A Touched by an Angel story

By: Yvette Jessen

The beach was full; vacationers from all over swarmed to the small coastal town of Harrisburg, Maine and Amos Thomson watched as children played in the sand. From the dunes, he could see them building sand castles, and collecting seashells. He often wondered how it was that so many people came there. This was never a really touristy area, like the beaches on down the coast, but within the past three years, the small town had built three hotels, and a new public campground. Amos often wondered why it was that the people came, and often he missed the solitude he used to have before everything was built up around him.

He pulled a small packet from his pocket and a pipe. He continued to watch the people from the dunes as packed some tobacco in the pipe, closed the packet, and returned it to his pocket.

As he lit his pipe, he noticed a slight shift in the wind. When it became stronger, and ruffled his beard, he nodded his head. Something was about to happen, he could feel it deep inside, and although he had no education to back up his guesses, the few people who listened couldn't deny the accuracy of his assertions. Of course, most wouldn't have been bothered by the ideas of an old man.

The wind continued to get stronger, though, and he knew the best thing to do was to return to his small house in the dunes and prepare for the worst. The weather would change, it always did. His gaze fell on the lighthouse in the distance, this was where his longtime friend, Cal Harris lived and worked. Both men had served in the Korean War as Naval Seamen, and the acquaintances of theirs would always confirm that their past experiences probably explained why both Cal and Amos knew what would eventually happen with the weather.

The younger men, however, considered both of them to be lonely old men, and tended to avoid them. Amos believed that many of the younger men probably didn't know this feeling of a longtime friendship. This friendship with Cal was in his opinion, a gift, and he considered himself to be extremely lucky.

As the smoke from his pipe swirled above his head, he looked down at the shoreline. The people were still frolicking around, but he could see the graying clouds in the distance over the sea and seeing this, tended to worry him. He knew that since the people rarely listened to him, the weather would change and they'd become frantic trying to get out of the area.

He walked over the dunes until he reached the more open area of beach. He could feel the sand in his shoes as he continued to make his way, his sandals clomping as he walked. Children would stop playing and look up at him, staring at his strange clothing, and the captain's hat he wore on his head. Once he passed them, they'd whisper among themselves, and return to their activities.

After some seconds passed, he stopped and looked down. His eyes fell on those of a little girl who had started following him. She looked to be about 6 or 7-years-old, and was now standing some two or three feet from him, her eyes regarding him curiously. There was an expression of wonder and innocence in her face that brought a smile to his lips.

He bent down and picked up the small seashell that was lying at his feet. He dusted the object off and extended it to her, still smiling. The skin around his eyes wrinkled as his smile broadened, and the little girl reached her hand out towards him.

"Are you Sanna Claus?" she asked, her voice small, "you have a gray, fluffy beard like him." The little girl held the shell tightly in her hand.

Amos began to chuckle, "No, my name is Amos."

The little girl's expression suddenly changed, and she looked up at him. "Why are you giving me presents if you aren't Sanna?"

Amos patted the girl's shoulder, but sighed deeply. It seemed as though now a days parents taught their kids not to trust others, perhaps for good reason, but all the same, it touched his gentle heart to see how much mistrust seemed to emanate from people. He remembered when he was younger, and how it was safer for children to talk to people. He loved children more than anything and would never harm them, but parents didn't know that and his appearance tended to intimidate them.

He smiled down at the small child who was still holding the seashell. "If you don't want to keep the shell, you don't have to, there are hundred's more lying around, and if you listen carefully, each one might have a story to tell."

The little girl looked up at him, "really?" She had an awed expression on her face, as she waited anxiously for his answer.

In the distance, a young angel named Gloria was watching the little girl and the old man, her eyes were filled with innocent wonder as she listened to his words and watched the two humans before them. "Monica, did you see that little girl?" She asked her companion, a pretty angel with long auburn hair and a gentle smile.

Monica nodded but before the little girl could speak, something happened that disrupted the stillness of the small child's make believe world. A woman who appeared to be in her mid thirties had rushed up to them and grabbed the hand of the child. "Susan, I've been looking all over the beach for you. You've got to stop running off." She looked up at Amos, and regarded him with the typical mistrust of those who come to Harrisburg from the big city.

Without even a kind word to Amos, the mother led the child away. "I'm sorry, Mommy," he could hear the child saying, as the seashell he had given to her slipped from her fingers and fell on the sand not far from where he was standing.

He approached the small object, picked it up, and dropped it in his pocket. Once that was done, he glanced skyward, it was, in fact, getting darker, and he really needed to get back home and prepare for the storm. As he finished smoking the pipe, he hit it gently against the sole of his shoe and once it was clean, he returned it to his pocket and made his way back between the dunes towards the small house where he lived.

As he reached the house, he pulled down the shutters that covered the front windows and opened the door. As he glanced back towards the beach, he could see two women now making their way towards the seaside, away from the path leading to his front door. The two of them appeared as though they didn't fit in with the normal tourists, they seemed to have an intended path and had a gentility that was not typical of the tourists in this area.

He was not sure where they were heading, as the hotels were on up the coast in the opposite direction, yet he didn't think that two impeccably dressed women would be going to the campground either. Even if they did, he thought to himself as thunder rumbled in the distance, they're not gonna have any chance to camp out here simply because the weather was getting worse by the minute. Dismissing this and shrugging his shoulders, he walked inside and closed the door behind him. If he was going to be ready for the changing weather, he had to start working now.

Inside the small house, Amos sat down on the quilt-covered couch. Most of the quilts in his home had been handmade by his mother. She died some 30 years ago, but most of what she had was now his. His clothing came from second hand stores, and he went barefoot much of the time. Contrary to assertions that most people made about him, he wasn't a bum, but a very neat and orderly person. He drank rarely, but once in a while, he enjoyed having a cold beer while he watched the evening news on television.

He never went to church, but he believed that people should just treat each other well and it hurt him to see how people mistreated one another, simply because they were different. He hated prejudice, and he tried to always treat others as he wished to be treated.

As he reached inside his pocket for his pipe, his mind returned to Susan. He wondered what it was about this child that stuck in his mind. Was it her large blue gray eyes that regarded him with wonder, or was it the innocence that she seemed to carry whenever she would open her mouth to speak?

Once he stuffed the tobacco into the pipe, he put the end in his mouth, and reached for a book of matches. His mind wandered from Susan back to the storm that was brewing outside. It was going to be a strong one, he thought to himself, as he enjoyed the pipe and the humming sounds of the wind outside.

* * *

By this time, Susan and her mother, Sarah, were making their way along the beach in their direction of the car. The sky now looked a murky gray color, and Sarah was rushing through the crowds as the first raindrops began to fall from the sky. People all around them seemed to be in a hurry, and yet, in their haste, they managed to crowd their way between Susan and Sarah, thus separating them. After a few seconds, Susan could no longer see her mother through the sea of people who were rushing to their cars.

A bolt of lightening flashed across the horizon, as Susan looked up, her eyes locked on the frightening sky. "Mommy!" She called out, but she heard no answer through the rain as it began to pour down on her. When she could no longer spot her mother through the rain and people, she became immediately scared as she heard the thunder rumbling above her. She sat down on the sand and began to cry. The other people around barely seemed to notice her; they appeared more concerned with getting to their cars or to the seafront hotel, than to a lost and frightened child.

Minutes passed and soon the beach emptied out. She could see surfers riding the waves, but all the families were gone, and Susan still couldn't see her mother anywhere. Now the rain was coming down in sheets, making it impossible to see anything from more than three or four feet away. Susan's long brown hair was now plastered against the sides of her face. Wherever her mother was, it was now next to impossible for Susan to even see her.

She wrapped her arms around herself as the wind blew, the sand from her hands caking to her arms. The chilly wind blowing against her skin, and she could feel the goose bumps on her arms from the combination of wind and rain. She finally crawled over to the dunes and lay down in between them hoping to get some shelter.

"I'll never run away again," Susan whimpered under her breath as tears streamed down her muddy face. A second bolt of lightning lit up the murky sky, followed by thunder. The loudness of the thunder frightened her, and she clamped her eyes shut, her crying becoming louder.

A pair of hands suddenly came to rest on her shoulders. "Shhh, it's OK, honey. Everything's going to be just fine." A woman had come over and sat down in the sand next to her. Once Susan managed to look up, she could see that Monica was looking at her with gentility in her eyes. "What are you doing out here all by yourself?" She asked, her gentle voice causing the small girl to open her eyes.

She looked up and gazed into the soft eyes of the woman. Rather than answer the question, she began to cry once again, her voice breaking the sounds of the falling rain. "I want my mommy!"

"Gloria, she's lost," Monica said once her angelic companion was standing next to them.

Susan turned her head and could see the second woman towering over her. Once she got down on her knees next to her, Gloria spoke, her voice filled with kindness. "Don't be afraid, Little One. Once the rain stops, we're going to help you find your mother, right Monica?"

The auburn headed angel nodded as the little girl tried to process her words.

"But, I'm not supposed to go with strangers," she objected, her eyes wide.

Monica nodded, but before she could offer any words of support to the small girl, another bolt of lightening once again lit up the sky and Susan fell into the angel's arms, her face buried against the fabric of Monica's dress all the while trying to block the terrifying storm, which was going on all around them.

"She's afraid of the storm,“ Gloria remarked matter-of-factly.

"Yes, she is," Monica said softly all the while holding the little girl in her arms. "I saw a house between the dunes, Gloria, let's go there and see if we can find some shelter until the storm passes over."

Monica stood up and once she was on her feet, she could see that Andrew, the Angel of Death had appeared and she looked at him, a question looming. "You'd better hurry, Monica," he said softly. "If Susan is out here much longer…"

Nodding, Monica got to her feet and looked at Andrew, "she's too heavy for me to carry," she said, and without a word of objection, Andrew picked the shivering child up in his arms and he followed Monica and Gloria to the door of the small cabin.

"She's freezing cold, Monica," Andrew said, and could feel that the small girl was now unconsciously clutching hold of his jacket, her tiny face buried against his chest. "If we don't get her warm soon, she'll get very sick and maybe even…" His voice trailed off, but his meaning went understood.

"What about her mother?" Gloria finally asked. "She must be worried sick by now."

"I know, Gloria, but she'd never find her in this storm, and it's too dangerous for her to be out here alone,“ Monica said softly as she looked down at the muddy face of the small girl who had once again opened her eyes and was looking up at Andrew, who was gently carrying her. "What's your name, sweetie?" She asked as she reached over and brushed a lock of hair out from in front of the small child's face.

"Susan," she answered.

"My name's Monica, and this is Gloria, and that's Andrew. We're going to find some shelter for you, and once the storm ends, we'll help find your mother,“ Monica said softly. "Don't be afraid."

Susan nodded, and sneezed. "I'm cold,“ she complained.

Andrew quickened his step. "We need to hurry," the Angel of Death said softly.

The two other angels began to move faster, and once they reached the house, Gloria climbed up on the porch and knocked. "There must be someone here, when we passed earlier the windows were open," she observed once she had looked around and could see the boarded up windows.

Seconds later, the door swung open and she was looking into the gray eyes of an old man. Once the gaze of the man reached Susan, he immediately backed away from the doorway and motioned for them to come inside.

Susan had started sneezing again, and the man spoke, his voice filled with a sense of determination as he addressed Andrew. "Lay her on the sofa and wrap the quilt around her. She'll catch her death if she isn't warmed immediately."

The Angel of Death did as the man instructed. But, once he had done this, he looked at Monica and Gloria. "I have to go, I'm on call tonight. Stay here with Susan, OK?"

Gloria nodded and Monica spoke. "Andrew, will you see if you can find Susan's mother?"

Andrew took a deep breath, "she's my assignment, Monica." That said, he went out on the front porch and disappeared.

* * *

Back inside the house and once the door was closed, the man approached the small girl and rested his hand against her forehead. His eyes came to rest on Monica and Gloria after a few seconds. "Where's your friend?"

"He went to help some of the other people who may be caught out in the storm," Gloria said softly.

"He must have a death wish," Amos muttered. "I haven't seen a storm of this caliber in years," he said as he glanced down and could see the little girl on the sofa. "Anyway, I think she's going to be all right, but I think because of the weather, she's got a slight fever."

Monica sighed with relief. "Thank you. I don't know what we would have done if we hadn't have found you at home…" her voice trailed off and she waited silently for him to properly introduce himself.

"Amos Thomson," the man said and smiled.

"My name's Monica and this is Gloria. The little girl is Susan,“ the angel answered.

"I know, I met her earlier today,“ Amos said softly and rubbed his bearded chin. He looked down at Susan. "How did you get separated from your mother?"

"It wasn't my fault, there were so many people there, and when I looked up, she was gone, and it started to rain,“ Susan said softly. "I'm scared."

"Now, don't you worry, Sweetheart, you have nothing to be afraid of,“ Amos said as he sat down. "If you ladies need to freshen up, the bathroom is down the hall, on the left side."

Monica and Gloria excused themselves and disappeared down the hallway. Amos stayed next to Susan and she looked up at him, his wide blue eyes regarding him curiously.

"Why don't I make you something to eat?" Amos asked gently. "Are you hungry?"

She nodded as he stood up. "What about my mommy?"

"We'll help you find her, I'll radio my friend Cal, and ask him to keep his eyes out for her when the storm dies down a bit. How's that?" Amos offered gently as Gloria came out into the living room of his small beach house. "Why don't you help me in the kitchen?"

"OK,“ Gloria responded and followed him.

Once they were in his small kitchen, Amos looked at the young angel, "You and your friend on vacation in these parts?"

"Not really, we're just passing through," Gloria said honestly.

"You happened by at just the right time,“ Amos commented. "Not too many people would have stopped to help that little girl."

"Yes, well, it's part of my job to help people as much as I can, Mr. Thomson," Gloria said, with a trace of innocence in her voice, as Amos opened the cabinet and pulled some bowls out.

"Call me, Amos, I gave up that whole formality thing after the war," he said.

"You were in a war?"

"Yeah, I was in the Navel Reserves back in '58 during the Korean War," he said. "When that ended, I came out here to live. I could never drag myself away from the coast, though."

"I bet you have a lot of really interesting stories to tell," Gloria said.

"Well, I'm pretty old, so I suppose I do have lots of stories to tell, but whether or not they're interesting, well that remains to be seen," Amos said as he grabbed a can of noodle soup and began to open it using a pocket knife which he had pulled from his pocket.

"You open that soup in a rather interesting way," Gloria said as she watched Amos pour the soup into a pan and set it on a hot plate.

"I never could get into those modern day gadgets," he said smiling all the while showing the angel the knife. As he did, he smiled and Gloria could see that he had a capped golden tooth. "Anyway, as I was going to say, there aren't a lot of folks around here who would ever want to hear anything I have to say, so I was left to think that maybe I was uninteresting." His voice was warm, but Gloria detected a trace of sadness in it.

"I think you're interesting," she offered.

Amos smiled again, but instead of replying to what she had said, he changed the subject completely. "So what about you, where're you from?"

"Uh…I guess you could say I'm from 'God's Country'," she quickly improvised.

"Ah, Texas?" Amos smiled once again. "I hear those ol' southern boys used to call Texas the closest thing to heaven, now I beg to differ, but we all have our preferences," Amos said with a low chuckle. "So I take it, you and your friend are city folk. You probably couldn't even navigate without a map or a compass."

"Actually, I learned how to navigate using the stars," Gloria said with a proud smile. "I read about it in an Encyclopedia, and then researched it on the Internet."

"That may be so, but practical experience is the best way to learn anything, and my question to you is, how you are doing with it," he said.

"I don't get a lot of time to practice, but I think I'm doing OK with it," Gloria said. "I not only have learned where they are in the night sky, but I've learned all their names and coordinates."

Amos continued to chuckle. "An Astronomy buff, too?"

"Yes, I suppose so," Gloria replied smiling.

"I hope you're not offended by what I said. A lot of young folks don't really think about things like that to the extent that you do," he said.

Gloria laughed, "I'm not, but we just came from out west. My friends and I were out in Seattle for a few weeks."

"Ah, yes, Seattle, where it rains like this almost daily," Amos said. "I was out there once, but that was about 20 years ago. My friend Cal asked me to go out there with him for about a week, and we spent the whole time fishing."

"I've never been fishing," Gloria said as she pulled out her small spiral notebook and quickly inserted a new entry.

"Is that your 'to do' list?" Amos asked.

Gloria nodded and showed it to him. "I wanted to get a cell phone, learn to sing, and study roses, so between assignments, that's what I'm going to do."

"I take it you and your friends live on the road, don't you?" Amos asked as the soup began to boil, he reached for the handle of the pot, poured it into a bowl, and sat it on the counter.

Gloria nodded, "Yes, I suppose we do."

Amos offered a reciprocating nod, "I see. Well I guess I'd better get this soup to the little lady." He walked out of the kitchen and Gloria followed.

* * *

Monica had come out into the living room by this time and was sitting in a chair near where Susan was lying. She was weeping softly and had started to shiver from the cold. The angel moved over to the sofa and picked her up and sat her in her lap, all the while making sure that the afghan was wrapped snugly around her small body.

She looked up to see that Amos and Gloria were coming out of the kitchen.

"How's she doing?" Amos asked.

"She's very cold," Monica said, the concern evident in her voice.

Amos sat the bowl of soup on the small coffee table and sat down next to Monica. "Here, let's see if she can hold some soup down." Monica gently held the child until the man had sat down on the sofa, and she helped to shift Susan's weight so that she would now rest comfortably on Amos' lap. Once he held her, Monica reached over and retrieved the bowl of soup, which he had placed on the coffee table.

Susan opened her eyes and looked up at the gray eyes of the man who was holding her. "Sanna?"

Monica smiled weakly as the small child recognized Amos to be Santa Claus. Maybe in this particular situation, there was something about him that could resemble that part of the small child's fantasy.

Amos smiled weakly, but instead of negating her question, he eventually nodded and took the spoon from the bowl and managed to feed her some of it. Once she had eaten enough, he handed the bowl back to Monica and stood up with her in his arms. The small girl was tired and was almost instantly asleep when he laid her back on the sofa. With his hands, he motioned for the two angels to follow him back into the kitchen.

"You really are like Santa Claus," Monica said once they were back in the small kitchen.

Amos chuckled, "I've heard that from children, but never from adults."

Monica smiled slightly, but after a second his expression became serious as Gloria turned to her. "Monica, what are we going to do? It looks like a hurricane is blowing through."

The more experienced angel shook her head.

"Listen, you two weren't planning on camping out on the beach, were you? You'd drown in this weather, besides, by tomorrow night, the campground will either be flooded or washed away,“ Amos said confidently. "You can stay here until it blows over. I don't have a lot of room, but it's better than sleeping outside."

"Thank you," Monica said softly.

"It's nothing," came Amos' almost instant reply, as he pulled his pipe from his pocket. "Unfortunately, we won't be able to contact Cal until this storm blows over. I have an amateur Radio operator's license and can use the radio here. Cal and I are usually in touch with each other during these kinds of weather problems. He lives up at the lighthouse. You probably saw it when you were on the beach earlier."

"Yes, we did see the lighthouse," Monica answered, but Gloria's interest seemed to be more or less on the large radio which was sitting on the kitchen counter once they had entered the adjoining room.

"You mean you can talk to people using that thing?" Gloria asked.

"Sure can."

"Can you show me how it works?" She asked.

"When I use it to contact Cal, I'll show you how it works. That's why there's such a large antennae on my roof. I use it to talk to people from all over the place. I've been doing this since I was about your age," Amos said.

"That's interesting. I mean, I saw a trucker movie once and I observed how they used them to outwit the law. Is it something like that?" Gloria asked.

Monica shook her head. "Gloria, what Amos and Cal do is completely legal."

"Actually, it is something like those movies, but the frequencies are much stronger here,“ Amos explained. "Actually, it's strange that you would mention those particular movies, because I do remember them, and Cal is a pretty big fan of them."

"Cal is really a special person to you, isn't he?" Monica asked.

"Yeah, he and I were both in Korea, we nearly died on a beach there, and well, I guess you could say that today, we're like brothers," he said. "We've been through thick and thin together."

* * *

Cal Harris sat at the top of the lighthouse. He had finally managed to get the light to stay on and had signaled the last of the fishing boats he had seen in the area. This storm had come up rather suddenly, and even his predictions about it didn't make up for what had happened that afternoon. Now the sky was a murky gray color. Even these young people who didn't believe things unless they were stuck in their faces, weren't to blame for this one. He hadn't seen anything come up this suddenly since that typhoon he and Amos lived through in Korea.

He directed the light towards the beach to see if there was anyone caught out in the storm. When he saw movement, he grabbed his jacket and put it on. There was someone out there and it wasn't one of those crazy surfers who tended to come out of the woodwork when there was a hurricane in the area. Sure the waves were bigger, but did those crazy kids have to sacrifice life and limb for the sport?

As he took the stairs down to the ground, he grabbed a rubber rain jacket and a matching hat. An umbrella in this weather would not only be dangerous with the lightening, but also pointless with the wind that was blowing pretty strong.

He came out of the lighthouse to feel the rain against his face and within seconds, his graying beard was completely wet. As he left the area around the lighthouse, he reached into his pocket and retrieved a waterproof battery powered flashlight. When he eventually arrived at the place where the public beach started, he could see the person better who he had spotted from the top of the lighthouse. It was a young woman, but what was she doing out here in this weather?

Standing next to her and unseen by the old man, was Andrew; the Angel of Death had been with this woman since he had left Susan in the capable hands of Monica and Gloria at Amos' cabin.

"Susan!" The woman was screaming at the top of her lungs. The expression on her face was absolute horror, and as he came closer to her, he could see the desperation in her eyes. But he also knew that she would never find who she was looking for out here, it was getting darker every minute, the visibility was getting worse by the second, and the rain was falling in sheets.

Cal ran up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to nearly leap out of her skin. "It's OK, lady, I won't hurt you, but you're not going to find anyone out here. The weather is too dangerous, and it's getting worse, I should get you inside."

"No, my daughter's out there, she's just a baby," the woman objected, her voice reaching a hysterical pitch. "I can't leave her alone out here." She moved away from him and broke contact with him as he attempted to console her.

"Go with him, Sarah," Andrew urged softly, all the while knowing that the woman had not even heard his voice, much less uncertain if she was even going to heed his words.

She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to get warm, but Cal could see that she was already shivering in her rain-soaked jacket.

"Listen to me, if you don't get inside, and get warm, you'll probably catch pneumonia out here," he said gently. "Come with me, it's OK. I'll take you to the lighthouse and once the weather gets a little better, we can radio my friend, Amos about her, between the two of us, we will help you find her."

"You're the lighthouse keeper?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Could you see my daughter from up there?" she asked.

"No, the only person I could see from up there was you, and that wasn't so good. From so high up, I can't see children at all. I promise you, we can get word out about her," he said as she sneezed loudly and he reached out and grabbed her hand firmly in his own. "You see? If we don't get you somewhere where it's dry, in a hurry, you'll catch your death." He led her from the beach and back towards the lighthouse.

Andrew remained standing on the beach watching as they walked away, but when the Father instructed him to stay with Sarah, he understood that Cal simply finding her was not enough to keep her alive.

As the two humans walked, Sarah managed to wrap her free arm wrapped around herself. She knew that this strange old man was not going to let her go to continue looking for her daughter alone, but at the same time, she had a strange feeling that she could trust him. She hoped so anyway, because putting her trust in strangers was not something she had been taught to do.

She sighed sadly, this time, it wasn't Susan that had run off, but it was her own stress and nerves that made her lose track of her daughter. She felt absolutely terrible, and on top of everything, she blamed herself for having gotten angry with her daughter earlier that afternoon about straying off.

"Here we are," Cal said to her once they reached the door that would lead inside the lighthouse, thus breaking her out of her reverie. "Come inside, I have some blankets here and we can radio Amos as soon as the storm dies down a little. With this wind, the radio may not work so well."

She nodded and followed him inside, Andrew trailing not far behind.

"What's your name?" he asked after the door was closed and they were safely inside. "I'm Cal."

"Sarah," was all she said as she sat down on the corner of his sofa and he wrapped a blanket around her.

"I don't usually have guests here, so if you need something specific, let me know," he said gently as he took his raincoat off, and threw it on a nearby hook. Next, he removed the hat.

It was then that she got her first look at the man standing before her. He looked similar to the old man her daughter had been talking to back on the beach, tall, slightly overweight, gray beard, and he had sympathetic and wise looking eyes.

"You look familiar to me," she finally said softly.

"You must have seen my friend Amos on the beach, then. We're often being mixed up by people," Cal said.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, her voice a strange mixture of fear and defensiveness.

"Nothing, except maybe to help you," he said gently. "The way you were going about finding your daughter, you'd never have found her and I think you know that."

Sarah nodded numbly, and leaned back against the cushions of his sofa.

"I have to do some more work, but I think you need to get some rest. Why don't you take your shoes off, and stretch out?" Cal asked as he stood up. "I'll be back soon, just make yourself at home." With that, he left the room.

She sat up and waited until she couldn't see the light anymore from the flashlight he was using to make his way up the stairs of the lighthouse. Once she was sure he could no longer see what she was doing, she crawled off the sofa and walked towards the hallway that she had earlier entered. I'm not going to find my daughter here, she thought to herself as she opened the door that would lead outside.

It was still raining hard when she stepped outside, the wind was blowing stronger than it usually did, but, she didn't much care; it was far better for her to find her daughter than to worry needlessly about having the sniffles. Behind her, Andrew was following and his face did not have even carry a semblance of a smile. He had hoped with everything that was inside of him that she would have trusted Cal and stayed, but she did not and with a deep breath, he trudged outside after her.

She ran as quickly as she could against the wind and made her way back up the beach. "Please God," she prayed, "let Susan be OK." She continued up the coast until she couldn't walk anymore. At that moment, she sank to her knees and collapsed on the wet sand, not far from the lighthouse. Her tears were streaming down her face as fatigue overcame her and she passed out.

Once she had lost consciousness, Andrew crouched down beside her. "Sarah, my name is Andrew, and I'm an angel, don't be afraid…" His voice trailed off as the rain continued to fall down on her, and he could do nothing to help her except run his hand gently through her now matted hair and whisper his comforting reassurances to her.

* * *

The storm continued well into the night. Amos had given Monica and Gloria his room and had settled himself in the living room in case Susan needed him. He left the small child on the sofa and unfolded an old blanket to act as a makeshift mat on the floor. Once he had removed his sandals, he laid down flat on his back, and closed his eyes.

Monica and Gloria were still awake at this time. "Do you think the storm will pass over like Amos said?" Gloria finally asked her supervisor.

"I hope so," was all Monica could say. The weather was getting worse, but the uncertainty of this assignment was overwhelming her and she was concerned because Tess had not even shown up since they had been sent to Harrisburg. She shook her head and looked at Gloria, who seemed to be trying to block her own thoughts of insecurity of this case, by looking around the room, and seeing many old photographs hanging from the walls.

Monica followed the gaze of her charge. "Amos wasn't kidding, he seems to have had a lot of adventures in his life."

"I know this sounds strange, Monica, but I feel a sense of kinship with him when we were talking earlier. He seems to understand why I try to analyze things. This is a strange feeling that I have honestly not felt with very many people I have met."

"It's funny, but I get the impression that a lot of people think he's somewhat eccentric," Monica said softly.

"Why would they think he's odd or different?" Gloria looked at Monica. "I think he's a very nice man."

"I don't know why," Monica said honestly. "I was thinking earlier about how wise he sounds, and how he trusts people even when they don't trust him. I mean; he let us into his home no questions asked, and he didn't know us."

"Maybe he senses that we're angels?" Gloria whispered, but Monica shook her head.

"No, that's not it," Monica said.

"But, why is it that people don't trust each other?" Gloria asked.

"Well, you've existed for a very short time, Gloria, but during that time, you've seen how people can sometimes mistreat each other. Don't you ever wonder why it is that people don't want to trust you, when they don't know you? I guess, it's like when Susan said that she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers when we tried to help her."

"That's right angel babies," Tess' voice emerged and Monica looked relieved when she saw the supervising angel standing in the room.

"Tess, where have you been?" Monica asked.

"That's not important right now, but what you need to know about Amos Thompson is that when he was a young man, the element of trust was a more dominant emotion in the way people behaved towards one another," Tess replied. "Today, because there's so much negativity happening in the world, people simply don't want to trust strangers because they don't want to become another crime statistic. But, sometimes, they need to listen to the voice inside of them that tells them that a stranger could be capable of saving their lives, especially on nights like this."

Monica shook her head sadly. "I guess that would explain Susan’s reaction to me. She was afraid that I would hurt her."

"Yes, and for people like Amos, it's even harder because he's seen how the world used to be and now how much it has changed. So, now he can compare the way it was to the way it is, and I guess he's become a bit disillusioned by what he has found," Tess said.

Gloria sat trying all the while to understand the conversation that was taking place between her two superiors. "Tess," she finally spoke. "Why is it that people don't listen to this inner voice when things like this happen? I mean; I understand that there are a lot of people who would willingly harm someone else, but Amos isn't one of them?"

"Well, that's true, there are a lot of mean spirited people in the world," Tess said, trying to respond to Gloria's question. "All I'm telling you two is what I know. The times have changed, we have an angel for the twenty-first century, but we have a situation here where the values of the 1950's should be in practice."

"I don't understand," Gloria responded.

"It was a time period where people trusted each other, Gloria," Monica began. "One could turn to their neighbor and seek their help without expecting reward or something. There was a sense where people could accept and trust each other. Sure, there were some negative parts of that time period as with any, but there was a sense that people really trusted each other. They could leave their doors open and know that no one was going to steal from them. Today, that's simply not the case, and people like Amos are left in disillusionment about it."

"So, who is our assignment?" Gloria asked.

"Amos and that little girl, Little Angel," Tess said and disappeared, thus leaving Gloria staring at Monica all the while trying to comprehend what had just happened.

At that moment, they heard someone tapping on the door and Monica went to open it and could see Amos standing on the other side. "I don't mean to bother you ladies, but the little girl's getting sicker. Her fever is getting worse. I need to get some towels out of the closet."

"What are you going to do?" Gloria asked.

"Using cold, wet towels is the only way I can think of to bring down her fever," Amos said rushing towards the closet and grabbing two large towels from the top shelf. "I tried to radio Cal, but I think the wind has knocked my antennae off balance, and I won't be able to do anything at least until the lightning stops." He left the room and the two angels followed him to the bathroom. He began to run cold water over the two towels he had found and wrung them out. "You can help me, come on."

Out in the living room, Susan's face was red and sweaty, and she looked frightened. "Mommy!" she cried desperately.

"Wrap the towels around her legs," Amos said and sat down next to where the small child was lying. "It's OK, Susan," he said soothingly, as Monica and Gloria did as he had instructed.

"It's cold," she mumbled as she felt the coolness of the compresses against her skin. She began to move her legs about trying to loosen the towels.

Amos held her arms firmly in his and she eventually relaxed. Almost instinctively, he reached his hand in the breast pocket of his shirt, and pulled the small seashell out. "Shall I tell you the story about your seashell?"

Susan stopped thrashing about and looked up at him. "Is it my shell? The one you gave me?"

"The very same," Amos said and laid it in her small hand.

Monica and Gloria sat down nearby to listen to the story Amos would be telling.

"One day, this seashell washed up on the coast of China. The people there were very happy to see him, and they brought him to a large parade that signified the New Year. When he heard the firecrackers going off, he became afraid, but his friends said that that was a part of the celebration, and he realized that the noise was to scare off the bad spirits."

"Like ghosts?" Susan asked.

"Yes," Amos said. "The noise was supposed to frighten them away. Anyway, two days later, the shell asked his Chinese friends to throw him back into the ocean and that he wanted to see more places. So they did as he asked, and threw him back. Next he floated east and ended up on the coast of South Africa. Do you know what he learned in Africa?"

"What?" Susan asked.

"He learned about the southern sky," Amos continued. "You know the stars all look different there than they do here. He could see the stars were positioned in a completely different place in the sky than here. He remembered lying on the beach and seeing all the stars floating above him. He finally asked a Monk what kept the stars suspended in the air."

Gloria listened intently waiting to hear the answer from the wise old man. She looked at Monica, who was also pretty intensely involved in the story the man was telling.

"The Monk said to him that the stars were there to help man find their place in the world. He told the shell that the stars were there to remind mankind about their uniqueness. Do you remember when I told you that each shell has its own story?"

"Yeah," she said.

"This is the same with each person," Amos looked at Monica. "Right?"

The auburn headed angel nodded emphatically as he continued to tell the story. "After that the Monk threw him back into the sea and he continued his journey until he reached the coast here and we found him on the beach today."

"Is there more for him to learn?" she asked.

Amos smiled, "yes, just like there's more for you to learn, for me, and for Gloria and Monica. But, if you hold this shell tightly, you can tell him your story, and he will take it with him wherever he goes. That God made us, just like He made the shell you hold, and that with all the intricacies that we are, He loves us, all of us."

Susan smiled weakly as she leaned against Amos' chest and fell asleep. He held her in his arms and Monica could see from where she sat, that Amos had tears in his eyes as Susan fell asleep in his lap. It appeared as though the crisis had finally passed.

* * *

Cal was still working some hours later, but when the lightening stopped, he was able to take a break and go downstairs and see how Sarah was doing. When he came in and found the room empty, he sighed deeply, and began searching through the rooms to find her. When he didn't find her inside, he reached for his jacket. He knew that she must have left to go search for her daughter, but he couldn't understand why she had done this, when he had told her that he would help her.

He zipped up his jacket and grabbed the flashlight he had carried earlier. As he walked outside and into the rain, he sighed with relief when he saw a few stars peeking through the clouds. It was still raining, but at least to see the stars, he knew that the storm would soon end. At this moment, it was only raining, and the storming it had done earlier, seemed to have stopped. He walked slowly towards the beach, but stopped suddenly when he saw a young woman passed out on the sand.

At least he had found her, but was she still alive? He sat down on the sand and placed his hand against her neck to see if there was a pulse. He sighed with relief when he felt it, but it was weak, and he didn't know what he could do for her. He stood up once again, stooped down to pick her up in his arms, and carried her back towards the lighthouse. Andrew once again followed the man, his relief that Cal had come out to find Sarah when he did because if she had been out there much longer, he would have had to take her Home. Of course, he also knew that the stubborn woman was not completely out of the woods and he was to remain with her throughout the night until told it was time to go.

As soon as Cal had reached the door to the lighthouse, he managed to kick it open, and went inside, all the while kicking the door closed once again behind him.

Once he had managed to lay Sarah on the sofa, he pulled her drenched jacket off and wrapped the now shivering woman in a large towel. Once she was wrapped firmly in that, he grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around he as well. Her face was unusually pale when he looked at her, but what concerned him the most was how cold she felt. He wrapped her in his arms and sat with her trying to provide some of the body-heat she seemed to be lacking. You silly woman, he thought to himself as he rocked her in his arms, why didn't you trust me when I told you I'd help you find your daughter?

Her eyes slowly opened some twenty minutes later when she became aware of her surroundings. She tried to move her arms, but couldn't, and when she realized that his arms were wrapped around her, she began to struggle against his hold. "Let me go!" she cried.

Cal released his hold on her and looked at her, his eyes expressing his hurt, but his words filled with understanding. "How do you feel?" He eventually asked her.

"I'm cold," she answered honestly and looked at him quizzedly.

"That's pretty normal, I'm afraid, you passed out on the beach. Why didn't you stay here and let me help you?" He asked. "Do you honestly think I would do something to hurt you? You did more to hurt yourself tonight than I could ever do."

Sarah shook her head all the while her eyes filled with confusion.

"You young people have learned never to trust anyone, even if a stranger is capable of helping you," he said gently. "I'll call Amos now and see if he's seen your daughter." He stood up and walked towards a large radio that was placed on the table not far from where she was sitting. As he reached the radio, a loud crashing sound was heard from outside and he could recognize that the storm was starting to pick up again. The wind was getting stronger, he could tell by the way the windows would shake as the force of the wind struck the large lighthouse. "Oh no," he muttered under his breath.

"What?" She asked when she heard his nervous sounding voice.

"I've got to try to get in touch with Amos right away. I didn't think this was going to happen again, but the wind's picking up again. He'd be safer over here than in that flimsy house of his. This weather will blow his place over like matchsticks," Cal said. He switched on the radio and picked up the receiver. "Amos, you there? Amos?" He sat the link down on the table and sighed deeply when he couldn't hear the familiar voice of his friend on the other end of the radio. He looked at Sarah, "I've got to go upstairs and relay a signal to him. I will trust that you will not leave."

Sarah nodded obediently, but spoke, her voice small. "I won't."

"I'll be back down in about ten minutes," he said and this time he hurried out of the room as fast as he could run. He could only hope that he would be able to get a message to his friend and get him over there before the fast approaching storm would arrive. As he reached the top of the lighthouse, he managed to redirect a smaller lamp in the direction of the house of his friend.

Back downstairs, Sarah was still sitting in the room where Cal had left her. She was now lying against the cushions on his sofa, but her thoughts were literally reeling as she licked her dry lips and addressed the stillness. "A-Andrew, are you still here?" She began to whisper under her breath once the old man had disappeared up the stairs.

"Yes, Sarah, I'm still here," the angel said gently as he sat down on the sofa and wrapped her in his arms. "You're safe now, but if you go back out there tonight, you're going to die and your daughter will loose her mother."

"I-is she safe?" Sarah asked.

"For now, yes, she's with friends, and God is with her too, and He will take care of her, no matter what happens tonight. Will you trust Him?" Andrew's eyes were earnest as he spoke to the young woman.

"Trust was never one of my strong suits, Andrew," she said softly.

"I know, but this time it will count for everything," the angel said softly.

* * *

Susan was still laying in Amos's arms and Gloria was watching outside the front window when she saw a white light from the direction of the beach coming towards the house. "Monica, I just saw a strange looking light over there."

Amos looked over at them and when he saw the light, he spoke. "It's a signal from Cal, there's been an emergency. Monica, can you take her, I've gotta get to the radio?"

Monica nodded and came over to take the now sleeping child out of the arms of the old man.

"Gloria, you said you wanted to see how the radio works, come on, now may be your only chance," he left the room quickly and she followed. "Now this is how it works." He turned the radio on, picked up the receiver, and spoke into it. "Cal?"

"Amos, you gotta get outta there, the weather's getting bad..." Thunder could be heard on the other end of the transmission, but then everything went silent and Amos was standing there still holding the receiver.

"What happened?" Gloria asked.

Amos turned off the radio and faced the angel. "I think we better get out of here, it's not safe. We're leaving the house tonight."

"What about Susan, will she be able to handle this?" Gloria asked.

"I don't know, but we aren't safe here, none of us are, and Cal knows it," Amos said and sighed knowing there wasn't time for explanations about the feelings he and Cal were having about the weather, he just looked at her and spoke. "Look, you may be thinking that I'm nothing more than just a crazy old man, but Cal and I both got feelings about these kind of things, and we both know that youngsters like yourself may not believe them. Just do me a favor, Gloria, try to pacify me here, OK?"

The novice angel was quite surprised at the abruptness of Amos's voice, but after a few seconds, she simply nodded and left the kitchen. Amos turned the kitchen light off and closed the door before going back out into the living room.

Monica had laid Susan back on the couch and had stood up. "Amos, what is it?" She asked when she saw the man coming out of the kitchen.

"We have to leave here, Monica. It's not safe to stay in this house," Amos said.

Monica nodded, "I know. She said about as much when she came through a few minutes ago, that you had told her that it was important."

"She didn't question anything about it?" Amos asked.

Monica nodded, "of course, because Gloria trusts you."

"Why did she not question it?" Amos asked. "Most young people don't believe it when Cal or I tell them anything." He grabbed a duffel bag from under the sofa, opened it, and began to fill it with provisions.

"Let's just say that Gloria isn't like most younger people, Amos. You have a gallery of experiences on the wall in your room that makes you completely believable for her," Monica said as Gloria walked into the room holding two extra duffel bags. "I packed a few things I thought we might be needing," she said and when Amos saw the first aid kit, and a large supply of batteries and extra clothing and blankets, he shook his head in profound disbelief.

Instead of speaking, Gloria and Monica simply waited for Amos to instruct them as to what would be happening, or how they were going to get to the lighthouse.

Amos closed his bag once he had finished packing, picked it up, and extended it towards Monica. "You and Gloria can take the bags since I know how to walk outside during this kind of storm, so I'll carry her, it's much safer," he said softly. Monica nodded as she accepted the bag, and slung it over her shoulder as Amos picked up Susan, blanket and all, and wrapped her in his arms.

Once he was steady on his feet, he smiled down at her innocent face. "I want you to cover your face with your hands, Susan. We're going to see a friend of mine, OK?"

"Like this?" the little girl asked and covered her face in her hands.

"Yes, now don't be scared, OK?" he whispered gently.

"I'm not afraid, but do you still have my seashell?" she asked as he covered her completely in the blanket. Suddenly the small child looked more like an oversized parcel than a little girl.

"Monica, could you put her shell in your pocket for me? It should be on the couch somewhere." Amos asked.

Monica looked around for a few seconds, and when she spotted it, she picked up the small object, and put it gently in the pocket of her dress. She smiled weakly as she remembered the story Amos had told the little girl that evening about the adventures of the small seashell, which was now in her possession. "I've got it, Amos," she whispered.

"OK, let's go," the old man said and walked towards the door. He motioned for Monica to grab the flashlight off the table next to the door and waited until Gloria had opened it.

Once they came outside, they could immediately feel the rain falling down in sheets. Amos led the way, between the dunes and out across the beach. The rain was getting heavier as they stumbled through the darkness in the direction of Cal's lighthouse.

Monica and Gloria had a harder time staying on their feet than Amos did, and Monica was grateful when she saw the older man a few steps ahead of them, holding onto the child, and managing to ride the winds the way a surfer would ride a really high wave. She was immediately grateful that she and Gloria had met Amos when they did because out there in that weather alone would not have been easy for them, even as angels. Both of them, although armed with the truth of God's love and protection also believed that their assignment would probably be able to keep them out of danger simply through his wits and wisdom.

The two angels continued to follow Amos across the beach and as they could feel the soft grass beneath their feet, Amos turned around and shouted towards them. "We're almost there, only a little bit farther to go."

They continued to amble through as the wind began to blow even stronger. Gloria could see the light of a ship on the distant water. "They must be nuts to be out on seas like this," she shouted to Monica when she saw the ship.

The auburn headed angel simply nodded.

Amos had heard Gloria's words, but as they reached the door that would lead into the safety of the lighthouse, a blitz of lightening streaked across the sky and Amos groaned when it the light suddenly went out and they were suddenly engulfed in darkness, except for the light of the distant ship.

"Cal!" Amos called out, and the door suddenly opened and the man on the opposite side waved them all inside. He held a flashlight in his hand and shined it in their faces as they came inside the entry hallway of the lighthouse. Once the door was closed, he looked at Amos curiously.

"That's Monica and Gloria," Amos said quickly as he began to unwrap the child he held in his arms. Once Cal saw the child that Amos lovingly held, he looked at his friend curiously. "This is Susan."

"A-ha, so you're the elusive Susan I've heard so much about," Cal said smiling. "I don't know how this happened, but your mom's here and has been worried sick about you. She's in the living room."

"My mommy's here?" the child asked, her expression changing and she began to smile, contrary to the fever that she had and the shivering she was doing.

Cal nodded, "yeah, she was out on the beach during the storm looking for you. I brought her here and was going to ask you if you'd seen her when the transmission got broken."

"Yeah, but what happened with that transmission? I thought my antennae was off balance," Amos offered.

"I'm not so sure. It took a little time to find the frequency again, but once I did, I had seen you coming over from upstairs. Speaking of which, I've got work to do. I gotta find a way to get the light back up before that ship out there runs aground. Amos, can you take care of them? "

Monica looked at Gloria, "go with Amos. I'm going to see if I can help Cal."

"What are you going to do?" Gloria asked.

"I don't know, but I think an extra pair of hands up there won't be such a bad thing," Monica said softly.

"No, you'd better let me go," Andrew's voice emerged and he looked at Monica. "You have to stay with your assignment."

Reluctantly, she agreed and the Angel of Death followed Cal up the stairs all the while Monica was wondering what was going to happen next.

* * *

"Susan!" Sarah was still wrapped in the blanket when Amos carried her into the room. "I've been so worried about you." She pushed the blanket away from around herself with the intention of getting up, but Amos held up his hand as an indication that she should remain where she is. The woman reluctantly complied.

"Mommy, I thought you had left without me," Susan cried as Amos had sat her down on the sofa next to her mother, and the small child was immediately engulfed in the arms of her mother.

"Oh Darling, I feared the worst," Sarah said and finally her eyes locked with those of Amos Thomson. "Thank you for taking care of my baby."

"It wasn't just me, I got a little bit of help from Monica and Gloria," he said with a smile.

After a few seconds had passed, Susan looked back over at him from the security of her mother's embrace. "Sanna, I want my seashell."

Amos began to chuckle as Monica came over to give it to the little girl. "Here's your shell, Susan," she said. "He asked me to hold onto it for you."

The little girl delightfully took the shell from Monica's outstretched hand and showed it to her mother. "Sanna said that this shell would always have a story to tell."

Sarah looked up and her eyes met those of Amos, who smiled slightly. She looked back down into the innocent eyes of her daughter. "And what else did Santa tell you, Susan?"

"He said that God made all of us unique just like my shell, and that He loves us," Susan said proudly and looked at Amos for his affirmation. The man nodded and Gloria watched as she wiped a stray tear away.

"Then he's right, Susan, because there's no one else quite like my little princess," Sarah said and looked at Amos. "I remember seeing you on the beach, and how rude I probably appeared to you when you were talking to Susan. I guess I'm not a very trusting person, but I'm really grateful to you for taking care of her tonight."

"She's a very special little girl," Amos said. "She has the ability to make a lonely old man smile even during the strongest of thunderstorms."

Monica looked at the three of them with a smile covering her face and when the Father told her that the message he had for the mother and daughter had been delivered she smiled as she realized that Amos Thompson had delivered the message himself.

* * *

Andrew followed Cal up the stairs towards the top of the lighthouse. Once they reached the top, he could see out the window, and could see the fishing boat coming even closer to the rocks lining the shore. "Cal Harris?" he called out once he saw the elderly man standing next to a large bulb trying to find a way to get it to work.

Upon hearing his name being spoken by the angel, he turned around and smiled slightly as though he knew who Andrew was, but had not been formally introduced. "I know you."

"Yes, you do, we met when you and Amos were in Korea," Andrew said softly. "I had been sent there to help you, just as I am here tonight."

"You're an angel, right?" Cal asked.

"Yes, I am, my name is Andrew," he said softly.

"They're going to die, aren't they?" Cal asked weakly. "That's why you're here."

"Actually, if they were, don't you think that I would be there instead of here?" Andrew said. "I am here to help you, help them."

"I don't know if there's anything you can do to help me up here, but I'm glad you're here. We have to find a way to signal that boat, or there's gonna be a disaster."

"What happened to the light that usually signals them?" Andrew asked.

"It's completely blown, we would need to find a way to reboot the generators. The problem is, the lightning struck the power cable, so there's no way to get any power going at all, at least none that I know of," Cal answered. "We don't have much time either, the boat is getting closer to running aground."

"Can't you send out a transmission with your radio?" Andrew asked.

"We could try, but the problem is that once anyone picks up the transmission, it might be too late for them to avoid the rocks. That wind is pretty rough out there right now and it's gonna get worse before it gets better, and they may not be able to clear those rocks. Besides, you know what happened when I sent Amos that transmission earlier, don't you?"

"Not really, I'm not very knowledgeable in this area, but I do know someone who is," Andrew said. "I'll be right back."

With that the angel disappeared and seconds later, Gloria and Andrew had reappeared in the room. "Gloria, how good are you with electronics?"

"Not bad," she said. "I read Amos' amateur radio operator's manual earlier tonight. Will that help?"

"I don't know unless it gave you some schematics on the way those radios are made," Andrew said.

"Tell me what happened with it tonight," Gloria eventually said.

"The lightning had nearly hit my antenna, but after a little adjusting, I could get the radio frequency back on line. By then, like I said to Andrew earlier, I saw the light from Amos's flashlight coming across the beach, and knew you guys were on your way over here," Cal said.

Gloria nodded and looked at Andrew. "Let me think…" she mumbled under her breath. "Andrew, hand me that radio over there, if I can read fast, maybe I can put together a makeshift transmitter or something."

"A makeshift transmitter or something?" Cal repeated as he looked at her with bewilderment in his eyes. Somehow, she had managed to get an energy surge into this small object, thus making it possible to at least transmit using Morse code.

"Now, I think that's got it, now I need a refresher on Morse code," Gloria said.

"A refresher, but it's really outdated," Cal said. "Most of the younger folks forget it after they get their operator's licenses."

"Just give it to her and trust her," Andrew said. "Gloria knows what she's doing. It may seem strange to you, but an angel always has what he or she needs when they need it, and Gloria has a mind like a computer, and she can store a great deal of knowledge in a short period time. Just trust that she knows what she's doing."

"I think it's safe to say that right now, I'd take any option there is, if it means saving the lives of those people on that boat," Cal said as he fumbled through the darkness to find the small booklet.

Once she had it, Gloria flipped through it quickly and reached for the transmitter. "Here goes," she whispered under her breath. "Andrew…"

"You can do this, Gloria, I think you know what is at stake."

"I know, that's why I'm nervous, what if I mess up?" She looked at him, and he could see that she was afraid. All the while, Cal was looking at them both as though they were insane, but for some reason, he nodded in concurrence with what Andrew had said.

"Young lady, it would be better that you try then if you didn't," he smiled gently at her.

Gloria took a deep breath and began to tap out a signal to the ship; giving them the proper coordinates that would take the ship back out to sea and away from the rocks. After sending the transmission for about two or three minutes, they released a pent up sigh when they heard the ship giving a loud blast as an indication that they had received the code from Gloria and Cal turned to face the two angels. "The ship is out of danger," he said smiling at the two angels. "Thank the Lord that He sent you two out here tonight. Without you that ship would have run aground."

Gloria waited for a few moments, and when the Morse code signal returned, she looked at Andrew. "Now I know where Tess was tonight."

"On the ship?" The Angel of Death asked and Gloria nodded.

Cal looked at the two angels and shook his head. "You know, I've seen a lot of things in my day, but what I just saw you do, Gloria, was probably the most amazing thing of all. How on earth is it that an angel from God could be versed in simple human communications?"

"It's like being a navigator, Cal. God gave us stars to find our way, and gives us messages that people may not always understand," Gloria began as she started to glow.

"Well, I must admit that I'm not one to make a big deal about things I don't fully understand, but I have a funny feeling you do much more than just help us to navigate storms. I don't know to what extent, but from what I've seen you do, I think you're a pretty miraculous."

"You're not afraid?" She asked.

"No way," Cal said firmly and extended his hand to her and she reached out and offered her own. "You must have saved at least 20 lives tonight. If I were afraid of someone like you, it certainly wouldn't be someone who did something heroic like that." He said. "Does God have a message for me?"

"He loves you, Cal, and although you and Amos may not always be taken seriously, He made you the way you are for a reason, and that's so special," Gloria said and Andrew nodded.

"Many years ago, you met me on beach in Korea, and you swore that you would trust your inner voice, and for the last 40 years, you have, and it doesn't matter if people judge you or think you're eccentric, what matters is what God thinks of you, and Gloria said it, He loves you. You saved a woman's life tonight, your persistence prevented me from having to take her Home."

Cal shook his head in disbelief after a few seconds. "You know, I'll only tell Amos about this, but around here, we're just a couple of loony old men, and maybe we never saw ourselves as much more than that, but it was special what happened tonight, and maybe it wasn't so bad that it did."

The two angels nodded some moments later, they followed Cal back down the stairs.

* * *

Amos was still sitting next to the little girl and her mother when Gloria, Andrew, and Cal came downstairs. "The stars told the small seashell that if you wish on them long enough then your dreams will come true," Amos was saying as he held Susan's seashell in his hand.

"Where do you get all these stories you tell?" Sarah asked him after a second.

"They were told to me a long time ago," Amos answered. "When I was about fourteen or so, my mother could not afford to buy books, so she would tell me stories that she had heard from her mother, and on through the generations of my family, these stories continued till now. Today, I don't have any children or grandchildren to pass them onto except, perhaps, Susan."

"Did you ever consider publishing them as children's stories?" Sarah asked.

"No, I suppose, I never thought about it, actually," he said softly.

"I'd read them," Gloria said honestly.

Amos looked at the angel. "You're not a child anymore, you're a grown woman."

"Yes, that's true, but I think everyone still has a child inside of them." She looked at Monica who had been seated and listening to the stories with unsuppressed interest. Once the angel nodded at her, she continued. "A story is a part of one's heritage, and it makes it special the more people share it."

Monica nodded and looked at Amos. "If you were to share your stories with others, they would be as touched by them as we are and maybe it would be your chance to entrust the world with something that is a part of you."

Sarah nodded. "Susan and I live not far away from here, and I would like to make a suggestion to you. I work for a book publisher, and if you write the stories down, we can probably publish them as bedtime stories for small children."

Susan looked up into his kindly gray eyes, "Oh Sanna, a storybook of my seashell. Would you write it with pictures, too?"

"But, I can't draw, Susan," Amos said gently.

At that moment, Cal looked at his friend all the while shaking his head as he reached over, grabbed a small black notebook, and opened it. Inside it on the first pages, were a number of pencil and watercolor drawings.

Amos smiled upon seeing the drawings, "I always knew we made a great team." He looked around the room at all the encouraging faces and after a moment's hesitation, he nodded.

Monica looked at Susan with a smile on her face. This child had such a miraculous way of changing someone's mind. Seconds later and she glanced over at Gloria and Andrew. Once she nodded the three angels stood up, it was time for them to go.

As Amos, Cal, Sarah, and Susan talked about the books, the angels slipped out of the room. Their absence was not even acknowledged until some ten minutes after they had left the lighthouse for the last time.

"Where'd they go?" Susan asked, first to notice that the angels were gone.

"I think they went back to Heaven," Cal said softly as he picked up the bottle he had placed on the table before he had shown Amos his artwork, and took a sip.

Amos nodded, for some reason, he believed that there was so much truth to the words of his friend.

* * *

It was still drizzling the following morning as Monica, Gloria, and Andrew met Tess south of the small town, their smiles apparent when they climbed into the red Cadillac convertible and Tess started the motor and they drove out of Harrisburg.

"Do you think that Amos will publish his stories?" Gloria asked.

"I think he will," Monica answered. "In fact, I have a funny feeling, that soon, we will be seeing his stories and Cal's drawings on a bookstore shelf somewhere."

"I hope so, I mean; I have a feeling that these stories would be really well received and not just by children," Gloria said.

"You really liked those stories he told, didn't you?" Monica asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yes, actually they reminded me, in a small way, of Home," Gloria smiled, as she got comfortable in the backseat, and rested her head against the plush red interior of the car. "Does that make any sense to you, Monica?"

She nodded and looked back at Gloria, who had closed her eyes and carried a dreamy look on her face. "I think I know what you mean, but you know I couldn't help but smile when Amos asked me to pick up Susan's seashell and put it in my pocket back at the house. It reminded me of those stories, in such a profound way."

"Maybe, but even though Cal knows the truth, I wonder what kind of story they would come up with about angels being there last night," Andrew broke his silence.

"Entertaining Angels has already been written babies," Tess said smiling as they disappeared in the distance and a dove flew over their heads.

Epilogue

Some months after meeting Amos and Cal out in Maine, the four angels ended up in California. After having some rather complicating cases there, they were not really thinking about the time they had spent in the company of the two elderly men and the mother and daughter during the storm. They didn't think about this, at least not until they had found a large decorated bookstore, and Gloria looked at her friends.

"Is there a chance we could go in and look around before our next assignment, Tess?" She asked.

The eldest of the four angels nodded. "I don't see why not, we don't have to be in San Diego until later tonight."

Gloria walked into the store not really sure what it was she was looking for, but suddenly she stopped. On a large table, there was a stack of thin hardcover books. Next to it, a small line of people had formed, most of which were parents with small children.

The young angel walked over to the table and picked up a copy of the book that was lying there. She brushed her hand across the cover, it was such a beautiful picture, that she failed to notice the name of the author and artist, which was printed at the bottom of it. The drawing of the lighthouse and the stars reminded her of when they had had the assignment in Maine.

"Hi," she suddenly heard a voice behind her and she turned around and saw a young woman in her early twenties.

"Hi," she responded in kind and replaced the book on the table.

"Have you read that book yet?" the young woman asked. "I know it's just for kids, but it's such a great book. I gave one to my kid sister for her birthday and she takes it with her to school every day now. The author will be here to sign copies of it this afternoon."

Gloria looked at the woman and could see a nametag on her blazer, and she realized that she was an employee there. After a few seconds had passed, she glanced down at the two names adorning the cover of the book, and tried to hide her overwhelming and happy surprise. "Do you mean to tell me that Amos Thomson and Cal Harris are going to be here this afternoon?" She asked.

"Yes," the woman answered smiling. "If you want to meet them, then I'd suggest you get in line now, because the book is pretty popular and this signing has been advertised all over town. The line will probably grow by the time they arrive, too. They're supposed to be here in about an hour."

Before she got in the line, Gloria went and paid for a copy of the book, and thumbed through it as she waited. Just before the signing was to start, she could see that groups of small children and even some of the parents were staring at her as she stood alone waiting. A little more time passed and Monica, Andrew, and Tess joined her in the line and they talked as they waited.

The four angels remained there and they passed the time by reading two or three of the stories in this book. Around them, the lines were growing longer, and eventually, the excited crowd made it impossible for them to continue reading, so they finally closed the book, stood, and watched, all the while waiting anxiously with all the children for their former assignments to make an appearance.

When they finally did, the four angels smiled. Amos looked about the same as he had the afternoon Gloria and Monica had met him the first time. He wore leather sandals on his feet, and the very same captain's hat. He was smiling and as he took a seat, the children started cheering from the front of the line, which by this time, had extended through the store out the front doors, across the sidewalk and around the corner.

At this moment, Cal too, appeared, also looking about the same as they had remembered him and the four angels smiled as the two men began to sign copies of the book, and the line started moving.

By the time Gloria and her friends had reached the front of the line, Amos was so busy signing books that he apparently didn't seem notice them until they had reached the other end of the table with the copy that Gloria had purchased earlier. At this moment, Gloria's disappointed eyes met Monica's and she nodded ever so slightly. After that, their attention returned to the line of children who were waiting to talk with Amos and Cal.

As the angels were leaving the store, Gloria looked at her companions sadly. "They didn't seem to remember us, did they?"

"I think Amos remembered us, Gloria," Monica answered softly. "But, I also think you saw how happy all those children were to see them. Now all these people will enjoy those stories that Amos had told us. We should be happy for both of them, because now people are listening to them and their message of hope is spreading."

"That's true, but I would still like to look through the book. Why don't we go over to the park and sit down and take a look?" Gloria asked. "We still have some time, right?"

Tess nodded, all the while putting her arm around Gloria's shoulder. Once they reached the park, the four of them sat down on a nearby bench. Tess took the book from Gloria, opened it, and looked down at the handwriting on the inside cover. "To Gloria, Monica, Andrew, and Tess, from your friend Amos, page 21."

"He did see us," Gloria said softly.

Tess nodded and began to thumb her way through the small book. When she found the page Amos had written, she handed the book back to Gloria, and watched as the youngest angel's eyes widened as she read the title of the story: "Entertaining Angels". Along the bottom of the page, she recognized the hand drawn seashell exactly like the one Monica had held for Susan in her pocket. But neatly etched next to was a somewhat unrecognizable, yet animated drawing of Gloria's likeness.

She looked down at the picture, and smiled weakly as Andrew spoke, thus breaking his silence. "Read it, Gloria, out loud."

She nodded and began to read the story:

*Entertaining Angels*

My adventures brought me to the coast of Maine.

Where I met up with a little girl named Susan Loraine.

She came to the house where I was to be

With our wise old friend, the man of the sea.

She introduced me to someone I hold dear

A heavenly friend who spoke without fear.

An endearing friend who could emanate light,

But the sounds of the storm could be heard throughout the night.

The fear of the thundering from outside could be,

Reminders of the storms I had, lost at sea.

But the angelic friend smiled suddenly,

And these are the words she spoke to me:

"When the darkness engulfs and fear surrounds,

It is only then, that the light is found all around.

Just look up to God and search the black velvet sky,

And see for yourself the strength there that lies.

In the power and beauty of the star,

The beautiful light is not all that far.

If you believe in the wonder and magic at hand,

It exists on the water and also on land.

The beauty that lives inside you and in me,

Will always remind us, when we cannot see.

Through the clouds and the rain that fill us with fright,

Will be replaced with comforting shadows of night."

The divine loving light of God's radiant grace,

Would be what gave us the will to remain in this place.

Together with our wise, friend of the sea,

Unafraid of what the future may be.

It can only be described as a heavenly light,

That gave us the strength to get through that night.

We were empowered with love on a stormy beach,

From angels we thought had been out of reach.

They came into our hearts and helped us to find,

That power that comes is from the wisdom inside.

So when we looked out the top of the lighthouse window,

To learn what our friend, the keeper of the light, wanted to show.

We were instantly reminded of the scary sight,

When our heavenly friends disappeared that night.

We didn't see them again, the messengers of God's glorious love,

But we remember them every time we behold the dove.

God's beautiful light helping others to see,

The beauty and love that always will be.

Gloria was wiping the tears from her eyes when she had finished reading. "That's so beautiful!"

Monica nodded; she too had started wiping the tears from her own eyes. She knew that this story had been born on that night, which they had spent in the small comfortable home of Amos Thomson, and this was a special memory for them. She watched as Gloria closed the book and held it tightly in her arms.

"Didn't Cal write something too?" Andrew asked curiously.

Gloria opened the book to the title page. On the inside, in the man's somewhat shaky handwriting, were the words, "It's no surprise 21 is the page your story is on, it's how many people you saved who were on that boat." Underneath it, Cal had signed his name.

Tess looked at her three charges, "You know, I'm glad you did what you did that night, Little Angel."

Gloria smiled weakly and nodded as she wiped her hand over her eyes and looked at Andrew. "Thank you for trusting me to do that, Andrew. Before we met Amos, I never realized how much I not only value, but need to be trusted."

Tess smiled and nodded in concurrence with Gloria's words. Yes; it was indeed a very special gift.

The End