he couldn't because his mother could not have afforded it. The costume was for an alien with big gray colored eyes and a cape, which was black with metallic silver and gold stars on it.

"Cool outfit, Jordan," Suzie squealed. "But I think you should get ready, we're all dressed and if we don't hurry up, we won't get any of the good candy."

Jordan quickly put the costume over his clothing and the four angels and two children were ready to go out.

*****

The night had been long, but eventually, like all good things, it came to an end. By the time Jordan and Andrew had arrived back at the apartment where he lived with his mother and brother, the small boy looked happy. In his hand, he carried a large bag of sweets. He waved to the angels as they parted company and followed Andrew into the building. As the two friends climbed the stairs, the young boy pulled the key out of his pocket and proceeded to unlock the door.

As soon as they came inside, Kyle was standing in the room and looking at his brother with the utmost contempt flashing from his angry green eyes.

"Where have you been?" He asked as soon as Jordan had taken off the mask.

"Mom knew where I was," Jordan said as his brother grabbed his arm, and without any warming the older boy began to hit Jordan. It seemed more than obvious that the older of the two boys was completely ignoring the fact that Andrew was still standing in the room, shock and sadness evident on his handsome face.

Upon feeling these crushing blows against his face, Jordan began to cry. "Andrew, help me, please," the young boy sobbed, the angel quickly intervening.

"Leave him alone," he said loudly and began to pull the older boy off his little brother. Once he had managed to get Kyle away from his brother, he regarded him through upset green eyes.

By this time, Helen had also heard the racket and she came out into the living room. When she saw that her younger son’s nose was bleeding, she glanced over and could see that Andrew had Kyle safely away from Jordan. Sadly, she helped her sobbing son to his feet and gently led him from the room.

Andrew and Kyle were left in the living room, and the angel regarded the boy. "You want to tell me why you want to beat up your little brother like this, Kyle?"

"No," the boy said sullenly as he looked at Andrew with contempt in his eyes. "You're just some joker who walks around dressed as Elvis. You wouldn't care or understand anyway."

"I can understand a lot more than you think, Kyle," Andrew said softly as he pulled the black wig off his head and shook his head as the short blonde hair fell back into place. "Now, tell me. It can't hurt any more than what you have already been through." The angel stood his ground, his gentle and wise eyes staring into Kyle's. For a moment, he thought the boy was going to burst into tears and flee from the room, but instead he looked as though he was now standing his ground.

"What good would it do?" Kyle finally asked bitterly, his voice filled with sarcasm.

"It would do you more harm than good if you didn't," Andrew said slowly.

"Where did Jordan get that costume?" Kyle eventually asked as he strained his neck to see down the hallway where his mother was tending to his brother's injuries.

"It was a gift from a friend," Andrew said. "That same friend wants to be there for you, Kyle, but can only do that if you let Him."

"I have friends," Kyle said. “I don’t need anymore.”

"Oh I think you do. But, I also know that to have a friend means to be a friend, to help those who are weaker. A true friend would offer another the assurance that they are alright as they are. You have the capacity to be your brother's best friend and not his feared enemy. I know that you're upset because you lost your father, but there's another Father who will love you, as you need to be loved, and who will accept all the things that make up who you are. You don't have to harm another person to attain love, Kyle, you just have to accept it as the gift that it is."

"H-how do you know?" The boy asked. "It's almost like you know what I'm feeling deep inside."

"Do you remember those stories you told your brother about the grim reaper and Halloween?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah, but that doesn't answer my question," Kyle said angrily.

"Maybe this will," Andrew replied in kind as he began to glow. The costume he had been wearing disappeared and in its place the angel stood wearing a beige suit and tie and he looked at the young boy with kindness and understanding in his caring green eyes. "I'm an angel, Kyle, and God sent me here to spend Halloween with your little brother. I heard what you had said to Suzie about Jordan, and I went to find him. Later, it was me, not Jordan, who told your mother about what had happened when you and your friends left him in the cemetery alone."

"I-I don't know what to say?" Kyle stammered.

"Don't say anything, just listen," Andrew said, his eyes never faltering. "You harmed your brother in very much the way your father once harmed you. You have been through some difficult times, and God knows this, Kyle. It also saddens Him to see you reacting to your brother the very same way your father once reacted to you. You may not realize this, but when Jordan wants to spend time with you and your friends, he wants to because he loves you."

"He does?" Kyle whispered.

"Yes, he does, and your mother loves you very much. She wanted to believe in your words because of that love. But God also loves you, your mother, and Jordan very much. All you have to do is accept that love in your heart and then you'll be able to find the peace that was lost when your father walked out." He sat down on the sofa next to the boy and rested a gentle hand on Kyle's shoulder. When the boy moved away, Andrew spoke; his voice emerging filled with gentility. "Don't be afraid of me, Kyle, I'm not going to do anything to hurt you."

"I probably deserve it," the boy mumbled.

"No, you don't, but I want you to know something. I told your mother what had happened to Jordan because he was scared of you. During the course of this experience, I knew that your mother needed to know what was happening. Jordan is afraid of you, Kyle." The angel paused before he continued speaking. "He may not be able to tell someone how hurt he is when you say or do things to him, but he does remember."

Kyle nodded numbly as Jordan and Helen came down the hallway and when they reached the living room, Helen looked at her elder son. "I want to know why you did all these horrible things to your brother," she said sharply looking at him.

"I don't know why," Kyle responded trying all the while to make his voice sound tough, but instead, the words emerged weak.

Jordan sad eyes met those of the angel, and when Andrew motioned for him to come over and sit down; he did. Instead of sitting next to his brother, he sat down on the other side of the angel.

"Maybe it's good that one of God's angels is here in this room right now," Helen said softly, "because I don't know what I would do otherwise."

"Y-you guys know that he's an angel?" Kyle asked.

Jordan looked at his brother and nodded. "Andrew's nothing like you said, Kyle," he said matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean?" Kyle looked at his brother with alarm in his eyes.

"You told Jordan stories of a grim reaper, Kyle," Helen began, "but you never mentioned anything about the Angels of Death."

"Angel of Death?" Kyle looked at Andrew. "You're an Angel of Death?"

Andrew nodded. "Yes, I am."

Upon hearing Andrew's response, Kyle fainted, his body slumping back against the cushions of the sofa. Not knowing what to say, Andrew looked at Helen apologetically. He really had no idea that Kyle would have reacted to the truth in this way.

"Maybe it's for the best," Helen said sadly shaking her head as she stood up and retrieved a blanket and covered her older son with it. "Perhaps meeting you may actually be the best thing that could have happened to Kyle. Maybe now he will realize that he's not alone in all of this, after all."

Jordan looked at Andrew, "you know, when you told him, I really expected you to say 'boo'."

Andrew shook his head and smiled. "I guess, I couldn't," he regarded Kyle for a moment before continuing to speak. "You know, I think I've had enough Halloween for this year."

"But, it was so much fun, Andrew," Jordan said softly. Without warning, he threw his small arms around the angel and held tightly to him. "Thanks for such a wonderful time."

Andrew smiled and returned the embrace. "Now, you take care of yourself, and do what you can to help your mom out, OK?" He looked up and could see that Helen had tears in her eyes, but she smiled warmly at him.

"I promise," the little boy said and Andrew stood up.

"I have to get going, now," he said.

"Thank you, Andrew," Helen said softly. "It means a lot for me to know that you spent Halloween with Jordan and helped him to not feel so lonely."

"I had a nice time too," Andrew said sincerely as he walked towards the door. Helen to her feet and followed him. As she approached where he was standing, she reached out and touched his arm. He stopped and turned around in order to look at her.

"You're always welcome here, Andrew," she said gratefully. "I just want you to know that regardless of what happens, I'm really glad that you and your friends spent Halloween here with us."

Andrew reached out and took both of her hands, and squeezed them gently. "I'm glad we did too."

Once he released her hands, he left the apartment and she closed the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Helen released an unhappy sigh. Glancing back down the hallway, she stared in the direction of where Kyle slept on the sofa. "Just my luck," she mumbled to herself, her voice barely above a whisper, "I meet a really nice guy tonight and he's the Angel of Death. Oh well, I guess anything can happen on Halloween."

*****

Andrew rejoined his friends outside and smiled when he greeted the other three angels. Adam was fidgeting and Monica had removed the crown from her head. "So how did it go?" Tess asked. "Did our little Angel Boy have a nice Halloween?"

"I guess so," Andrew mumbled under his breath, all the while noticing that he was still dressed as Elvis. He looked down at the rhinestone costume he was wearing. Instead of speaking, he untied the knotted silk scarf that was wrapped around his neck, and tossed it into the air. As he did, it turned into white dove and the bird circled above them.

"Did you really have fun, Andrew?" Adam asked.

"I guess, but next year, I won't be dressing as Elvis," Andrew said.

"What would you prefer?" Monica asked.

"I think I'd prefer to dress as an animal that hibernates during Halloween, then I can join them in their burrow and not have to worry about dressing up," Andrew said with a smirk.

"Andrew, buddy I'd hate to say it, but I think you should probably dress as the Grinch, next year. I happen to know that you will never get over this adversary attitude you have about Halloween," Adam said and chortled.

The three angels laughed but piled into Tess’ convertible. As they drove out of town, Andrew's sadness melted away and he smiled weakly as he glanced skyward and could see that the dove overhead could still be heard cooing. As the car vanished in the distance, the sound of a coyote howling to the full moon was all that could be heard.

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