The Rustling of Angels

After a few moments, Matt felt the now familiar feeling of a presence standing right inside the door of his bedroom. He cautiously peered between the cracks of his fingers to confirm his suspicion. He was amused to see two people of a gentle nature waiting patiently for him to become aware of their presence. Matt was not startled this time as he looked up.

An older man in his fifties stood stiffly holding a clipboard, along with a young woman, who appeared to be about twenty. The man had sandy brown hair cut short. He was much shorter than Matt and appeared frail in stature. He wore a long, brown robe that oddly faded into the ground, as if it were melded with the floor. Matt noticed that his hands looked very feminine. He wore Benjamin Franklin style wire framed glasses that exaggerated his fragile features. His nose was long and slender and curled up slightly over his pursed, thin lips, giving him a prudish appearance. The elder man spoke up in a monotone voice, “Hello, we are the caseworkers assigned to you.”

“Why are you assigned to me?” Matt asked, “Where exactly am I?” He felt himself relax, although he was not sure why.

The young girl spoke up for the first time as she moved forward. “You are in Heaven, of course!” Matt became spellbound as he studied her closely. This girl was utterly breathtaking. She had dark amethyst eyes that he had never seen on any human and they danced with an expression of joy so animated that they stirred his heart. When she spoke, her voice had a musical quality that left lingering vibrations of what sounded like a harp note at the end of each sentence. If her voice were a jewel, it would be the Hope Diamond.

Her long blond hair fell gently over her shoulders in the softest shades of yellow; wrapping around her like a mink stole. Her robe matched the older man’s outfit and seemed far too drab for such incredible beauty. Her facial features were perfectly symmetrical and her skin glowed as if she were standing under a soft pink light.

The softness of her features reminded Matt of his own mother’s beautiful face, especially her expressive eyes. Now he could only picture the sadness his mother’s eyes would portray and his heart sank for a moment.

Matt refocused on his question. “I know this is suppose to be Heaven. I meant what part of Heaven are we in?”

“Oh, sorry!” The girl blushed at her mistake. “This is the recovery area. A place to rest after making the transition.”

The older man rolled his eyes and adjusted his glasses as he pulled her back next to him. He seemed rather annoyed by her enthusiasm. He spoke again. “We just need to take down some preliminary information before we begin processing you for your return.”

“Return?” Matt croaked, “Return to where? What did I do wrong?”

The young girl moved quickly to Matt’s right side and placed her hand on his arm while glaring over her shoulder at the older man. Matt felt a tide of love rush through him as she touched his arm. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Matt. You’re just going back to Earth.” 

Now Matt was really confused. “What do you mean I’m going back to Earth?” He stood up and began to pace along the bed.

“Matt,” the elder man said “there are many questions that need to be answered and we will get to all of them, but for now I must insist that we follow our procedures, one step at a time.” The elder glanced down at his clipboard and began spouting off information. “Most of these questions are just for confirmation. We already know everything about you. This is just a formality. First,” he began, “your name in Matthew Stephen Bradley born