The Hood(Alwin Baiju) 1. Prologue.

He entered the bar. The barkeeper kept pouring drinks, people playing darts, going about their business. He grabbed a seat and sat down. The barkeeper noticed him and went over.
“The usual?” He asked.
“Yeah,” The man answered in a grim tone.
He took a cigarette out of his pocket and put it in his mouth. With his other hand, he took a lighter and lit the cigarette. One puff. He balanced the cigarette between his forefinger and middle finger and blew out the smoke. Another puff. He felt a relieving sensation while letting out the smoke.
The barkeeper brought a bottle of whiskey to the man and left.

He stared at that bottle while he took another puff. The bartender brought a glass and asked:
“The tab?”
“Yeah,” He replied.

He poured a drink onto the glass and drank. One gulp. He gulped it down with ease. He rested his head on his hand, slowly spun the glass to see the alcohol form a tiny whirlpool, and rested the glass on the table. His silence told the story of a man who went through agonizing pain. Someone who was broken beyond healing. The cigarette between his fingers started to disintegrate. He took one more puff before throwing it out the window.

The vibrant light of the moon glared at the area. Crickets chirped. Cold strips of air blew. The man walked out of the bar, taking the bottle with him. The cold draft didn’t bother him. He walked where there was light. The oncoming cars didn’t bother him. He walked in front of them without the slightest care.
“Moron. You wanna die?” A man shouted.
He didn’t pay heed and continued to walk on.

He walked. He showed no signs of drunkenness, yet the bottle was nearly over. Upon crossing the road, he was met by a fatal accident. The driver was on the phone and wasn’t able to steer off in time. The bottle in his hand shattered. The man was lying a bit away from the car. The driver rushed out to aid him. He was sure that the man might’ve lost consciousness, but he didn’t. He looked fine.
“Oh my god, sir. I’m so sorry. Come. Let’s go to the hospital,” He spoke with fear.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to bother yourself. See, I’m fine,” He spoke, dusting off the sand from his forearms.

A crowd gathered to see what had happened. Cars stopped to see the commotion.
“It’s fine, people. Move along now,” He said.
“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” The driver asked to be sure.
“Yeah. It was my mistake. I shouldn’t have crossed the road being drunk,” He said. The truth was he saw the car coming. He wasn’t drunk.
The driver helped the man get up. After making sure he was in a good shape to walk, he left and walked towards his car. The man continued to walk on.

A suburban house. He opened the gate and entered. The man patted down his pockets in search of his keys and took them from his left pocket.
He entered and was welcomed by a dark room. The lights stayed off. He didn’t mind the gloomy background.

A depressed individual. The man headed for his bed and gathered his earphones. He slept listening to songs. They provided a form of comfort.

“37, 69, 431, 1412, 1530…,” He murmured. With each number, his sadness increased. He stopped in “1988”. It was fine at first, but over the years it got worse. He couldn’t sleep without crying. He couldn’t dream without having nightmares. The light had gone out of his life. The music kept on playing with each song reflecting on his loneliness. He stared at the ceiling, with tears rolling down his eyes.

Purpose. That’s all he hoped to search for. That was his mission. But in the process, he was left shattered. He rubbed fingers through scars on his forearms, each having its own story to tell.


2. Faye.

Another day. Still the same. He got up and headed for the washroom.

After freshening up, he headed downstairs.
“You have one voicemail,” The Echo said.
“Read it out,” He replied.

“Caleb. It’s me, Thompson. I don’t think I can allow you any more extensions, man. You need to pay your rent by the end of this month or else, I have no choice but to evict you,”

Caleb sighed. He opened the door and was welcomed by the glaring beams of sunlight. It’s been years since a smile bloomed on his face.

He set on his quest for purpose. He wasn’t sure what to do or how.
All he did was wander the streets and try to help people. But it wasn’t enough.

Nighttime arrived. He went to the bar. Same order. But this time, something was off course. There was a girl. She looked like she was from out of town. She wore a white tank-top with a jacket over it and jeans. Her hair was a gradient of brown and blonde. A bottle of beer in her hand. The reason he noticed her was because of this glow she had about her. Something attracted him to her. He grabbed his seat and signaled the bartender.
He brought the same bottle of whiskey to Caleb.
The woman noticed him looking at her. She had expected him to hit on her… but he didn’t. Instead, he grabbed a seat in the corner, with silence accompanying him.
Even though she wasn’t from around that area, she could figure out each person’s story in the bar from the drink they ordered and their character. But this man. He was something else. She couldn’t place her finger at who he was. His mystery intrigued her. So she decided to get to know him.

“Hey there,” The woman greeted. He didn’t notice.
“Hello?” She spoke. No response.
“Hey there,” she said, snapping her fingers in front of his face, catching his attention.
“Do I know you?” He asked.
“Umm...no. I’m Faye,” She spoke cheerfully.
“I don’t care,” He responded. His tone upset her for a while, but she regained her spirit. She grabbed a chair and sat beside him.
“That was rude,” she spoke.
“As I said, I don’t care,” He replied.
She noticed the scars on his forearm.
“You a war veteran?”
“No,”
“How did you get those scars?”
“None of your damn business,”
“Geez,”
Caleb took the bottle and left the bar. She sat there, looking at him leave. After a while, she walked up to the bartender.
“Hey. You know that man who just left?” She asked.
“Umm… yeah. He’s a daily here,”
“What’s his deal? Is he always this rude?”
“He is someone who has gone through a lot. It’s best not to talk about it,”
“What’s his name?”
“Caleb,”

She was intrigued. The scars on his hand and the alleged “gone through a lot” made her conclude that he fought in a war.

The Next Day…

Faye awaited Caleb’s arrival. She found him interesting. It was the cloud of mystery and his silence that intrigued her. He entered the bar with a gust of air following him. He saw her and took a cigarette out of his pocket. He didn’t order booze that day.
“Hey,” She went over.
“What do you want?”
“Just wanted to say hi,”
“Hi,” He spoke and sat at a corner, trying to evade her attention. Yet she followed him and gave him company.
“Seriously lady. What’s your problem?”
“What’s your story?” She countered.
“None. Of. Your. Damn. Business,”
“Geez,”
“Who do you think you are to know about my story? Who are you? If you know my story, my problems, will you fix them? Can you make me feel better? Even if you try, I know for a fact that you won’t succeed. So why bother?” Caleb got angry.
The bartender heard him and asked the girl to leave.
“Listen, why go behind him? Why are you bothering him?” He asked.
“All I wanted to know was his history,” She replied in a low tone.
“Why? What good will it do to you?”
“I don’t know. Everyone in this bar is cheerful, except him. I-I guess I shouldn’t have bothered him. I’ll go,”
“Don’t take to heart what he said. He’s been like that since I knew him,”
“Hmmm. Okay,” She left.
Not for long. She came back the next day. The third time’s a charm.

Caleb didn’t arrive. She waited. That’s when a few men entered the bar. A couple of arrogant stockbrokers. They repelled people with their annoying talks of how their sales went. The customers slowly moved away from them. Some left the bar. Faye sat there ignoring them. They noticed her. One of them went up to her.
“Hey, beautiful,”
She didn’t respond.
“I’m talking to you,”
No response.
“Hey… I’m TALKING to YOU,”

“I’m sorry. I don’t speak douche,” She replied. The people and the coworkers laughed. A moment of embarrassment. Surely, the man got angry. As Faye got up to sit somewhere else, he knocked the beer out of her hand. The bottle shattered on the ground. They fought. She was a tough girl. Her fists packed quite the punch. The businessmen joined their friend and ganged up against her. Yet she stood her ground. No one tried to help her. Instead, they cheered and whistled.

Suddenly, one of them was knocked out with a bottle from the back. The others turned. Faye leaned over to look who threw that.
Before the men could turn, they were knocked off by Caleb.
“Let’s try and talk this out,” He proposed. But they didn’t care.
They proceeded to punch him. His attacks moved with a defining speed, which none of them could’ve blocked. They got up, with bruises and blood, running off with a limp in shame.
“You okay?” He asked.
“Yeah. I had them, you know?”
“Mhm. Sure,”
She went on to buy another bottle. Caleb sat in the corner with his bottle. He noticed her sitting there and drinking. That day, the tables had turned. He approached her.

“Hey,”
“Oh HI. What’s up?”
“Can I join?”
“Yeah. Sure,”
He sat down.
“You never smile, do you?” She asked.
He didn’t speak. His eyes gave her a look that answered her question. He took a sip of his whiskey.
“Where are you from?” He asked.
“Out of town,”
“I see,”
She proceeded to pay her bill and exit the bar.
“Hey. If you don’t mind, can you walk with me? I’m scared, to be honest,”
He agreed after a short silence. They walked out. The chill breeze hit them as they walked. Caleb never looked at Faye properly. All he witnessed was her need to know about his life.
“So… Faye. What brings you here?”
“I’m a traveling photographer. I don’t stay in one place for long,”
“Ah. I see,”
“What do you do?”
“Umm...I don’t work. I… used to work,”
“Oh. Ok,”
They walked through the vibrant streets. The urban noise didn’t disturb them. She enjoyed his company, though he didn’t speak much.

For the first time in a while, he had a glow on his face. A small aura of happiness. He enjoyed her optimistic talkative behavior.

“We’ve reached my home,” He said.
“Oh. Nice house. Gives me old man vibes,”
“Heh. Yeah,” He chuckled.
“Okay then…,”
“See you later,” He spoke and entered his house.
She hoped that he would ask for her number. But he didn’t. She thought that he would turn. He didn’t. Without waiting further, she walked on.



The Next Day…

Caleb entered the bar and ordered the usual. He sat down. Faye arrived shortly after. She looked upset.
“Hey. You alright?” He asked.
“Umm…..Nah. It’s nothing,”
“Your face says otherwise. Come on. Tell me,”
“Lemme ask you this,” She said. “Yesterday after we talked, I thought you would ask for my number or something. I was upset that you didn’t,”
“No. I didn’t. Cause I knew you would come to meet me here regardless,”
“What if I didn’t?”
“Now that you’re here, I guess we’ll never know,”
That impressed her. He knew what he was doing.

“Hey, Caleb. Noticed that you’re smiling. Gotta get a photo of this,”
The bartender spoke with joy.
“You must be special, ma’am. You made Caleb here smile,” He added.



3. Raw Sadness.

They both talked. Beers and laughter. A conversion that led to them being in front of Caleb’s house once again. Time flew by as they talked. She talked about her adventures as a photographer around the world. He occasionally asked her queries like he was genuinely interested.
“You wanna enter?” He asked.
“Sure,” She replied enthusiastically.
They entered. He switched on the lights. What she saw amazed her. She saw a room filled with antiques from different eras. The walls were framed with photos. She got closer to get a better look at them. They were covered with dust. She blew it off.
*coughs*
Caleb arrived with a glass of water.
“Thanks,” She said. “The man in this photo looks exactly like you. I’m guessing that he’s your grandfather or great grandfather,”
“Nah. We’ll talk about that later… So this is it. Mi Casa,”

“As I said before… gives me old vibes,”
“Well… it’s old,”
“How old?”
“About 136 years. Give or take,”
“Holy shit! For real?”
“Yeah. Some renovations and it doesn’t look old anymore,”
“Wow. Just… WOW,”
She sat there for a while and eventually left. Caleb waved her the night and closed the door after her. The dusted photo caught his attention. A memory he cannot forget. He stared at it for a while before heading upstairs.

As he laid down on his bed, tears rolled down his eyes. Those tears came in with a feeling of grief and loneliness.

Raw sadness. He cried. His memories rushed in like a tsunami. Ones he always tried to forget. He often cried himself to sleep. This happened every night. And every night, he found music to provide a sense of relief, even if it was the tiniest bit of relief. But music didn’t help him that night. His soul, which once housed the purest form of light became a black hole of heartbreak and he, the ashes of a fire that never extinguishes. His memories, a source of dire torture that remains with him throughout. All he could think about was Faye. More precisely, how she reminded him of the others. A huge pool of guilt and remorse.



4. Age of Machines.

1870

A choice. Either a landlord owning several mills or an underpaid laborer. He took the latter. Maybe to experience the tough work or to endure suffering. No one’s going to know.

After a day’s work, he would head straight to The Blue Pub. Ironically, nothing about that pub was blue. A noir place lit by candles on one end and light bulbs on another, with a bartender working overtime. The men were more in number. Only a few women drank from that pub. People would gather at the center and sing folk songs, to which many more joined and sang.

Caleb and his friend, Scott Huntley would get drunk and make wagers that they mostly failed to win.
“Dude, we gotta stop making these bets. I don’t have any money left,” Scott would say to which Caleb would reply- “Scott, money is nothing when compared to fun,”
Scott saw Caleb as a philosopher who spoke words that were right and had a true meaning but sounded absurd. He would jokingly call Caleb “an over thinker,”

One day, Caleb and Scott got in a fight at the Pub over a bet they made and had to flee. Running frantically without stopping for a moment to catch their breaths, they searched for a place to hide.
Scott noticed another pub in the corner of his eye and signaled Caleb to go over there. Caleb understood Scott’s intention of hiding in plain sight and followed suit.

Solomon’s House. This pub was dominated by women. The only men present there were the two barkeepers and some other folks who would occasionally enter just to try their chance. The women sang and danced merrily.

Caleb and Scott finally caught their breath and were on alert. They took their seats in a far corner. Scott went to order two drinks. The women gave them funny looks as they had never seen the duo before. Scott gave them a charming smile while walking past them with both his hands holding a mason jar filled 3/4th with beer. The air was occupied with the merry songs of the ladies. Out of the blue, that merry was interrupted by a fight. The women gathered around to see what was going on. Caleb and Scott got up and made their way between the ladies to see what was going on.

A fistfight. Between a drunk man and a drunk woman.
“Pay up your goddamn money,” She warned him.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do. I’ll do whatever I want. Right now, I’m not gonna pay up,”
She landed a punch to the face. The impact was felt by the others.
She shook her hand in pain. “Oww,” She exclaimed.
“GET UP. GET UP. Fight her LIKE A MAN…” The crowd cheered. He got up, spit out some blood. Maybe it must’ve been the woman’s support behind her, or maybe it must’ve been his cowardice. He slowly walked out, forfeiting.

The woman noticed Caleb and Scott.
“What are you looking at boys? Wanna fight?” She spoke with confidence.
“Ah. No need. Not looking for a fight here,” Caleb spoke.
“Good,” She spoke and moved towards a corner.

Caleb looked at her in amazement. It wasn’t common then to see a woman punch someone, especially a man in public. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Her mesmerizing eyes. Hair tied up in a braid. She had an apron that bakers wore.
“What a sight for sore eyes,” He thought to himself.

The woman noticed him looking. “HEY, YOU! What are you lookin’ at?” She spoke.

He got up and walked over to her. “Hi,” He introduced himself with a smile.
“Who are you? Haven’t seen you around these parts before,” She said.
“I’m Caleb. And you are?” He asked.
“None of your damn business,”
He chuckled. He enjoyed her attitude. Tough, yet jolly. He slowly walked back to his table.
“So…” Scott spoke.
“So…?”
“I know that look, Cal. Trust me… she’s not gonna fall for you,”
“Let’s see,”
“She just beat the crap out of that guy. What makes you think?”
“It’s called having faith,”
From then on, Solomon’s House became their pub. The ladies found the duo charming and friendly. Occasionally, They would have arm wrestling bouts with the other men that came. On one such day, as Caleb was in the middle of a match, with Scott and some of the ladies cheering for him, the woman casually approached him.
“Hi,” He spoke.
“Hi,” She replied.
“What brings you here?” He asked.
“Wanna wrestle with me? She asked.
“You sure?”
“Why? You scared,”
Caleb smacked down the hand of the opponent on the table and said: “Take a seat,”
She gave him her hand. They started. For her, he was just another guy whom she could beat. But that’s where she was wrong. Caleb’s hand did not tilt even one bit. Their eyes locked onto each other. He smirked.

She kept on looking at her friends on the other side of the pub. They looked at her with excitement. They knew that she would triumph. But they didn’t know Caleb nor his origins.

She kept on trying and eventually came to the fact that she cannot defeat him. Caleb looked at her. He noticed her hands and eyes telling something different. Her hands kept on showing her strength but her eyes showed her certainty of losing.

Caleb loosened his grip and balance, giving her the upper hand. She won. The ladies cheered.
“Tomorrow. Same time?” She asked.
“Sure,” He replied.

She left, smirking at Caleb. He waved back, smiling.

They met the next day. He stood in front of the pub, hair combed neatly and
“My name’s Margot. Margot Brown,”
“Caleb,”

What happened rest was quick. They fell in love. Her quirky, tough personality made him love her even more, and his friendly, formal-at-times behavior made him more attractive in her eyes.
They were one. A romantic tale that spread everywhere. A tale that everyone loved.

One afternoon, Caleb and Margot were traveling aboard a chariot when a tragedy struck them. The horses started behaving strangely and took off with great speed. The driver tried to calm them down and regain control but failed. Margot held Caleb’s hand tightly. He cuddled her, telling her to not worry. Once they reached a dead end, the horses took a sharp turn. The momentum of that caused the driver to be launched away from his seat and into the ground. Due to the impact, Caleb couldn’t make out whether he had died or just passed out.

Now there was no driver to control. They could crash anytime, without warning. Caleb decided to take control.
“Margot, brace yourself. Do not let go of the bar,”
He steadily made his way to the driver’s seat. It was tough. The rocking of the wheels made it near impossible to get there in time. By the time he reached the seat, the horses jumped off a bridge. It wasn’t too narrow. But the impact was large. It all happened quickly. Caleb and Margot were flung towards the body of water below.

Moments later…

Caleb regained consciousness after a while. He looked around to see the aftermath. A crowd of people, both rich and poor, gathered around. He couldn’t get up. More precisely, he couldn’t feel his legs. He looked at his legs and on top of them was the chariot. Somebody among the crowd noticed Caleb moving.
“HEY! That man’s awake. Get help. Quick,”

A few workers worked together and lifted the chariot. They dragged him away from the crash site. At that moment, he passed out.


At the hospital…

He woke up. Bandages covered his legs. He still couldn’t feel his legs. The doctor came in shortly after.
“Ah. Good. You’re awake. So… Mr. Caleb, How are you feeling now? ”
“Not good,” He spoke with pain. “Why can’t I feel my legs?”
“Well, the impact bruised your spinal cord. We thought you won’t be able to walk anymore but then noticed that your legs still responded to soft touches. So for now, it’s temporary paralysis. It could last weeks or maybe less. The good news is you’re healing faster than I expected. Moreover, you’re a lucky man. No bruises anywhere apart from your legs,”
“Wait. Where’s Margot? What happened to her?”
“...” A short pause. The doctor didn’t know how to break the info to him. For he too knew of their romance.
“Doctor. Please tell me she’s alright,” He spoke with concern.
The doctor left. He couldn’t do it. He cannot be the bearer of bad news. It would break him.
“Uhh… you have a visitor,” He changed the topic and left.
“Caleb. How are you?” Scott rushed to him.
“Scott. Why did the doctor leave when I asked about Margot?”
Scott knew what he had to do. But he couldn’t either. It was sad.
“Cal, Margot...she uhhh… She didn’t make it,”
“Wh-what?”
“She hit her head hard on a rock nearby and lost a lot of blood,”
“No. Oh, God please no,” His voice cracked up. His eyes watered. He burst out in tears. Scott’s eyes watered as well. To see his friend in a hospital and be the bearer of bad news… wasn’t a good position to be in.

Scott left the room and gave him space. Caleb continued to sob. He couldn’t take it. Suddenly, the rest of the deaths he had encountered came rushing like the winds. Each one was more painful than the last.
It was always at an unexpected moment. It was like he carried a curse with him.



5. A New Start.

Present Day, 2016…

The thought of that picture, the story behind it brought him tears. His objective when he first arrived on Earth was to find purpose. But nothing is meant to be the way it is. Nothing’s ever gonna go the way it’s planned. In his search for purpose, he found love. Each time he found love, he felt different. He felt complete. He felt… human. But when each died unpredictably, his will to live also started dying slowly but painfully.

But this time, there was a small relief. The source was unknown. But it felt familiar. As he got out, Faye was waiting for him outside the house.
“Hey. Didn’t expect you to be here,”
“Yeah well, I didn’t expect to be here until the last minute,”
“Shall we go?”
“Where?” She asked.
“Just come with me,”
“Alright,”
They headed towards a coffee shop with a 1950s aesthetic, suggested by Caleb.
“Wow. I don’t think I've ever been here,”
“Trust me. You’ll love their coffee and ham sandwich,”
“Alright then. I’ll take your word for it,”

They hit it off well.

Faye brought out the light in him. His gloomy past failed to catch up to him when Faye was around. Her charismatic and charming personality made him feel fulfilled. She managed to make him forget his sadness.

As for Faye, Caleb was everything she could ask for. He loved her like nothing. Faye always noticed him being wistful, but he always managed to make time for her. She figured he was still traumatized from the war. She was his number one priority. Her clumsy behavior only made him love her more.

One night they got ready for a date.
*Call Starts*
“Are you ready for our date?”
“Yeah. I’ll call you when I get there,” He replied.
*Call Ends*

They met at the diner where they went for their first date.
“3 months since we’ve met. Wow,” He exclaimed.
“I must say… I haven’t gone on many dates with anyone. What do you typically do during an anniversary?”
“Depends. Lovesick puppies give gifts,” He let out a chuckle. “ Some of them forget it’s their anniversary and some don’t get gifts. Rather, they express their love through other ways,”
She laughed on hearing the lovesick puppies joke.
“So uh… what type are you?” She asked with a smirk.
“You’ll find out soon,” He said, as he looked at her beautiful black eyes.

He kissed. He kissed her soft rosy lips. A kiss filled with pure love. One that she would remember throughout her life.
“Faye, would you like to move in with me?”
Truly unexpected. She was still mesmerized by that kiss. It wasn’t their first time. But something about this particular one…
“Yes,” She said with excitement.

After dinner, they got out and parted ways before sharing one more kiss. That was enough for Caleb. His spirits were energized. He was… happy!

Soon, she moved in with him. Before, he used to wake up every day, listening to the same song on loop. Now he woke up listening to the “Good morning,” greetings from Faye.




6. Mason.

Mason was one such figure who looked up to Caleb. After all, he owes his life to him. He now runs the bar that Caleb goes to. As a bartender, he knew what Caleb would order just by looking at him.
Mostly it would be whiskey.

1993

Mason dropped out of school to become a barista. He found the art of making drinks fascinating. He went on to start his own bar after a year of learning. What happened after that is something that Mason cannot forget.

Mason came out as a bisexual not too long ago. Back then, same-sex marriage was neither welcomed nor treated well. It was opposed by the majority population. In that background, Mason found love in a chap named Chris. Chris was openly gay as compared to Mason, who hid his bisexuality from others. It was something he admired about Chris. Chris was a business student and met Mason in his bar.

The two hit it off quite well. Things even got serious between them and the two decided to marry.

One day, Mason closed his bar early to meet up with Chris.
On the way, he saw something peculiar. He saw a man on the top of a building standing on the edge. It looked like he was going to jump. He rushed off to the building in an attempt to stop him. Upon climbing the stairs, he thought he was too late, but somewhere inside, he had hope that the man hadn’t jumped.
Eventually, he reached the rooftop. There he was. Like he had hoped, the man hadn’t jumped.
“STOP!,” Mason yelled.
The man turned back to look at who it was.
“Who are you?” He asked.
“That doesn’t matter. Slowly step away from the edge sir,”
His words had that calm commanding effect that made him step down.
“What’s your name?” Mason asked.
“Caleb,” The man replied.
“What’s wrong, Caleb?”
He didn’t want to answer that.
“It’s alright if you don’t wanna talk about it,” Mason slowly approached him to bring him away from the edge towards the exit.

“Why did you come up to the rooftop to stop me?” Caleb asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Many people saw me. Yet no one came, except you. Why?”
“Suicide isn’t an option. Believe me. I know what it feels like to just die one day. But you don’t have the right to take away your life like that,”

“I just don’t want to live anymore. Not after what I found out I did. No matter what I do, I just cannot get this thought out of my head,”

“There’s an Arabic saying- If you want to die, throw yourself in the sea and you’ll see yourself fighting to survive… You do not want to kill yourself rather you want to kill something inside of you,”

Caleb’s eyes opened up. He thought about what the mysterious man said. Who was he?
“What’s your name?” Caleb asked.
“Mason,”
He saw a good friend in him. One with whom he could talk about his problems.
Caleb gave him a location to arrive at night.
“I’ll talk about it later,” He said.
Mason left once he was assured that Caleb wouldn’t jump again.

In between this, he forgot about his meetup with Chris.

He reached.
“Where were you?” Chris asked.
“Sorry… I was caught up in something,”
“At least you’re here. That’s enough for me,” Chris said with a smile.
Mason smiled back. They walked through the park talking about their day and likes and all that. Mason listened to him with passion. He knew Chris was the one for him. The same goes for Chris. He was always happy around Mason.

People, when they would look at the couple holding hands and walking, felt disgusted. Some of the folks would try to force them to walk apart.

All their lives, Mason and Chris faced nothing but resentment. Even their parents disowned them. But against all odds, they stood as one. They loved each other with heart. Then one fine day, they decided to marry the next day. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Neither expected to be making that decision. They headed down city hall and registered.

But their nature of love intervened. Some of the other people inside the room protested. They chanted sentences like “Being gay is a sin,” and “Say no to gay marriage,” and so on. They forced the couple to leave. Some of them started attacking for no reason. They made a run for it. The attackers never stopped. They continued to chase the poor helpless couple.

They ran and ran, unable to stop to catch their breaths. Finally, they reached an alley. For a moment, they felt relief because they didn’t hear the assailants.
“I guess we lost them,” Chris spoke while panting.
He spoke too soon. They were now faced by what looked like an entire block of people who were against them. Mason held Chris’ hand tightly with fear. Chris firmly stood his ground, guarding Mason.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, they feel a gush of wind. In the time they took to blink, a man appeared in front of them.
“Back off,” He said to those people.
“Who the hell are you?” Move out of the way,” They said as they couldn’t see his face properly.
“I don’t think so,” The man replied.
His voice. It was familiar to Mason. But he just couldn’t put a finger on it.
“Move, or else,” One of the members of the crowd warned.
“Or else? What? OR ELSE? WHAT?” He spoke as his eyes began to glow. The people felt a jolt of fear. They moved a couple of steps back and eventually left.

The man clouded in mystery turned back to the couple and asked:
“Are you okay?”
His face was covered by the darkness that lurked in the alley. As he went closer to comfort them, his face became more and more visible.

“Hi, Mason,” The man spoke.
“Caleb! Oh my god. How are you, man?” Mason spoke with delight. He was happy to see a familiar face help.
“Not good. But your words did have an impact,”
“Glad to hear it,”

Chris, who was lost, requested some context. Mason explained the whole thing… about why he was late and how he helped Caleb.

“My God. Wow,” Chris exclaimed.
“Why were those people chasing you?” Caleb asked curiously.
“Because of who and what we are,” Chris spoke.
“Well.... who and what are you?”
“A couple looking to get married but can’t,”
“Why not?”
“Because the people won’t allow it,”
“Did the people decide that you two were supposed to meet? Did they support your love? Are they the ones who should decide that you cannot marry?” He spoke.

Caleb invited them to his house and offered them refreshments.
“Thank you for helping us,” Mason spoke.
“It’s the least I could do,”

“Oh and by the way, I’m sorry for missing out on our meetup,”
“Ahh, it’s fine,”
“So what was it you wanted to talk about?” Mason popped the question.
“I don’t want to talk about it right now,”
“Why not? Is it because Chris is here? Don’t worry. Whatever it is, he can handle it,”
“I cannot risk it. Promise you won’t tell anyone,”
“Caleb, you saved us back there. We owe our lives to you. This is the least we can do. So go ahead. You can tell us,”

Caleb spoke out. He narrated it all from the beginning of how he arrived after Christ ascended to the heavens and how he had lived through all those years. He skipped the part about the curse, cause Mason didn’t need to know about it.

“I know you won’t believe me. So let me show you guys something,” He said and took a blade out from his right pocket.

“Whoa whoa whoa! What are you doing?” Chris asked.
“You will believe that I’m an immortal only if I don’t die right?”
“THERE ARE other ways to Prove that. Put the blade down,” Mason spoke.

“You said you’re an angel right? So you have wings. Bring them out,”
“Oh right. I forgot I had them. Been long since I took them out,” Caleb realized.

He brought out his wings. They emerged from his back, covered by sharp feathers of brilliant white hue with refined edges. It covered a significant portion of the room.

“OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD!,” Chris exclaimed. His reaction hadn’t stopped there. It looked like he was having a stroke. He couldn’t find the words to express what he saw.

Mason straight up fainted.

Moments later, he woke up. He heard Caleb and Chris talking and laughing. Caleb enjoyed his company. Chris was like the friend he never had. He openly listened to all his problems and gave him insight.

“Good. you’re awake,” Chris spoke when he noticed Mason.
“What happened?”
“You were so star-struck that you fainted,” Chris spoke with laughter.

Time passed as they continued to Caleb about his origins and his life.
“Wait… if you cannot die, why did you decide to jump off that day?”
“To feel the pain… to forget what had happened,”
“Damn,”

“Hey, listen. You two should get married tomorrow,” Caleb said.
“I don’t think so. Not after what happened today,”
“Today you didn’t have me. Tomorrow I’ll be there for you. Be brave. Remember, the opinions of people who haven’t experienced your situation are not even as valuable as dirt,”

The couple headed off, once again thanking Caleb for helping them.

The Next Day...

They decided to go to City Hall once more. They arrived and there he was, Caleb, waiting for them.
He nodded his head, indicating that they had no reason to worry. He headed inside with them.

“Hi. We would like to get married,” Mason spoke to the clerk.
“Name of the groom?” She asked.
“Mason Lewis,”
“Name of the bride?”
“I’m sorry. There is no bride,”
“Well then who are you planning to marry?”
“Chris Asher,”

“Let me be clear, sir. You are going to marry a man? Are you a gay?”
“I’m bisexual. He’s gay. Now… if it’s alright with you, can we get a marriage license?”
“I’m afraid not, sir. I’m gonna have to ask you to leave,” She said.
“But why?”

“Why?” A voice among the crowd spoke. He came forward. It was Caleb. He walked up to her and asked: “Why?”
“Because… uhh-”
“Because?”
He gave her a look that made her tremble.
“Because they’re gay,” Somebody from the crowd shouted.
“SO?” He shouted back. “What if they’re gay? Have they bothered you in any way? Did they offend you in any way? Then what’s the goddamn problem?”

The crowd went silent. Mason and Chris stood firm. They stood with a sense of pride that wasn’t present before.

“Now, you will give them a marriage license and you will Give. Them. Now,” He spoke. His eyes started to emit a small glow, frightening the woman. She started the paperwork and moments later, she gave them their license.

The happy couple turned to Caleb to thank him but he left the scene, nowhere to be found.

They headed for the exit. The crowd that stood between them and the door stepped back.

They went to his house but he wasn’t there.

At Mason’s bar…

Mason headed towards the bar to start his shift. He removed his jacket and hung it on the rack. As he began clearing the empty glasses and bottles, he found Caleb sitting in the corner, drinking whiskey.

“Caleb. Hi. When did you come here?”
“Hey, Mason. What are you doing here?”
“I own the bar,”
“Oh. Wow. I uhh-- came in after you guys got your license,”
“About that… Why did you leave?”

He remained silent for a while.
“I did my duty. So I left,” He replied
“I refuse to believe that. There’s more to it than that,”
“There isn’t,”
“You’re still thinking of Heather?”
He didn’t speak. But the look in his eyes said it all.
“Your love reminded me of her,” He said.
Mason felt sorry for him and gave him a hug.
“It’s okay,” He assured him.
“It’s just… she left too soon,” He began crying as he said that.
“Caleb. It’s okay,” He assured him once again. Mason left and brought him a glass of whiskey.

“I know alcohol doesn’t get you drunk, but drink this. For relief” Mason said.
Caleb picked up the glass and looked at it for a while, before gulping it down.
“Whoa. Slow down there, buddy,” Mason said chuckling.
“Damn. That’s smooth,”

From then on, whenever Caleb had an anxiety attack or faced depression, Mason was there for him. Caleb would tell him his stories which interested Mason. Chris often dropped by and sat down to have long, sometimes comedic talks.

Present Time…

Chris and Mason adopted a child in 2001 and named him Caleb, in honor of the man who helped them in ways that nobody ever could or did at that time.

Later on, when Faye entered his life, Mason and Chris were the first people Caleb introduced as his “dear friends,”.




7. Secrets.

Faye was arranging her things when she found a stack of letters. All of them are in near-mint condition. Well preserved. She opened the one on top and read it. It was addressed to Caleb by someone called Anna.

“Dear Caleb,

Hope you’re doing well my love--”

Her heart darkened. The phrase “My love,” made her think Caleb had an affair. Judging by the condition of the letter, she couldn’t guess otherwise. She didn’t proceed to read the rest. Her mind made her think that the rest of the letters were from Anna. So she began to read the rest of them. And oh boy was she wrong.

The rest of the letters weren't from Anna. They were from Jean, Emma, and Brie. She read them all. Her heart was shattered. Faye was just another girl to him. Was he a womanizer?


“Maybe I’m overthinking it. These could be letters from his exes… that he never threw out… that he kept well preserved… ” She kept on thinking.

“Caleb,” She called. He headed downstairs towards her.
“Yeah. What’s up,”
“Umm… these letters--,”
Caleb noticed that she was holding his letters and grabbed them from her.
“HEY!”
“These letters weren’t meant for you,” He said and kept them away.
“Then? Who are these letters from?”
“I cannot tell,”
“Oh my God. I was right. You are a womanizer. Am I just another girl for you?”
“What are you talking about? Those letters were old. They don’t have relevance,”
“Yes, they do. Those letters are in mint condition. Like they arrived recently. I don’t know what else to say,”
“I preserved them like that. I cannot lose them,”
“Why not?”
They started fighting. With each sentence, their voice was raised. He didn’t want to tell her. But how long can he keep it a secret?

Faye shook her head in disgust and that’s when she found something. The picture that hung up on the wall. Her hunch was right. The man in the photo was indeed Caleb. She pointed out the picture and asked: “Who is that? Why is her photo still here?”
“It doesn’t concern you in any way,”

Their fight went on till it reached its breaking point. Caleb decided to tell her.

“Faye. The woman in that picture is Margot Brown. A woman I loved during the Industrial Revolution,”
“Industrial Revolution? What the hell are you talking about?”
“That’s not my father or grandfather or any of my relatives in that picture. That’s me,”
“Really. You were born in the 19th century? Goddamn it Caleb. At least try to come up with a lie,”
“I wasn’t born in the 19th century. I have existed far longer than that,”

“Are you mentally retarded? Do I look like I’m a fool?”
“Alright. Listen. Sit down. I’ll tell you who I really am,”
And so he spoke.



8. Confession.

He confided in her. It’s not every day you hear that the man you love is an immortal being from the heavens. She still hadn’t processed it. She couldn’t process it.
“You’re bluffing, right? Immortal angel? From heaven? Oh please. You should try your hand in writing fiction instead of giving bullshit reasons,”
To prove his truth, he did what he thought was practical at the moment. He slit his wrist with a blade Charlie gave him.
“OH MY GOD!!! WHAT DID YOU DO? ARE YOU MAD?” She yelled.
“It’s fine. Wait for 10 minutes or so. But do promise me this. Don’t call for help. Trust me,”
He fell out cold.

10 minutes later…

She was scared. She didn’t know what to do. If she called for help, she'd be connected with this psycho, she thought.
In front of her was Caleb’s unconscious body lying on the ground. After a while, he started to regain his consciousness and got up. His slit mark was all healed up now replaced with a scar.
“Now do you believe me?” Those were his first words. Not “I’m sorry” for doing such an act or “Are you okay?” after making her witness such an event.
“Get away from me you freak,” She said.
“Listen--”
“GET AWAY,” She yelled and left before he could complete.
She headed for the bar. Mason was alone. No customers. He looked at her and realized something was wrong.
“Hey. What’s wrong? You alright?”
“It’s nothing. Can I get a beer?”
“Yeah. Sure,”

Now according to Caleb, Mason is the closest thing he has to a friend. Surely he must tell the truth about who Caleb is, she thought. So she decided to ask him.
“Mason. If I were to ask you something, would you tell the truth?”
“Yeah. Sure. What is it?”
“Swear?”
“I swear,”
“How long have you known Caleb?”
“For 20-25 years give or take,”
“Has he ever mentioned that he’s an angel from heaven or that he’s immortal or any crap like that?”
“......” He didn’t speak. Mason didn’t know what to tell. But his silence said it all.
“Mason. Come on. Is it true? Tell me the truth. Is Caleb really a-a… uhh… an immortal? Please,” She pleaded.
“Alright, fine. I’m guessing he has already done the slit-his-wrist act since you look so damn scared. Yes. Caleb is an angel. But you cannot tell anyone. I’ll tell you a story. Just to prove my point. You can choose to believe him after that. Personally, it’s one of my favorites. It’ll tell you more about what all he went through,”



9. Witch Trials.

1692.

The Salem Witch Trials. Women who were alleged “witches” were sentenced to death by the self-proclaimed high society of men. The folks in that town followed the words of the high society like a dog obeying its master’s orders. The pleas and cries of women occupied the air. Their tears provided for the soil. The town wasn’t keen on welcoming nor entertaining outsiders.

One such day, Elise Hawthorne, an alleged “witch” managed to escape into the woods. She ran without thinking to catch her breath. All she wanted to do at that time was to get away as far as possible. She kept on running through the dense woods, turning back occasionally to see if anyone was following her. She felt a sense of darkness follow her. Perhaps it was just a feeling. Eventually, she stopped and took a deep breath. She found shelter under a tree and sat down, keeping her guard up.

Slowly, she started drifting into sleep. More like unconsciousness. The horror she had to go through… Being accused of witchcraft was truly an insult. An excuse to get rid of those who were unfit in the eyes of the high society. She slept. The dew lazed on her face.

Moments later, she woke up to the sounds of birds chirping. She imagined seeing the canopy of trees above her but instead, saw a roof of wood.

“Hello there,” A voice spoke.
She slowly turned her head towards the direction of the voice.
“Where am I? Who are you?”
“This is my lakehouse. I found you bruised in the forest,”
“How long was I sleeping?”
“Oh. You weren’t sleeping. I found you dead,”
“Wh-what? So I’m dead now?” She gasps and then whispers- “Is this the afterlife?”
He smirked and handed a bowl to her.
“Drink that. It’s soup. It’ll help you get back on your feet,”
“You didn’t answer my question yet,”
“Don’t worry. You’re not dead,”

“Being dead would’ve been better, to be honest,” she spoke to herself.
“Don’t mind me asking, what happened to you?”
She looked at him with a look.
“Never mind. You don’t have to answer that,” He spoke, understanding what that look meant.
His interest was piqued because he noticed bruise marks on her hands and neck. The marks on her hand suggested that she was dragged to or away from someone or something. The neck marks looked more deep and injured, making him conclude that something like a rope was tied around her neck tightly.
She slowly got up and made her way towards the man.
“Thank you,”
He smiled and asked her to sit down.
“What’s your name?”
“Elise,”
“Where are you from?”
“Salem,”
“Now… What happened there?”
“What do you mean?”

“I’ve heard stories of Salem killing “witches”. And I know for sure that they don’t exist. So tell me, what happened there?”
“You’re right. Witches do not exist. It’s just an excuse used by the high society to kill women like me,”
“What do you mean by women like you?"
A pause. She wasn’t ready to say it.
“The high society… they uh… they kill women who refuse to sleep with them,”
A short pause
“Oh my. You could just prove them wrong right?” He asked.
“No. They’re cunning. They would plant pieces of evidence of witchcraft and prove their points. You don’t know the number of friends I’ve lost to them that way,” She continued. “They say the voice of God has instructed them to put the witches to death,”

The man’s mood changed. He was fueled by anger. Never in his life had he ever heard of such an atrocity.

“What’s your name, sir?” She asked.
“Caleb,” He replied. “Let’s go to Salem, eh?” He asked.
“No. I am not going back to that forsaken hellhole. Moreover, they never liked strangers. You never know what they’ll do to you,”
“Alright. You can stay here. I’m going,”
“Why?” She asked. “Why are you going there?”

A short pause.
“Because this just became personal,”

He made his way to Salem. The woods paved the way for him. The winds traveled parallel to him.

Salem. His arrival was met with disgust by the folks. They never liked outsiders. The townspeople grunted at him and gave him threatening looks. He realized that they were innocent people guided by the words and beliefs of a random group of people.
Some of them looked at Caleb with worry. Maybe because he wore a cloak or maybe because they were worried for an outsider.

Caleb wandered here and there, canvassing the entire town before deciding to return to Elise.

He returned.
“There must be a leader for this “high society” right? Is there?” He asked Elise.
“Yes… There is. Bishop Johnson. He leads the High society. An outsider who was welcomed with open arms to be the leader,”
“An outsider?”
“His make-believe stories of catching and killing witches won the folks over. Except a few of us,”
“How did you come to know that they are make-believe?”
“Because we faced the reality,”

The next day, Caleb went back to Salem. More specifically, the church, to communicate with his father.
“Father. Forgive me if I sin with or without knowledge. Guide me in my quest to find purpose. Deliver me from the evil ones. Bless me and keep me away from the temptation of evil. Amen,”
“You’re new here, aren’t you?” A voice spoke.
“Umm… yes. Kindly forgive me if I interrupted something, father,”
“No worries, my child. What’s your name?”
“Caleb,”
“What is your purpose, Caleb?”
A rather odd question to ask a newcomer. Who was he? Why did he ask me that? Does he know? How did he come to know? A swarm of questions occupied Caleb’s mind.
“I’m not sure, father. Not yet,”
“Do not worry. Everyone who lives a life on Earth has a purpose, small or big. Sometimes it may take a long time to find and understand it. All that matters is that we need to have patience,”
His words had a small impact on Caleb.
“Bless me, father,” He said.
“May the Lord our God guide you and protect you forever and ever, Amen,” He spoke and took out his cross to gently touch Caleb’s forehead and bless him.
“Amen,” He replied. Before leaving, he asked a question.
“Father, what is your name?”
“Bishop Johnson,”
Caleb’s expression changed. His face didn’t show it. Truly unexpected. A man who looked so kind. A man who spoke kindly. Looks can be deceiving.
He left.

The Next Day…

There was a huge commotion in the woods. People marched towards an open area led by the bishop. Behind him were a few women tied down and dragged. They tried their best to break free but failed.
After walking for a while, He stopped. He raised his hands and pointed towards a maple tree. The women were tied there.

Meanwhile, in the lake house, Caleb was woken up by Elise.
“Caleb. Get up. Johnson is going to kill more people today. He’s in the woods. Please hurry,”
The sudden adrenaline made him get up and grab his cloak. He rushed towards the commotion and hid among the people.

Johnson proposed a speech.
“Fellow people. I had a vision. An angel appeared in front of me in the church. He instructed me not to kill the women who were witches and left. But I realized that he wasn’t an angel. He was a demon in disguise, a helper of the witches. How dare he instruct me to not do God’s bidding? People of Salem, join me in teaching the demon a lesson. Burn them down. Let the outsider know the repercussions of his action,” As he finished the last line, he looked at Caleb. He knew Caleb was among the crowd. The women were set on fire. Their screams fractured the air. The people stood there in horror as they watched the fire consume the bodies.




10. The Hood

This got personal real quick. Johnson left the message for him out in the open and Caleb knew what he had to do. Johnson knew his secret. But how? How long has he known? Why did he address him as a demon?

Caleb vowed never to use his powers among the humans. But he was faced with a dilemma. If he doesn’t use his power, innocent people will die and if he uses his power, he will break his vow to God which isn’t good news.

He got back to his lakehouse.
“Caleb. Please. You have to help them. They haven’t done anything wrong. I know you believe they are not witches. Do not let this happen,”
Of course, Caleb believed that. Johnson was willing to kill innocents to call me out. Why is he so interested in me? He thought. He entered his house, went over to his bed, and began to pray.

“O, Father. Guide me in my journey to find purpose. Guide me in times of difficulty. Watch over thy son at all times. Kindly forgive me for breaking the vow made to thee. Watch over the innocent at all times. Amen,”

Later that night…

Some more women were taken to the woods. Their pleas didn’t penetrate the soulless bodies of the executioners. A priest ordered them to be burned. One among the crowd of 4 lit a torch on fire. As the others tied the women to the trees, he proceeded to light the pile of wood under them.

Just as he proceeded, a gust of wind blew the fire away. Strange as no strong winds were circulating then. The man lit the torch again and this time the wind blew the fire away as well as the torch from his hands. He turned back to the source of the wind. A bunch of strong oak trees. Nothing else. The velvet darkness nor the canopy of the leaves didn’t help their vision. The people there, both the men and women felt an unnerving presence. Somebody else was there. They felt uncomfortable. The abyss of darkness where the moonlight shines and the lack of stars added to their fear.

He pounced on them, like a cheetah catching a rabbit. He was too fast for them to comprehend. The women lost their fear of death and the hole left behind was occupied by a new fear: Fear of the demon. They began to pray. The mens’ presence faded away. It was like they were never here. The priest was left alone. He held his rosary in his hands and began to pray. The figure approached him at a horrifying speed that shocked the priest so much that he fainted. The figure looked at the women like it looked at its next target. He slowly approached them. Their prayers began increasing in volume and speed. He stood in front of one of them and looked behind her. 3 women. All tied around the oak.
In a blink-it-and-you’ll-miss-it-moment, the ropes were cut off. He left them in peace. The women ran before they could think. The character flew away.

The next morning, the people of the town gathered around the statue of Bishop Johnson to see a priest lying down unconscious. Bishop Johnson arrived later. He got a look at the priest and was shocked. The unconscious priest was in charge of executing those women.

This was an act of war for the Bishop. He knew for sure that the new traveler was behind this. Since the attack happened in the woods, He hired some men to go there and find the traveler.

It was the afternoon. Caleb was walking around the woods in search of mushrooms when he heard faint footsteps.

“Halt stranger,” A voice yelled. A swarm of people went over to Caleb and held him captive. They were the kind of people who attack first and doubt later. They were ready to kill Caleb without remorse. Two of them held his arms while another got ready to stab him to death.

Caleb didn’t hold back. His eyes began glowing brightly. He clenched his fists. The two men holding his hands felt the raw strength from his hands. They were taken aback when wings sprouted on Caleb’s back. Caleb took advantage of their shock and knocked them off with his wings. 4-5 men remained. He moved with pace and knocked each one of them before they could think. He hit them with so much force that when their bodies flew towards the small trees, they fell.

Suddenly, a scream was heard. A feminine sound. He turned back and found Elise standing there, in a state of shock. His wings retracted, his fists unclenched and the glow from his eyes disappeared. His expressions changed from anger to concern. He didn’t want anyone to know, especially Elise.
“Elise--,”
“Stay back. Do not come closer,” She warned him.
“Elise, listen to--”
“STAY AWAY FROM ME,” She shouted.
“Ok ok. Calm down. Calm down,”
“What are you?” She asked, frightened.
“Does it matter?” He asked. He didn’t want to tell her.
“Yes. Yes, it does. The man I’m living with, who brought me back alive, just killed 5-6 people with a speed I’ve never seen before. And do I have to mention the wings?”
“Elise. Calm down. Here, hold my hand,” He said, while slowly approaching her. “I’m from the heavens,” He added.
“You mean… You’re an angel?”
“Well… yes,”

Her eyes displayed shock. She took time to process it. During this time, Caleb approached her and held her hand. As she felt her hand being held, she came back to her senses.
“Oh my God. So you’re an actual angel?”
“Yes,”
“What are you doing here? In Salem?”
“It’s a long story,”
“You can help us, right?”
“I can and I will. I will not stand by what that false god is doing,”
“Who were those people you killed?”
“My guess is they were sent by the bishop,”

This became a war officially. A battle between a false god and an angel. The bishop continued his quest of killing women who refused to sleep with him or any of the high society members.

Caleb wore a cloak and helped the women in distress. Some of them would return to Salem to reunite with their family and would tell the story of how “The mysterious man in the hood,” saved them. But then some were abandoned. These women had nowhere to go. So Caleb decided to provide them with the food and shelter they need at his lake house.

The men who spotted him would shout, “Daemon in cucullo adest,” meaning: “The demon in the hood is here,”.

Soon, the townspeople gave the mysterious figure a name - “The Hood,”

Meanwhile, Elise started to develop feelings for Caleb. At one point, she straight up confessed. But Caleb… He let her down easily.

Meanwhile, the ongoing war between the bishop and the angel continued. Overnight ambushes and attacks kept him busy, meanwhile turning him into a legend. A legend that saved helpless women. “The demon of the people,” as the townspeople described him. The women who were rescued told the misdeeds of Bishop Johnson. Some people stood by their belief that Johnson was innocent while others were in favor of the women. A two-sided coin to one problem. As more and more women revealed the truth, the firm believers of the Bishop defected. The High Society was toppled, its members joining the people against the misogynistic bishop.

The bishop went into hiding.
“Enough is enough. It is time to use the staff,” A fed-up Johnson told himself.

One night, Caleb was preparing supper. The calm noise of the cool winds at dusk blew in a harmonizing way. Caleb had his thoughts set on that harmony, moving along as each strip of wind moved.
When that harmony was interrupted, he came back to his senses. The noiselessness of the night was interrupted by the breaking of twigs and rustling of leaves. His curiosity peaked, for no one came to the woods at that time of the day ever since.

He peaked, to see what was causing this disturbance. Nothing. As clear as a crystal. What was it? Was it an animal? Something caught the edge of his eye. It was a white cloth, embroidered with a red pattern. It looked like it was part of a robe. He couldn’t make much of it. The piece of cloth moved.

That cloth managed to grab his attention and make him follow. He quietly followed its path, making sure to make as little sound as he could. He kept on following it, but after a while, he decided to stop because it led nowhere.

It stopped. In the middle of the woods. A voice whispered. The whisper moved in sync with the winds.
"Caleb," The whisper said. He looked around. Nothing. He turned back and saw a figure standing in front of him. He… Or she wore a robe that was similar to the one he followed. The figure slowly lifted its head to reveal a face. A face he would recognize by a mile.
"Bishop?"
He showed no reaction. Caleb looked at him with confusion and worry. What's going on?
The bishop attacked him. His hands moved quicker than Caleb could comprehend and caught him off guard. He took a few blows before regaining his stance and began blocking the rest of his attacks. He deflected his attacks with the intention of not harming him for now.

Their fight went on for a while and Caleb began getting serious. He began attacking him back. He managed to block some of the attacks. In between the fight, Johnson conjured a staff out of thin air which caught him off guard. He was bewildered for two reasons. 1. The bishop was able to conjure something out of nowhere, and 2. The weapon conjured was Caleb’s staff.

He conjured the Staff of Prophecy. That staff was the reason for Caleb being sent down to earth. He lost that staff due to which he's now suffering the consequences for and is now in the possession of Johnson.

He didn't hold back on his attacks now. He attacked with force and with each attack, Johnson began losing his stance. He delivered one final blow which seemingly killed him.
He lay there, breathless. His chest did not move one bit indicating that he wasn't breathing. Caleb went over to him and tried waking him up.
"Johnson. Wake up," the body didn't respond. Caleb could've healed him… but he chose not to. He didn't mean to kill him, but that didn't stop him from not healing him. He noticed the staff lying on the ground beside him and bent over to pick it up. As he touched the staff, it disappeared into thin air. His eyes expressed confusion for he knew the staff is not supposed to do that. He looked around and saw Bishop Johnson standing there, looking perfectly alright. He looked back at where the body lay and sure enough, there was a body with the same face as the bishop.

The bishop walked forward with the staff. That's when he realized he could summon the staff as it was his and tried to. But the staff didn’t budge. A thought hit him. One that shocked him. Johnson mastered the staff.

The staff isn't easy to master. One needs a strong motive and determination to use it. Once it's mastered, the staff grants the user to cast illusions and break the minds of any being. Even the minds of celestials. Forged from the blood of Caleb, that staff hasn't reached its full potential. It was not a toy. In theory, that staff possesses powers that are not yet unlocked.

"Caleb. As you can see, I am not dead. But you may want to look at the one you killed," the bishop announced.

Caleb looked at the body. His eyes whitened. His soul went deep. In front of his eyes lay Elise.

“H-how could y-you?”
“This staff is a blessing from the gods for me… to kill demons like you. I kidnapped Elise and made her think of a powerless version of me, which was you. And for you, I made you think I was her,”
Caleb sobbed. In his hands lay her corpse whose life was taken from her by himself. He hugged her and cried, apologizing to her.
“It’s no use, Caleb. Saying sorry to her is not going to bring her back. And you cannot bring her alive either. Because if you do, all she remembers in her last moments was that YOU killed her,” He said, pointing the staff at him. What he said was true. Caleb couldn’t bring her back cause even if he does, her trust in him will be broken. She won’t have a cause to live for. The man who swore to protect her ended up killing her in the end.

“W-why? Why, you bastard?” Caleb spoke.
“I wanted to break you. To see you in your weakest form. To make you suffer for all the trouble you caused me. YOU ARE THE REASON FOR WHAT I AM NOW,”

Bishop Johnson succeeded in breaking him. Caleb was empty inside. He was void of life. The Bishop got ready to have the final blow.
He held the staff, high in the air, with all his might. Caleb’s tears touched the ground.
Time moved slowly as Johnson swung the staff. The wind blew the surrounding leaves away from the two of them. The soil was wet with the tears of an angel. A mad man decided to kill a celestial. Time moved slowly. In the end, it was Caleb who lost.

The staff was mere inches away from his body as he closed his eyes, thinking deeply. His fists clenched. His spirit started to replenish. The darkness inside him took over.

The staff hit him. As it touched his body, the impact created a shockwave, launching Caleb out into the woods and Johnson in the open. Johnson got up quickly with the staff and went over to see where Caleb had been thrust into. Elise’s body remained there, on the ground.

Soon, there was a presence of disturbance lurking. The blades of wind had stopped. The trees stopped in their tracks, their branches not moving an inch. There was a glow in the far distance. Johnson couldn’t make out what it was, but as he kept on looking, the glow got brighter and that’s when he realized… the light was coming closer. It came in with such speed, cutting down the trees that stood in its way. As it arrived, it brought a huge blow of air, catching Johnson off guard. He looked at it, the light hovering in the air. It was Caleb.

The darkness in him took over. He was fueled by rage and sorrow. His wings were sharp, with each blade of feather having a strong glow to it. The blue in his eyes was replaced by pure white. His entire body transformed. He looked… god-like.

Johnson’s eyes were filled with fear. He held on to the staff as a child holding his father’s hands when he’s scared. The angel’s eyes were directed at him. The look of anger. That’s when Caleb noticed Elise’s body on the floor. He moved her aside from the battlefield.

“This… Ends… Now,” Caleb spoke as he charged. Johnson managed to slightly deflect the attack but it wasn’t enough. Caleb’s attack was stronger than before. Mightier than before. Angrier than before.
The staff did manage to draw blood from the angel. Blood v/s Blood. It was a bloody, gory battle between the man and the celestial. It was surprising how a common man managed to stay alive all this time after fighting with a being of god-like nature.

Caleb kept hovering in the air, his wings flapping with majesty in the air, while the bishop stood his ground, using the staff to its full potential. A brutal battle like nothing else. The ground and the trees around were splattered with the blood of the two. In the final moments of the battle, Caleb got down. His wings stopped and retracted back into his body. The ground shook as he dropped on the ground. Bishop Johnson’s face was covered with bruises, his hands dripping blood. He held his stance, supporting on the staff before striking Caleb with one last blow.

He struck. But this time, as the staff hit Caleb, he managed to catch it and absorb it. The transition of that staff from a solid-state to the consistency of blood caught Johnson off guard, with him dropping to the ground. The staff became a part of his body once again.

“Be aware, demon. God will take care of you,” Johnson spoke, coughing in between.
“Stop bringing father into this. You killed those innocent women for what? For not sleeping with you? You think father will take you in after what you did?”

“Father? How dare you call God your father?” Johnson spoke.
“I’m not a demon. I’m Caleb, son of God,”
“No. No. I saw it. The staff showed me. It showed me your arrival. A winged creature with the face of evil,” Caleb looked at him with concern. That staff had the power to show events happening in the future, not the past. So was there another celestial coming to earth?

Johnson breathed his last. His lifeless eyes stared into the abyss.
Caleb carried his corpse and flew to Salem.

Dawn broke. The sun, shining its light at the town. The people gathered at the center, waiting for the bishop to arrive. Nobody was aware of his disappearance. The glaring sunlight was blocked by a shadow. The shadow had the form of a man in wings. The people looked up and saw a sight they thought they would never see in their lifetime. They saw an angel in wings, bringing the bruised corpse of Bishop Johnson. Some of them expressed their shock. Caleb placed the body on the ground gently while the people gathered around him. They knew who he was from the stories they heard. He wasn’t a rumor. He was “The Hood,” The women’s faces were lit up with a sense of safety. As they saw the lifeless body of the bishop, they felt secure. Caleb flew away, vowing never to come back to Salem again. He buried Elise where his house once stood. A feather from his wings taken, He lay it on her grave forsaken.

“Goodbye,” His final words to her, as he flies away without looking back no more.



11. It’s Over?

Her curiosity for truth left her baffled. Hearing that story made her sad. It was night by then. She left the bar and went to Caleb’s house.

The house was exactly how it was before she left. The blood on the carpeted floor had dried up. She noticed him sitting there, listening to music, and walked up to him. He noticed her and removed the earphones.
“Hey. I’m sorry for what I did. You still pissed at me?” He asked.
“Mason told me. I’m sorry. I understand now, your pain,” she said, out of pity.
“It’s fine. And no you don’t,”
“I’m not kidding when I say I understand your pain,”
“Stop saying that. No, you don’t,” He replied.
“I really do,”
“No. Do you know why? Because the pain that one experiences are unique to them alone. Nobody’s gonna understand that. Even if they try, they wouldn’t get it. And when they do, all they’re gonna do is try to simulate that pain in their life, and in that process find faults. Those who claim to understand your pain, your feelings, just do it for the sake of being kind,”

A long pause.
“Is there any way in which I can help,” She asked, after feeling sorry for him. Surely a man who suffered that much won’t have the will to live anymore.

“The other scars on your forearm… Did you…?” She asked with concern.
He looked at her. His eyes said it all. “Damn,” She replied.
“You know the first time I slit my wrist, all I remember was blood flowing out after which I passed out. I wake up and find the slit all healed up, replaced by a scar in its place. I once filled the tub with water and got in it. I don’t remember what electric thing dropped in it, but the excruciating pain, I remember. Each attempt is marked by a scar on my body. Maybe to remind me of the fact that I cannot die, no matter how hard I try,”

“I--I don’t know what to say. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Now what’s the use? There’s nothing you can do. Perks of living forever. Life is nothing without purpose. Purpose PurPOSE PURPOSE!! GODDAMN PURPOSE. THAT’S WHAT’S KEEPING ME HERE,”

“What do you mean?”
“Dad placed me here on earth to find purpose. He hasn’t done this with anyone else. I'm like why me?”
“Well...why you? What is your purpose?”
A short pause.
“I don’t know,”
“You know… if you were an angel like you said, you could’ve just shown me your wings. Why slit your hand?”
“I-uhh… I never thought of that. I’ve been on earth for such a long time that sometimes I forget that I’m one. It’s been ages since they’ve come out,”
“Damn,”
“Look I want you to forget whatever you saw today and if possible try to forget me as well. You cannot be with me,”

“No. It’s ok. I’ve seen worse,”
“Worse than what I showed you?” He asked sarcastically.
“Look. It’s fine. I know your backstory. I know what you’ve been through. I know---”
“You don’t know the half of it. Lemme guess… Mason told you the story of when I became that legend - The Hood? That’s not even half of it. There are things Mason doesn’t know. Things even I want to forget but I can’t,”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t be together,”
“Yes, it does. You cannot be near me. Period,”
“No. It can’t be. What is it that you’re scared of? What is it that is forcing you to distance me from you?”
He didn’t speak. He didn’t want to answer her cause he knew it would break her.

“Caleb. You’re the one person who has always been honest with me. You are different from others. You have pure love and compassion within you---”
“Faye. I---”
“I don’t care if you’re an angel or not. I love you for who you are. Not what you are. Caleb, I love you,” He heard the words he feared. “And that’s something I’ve never said to anyone before. Please... don’t leave me,”

“I’m sorry, Faye. It’s for your own good,”
“So that’s it? It’s over?”
He didn’t speak. But his silence spoke to her. She left his house heartbroken as he stood there, staring at the door.



12. Heather Blair.

1988

The 1980s was a special decade for music. Every song that was released never failed to disappoint. There were bands like Queen, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, and so on, and solo artists like Micheal Jackson, Whitney Houston, Elton John, Madonna, etc. But the one that captured Caleb’s ears and heart wasn’t a celebrity, rather a part-time pub singer.

Milton’s Bar wasn’t known for a lot. But it was famous among the locals for one thing: Heather Blair. Her voice was hand-crafted by angels with each vocal chord producing a rhythmic tune. Pure in harmony and life. Caleb would go to the bar only to hear her voice. Heather would notice Caleb as he would be the only one not to head over to the bar for a drink.
One day after the show, Caleb decided to ask her out. He headed backstage. There she was, writing in a book what looked like the lyrics to a song.
“Hey there,” She sensed someone coming in and spoke while she wrote. She didn’t look up to see who it was. Her focus was on the book.
“Hi. Loved your show by the way,” He spoke.
“Thanks,” She didn’t look at him yet.
“Seems like you’re busy. Catch you later,” He said, walking away.
That caught her attention. She closed her book and got up.
“Wait. That’s it? You’re just gonna leave?”
He stopped in his tracks and turned around.
“What do you mean?” He asked.
“I mean, most people would try to grab my attention till I close my book. But you… you stopped halfway and left,”
“I didn’t want to disturb you. And your music’s the reason I uh…--,”
He almost said it out loud. A close call.
“What?” She asked eagerly. There was some part of her wanting him to ask her out.
“Your songs… your voice… They’re amazing. I didn’t wanna be that guy who stopped you while you were writing another wonder,”
She was impressed with that answer.
“How about coffee? Tomorrow at 7 in Boulevard Caffeine?”
“Sure,”
She smiled, which made his day. Even when she spoke, he was in love with her voice.

The Next Day…

Caleb waited around Boulevard. He adjusted his hair and shirt occasionally. He checked his watch often as it started to get late.

She arrived. When he saw her, his first thought was “Wow. She’s cute,”
She wore a striped jumpsuit, her blonde hair cut at her shoulder level, bouncy, and one strand of hair over her face.
“Hey. I’m sorry if I kept you waiting,”
“It’s okay. Glad that you’re here,”

They entered. The smell of coffee rushed in. They found a table at the corner where they could have privacy. They hit it off. She offered to pay for the meal but Caleb insisted that he pay. After a while, they proceeded to exit.
“I’ll see you at the bar tomorrow then,”
“Sure,” He replied.

4 months later…

4 months since their first date. Heather moved in with Caleb. Her singing career started to hit off.

“Hey. I’ll be out late today. There’s spaghetti in the fridge or if you want, you can order in,”
“I’ll order in,”
“Ok,”

He switched on the T.V and laid back on the couch. At the time, there was nothing other than Jeopardy. He became bored and switched it off. He looked around for something to do and noticed that Heather left her diary of lyrics on the table. He turned to the last page she wrote.
“The curse of being alive
after others die isn’t joy,” He read. Something felt different.

Those lyrics. They had an unwanted impact on him. Like they spoke to him. It made him think deeper into a matter he never thought existed, which gave him a new suspicion.
That night, he made contact with his friend from the heavens, Charlie.

Charlie was always there for him in times of need. He was the closest friend Caleb had. Charlie would often make trips to Earth to ensure Caleb’s actions hadn’t provoked any changes to the course of time.

“Charlie. Long time. So what have you been up to?”
“Well, let’s see. Babysitting you. Check. Make sure you don’t wreak havoc. Check. Pretty much the usual,”
Caleb let out a chuckle.
“Charlie, I need some vision into a matter,”
“Sure. What is it?”

“I had a thought,” Caleb spoke. “All the deaths of my loved ones. I never wondered about their deaths until now. And the more I think about it, the more I realize their deaths weren’t natural. Rather, they were unexpected,”
“What are you getting at?”
“I-I don’t know. I just need insight. It’s just that all those deaths… they-- I don’t know. I feel like there’s something more to it. I’m starting to think I might be the reason for it all. But I’m sure I’m not. My heart’s carrying this guilt for this something that I can’t point my finger at like never before,”

Charlie felt pity. He knew what Caleb was talking about. But wasn’t sure if it’s something he would want to hear. Eventually, he decided to risk it.
“Alright. Caleb. Listen to what I’m gonna say now. Your father… he uhh-- he placed a curse on you without you knowing the day you arrived on Earth,”

That came out of nowhere and caught him in surprise.
“Wh-what did you say?”
“You think you had that mark on your wrist when you were born? Nah. He wanted you to think like that. That’s the Mark Of God. It ensures that you can return Home. It’s also the reason for those deaths. As long as that mark is there, the death toll will increase. It connects you to your Father,”

Caleb’s eyes expressed shock.

“Wh-why? Why would he place such a curse on me?”
“Love. Because of Love. Humans are different from other beings because of love. The more you fall in love with a woman, the more you become a human, and that mark either disappears or gets transferred to the nearest celestial being to you. Love is what makes a person, no matter how godly they are, a human. Your father embedded a curse on the mark which prevented it from happening,”
Caleb’s eyes began tearing up as he realized that he’s the reason those innocent women died. Their only mistake was being in love with him.

“So all those women, including Elise… they died because they loved me?”
"Except Elise. She did love you but… you know. I'm sorry for that. For all of it. I understand your pain,”
“No. No, you don’t. You never will. How could you? How could HE? Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
“Because I couldn’t. I was instructed not to. The truth is I wanted to tell you. Believe me,”
“Bullshit. I was bound to know anyway. You could’ve told me anytime. Why couldn’t he let me become human?”
“Because if you become a human, you cannot return home, Listen. I’m sorr--”

“The thing is… I still remember their last words… the last time they smiled… the time they died. If you could see it from my point of view, you would understand why it hurts so bad. Their memories are permanently etched in my mind and I am cursed to walk on Earth till I find my Goddamn purpose,” He spoke. “Tell me, Charlie. Did he place me on Earth as some sort of punishment? As he said this, he began to cry.
“No. Of course not,”
“Then what is this? TELL ME! WHAT is this?”
Charlie didn’t say anything. His silence was enough. Caleb left. He didn’t follow him as he knew Caleb needed some alone time.

A blank face. He didn't cry, yet the tears did not stop. He cannot stop thinking about how he’s the reason they all died. He walked back home, with his mind occupied by Charlie’s words.

He reached the front door. Before entering, he wiped his tears and cheered up to an extent. He entered.

“Hey,” He was greeted.
“Hi. When did you return?” He asked. His voice still had that weight of grief weighing in on his voice.
“A while back. I brought food,”
“Ahh. Nice. I would’ve eaten that spaghetti though,”
“Cal, that spaghetti’s been there for a week. It’s good that you didn’t,” She spoke with laughter.
Caleb gave out a smile.

“What happened? Is something wrong?” She asked.
“No. Why? Why do you ask?”
“Your smile. Something’s off. It doesn’t have that “Caleb energy” to it,”
“I’m just-- just tired,” He replied.
“It’s okay. You can eat if you want to or you can lie down. I promise I’ll keep leftovers,”

He lied down on the bed. Shortly after, Heather joined.
“What happened? Didn’t you eat?” He asked as she usually went to bed late. This time she came early.
“I ate a little and after that, didn’t feel like eating,”
She lay down beside him.
"What happened, Cal? What is it?" She asked with concern for she had never seen him like this before.
"It's nothing. I just feel a bit off today,"
“Hmmm. Alright then. Good night,” She leaned over to him and kissed him on the forehead. He smiled.

After a while, he decided to ask her something.
“The curse of being alive after others die isn’t something that’s joy,”
“What?” She asked.
“Your lyrics. How did you write this?”
“Oh uhh, I just thought of the death of my parents,”
“Oh. I see,”
No matter how hard he tried. He just couldn’t sleep. Not when there’s a great load of guilt pressing down on your heart.

He looked over to see if Heather had slept and got up. He went over to the kitchen to get a drink of water. He just couldn’t get that thought off of his head.

The Next Morning…

“Good morning,” She greeted and gave him a kiss.
“Morning,”

“Oh, hey. I have a surprise for you,” She said excitedly.
“What is it?” He asked.
“One moment,” She replied and headed upstairs to get it. She came back down and handed a tape.

“What’s in this?” He smiled and asked curiously.
“It’s a song I wrote for you. Only for you. A Heather exclusive,” She said with happiness.
His heart sank. His look at her was masked by happiness on the outside but contained despair within.
“Go on. Listen to it,” She said and handed him the walkman.

He listened. He kept on listening, focusing on each lyric and the tune behind them. Truly magical. A melodious song handmade with love. It was the most euphonious 4 minutes of his life.

“This is what you were working on these days?” He asked after the song ended.
“Yeah. How is it?”
“It’s… Beautiful,”
Her face glowed with joy. Filled with joy, she hugged him.

Caleb on the other hand was suffering. He loved this girl truly, but she’s not worth dying for his love. Eventually, he made up his mind. He did what shattered his heart into a million fragments.

“Heather. I’m so sorry. I think we should break up,”
Heather was aghast. She couldn’t believe what she had heard. Her eyes whitened. Her heart sank deep. The mind went blank.
“Wh-what?”
“It’s better for you if we split,” He said. She didn’t know. But the amount of strength he took to say those words was unmeasurable.

“May I ask why?” She asked.
He needed a reason for her to leave him as well as hate him.
“I-I cheated on you,” He said.
The tears dropped. Each teardrop brushed her cheeks with deep melancholy.

“Is it someone we know?” She asked. By then, her voice began to crack. She almost started to cry. But she didn’t. Instead, she kept it in control.

“No. You don’t know her,”
“Do you love her?” She asked.
He knew what he had to say to break it off.
“Yes,” That 3 letter word ended it.
It broke her heart to ask why he brought them this far in their relationship if it was all destined to fall apart.
“So I guess I’ll go then,”
He didn’t speak. She went upstairs and packed her stuff. A few moments later, Heather got down with her bags.
Before she left, Caleb stopped her.

He looked at her one last time, placed both his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her on the forehead. As he gave that kiss, she started to cry.
“Hey now. Don’t cry. You will find a better man than me. I know you will,” He spoke with a break in his voice, assuring her.

In the end, she accepted it. She wiped off her tears and exited. Caleb closed the door behind her as she stepped beyond the gate. He cried. His cry was a call for help. On the other side of the door beyond the gate, she cried as well. Their relationship meant a lot to both. Fine love. He loved her for her. She loved him for him. Nothing beyond that.

Caleb’s tears did not stop. As he got down to the countertop, he noticed that she had left her song. He grabbed it and rushed out of the door to give it to her, but by then she already left.

4 days later…

Caleb handled this breakup worse than he thought. All he listened to was the song she made for him. As he got a cup of coffee and sat down on the chair, the phone rang.
*Call Starts*
“Hello?”
“Is this Caleb?” A voice asked.
“Yes. Who’s asking?”
“This is the Downtown General Hospital. Do you know a “Heather Blair”?”
“Yes. What happened?” He started to get scared.
“Heather Blair has been in an accident. You have been listed as her emergency contact,”
“How did this happen?”
“She was crossing the road when a speeding car hit her,”
“I’ll come right away,”
*Call Ends*
At this point, he wanted to kill himself. He made his way to the hospital. Heather was in the ICU. The doctors were sure that she would make it. They assured Caleb that she would make it. He felt relieved.

Moments later…

The doctor came out.
“I’m sorry. It was too late,”
“What do you mean?” Caleb asked. His worry escalated.
“Notify her next of kin,”
“No. No. Doctor, You said she’ll make it. Why didn’t she?”
“Sometimes it’s unpredictable,”
“NO. YOU SAID SHE’LL MAKE IT. WHY DIDN’T SHE MAKE IT?” Caleb got furious and held the doctor by the collar.
“Sir. Please behave yourself. Unhand me… I’m sorry. I tried my level best. But she couldn’t make it out alive,”
“No. No no no no no no no. Please. Do something,”
The doctor placed his hand on Caleb’s shoulder and sighed, signaling that she’s gone.

He looked through the glass frame as the nurses removed her oxygen mask and declared the time of death.

Caleb knew that he was the reason for it. But this time, he made sure they broke up. He made sure that she hated him. Then why didn't it work? That night, he met with Charlie again.

“Charlie. Heather hated me. We broke up… She wasn’t supposed to die. Then why?” He spoke with anger.
“Heather never hated you. Even after breaking up, she had you in her heart. She could never despise you,”
“Oh my God. No… Why? Why couldn’t she hate me?”
“Human love is not as simple as you think, Cal. It’s quite complicated. That’s what makes them different from other beings. As for you, you didn’t forget her either. You listened to her song over and over. You had her in your heart too,”

An innocent girl had died not knowing how and why. Her love for Caleb eventually led to her untimely death. His cries were replaced with painful silence as the pain in his heart increased. This sent Caleb down a spiraling path of suffering and suicide.



13. “As Long As It’s True Love, I Don’t Care”.

Present Time…

Faye had just left. But this time, Caleb had hope that she wouldn’t die. He saw a glimpse of hatred in her eyes which reassured him. Something about Faye’s breakup changed him. This time, he did not go down memory lane. He did not think about his past lovers nor get emotional over them.

2 months later…

Faye was in the coffee shop where Caleb and she went for their first date. He wasn’t kidding. Their ham sandwich was a delight. She was finishing up when she saw Caleb enter.

Caleb noticed her and immediately left. This has gone on for too long, she thought and left, leaving some money on the counter.
“Caleb. Stop,”
He didn’t listen and kept on walking.
“Caleb. Stop,”
He kept on ignoring her and walked faster. Faye ran up to him and stopped him in his tracks.

"Faye. Leave me alone,”
“No. This has gone on far too long. You won’t even look me straight in the face. What is the problem?”
“Faye. I’m trying to distance myself because I know I cannot have you. Just because we don’t talk anymore doesn’t mean I don’t think about it. You cannot be near me. All it does is put you in danger. We cannot be together. Believe me… a part of me weakened the day you left. I really loved you. But no. I cannot do this to you,”

“Why not? Do what to me? Tell me. How is it gonna keep me in danger?”
He kept silent. She didn’t have to know.
“How long will you keep it from me? Tell me… how is it keeping me in danger?”

“Cause IT’LL KILL YOU,” Those four words slipped out of his mouth and he immediately regretted it.
“What do you mean ‘kill me?’ ”
“I cannot say anything else,” He spoke and walked away.

“No. Tell me. What do you mean by killing me? How is it even connected?”
“You won’t get it,”
“Cut the bullshit. What else are you not telling me?”
“Nothing. Can we just move on?”
“Tell me,”
“No,”
“Tell me,” She kept on asking.

“Can you please just go?” He asked.
“Not until you tell me,”
“ALRIGHT FINE,”
And so he told her everything. Everything from Heather, about Charlie The Harbinger, the curse, how Heather died. All of it.
“Oh my God,” She spoke out in pity. Try imagining his plight. It’s not easy on any level.
She noticed his facial expression after he spoke. The amount of power to repress that kind of emotion… It's unnatural. He went through the true definition of a “tough time,”.

She kissed him. All this time, her mind made her think that Caleb broke up with her because he didn’t feel that spark. But now… she realized that he broke up to protect her… to keep her safe from the curse. He cared for her enough that he couldn’t let her die.

Caleb on the other hand, all he could think about was Heather. He never experienced love deeper since Heather. Could Faye replace her?
He withdrew from the kiss.
“Hey. Are you sure you wanna be with me? Even after knowing all this?” He asked.
“As long as it’s true love, I don’t care. If I die, I die. But you should not worry. Because this time, you know that I am loving you after knowing all. Promise me that you’ll not worry,”
He was reluctant at first. But the look she gave him… was genuine.
“I… I won’t. I promise,” He said.
She smiled. They kissed again with joy.

Faye moved back in with Caleb. Her coming back into his life made him happy once again.

She would often lay down in bed with him, his arms cuddling her while she listened to his stories.
“Remind me how the curse works again,” She asked.

“The Mark of God works like this. Think of it as a pass. I can come and go to heaven whenever I want as long as I have that mark. The curse was embedded by my father so that the mark doesn’t disappear. Pure love makes me human and as a result, the mark either gets transferred to another celestial being near me or it disappears. It also connects me to Father,”

“So… If you love a person and they love you back… I mean pure love, you become human?”
“Yeah. Believe me, I wanted to become human many a times. But the curse won’t let me,”
“Wait a minute… You could’ve gone back to Heaven anytime you wanted. Why didn’t you then?”
“I cannot leave until I find my purpose. No matter how long it takes,”

“Why do you have the mark then?”
She had a bag of questions.

“Once I find my purpose, the mark helps me get back to heaven. It triggers this feeling inside me letting me know that I’ve found it. The mark is for celestials who visit Earth regularly. Like Charlie. It wasn’t intended for me. But one day, Father decided that I have to find purpose and here I am,”

“This is too complicated,” She said.
“I know. It’ll take time to settle it all in,”



14. The Demon.

“One more question. Have you ever used your powers other than the Salem incident and the war?”
Caleb thought about the answer. He gave out a small smile followed by a sigh and decided to reply.
“No,” He gave his answer.

She fell asleep on his chest. His hands over her. He was in love again.

The next morning, the couple headed out and met the landlord, Mr. Thompson.
“Good morning, Mr. Thompson,”
“Praise the Lord, Caleb.”
“How are the prayers?”
“By God’s grace, I haven’t seen that demon again,”
“God’s grace, Mr. Thompson. God’s grace,” Caleb said, after which he left. Faye gave a smile and waved. He waved back.

On the way, she asked him: “What was that about?”
He replied: “Oh. That’s nothing. About two to three months ago, he reported seeing a demon with wings and glowing eyes. I don’t know. But after that, I don’t think so he ever asked for rent from anyone,”

Faye thought about it… And then realized that Caleb was the demon Mr. Thompson saw.



15. Her Music.

When Faye would sleep, Caleb listened to Heather's song on loop. It was the only thing that connected him to her. No matter what he does, he cannot forget her. But of course, he didn't want Faye to know that he was still clinging to the past. He would keep his walkman on the table beside him loaded with her track. It was the only song he listened to for 20+ years. One day, Faye stumbled upon the walkman. She was curious as to why he had this walkman, a relic from the 80s in the era of Spotify, preloaded with one track kept on the table beside him. She listened to the song and asked Caleb who the singer was.

"Oh. You found that… It was given to me by Heather. She was the last woman I dated before you came,"
"Did she… uhh… leave or?"
Caleb nodded with a tiny smile. His nod answered her question.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have listened to it,"
"Eh. It's fine,"
"This is what you listen to all the time?"
“Pretty much, yeah,”
“Oh… She must’ve been someone special,”
“She truly was. She’s how I discovered what true love felt like,”
Faye didn’t speak. She knew she couldn’t match up to her level. Caleb still held her close to his heart. Even after 28 years, she never left his mind. She stayed on, living through the music she gave him. Caleb looked at the walkman and kept it away, called Faye, and hugged her.
“I cannot forget her. You remind me of her in some ways. Sometimes, I see her through you,”
“I know I cannot replace her. I cannot be like her in any way, but I---”
“No. Be you. Don’t be Heather. Be Faye. It’s time to move on. How long can I cling to my past? I have you now…”
He kissed her. That kiss was his signal of moving on. He was ready.



16. The Search For Purpose.

“If we set out to find your purpose, will all this be over? I mean, the curse?”
“Theoretically, yes,”
On paper, it sounded easy. But then these questions came - How? Where? What?
How can we find my purpose?
Where can we find purpose?
What is my purpose?

How can we find my purpose?

“What if you thought about this all wrong?” What if there’s a different meaning to find your purpose?”
“Like?”
“Positivity. The path you’ve taken,”
“I don’t think so that’s possible now,”
“Why not?
“With everything that’s happened, I just cannot forget it all,”
“Pfff. You have to and you will,”
“No. I mean, I physically cannot forget them. I have an eidetic memory,”
“Oh. Ok. Then how about we surround ourselves with positivity?”
“Elaborate,”
“Focus on your positive memories, for example,”
He searched past his vast library that housed different remnants of history. There were a lot of happy memories, which were all overshadowed by the depressing ones, like finding out about the curse and so on. His most fond memory was planning to kill Hitler
with the help of Charlie.

But the more he focused on the happy ones, the sad ones caught up. They took over, starting with Heather giving him her music.

He fought and fought. Finally, victory joined him, with him deciding to stop listening to her music every night.

“Caleb. No. That’s not what I meant. You cannot throw her song out like that,”
“It’s a start, Faye. How long can I keep listening to it? Sure. It was the last song she wrote for me. Sure. It’s the last thing she gave me, that still reminds me of her. But how long? How long can I keep listening to it? I have to let go at some point. Isn’t that life after all? Letting go of something you love so much that it hurts you, but in the end, all it does is prepare you for the future,”

Faye did not speak. Nor did she intervene. He finally made up his mind and threw the walkman that had her track into the garbage.
While Caleb had his attention somewhere else, she reached for the garbage and took out the walkman, keeping it somewhere else.

Where can we find purpose?

Ok now. Purpose isn’t something that’s found anywhere specific. Sometimes, it takes time. Purpose… it’s something that once we start to think about it, we could never agree on what it is. The mystery of human life lies not in just survival or advancement, but in finding out something to live for.


What is my purpose?

This is the tricky part. What was Caleb’s purpose? Why did God, the eternal being who created the universe, the Earth, Father of all who lived and continues to live on, place Caleb, his youngest son on Earth to find purpose? To help them further, Caleb entrusted the help of an old friend.

It’s been years since Charlie and Caleb talked. After the incident, they haven’t kept in touch.
“It’s time to bury the hatchet, Caleb. Contact Charlie,” Faye spoke.

That night, Charlie arrived.
“Hey, Caleb,” He said.
“Hey, old friend,”
They hugged. A moment of bromance.

That night, as the trio sat down and discussed what his purpose could be, they were welcomed by a knock on the door. Faye got up and answered. It was Mason and Chris.
“Hi guys,” Chris announced.

The whole gang was here.

They all pooled in their thoughts on how to help him find purpose. After pulling an all-nighter, consumed by caffeine and ideas, they failed to arrive at a conclusion.
“Hey, Cal. You got a sec?” Charlie whispered.
“That’s all I got,” He replied.
Charlie pulled him aside and whispered something to him. It sounded serious.
“Caleb, there’s been a rumor that’s circulating in Heaven,”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you this,”
“Then don’t. What if it leads my purpose further away? What if revealing the rumor delays it?”

“That’s the thing. The rumor is connected to your purpose,”

They had a conversation while the others talked about what more could it be. This could be it. That rumor could’ve been the key.
They didn’t reveal it to others.

“Guys. Let’s take a break. Talk about something else, alright?” Caleb suggested.
“Sure. If you say so,”
Caleb went over to the kitchen to get more drinks. Faye joined him.
“Hey. So what were you discussing with Charlie?”
“It’s nothing,”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah,”
“So listen, when you find your purpose and leave Earth… will you ever return?”
That was a question to which Caleb never thought of an answer. Will he ever return? After all that he’s gone through? Then he thought of Faye. He imagined a life with her. A perfect life. She was the love that felt familiar, a love he had known for a lifetime.
“Yes. For you, I will,” He answered with a smile and kissed her.

This was it. Caleb had achieved pure love once again. He felt this feeling inside of him, never felt before and his instincts made him look at the mark. It was disappearing.
“Guys. Over here,” He called as he realized something. “What if my purpose was to be human? To love and to be loved? All this time, I thought my connection to Father, the Mark of God kept me alive. But I was wrong. It was guilt. What kills me keeps me alive. The guilt that ate over my consciousness for the deaths kept me alive. The guilt kept me alive while love made me live on. Love…,”

“Wait… So the mark has no relevance?” Faye asked.
“It does. But not for me. I’m the Son Of God. I’m not an angel like Charlie. I don’t need a connection to my own Father via a mark. I think he put this mark on me as a test. To see how long will I continue to live on Earth till I find purpose,”

“I need more beer,” Mason said, while he opened the fridge to take another bottle.

“But it still works like how a Mark of God should work… right? Like using it to go to heaven?” Faye questioned.
“I guess so. He’s the real deal. He doesn’t just tattoo something on and say it’s the mark. It is “The Mark of God”. And now… it’s disappearing,”
“WHAT? Where?” Charlie asked with surprise.
“I don’t know. But I do know this. I think I found my purpose. With Faye,” He smiled as he looked at her.
“Wait. So does this mean you’re giving up your powers? You’re gonna stay on Earth?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah,”
“Are you sure?” Faye asked.
He looked at her and smiled, answering her question.




17. Deceit.

They celebrated.
Charlie was talking to the humans in the room, explaining to them how the heavens worked. Caleb and Faye were in their own world.
"Hey, Faye. Can you pass that bowl?" Charlie asked.
"Sure thing," She passed him the bowl. In the time frame of her passing that bowl, Charlie caught on to something. He saw it as a glimpse but was damn sure of what it was.

"Faye. Can you show me your tattoo?" He asked.
"I--I don't have one,"
"Then what about the one on your wrist?"
She quickly covered her wrist with her sleeve. Caleb caught on to this conversation and came in support of her.
"Charlie. She doesn't have a tattoo,"
"Caleb. I know what I saw,"
"I don't have a tattoo, Charlie," She defended herself.

"Dude. She doesn't have one," Caleb kept on saying.
"Alright. If you don't have one… I'm sure you won't mind if I check your wrist,"
"Charlie. C'mon man. That's creepy," Mason added.
"Caleb. I know you trust me. Ask her to show her wrist," Caleb looked at him with a concerning look. But he knew Charlie was serious about this.
"Faye. Just show him your wrist. There's no tattoo, right?
She didn't respond.
"Right?" He asked once again.
"I won't show you," She replied.

The air in the room felt different. The walls started to close in. An eerie alienated feel took over.
She looked more threatened, covering her wrists again and again.
"Faye, show him your wrist. What are you hiding?" Caleb asked.

She quickly reached out for the blade that Caleb used to cut himself with and slashed him in the chest and lodged it into his chest before kicking him towards the shelves. The impact was so strong that it knocked out the celestial. Mason and Chris were conquered by fear and dropped the bottles of beer on the floor. Before Charlie could retaliate, She spawned her wings and stabbed him in the abdomen, after which she reduced the house to a pile of debris and flew away. The entire house was decimated.

Moments Later…

The house was destroyed. Caleb and the others were out cold. Faye wasn’t anywhere to be found. The sound of sirens wailing in the distance awakened Charlie. He was under a pile of bricks. The concrete bars had pierced through his stab wound. He screamed in pain as he removed the concrete on top of him. He tore a piece of cloth and tied it around the wound. The blood stopped pouring over for a while. With his remaining energy, he located the mortals in the room, Mason and Chris. As he got closer, a pile of bricks almost fell on the couple which he prevented by shielding them with his wings. He gave out a short scream in pain as the bricks slightly wounded his wings. He grabbed them and moved them somewhere far away. They were breathing but were still unconscious. He dropped them at their house. His next mission was to locate Caleb. Caleb was still unconscious. His wound had healed up, but there was still blood around. Charlie grabbed him out of the mess with the remaining strength he had. As he pulled, the strain caused the wound to tear further and as a result, more blood had begun to drip. The cloth he used was soaking wet with his red fluid.

But neither did he fall nor stop for a moment. His only mission at that moment was to get Caleb to safety. Caleb regained his consciousness as he was being dragged. His eyes opened to the sight of fire and bricks around him. His ears were filled with the sound of fire crackling and sirens in the distance. He looked down to find the blade still lodged into his chest.

His face was covered with dust. A bit of coughing. Caleb and Charlie got out of there safely before the cops arrived.
“Wait. Where’s Mason and Chris?” Caleb asked in fear.
“They’re safe. Let’s do something about that blade in your chest,”
“You had to get me this blade eh?” He spoke with a chuckle. Charlie smirked back.
“Ok. On my count, pull the blade out,” Caleb said. Charlie nodded in confirmation.

“One. Two. THREE,” Charlie pulled it out. Caleb winced in pain, followed by a short scream. His shirt was soaking wet with blood. His hands were wet with blood too. But they weren’t his blood. As he looked at them, he realized they were spewing from Charlie’s wound.
“Oh my God. Charlie. You’re bleeding,”
“I know. It’s been a while. It’s fine. Find Faye. She has the Mark. We don’t know what she plans to do with it. But it can’t be good,”
“All this while, she was just faking love,” Caleb spoke.
“Caleb. It’s fine. Forget about love for a moment. Focus on the Caleb you were before you came down to Earth. The firebrand Caleb,”
“What about you? You lost a lot of blood,”
“I don’t know. I may or may not come back, but don’t worry,”

“No. I’ve lost too many people in my life. I cannot lose you too,”
“Caleb. Focus. Now’s not the time to mourn. Go after Faye and stop her,”

Caleb spawned his wings and plucked a feather, placing it onto the wound. The same way he healed Elise. He flew in search of Faye. His mind was occupied with hatred. He didn’t know what to do with her once he found her.

After flying for a while, his luck struck. And there it was. There she was in the open, hovering in the sky. Caleb hovered towards her.
“FAYE,” He yelled.
“Caleb. You’re just in time,”
“For what?”
“Your new God’s death,”
“New God?”

This was the rumor Charlie had explained to Caleb. A new God was born and after the predecessor passes, he will take his place.
After she revealed her intention, Caleb asked her one question:
“But why me? Why did you choose me? Why didn’t you choose someone else, like Charlie? ” He asked.

“I’m Fayeal, the demon of deceit. When I found out that an angel was walking amongst the people with a Mark, I knew I had to get it. So I planned my greatest trick. And when a Son of God’s mind is broken, that’s one less obstacle in my way,”

“So all this time… not even once--”

“Oh, darling. You don’t get it, do you? You’re so stuck up with love that you’ve become so gullible like them humans. I tricked you and that Mark of yours into thinking I was purely in love with you. And now, only one of us has it. And it’s not you. I never loved you. It was a trick. That mark has tried to kill me off several times, but I’ve managed to make it out alive,”

Caleb was infuriated. He was almost human for a demon of deceit. His heart was now broken beyond relief. In that heartbreak though, the darkness in him took over. He began to transform.

Fayeal witnessed an angel transform into something else. A being of near-indestructible power. His wings gave out a glow. Each feather was as sharp as a blade. They spread out with might. His fists clenched. His eyes were lit with the heavenly light. Caleb’s darkness was in control. There was no stopping him now.
Fayeal morphed her face into its true form, revealing the face of evil. Her wings spanned, with a devilish texture. Her hand transformed into a sword of sorts.
“Honey. I enjoyed deluding you. But now, I’m gonna enjoy killing you,” She said and rushed forward to strike. Caleb dodged the attacks at an unmatchable speed. But it still wasn’t enough. Celestial v/s Celestial. Equally matched in speed and agility. Their flight shook the sky. Their speed made the air stand still. Their attacks sent shivers down the earth. Faye managed to draw blood from Caleb. Caleb’s hands were now dripping blood.

This wasn’t over, however. From the blood in his hands, he summoned the Staff of Prophecy, the very staff forged from his blood whose potential is still not discovered. It was a brutal and bloody battle that seems like one without an end. All this fighting made him get flashbacks of his battle with Bishop Johnson.

Faye was cunning. She formed multiple copies of herself and fought him. Caleb’s wings cut each one of them, but the more he cut, the more they multiplied. They attacked his wings, bruising them. He yelled in pain. He never felt pain like that before. The white of the wings was now draped in celestial blood. Still, it managed to hold off, supporting and hovering him. Eventually, he used his staff to identify the real one and knocked her to the ground.

Eventually, their fight descended to the ground. An open desert. Nothing but rocks and sand. The glimmering stars of the sky lit Caleb’s path. The darkness of the sky paved Faye’s path.
A weapon of blood v/s A hand of doom.
The harbinger of light v/s The demon of deceit.
Caleb winced in pain as he retracted his wings. Their faces were covered with bruises and blood. They fought once again. As he attacked her, the happy emotions he felt with her took over, weakening him and his attacks. Faye took advantage of this and struck back. But this didn’t hold on for long. What she did that night alone caused more pain than he endured in his lifetime. Betrayal is more painful than death, not when it comes from your enemy, but from the ones you love.

Faye began dropping. She couldn’t keep up. He vented his entire anger on her.
Caleb had the upper hand and struck her with such force that she was knocked onto a boulder, almost cracking it. She slowly got up and rested herself on that boulder, weaker than ever. She gave up. After putting up a fight, this was the end of the line for her.
Caleb walked up to her and sat down beside her.
“So this is it eh?” she talked feebly.
“Have you ever felt your heart and soul shatter into a million pieces and just when they are being repaired, they break into more pieces. Have you ever felt that? It’s so fucked up that I told you what broke me, and you managed to break me even more. Heh,” He spoke.
“I am a demon. I deal in fucked up stuff,” She chuckled as she spits some blood.
“I gotta give it to you. You really are one heck of an actor. Had you been a human, no doubt you would’ve succeeded in Hollywood,” He said, chuckling.

“So what now? You gonna kill me?” She popped the question.
“Huh. Not yet. I’m going to let you in on a little secret,”
“Do I wanna know about it?”
“You might,”

“Alright. What is it?”
“The man sitting beside you, the man who loved you more than anything. That man is Caleb, The Son of God. Successor to my father. The New God,” Caleb placed his hand around her neck as he said this and began choking her. He recalled all his memories with her. They were truly some happy memories. But they were built on deceit. His anger decided that the way he should move on was by killing her. And so he did. This was, according to him, the only way he could make peace.
A smile. That's all she had instead of a final word before he strangled her to death.

Her corpse lay supported to a boulder. He closed her lifeless eyes. Somewhere in the desert, he dug up her grave and buried her. Before he left, he placed a feather from his wing on top, symbolizing that he had made his peace with her.

He made his way to Charlie who was still sore. His wound had healed up but he was in his weak form. Chris and Mason had some bruises which were luckily not fatal. He made his way over to them and apologized for bringing them into this chaos. But they didn't seem to mind it. In fact, their response to this was:
"To be honest, this was the most fun we've had. The danger of losing your life was terrifying at first. But it was nevertheless fun,"
"Where did you bury Fayeal?" Charlie asked.
"Out in the open areas where no one can find her,"
"Isn't that a bit risky?"
"Humans won't know what to look for if they are not informed of it. Don't worry,"
"What about the mark?" Charlie asked.
Caleb smiled. All of this was for a mark. The love, the fight… all of it. He raised his left arm and revealed his wrist and there it was, the mark back to its original owner.




18. Epilogue.

Dawn broke. The sun rose up to work and the moon descended. The authorities left the area as they found no casualties.
Caleb lost his place to rest. A place that housed his sorrows and memories. He went back to the destruction to see if anything was worth salvaging. There wasn't much but he did find something he was subconsciously looking for - Heather's tape. It was ruined. His walkman was smashed to pieces. The tape was broken.

This time, he didn't need it. For the first time in a while, he was okay with not listening to her music for he moved on. An end of an era.

For the time being, Mason offered the corner booth of his bar to Caleb for crashing the night. They all went about their lives, forgetting about Faye's existence. One such day, the bar had closed up. Caleb was slowly drifting into sleep. Something triggered his instinct and woke him up. One moment, he was in the dimly lit bar and the other he was in a place he hasn't been to in a long time. He was… Home.

After 2000 or so years, he was back. That would only mean one thing. He had found his purpose.
"Caleb," A voice in the distance. One he had longed to hear from time to time.
"Hi, Father," He responded.

He looked at the light. From it, descended a majestic figure. He walked forward, with each step revealing a more detailed figure.
He placed his hands on his son’s shoulders and admired him, after which he gave a heartfelt hug. Caleb hugged back. A beautiful father-son moment.

“Is it time yet?” He asked.
“Not yet. Son,” His father replied.
“What do you mean? Why am I here then?”
A short pause.
“I’m dying,”
Caleb was shocked.
“What? How? You’re God. Creator of the universe. How can you die?”
“Everything comes to an end, son. Nobody can predict when. You know what I’m talking about,”

He nodded at his father with a look, telling him he knew.
“So what now? After you’re gone? What happens?”
“I don’t know. For the first time, there’s a question to which the answer is unknown to me,”

“Do you know when?”
“Yeah,” He replied, letting out a sigh.
“Not you too, father. I’ve waited 2 millennia to come back to you. This is not what I want to hear,”

“Caleb. Remember. Life will throw its worst problems at you when you least expect it. But the courage we show to overcome them is what defines us. Our response to it is what makes us stronger. The result
will not always be a good one… but that’s just the way it is. It is both a blessing and a curse. You have to let the ones close to you go. Everyone who’s in your life is a part of your journey but they are not meant to be with you in the end. Not everything’s a lesson. Sometimes we just have to move on,”

“Does anybody else know?” Caleb asked.
“They know you’re my successor. They don’t know about me dying,”

Caleb thought about this all for a second and asked a question.
“Why me? Why not Ari, or Ezra, or Gideon? Why not any of my elder siblings?”

God thought about it and answered with a smile.
“Because you are me. When you were born, I placed half of my life force on you. When you arrived in my arms, I knew you were my successor. That is why I placed you on Earth, my most prized creation. Son. Purpose is the desire to live. What drives you to wake up every morning. Your purpose was love. You loved each of those women with your heart. You passionately helped everyone who you saw was in peril. Need I say more? Even though your soul was shallow, you still had a speckle of love in you. That’s why you are my successor. The humans need a God who can love them with all his heart. You found your purpose the day you found love, but hadn't realized it,”

Caleb thought back to all those moments with Faye, Heather, Anna, Emma, Margot, and more. He thought about Mason and Chris and Charlie.

"How did my elder siblings, especially Abram take it?"
"They were all reluctant at first. They still had the old immature vision of you. But then I showed them your journey. Needless to say, they think you're ready,"

“Then why did you say 'Not yet,' ” He asked.
“You know me. I like to add that dramatic effect. Also… I see you haven’t lost your touch while you fought that demon,” His dad joked, to which they both chuckled.
"Will this be our last conversation?"
"Time will tell, son. Time will tell,"

“You need not go back to Earth, my son. You’ve fulfilled your path. Your instincts will tell you when you are the next God,”
Caleb asked one last question which God had expected.
“Father. Can I go back to Earth?”
“I see you’ve grown fond of it. Anything you want, Caleb. ”
“Aren’t you going to ask why?”
“I already know the answer, child. Now go. You have someone waiting for you,”
Caleb gave out a confused look. “Who?” He thought to himself. God faded into the light.
He woke up. The sun had risen. The light shone on him through the blinders. He grabbed the beer bottles on the table and threw them in the garbage. Mason had been there for a while, prepping up the barrels.
“Mornin’ Caleb,”
“Good morning, Mason,”

He headed out. The bright light shone on him fiercely. He didn’t know where to go. Nor did he think about what his father said in the end. He wanted to check out his old house one last time and headed towards that area.

He was looking for a huge pile of bricks and concrete but instead found his house without a scratch. It was the same old house he bought a century ago, the same pastel blue paint. The same suburban house. He opened the gate and entered. The same wooden gates, the same mailbox, and even the same brown roof. It was all the same, without even a minute change. It was like time had reversed the effects of Faye’s destruction.

He walked up to the front door and patted down his pockets, looking for the keys. He found them in his left pocket and took
them out. Upon opening the door, he found the same pictures, the same indoor aesthetic that was present before Faye happened. He walked upstairs to his bedroom. Nothing had changed. His face radiated happiness. A smile grew on his face. This was a house he shared a lot of memories with. A house that experienced Caleb’s life. He thought he had moved on when the house was gone, but guess he hadn’t.
He walked downstairs towards the kitchen. There it was. The ‘someone’ waiting for him. She was preparing two cups of coffee.
Caleb looked at her with confusion. He couldn't recognize her. She had her back turned on him. “Who was this woman?” He thought to himself.
She turned back. She held the two cups in her hand and said:
“Took you long enough. I’ve been waiting for a while,”
“Careful, it’s hot,” She spoke, lending her arm forward to give him his cup.
He couldn’t believe it. Was this the happy ending he needed? Was this the happy ending he deserved? Those same glimmering eyes. That beautiful voice. Her charming innocent smile. But how? He took the cup from her hand. A feeling of happiness took over him.

“Heather?”



Fin.

---