Once upon a time there were three angels, sisters, musicians all. Upon first glance they looked identical, with tight brown curls topped by golden halos, glossy black eyes and cheerful pink smiles which stretched from cheek to blushing cheek. Each sister had a pair of dainty gold wings, fashionably tipped in white and dotted with red and blue. The two older sisters always wore gold dresses, slightly different in design to highlight their individuality, while the slightly younger sister insisted on wearing cherry blossom pink.
Their instruments, of course, gave away their identities. Anna played flute, Ruby cymbals and Alexandra guitar.
Their story begins a week before Christmas, 2006. The Angel-in-Charge sent the sisters to Moscow, Russia on a very secret mission. It was so secret that even the sisters were given no details, except. . "You are to sit on a store shelf until someone buys you." So they sat and sat, occasionally being picked up or admired by passers by, but never selected. They played a selection of festive tunes, hoping to bring attention to themselves and smiles to the fatigued faces of holiday shoppers, but to little avail. . until
a lady named Linda
and her two daughters entered their aisle.
"I'm running out of time," Linda frantically told her daughters. "The staff party is tonight, and I must take a gift to exchange. I want it to be different, special, not the same old bottle of wine I usually take to these things."
"How about those angels, the ones up there with the instruments?" the taller daughter asked, gently touching the hem of Ruby's pink dress.
"Perfect!" exclaimed Linda and before Anna, Ruby and Alexandra could say, "Hallelujah," they were bought, gift wrapped and off to their first party.
All was dark and quiet in the gift bag. The sisters were surrounded by crinkly red tissue paper, no clue as to where they were or what was happening. Without warning, light flooded in, illuminating their halos like sunshine upon glitter. Hands reached in, pulled them out, and a voice oohed, "I love them, thank you." Linda smiled, pleased that her gift was a success. However, instead of joining the party, Anna, Ruby and Alexandra were quickly stuffed back in the bag, as if they were being deliberately hidden away.
"You can pick a new gift or take one that someone has already opened," they heard a man announce through a small gap in the packaging. Suddenly, a new pair of hands reached in, pulled them out and said, "Sorry, Twylla, I love angels, too." Once again, the sisters were returned to darkness.
Tired and confused, the trio remained there for what seemed like hours. Then like a hot air balloon lifting slowly off the ground, the bag left the floor and passed from one pair of hands to another.
"I want you to have them, Twylla. Even though I took them from you in this crazy White Elephant gift exchange, I want these angels to stay with you."
"Thank you, Zhenya. That's very kind. I'll take good care of them."
The beginning of a friendship. The angels began to understand why they were there.
For five years, the angel sisters sat in Twylla's kitchen window, enjoying the change of seasons and practicing new songs they heard on the radio. However, as boxes appeared, furniture disappeared, and talk turned to moving, Ruby, Anna and Alexandra wondered what would become of them. Would they go to Arkansas, to New York, or to the pile of "Give Aways?"
One morning, Twylla gently stroked their curls, said "Good-bye, Dear Ones," and settled them in a gift bag surrounded by crinkly yellow tissue paper. She placed a card inside with a name written across the envelope, a name the sisters could not read in the darkness.
Amidst the sound of clinking tea cups, the angels felt themselves, once again, pass from hand to hand. As fingers touched the card, light filtered in to reveal the name, "Zhenya," and they heard Twylla say, "These angels are now yours, to keep you company and bring you happiness as they have me."
"Thank you, Twylla. That's very kind of you. I'll take good care of them."
(Thank you, for your friendship and suggestion that I write this story about our angels.)
Their instruments, of course, gave away their identities. Anna played flute, Ruby cymbals and Alexandra guitar.
Their story begins a week before Christmas, 2006. The Angel-in-Charge sent the sisters to Moscow, Russia on a very secret mission. It was so secret that even the sisters were given no details, except. . "You are to sit on a store shelf until someone buys you." So they sat and sat, occasionally being picked up or admired by passers by, but never selected. They played a selection of festive tunes, hoping to bring attention to themselves and smiles to the fatigued faces of holiday shoppers, but to little avail. . until
a lady named Linda
"I'm running out of time," Linda frantically told her daughters. "The staff party is tonight, and I must take a gift to exchange. I want it to be different, special, not the same old bottle of wine I usually take to these things."
"How about those angels, the ones up there with the instruments?" the taller daughter asked, gently touching the hem of Ruby's pink dress.
"Perfect!" exclaimed Linda and before Anna, Ruby and Alexandra could say, "Hallelujah," they were bought, gift wrapped and off to their first party.
All was dark and quiet in the gift bag. The sisters were surrounded by crinkly red tissue paper, no clue as to where they were or what was happening. Without warning, light flooded in, illuminating their halos like sunshine upon glitter. Hands reached in, pulled them out, and a voice oohed, "I love them, thank you." Linda smiled, pleased that her gift was a success. However, instead of joining the party, Anna, Ruby and Alexandra were quickly stuffed back in the bag, as if they were being deliberately hidden away.
"You can pick a new gift or take one that someone has already opened," they heard a man announce through a small gap in the packaging. Suddenly, a new pair of hands reached in, pulled them out and said, "Sorry, Twylla, I love angels, too." Once again, the sisters were returned to darkness.
Tired and confused, the trio remained there for what seemed like hours. Then like a hot air balloon lifting slowly off the ground, the bag left the floor and passed from one pair of hands to another.
"I want you to have them, Twylla. Even though I took them from you in this crazy White Elephant gift exchange, I want these angels to stay with you."
"Thank you, Zhenya. That's very kind. I'll take good care of them."
The beginning of a friendship. The angels began to understand why they were there.
For five years, the angel sisters sat in Twylla's kitchen window, enjoying the change of seasons and practicing new songs they heard on the radio. However, as boxes appeared, furniture disappeared, and talk turned to moving, Ruby, Anna and Alexandra wondered what would become of them. Would they go to Arkansas, to New York, or to the pile of "Give Aways?"
One morning, Twylla gently stroked their curls, said "Good-bye, Dear Ones," and settled them in a gift bag surrounded by crinkly yellow tissue paper. She placed a card inside with a name written across the envelope, a name the sisters could not read in the darkness.
Amidst the sound of clinking tea cups, the angels felt themselves, once again, pass from hand to hand. As fingers touched the card, light filtered in to reveal the name, "Zhenya," and they heard Twylla say, "These angels are now yours, to keep you company and bring you happiness as they have me."
"Thank you, Twylla. That's very kind of you. I'll take good care of them."
(Thank you, for your friendship and suggestion that I write this story about our angels.)
No comments:
Post a Comment