Willow's Guardian Angel

Willow sat on the stone steps to her aunt’s apartment in downtown Chicago.

She didn’t want to go inside and tell her aunt of how she messed it up.

The cold wind bit against her hands that covered her face in shame as tears dripped down her face like icy streams.

She had screwed up another job- her fifth one in the last 3 months.

She has never felt so alone…such a failure.

Life in every direction seemed to not want her anymore. Turning thirty next week, and what did she have to show for it.

Nothing…

Before her mind wondered into darker thoughts, she looked through the cracks of her fingers in front of her eyes and realized there were two shiny shoes standing behind them.

She looked up sniffling the snot up her nose and wiping her cold wet tears.

The man looked to be in his late thirties and wore a fancy looking black overcoat with a beanie on top of his head. The beanie sort of threw the whole wardrobe, she thought. He had a rounded face- clean and shaven. Willow thought he could almost be a model that advertises cologne.

“Some people think its rude to stare at people” said Willow, irritated that the man could have been standing there longer than she realized without saying anything.

The man bobbed his head in agreement, “Some would also think it’s rude to not ask a crying girl if she’s ok” he replied.

“I wasn’t crying” said Willow, irritated at the clever reply.

“Are you ok?” the man asked. He looked legitimately concerned for the young girl.

“I’m fine, get lost, pal” she replied bitterly, embarrassed that she’s made a scene with a stranger.

He smiled and nodded and started to turn before Willow apologized for saying that. She thanked him for his concern, telling him she has had a rough day.

“Wouldn’t be doing my job if didn’t ask” he said as he began to walk away.

The statement was very odd, she thought.

“Your job?” she asked.

He stopped and looked to her, smiling, “My name is Michael- I’m your Guardian Angel, Willow”.

“You’re MY guardian Angel?!” she asked in disbelief followed with a small chuckle.

He nodded, smiling sincerely.

A very smooth pick-up line, she thought.

“Can we talk about what happened?” he asked.

Now he wants to talk about my problems? He had a strange way of flirting, thought Willow.

Before she said anything he walked to the steps and sat beside her.

Oddly enough, she started to talk about her day with this weird stranger beside her. Something about the man made her comfortable talking to him.

He kept asking questions as she talked. What started about work turned into talking about her whole life’s problems.

The stranger, Michael, didn’t once blame her for anything- even if somethings were her fault. He just listened; Something she appreciated a lot.

Before Willow knew it- she had been talking for over an hour straight.

“I’m sorry” she said, realizing she’s been rambling for some time, “I feel like an idiot laying this all on you” she said.

Michael smiled, “don’t apologize- seems like you’ve had a lot to say” he spoke, “And seems like you’re fixed on mistakes, Willow” he replied.

“Cause mistakes is all I make” she replied defensively.

“Everyone’s going to make mistakes, Willow. The only mistakes that stick with us are the ones we let. In a world full of mistakes, and a life filled with them- it’s too heavy of a burden to carry each and every one” he replied.

She laughed a little, “Maybe you are a Guardian Angel, Michael” she said jokingly.

He smiled, “Can I tell you a story?” he asked.

“Is it going to be about Heaven? Cause I don’t know if I can keep up with your charade” she replied.

He smiled and bumped into her jokingly, “could you put up with it ONE last time, today?” he asked, “It’s a story of one very BIG mistake I made”.

“Just one?” she asked.

“I’ve made many, but this was life altering” he replied.

Willow smiled in excitement, “please do share” she said.

Michael began his story as a young Angel in Heaven…

Heaven, in the way Michael had explained it, is similar to Earth in the sense of different regions, oceans, and people. As an Angel, he said, we worked at the headquarters of it- a dimension of Heaven.

Willow didn’t even try to make sense on how he was describing it, and let him go on uninterrupted- even when he talked about God.

As a small Angel, Michael liked to explore his father’s workplace when he could.

Occasionally he would get a chance to go on God’s giant computer- something God allowed with his visits.

“If you ever get signed out, use my password: ‘Cool Boss’, to sign back in” he would tell Michael before leaving the office.

On the screens were apps of all different kinds- apps to create worlds and characters- charts for weather and catastrophe’s- everything God would need to maintain the universe- this computer had it.

On this particular day, Michael asked about Earth- a world he knew was important, but never knew why.

God opened up an application on his desktop and showed the world with every single detail it could have.

A secretary Angel then came into God’s office.

“What is it, Grace” asked God.

She looked visibly frustrated, “It’s that new tech guy you hired”.

“Yeah, Lucifer” he replied.

“Well, he’s thinking it’s funny to have some of the staff get bombarded with password change requests. All the secretary computers are being repeated with it” she said.

God sighed, “Let’s go talk to him”.

He told Michael to not touch anything else in the office as they both left, but not before putting a “view-only” restriction on the computer.

Michael starred at the computer, still awed with every little detail on it.

Michael looked at the world- seeing charts and numbers flash across every inch of the screen. There were large sized creatures walking all over the place.

He tapped the space bar. Nothing happened.

He began tapping at each individual key on the keyboard until something came up on the screen.

It read: “Reset your password”

He tried to click out of it, but couldn’t.

Michael looked out the door and saw no one, and wondered what to do.

He looked at it: Reset your password.

He clicked on it and then it read the prompt: “Enter current password, enter new password”.

Michael slowly typed into the keys: “Cool Boss”, and typed under the new password: “Michael”.

The screen flashed and went back to the image of Earth, but now there were more buttons on it with a small caption on the top that read: EDIT MODE.

He clicked on the screen and suddenly the image of earth changed- it was now a small dot surrounded by stars and galaxies.

His mouse unknowingly hovered over a comet, and he clicked again- unsure what he was doing, but was entertained by the changes the screen he was making.

After a few more clicks and random taps on the keyboard, the prompt for the password change happened again. He typed in his current password “Miachel”, but couldn’t figure out a new password.

An idea came to him and a wide grin appeared on his face. He laid out his hands and smashed the keyboard- causing all kinds of numbers and symbols to pop up.

He was back to the screen that showed the galaxies and worlds.

Michael realized that if he clicked and dragged the mouse- then the figure on the screen would move to it.

He clicked on a comet, at random, and then dragged it to Earth. A box came up that read: Are you sure?

He clicked: continue, curious and intrigued by the game he was playing.

Suddenly the screen began to flash red right before a txt came up requesting a third password change.

Michael laid out his hands the same way he did before and smashed the keyboard randomly.

“Not current password” the screen read.

He was confused- he did the same thing before and now it’s not working.

While he continued to smash the keyboard again and again a countdown continued in the background. It was now at 15.

God suddenly rushed in the room with several secretary angels behind him- knowing that something was wrong in the computer. He saw the countdown at 10.

God typed in: Cool Boss

“Not current password”

He figured he made a typo, and typed it in again: C.O.O.L B.O.S.S.

“Not current password”

The countdown was now at 6.

“Ugghhh, Michael” he began, now worried, “What did you change the password to??”.

Michael laid out his hands flat one more time and smashed the keyboard randomly. It still didn’t work.

God’s eyes widened with disbelief as the countdown continued in the background.

5

4

3

2

1

The computer then read: “Detonation of Dinosaur species complete: Comet has reach Earth.”

Michael looked up at God who had a pained expression on his face. It was an expression mixed with frustration, anxiety, anger, and sadness all in one.

A couple of the secretary angels immediately escorted Michael out of the office where God remained silent- still eying his monitor with that same expression, and looking at the “change your password” request.

God picked up the phone at his desk and dialed HR, “Hey, its God. I think it’s time to let Lucifer go”.

“It wasn’t till centuries later I realized what the cost of my mistake was” said Michael as he finished the story.

Willow starred blankly at the man, “You’re telling me you caused the extinction of the dinosaurs?” she asked in disbelief.

Michael smiled shyly, “and you thought YOUR mistakes were big”.

“And God just let you off without any punishment?” she asked.

He nodded, “I talked to him as I grew older and he told me the same thing I told you: Everyone’s going to make mistakes. The only mistakes that stick with us are the ones we let. In a world full of mistakes, and a life filled with them- it’s too heavy of a burden to carry each and every one” he said.

He also added that a new rule went into effect immediately after- no children at the workplace.

Willow smiled and laughed, “I guess I’m not so bad” she said.

“That’s the spirit” replied Michael who was laughing along with her.

The door suddenly opened behind her, and Willow saw her aunt popping her head out.

“You’ve been out here for hours, Willow” said aunt Berry, “Is everything ok?”

Before she was going to tell her about Michael, she realized he was suddenly gone.

Willow looked around in disbelief. The streets were empty. The man suddenly vanished.

Her aunt looked at her for a moment before calling her inside.

A small smile appeared on Willow’s face as she realized the truth of it- perhaps Michael really was her Guardian Angel.

As Willow stepped inside the house, her aunt asked why she wasn’t at work, and Willow told her about how she got fired. Mistakes happen, aunt Berry said. Willow’s heart lit up and she smiled at the comment.

She sat down at her computer and started looking for another job, when a prompt suddenly appeared.

It read: “reset your password”