Page 14 of Heaven on Earth

“So, you’re okay?” I asked, eyes still as wide as dinner plates.

“Of course. We shed and regrow feathers throughout the year. Haven’t you ever seen a perfect white feather float down from seemingly nowhere?”

“Come to think of it, yes.”

“Those were all angel feathers. I will admit, I shed them more often and have a more difficult time keeping them neat and undamaged now that I live on Earth, but they still regrow. They simply don’t fall from the Heavens anymore — mine, at least. My brothers and sisters, on the other hand, still drop them from above.”

Uncertainly, I took the feather from Ciel, turning it between my fingers. “It’s beautiful,” I breathed. “I do have a lot more to learn about both monsters and men, don’t I?”

Ciel smiled, putting a hand against my cheek. “And so you will, my dearest. Given time, you will learn everything I have to teach you.”

I didn’t want to, but I left for my own apartment after lunch that afternoon. I would have stayed another day, and given the fact that I had no job to return home to prepare for, I could have. But Ciel was adamant about not pleasuring me again to make the next time we finally had sex that much sweeter, and I had more applications I needed to send in if I wanted to be able to keep affording life in this idyllic little town.

I consoled myself with the dinner Ciel promised to take me to next week. A chance to meet some other townsfolk was more than welcome, especially if the night ended with a little time alone with Ciel at his house.

12

CIEL

Ihad great plans for Ryan. He didn’t know about those plans just yet, but soon, he would. As far as the poor little human was aware, I was going to invite him back to my house in a few days and give him exactly what he desired. And it was true: he would get what he wanted from me, but not in the manner that he expected.

He called me a mere two days after our last time together in person to ask the exact question I’d been expecting from him.

“Uh, Ciel,” he began, his voice trembling with a lack of confidence I was unaccustomed to from him.

“Yes?” I smiled, waiting patiently for him to gather his courage.

“Do you think I could come over today? It’s just that, well, I have an interview tomorrow and I want to be on top of my game, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh, I know what you mean, my dear, but I will not be indulging in that with you today or tonight or even tomorrow.”

Ryan sighed. “When, then? Next week?”

“At the dinner, yes,” I confirmed.

“Honestly, I’m not sure I can wait that long. I certainly don’t think I can wait through a whole dinner sitting next to you when…when…” he trailed off.

His mind was in another place entirely now, so I gave him some time to enjoy that fantasy before speaking up: “You’re a grown man; I’m sure you can manage to wait a few more days to be touched. Or are you really that needy?”

He didn’t respond immediately. “No,” he said finally, hesitating as he spoke. “I can wait. I’ll see you next week, I guess.”

“Yes, you will. And best of luck with your interview. Where is this one at?”

“A museum. They’re looking for someone with experience in book archival, and I’m hoping it’s a skill that not too many others around here have.

I hated to kill his hope, but I needed to talk him down lest he be disappointed again. “I very much doubt that,” I said, running my fingers absentmindedly through the feathers along the edge of one of my wings. “This town is steeped in a rich history and most of the people who moved here are, like you, interested in preserving that history.”

“Yeah, I was kind of worried about that. I’m still going to give it a go. I need a job, Ciel. I can’t live on my savings forever, and I’d hate to move away right after meeting so many great people.”

“Which is why I wish you luck. I shall offer a prayer for you if you’d like, though I’m not sure how much good it will do now.”

“You’ve got to still have some pull in Heaven, surely. But even if you don’t, I’ll take all the help I can get. See you on Saturday, Ciel.”

He hung up and I stood from the dining table chair, running my tongue over my lips. They still tasted like Ryan, even if that taste was a mere figment of my imagination.

When I re-centered my thoughts, I mumbled a quick prayer, as much as I doubted its efficacy. I would hate to lose Ryan now, so soon after finding him, and if I could help him get a job in any way possible, I would do it wholeheartedly.

Saturday arrived with a blindingly bright sunrise and a host of birds crowding the sky. They were migrating back north after a winter away in the warmer climes, and their honks and chirps and screeches were a welcome sound after a cold, quiet season without them.