Have you met Sarah?
This is the first book featuring this popular, silly, and lovable angel.
EXCERPT—Sarah: A Mission of Love
Copyright © 2012 Gay N. Lewis
“What
is she doing?” The Commander watched the little angel from his position above
the earth.
“Our
Sarah is directionally challenged.” The Lieutenant grimaced as he gazed at his
graduate student.
“She’s
flitting from cloud to cloud.” The Commander narrowed his eyes. “Is that a map
in her hand?” His gaze followed the diminutive resident of Heaven as she
alternated between scanning the paper in her hand and scrutinizing her
surroundings.
“Yes,
sir, but she can’t figure it out. She has no clue she’s holding the diagram
upside down.” The Lieutenant shook his head. “She’s taken Map Reading 101 three
times, and I’ve personally tutored her. She’s a bit dyslexic and gets her left
and right confused, along with east, west, north and south. At least she knows
up and down.” He bit his lip as he saw the pint-sized trainee shoot up when she
needed to go down. He held his breath when the little angel hesitated in
mid-air with her wings unfurled. She then lowered her head and plunged several
feet at high speed velocity before she righted herself.
The Lieutenant blew a loud whooshing breath. “Well, let me
rephrase that. She recognizes up and down most of the time.” He shook his head
and turned his attention to the Commander. “Sir, I’m not so sure this is the
best angel for this assignment. Sarah’s fresh out of school. May I ask why you
didn’t send Rachael?”
“Rachael
has other lessons to learn. Sarah will do fine.” The Commander spoke with
conviction.
“I
wish I could believe it.”
The
Commander smiled. “It’s a matter of faith.”
“Faith?”
“I
believe in her. She’ll mature from this mission and grow in self-confidence.”
The
Superiors grew silent as they watched the little one. A gust of wind blew the
map from her hand. She made a comical sight as she grabbed at the air for her
set of directions. Losing her balance, she tumbled head over feet and plummeted
to Earth in a spiral. She made a thud when her bottom hit solid ground. Rising,
she inspected her wings and smiled. Nothing appeared broken.
The
Commander furrowed his eyebrows and turned to his Lieutenant. “Give her time to
do her job, but keep your eyes on her.”
* * *
Sarah
looked around and wondered where she was. Having never been to the planet Earth
before, she was excited to receive her first commission to help the humans. She
had watched them from her perch in the upper abode, but this was her first
experience as a servant to one.
The
space she had plunged through had been cold, but the physical activity had kept
her from noticing the elements. Now that she was on Earth, she found the air
cooler than expected. She turned up her internal thermostat to adjust to
Earth’s temperature—a procedure sometimes necessary in The Heavenlies. The
Charge of the Celestial Climate kept it perfect for most inhabitants, but
individuals could always adjust their personal heating and cooling system if
needed.
The
sun looked bright and glorious from this perspective, but snow was on its way.
The Charge of the Terrestrial Climate had given a weather report before she
left, and Sarah anticipated her first touch of the beautiful, white stuff. From
her perch in the heavens, it resembled a cloud covering the ground instead of
one hovering between earth and heaven.
Sarah
needed to find Tom Shoemaker. His prayer was her reason for coming to Earth.
But where was he? Her map had blown away and she had landed in a secluded spot
with no recognizable landmarks. Rolling hills, trees, and brown grass filled
the landscape—no buildings or streets. Often lost in the upper realm, what made
her think the lower one would make a difference? How on earth was she to decide
which way to go?
Giggling
at that last thought—because she was
“on earth”—she jammed an index finger into her mouth, wet it fully, and held it
to the atmosphere. The airstream swirled around the moist digit, and she chose
to follow the wind. It was as good a place to start as any. With the wind at
her back, she plunged ahead on foot. She was accustomed to weightlessness and
air. Solid earth was an interesting phenomenon, but it had its limitations.
Deciding the foot method of transportation was too slow, Sarah took to the air.
Soaring
above the trees, she turned in a slow circle until she caught site of a
steeple—a church! As if pulled by some celestial magnet, she found herself
flying towards the place of worship without any conscious decision to do so.
Missing her intended landing spot—the front stoop— she collided into the roof
with a loud whack instead.
“Well,
that was certainly graceful. So much for Charm and Dignity Class 101.”
Muttering to herself, she slid to the edge, floated down, and peered through
the window.
Tom
knelt at the altar but peered about the church with a puzzled expression. He
must have heard the thump when she hit the roof. Sarah reminded herself that
she could sometimes be heard even if she wasn’t seen. She watched as the human
bowed his head once more in prayer.
Tom
was a good-looking man. His thick hair and mustache sported the same rich brown
color. Broad shoulders complemented a strong body build and well-toned arm
muscles. His large hands, folded in prayer, looked powerful. She knew from her few studies about
him that he had played football in college. Even though he knelt, she could
tell he was taller than she, but then, Sarah was short as angels go. She
couldn’t see his eyes—they were closed, but her dossier said they were green.
Probably the same color as his roomy sweater, worn over comfortable-looking tan
slacks.
A
little more information would have been nice, but she supposed the Superiors
wanted to see how many details she could discover on her own.
Summoning
her metamorphic ability, she passed through the wall of the church. She could
transform into a human shape if necessary, but the Superiors had given strict
instructions about that.
Settled
comfortably on the back pew, Sarah studied her surroundings. The sanctuary,
with its plain white walls, would hold perhaps one hundred people. Mahogany
pews, cushioned in blue upholstery, went well with a darker blue carpet which
enveloped the elevated altar. The runner traveled the center aisle, leaving
dark, freshly varnished, planked floors on each side. A lemony fragrance
lingered in the air, lending a pleasant aroma in the small building. It was a
simple sanctuary—no stained glass, no excessive ornamentation—but generations
of worshipers had kept the country church in pristine condition.
Sarah
focused her attention on Tom. He was talking to the Father and she didn’t want
to interrupt him, as the Father cherished these humans’ prayers. They drifted
up as a sweet fragrance to Him.
Tom
had asked for guidance in recent days, and wonder of wonders, the Father had
sent her to help him, but he didn’t know his answer sat right behind him.
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