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  ~~~ Somewhere up in Heaven~~~

    “You’re going to what?!” Michael gasped. He was sure he hadn’t heard correctly. How could anyone suggest something so incredibly dangerous and stupid to put themselves through?

    “I’m going to jump,” Daniel said plainly, looking down past the cloud plane and smiling as if there was nothing wrong with the idea.

    Michael couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He anxiously raked his fingers through his snow-white hair and look around, stammering, trying to come up with the right words to convince his friend not to do the unthinkable.

    “Daniel,” Michael finally sputtered, still in disbelief, “you can’t be serious. You have to be out of your mind to want to do this! Please tell me you’re joking.”

    “I’m completely serious, Michael,” he stated, looking back up at his friend with excitement brimming in his eyes. “I’ve been thinking about doing it for a while now, actually.”

    Michael stopped and turned back to his friend, confused.

    “What do you mean, ‘for a while now’? You mean you’ve actually put thought into this and this isn’t just some stupid thought that just came to you when you were bored?” he questioned, even more alarmed now.

    Daniel smirked. “You mean you haven’t thought about doing it from time to time?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

    “No, Daniel. I haven’t exactly been entertaining the thought of giving up my salvation in exchange for perpetual self-inflicted damnation,” Michael retorted. “And I can’t seem to find any rational reason for why you would want to either! So please, enlighten me to your thought pattern here.”

    Daniel simply chuckled and looked down, shaking his head in amusement.

    “I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Daniel sighed, looking back down past the clouds distantly. “You’re so…pure and level-headed. You take things as they are and roll with it until something else comes along, and even then, you’re so resistant to change. It makes me wonder whether or not you’re even being true to your own feelings about wanting to stay here. I mean, don’t you just get bored of it all sometimes?” He took a quick glance over at Michael. “Don’t you want to know what else the afterlife has to offer?”

    Michael crossed his arms and looked away, frustrated. What was so wrong with living a perfect life in Heaven? What was it that made Daniel so desperately lust after that he wanted to give up his salvation and freedom in favor of?

    Sighing, Michael finally spoke up again. “You’re right, Daniel. I don’t understand. I don’t understand why you would want to do this to yourself. To me. To your family. How do you think they’re going to feel once they find out about all of this? I can tell you one thing: they aren’t going to be happy, and neither will I.”

    A devious grin snaked across Daniel’s face.

    “Who says they have to find out?” he queried smoothly, looking back down.

    Michael’s eyes widened and he suddenly became aware of how serious Daniel was at this point.

    “If you won’t tell them, then I will, Daniel. If you won’t listen to me then at least if I can get someone else in on this then it might make you change your mind about the stupid decision you’re about to make.”

    Daniel scoffed. “Oh, come on, Michael. It can’t be that bad. I mean, tons of angels used to do it all the time way back in the day. What makes now any different.”

    Michael was starting to get angry at Daniel’s oblivious arrogance. He grabbed the back of Daniel’s shirt and yanked him back from the edge and spun him around. Then, getting right up in his face, Michael stared him directly in the eye and decided to lay down some hard truth.

    “Daniel, those angels you’re talking about fell because they abandoned God and have been imprisoned indefinitely for their disobedience until the final Judgement Day. They aren’t living it up in some sort of paradise like you’re imagining. They’re most likely imprisoned in a realm of eternal darkness with their wings chained to the ground so they can’t fly if they even still have their wings at all. They chose to follow Lucifer and engage in blasphemy and now they’re paying for it by not getting to experience the grace of God or Heaven anymore. Their freedom has been revoked and until God’s son comes back to judge the world, they’re going to stay there in darkness and solitude. And even when the final day comes, they still aren’t guaranteed their freedom afterward. Scripture says they will be judged for their crimes, and only God knows what’s going to happen to them. Do you really want to compare yourself to them?”

    Daniel stood there, silent, eyes wide in shock. He had never seen Michael so serious before. It made him speechless. He knew that the first angels had left Heaven in search of better things, but he had never really studied any of the Scriptures to really know what happened to them. He just assumed they had become rogue angels that had the freedom to do whatever they wanted without fear of consequence, given that they were no longer tied to the laws of Heaven. He never realized how seriously this decision could impact his life.

    “I…Michael, I… I didn’t know…” He was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to respond to such a hardcore assertion.

    Michael sighed and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

    “Don’t you see? This is exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. You can’t just make ill-judged decisions without first seeking council about it. It could lead to your eternal demise if you aren’t careful.”

    Daniel stood there looking at his friend. His best friend. The first person he had met when he came to Heaven, besides his Guardian. They were so close. They did everything together: training, racing each other through the skies to see who the faster flier was. Of course, Michael would always win the race, given that he was a track star back when he was alive, and his speed on the track carried over into his speed in the air, but Daniel wasn’t too far behind. They would spend their free time together just hanging out and watching the sunset some days. On others they would practice their gifts together, Michael’s being healing and Daniel’s being the ability to speak in tongues. Did he really want to give all that up for his own selfish desires?

    “You’re right, Michael,” he finally said, straightening up. “I guess I never really thought about it that way.”

    Michael breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, you understand.”

    “Yeah, I think I do. And I think I’ll take your advice, too,” Daniel admitted, smiling.

    This made Michael smile as well. Finally, he had gotten through to his friend.

    “I’ll just make sure I stay careful while I’m down there.” Daniel reached up and grabbed hold of his halo, removing it from above his head.

    Michael became alarmed.

    “Wait. What are you—“ Michael started.

    Suddenly, Daniel shoved the ring of light into Michael’s hands and gave him a quick hug.

    “Say goodbye to my parent’s for me, will ya?” Daniel said with a wink. And with that, he turned around and jumped off the cloud.

    “Wait! NO!” Michael reached out to try and grab hold of Daniel’s shirt, but it was too late. Daniel had already fallen too far down to catch him.

    Michael stood there, stunned. Immobilized in disbelief as to what just happened. His friend, his best friend, just turned his back on him. Even after all they had been through, it wasn’t enough to keep him there. He knelt down and leaned over the edge, still cupping the ring of light in his hands. He could see Daniel’s form growing smaller and smaller the further he fell away.

    Suddenly, a swirling red and black portal opened up below Daniel. He looked up, winked and gave a thumbs up, and disappeared into the swirling mass. A loud, thunderous crack sounded and the portal warped closed and disappeared, leaving a few streaks of lightning in its wake across the sky.

    Michael looked down at the golden ring in his hands. As soon as the portal closed, its glow significantly weakened. Then it flickered, went out, and disintegrated in his palms. A gentle breeze rolled in and swept away the tiny flakes from his hands. He couldn’t believe it. Daniel did it. He actually fell from grace of his own accord. He was gone now, forever. His best friend was gone, and he would never get him back.

    Stinging tears began forming in Michael’s eyes. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Sorrow wasn’t supposed to be experienced in Heaven. So why did it feel like his heart was being ripped apart? He was scared, angry, distressed, and heartbroken. He needed solace and comfort right now, and the best place to get that was at home, where he could worship and pray in peace. He would seek counsel from the Father, the way he always had before. He would always feel better afterward. It was the only thing he could think of doing at the moment.

    He stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes and started the long walk home. His hair hung in his eyes, shadowing them from any passersby. He didn’t want to have to share this experience with anyone else right now but the only one who could help him.

    As he finally got back to his home, he looked up at the sky one last time at the setting sun. It would be the last one that he got to share with his best friend. It always gave him warm feelings to watch the sun go down below the clouds, only to resurface moments later in the other end of the sky. The sun never really set in Heaven, it just sort of traveled around, keeping everything continually lit, but for once—just once—Michael wished that it would go down, and that he could experience the cool comfort of night time once more. But that wasn’t how God had planned it. There was no darkness in Heaven. No sin. No wrongdoing. Just perfect grace and love, forever. And yet, things like this could still happen…

    There was nothing Michael could do to change things now. What happened happened. The only thing he could do was seek counsel and pray that Daniel would somehow make his way back to grace one day.

    He opened the door and went in, closing it behind him. He went to his prayer room, the most sacred room in his home, and began crying out in worship and in prayer, tears streaming down his face. He needed this more than ever right now. He knew of no other way to calm the raging storm of emotions inside him.

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  ~~~ Somewhere up in Heaven~~~

    “You’re going to what?!” Michael gasped. He was sure he hadn’t heard correctly. How could anyone suggest something so incredibly dangerous and stupid to put themselves through?

    “I’m going to jump,” Daniel said plainly, looking down past the cloud plane and smiling as if there was nothing wrong with the idea.

    Michael couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He anxiously raked his fingers through his snow-white hair and look around, stammering, trying to come up with the right words to convince his friend not to do the unthinkable.

    “Daniel,” Michael finally sputtered, still in disbelief, “you can’t be serious. You have to be out of your mind to want to do this! Please tell me you’re joking.”

    “I’m completely serious, Michael,” he stated, looking back up at his friend with excitement brimming in his eyes. “I’ve been thinking about doing it for a while now, actually.”

    Michael stopped and turned back to his friend, confused.

    “What do you mean, ‘for a while now’? You mean you’ve actually put thought into this and this isn’t just some stupid thought that just came to you when you were bored?” he questioned, even more alarmed now.

    Daniel smirked. “You mean you haven’t thought about doing it from time to time?” he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

    “No, Daniel. I haven’t exactly been entertaining the thought of giving up my salvation in exchange for perpetual self-inflicted damnation,” Michael retorted. “And I can’t seem to find any rational reason for why you would want to either! So please, enlighten me to your thought pattern here.”

    Daniel simply chuckled and looked down, shaking his head in amusement.

    “I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Daniel sighed, looking back down past the clouds distantly. “You’re so…pure and level-headed. You take things as they are and roll with it until something else comes along, and even then, you’re so resistant to change. It makes me wonder whether or not you’re even being true to your own feelings about wanting to stay here. I mean, don’t you just get bored of it all sometimes?” He took a quick glance over at Michael. “Don’t you want to know what else the afterlife has to offer?”

    Michael crossed his arms and looked away, frustrated. What was so wrong with living a perfect life in Heaven? What was it that made Daniel so desperately lust after that he wanted to give up his salvation and freedom in favor of?

    Sighing, Michael finally spoke up again. “You’re right, Daniel. I don’t understand. I don’t understand why you would want to do this to yourself. To me. To your family. How do you think they’re going to feel once they find out about all of this? I can tell you one thing: they aren’t going to be happy, and neither will I.”

    A devious grin snaked across Daniel’s face.

    “Who says they have to find out?” he queried smoothly, looking back down.

    Michael’s eyes widened and he suddenly became aware of how serious Daniel was at this point.

    “If you won’t tell them, then I will, Daniel. If you won’t listen to me then at least if I can get someone else in on this then it might make you change your mind about the stupid decision you’re about to make.”

    Daniel scoffed. “Oh, come on, Michael. It can’t be that bad. I mean, tons of angels used to do it all the time way back in the day. What makes now any different.”

    Michael was starting to get angry at Daniel’s oblivious arrogance. He grabbed the back of Daniel’s shirt and yanked him back from the edge and spun him around. Then, getting right up in his face, Michael stared him directly in the eye and decided to lay down some hard truth.

    “Daniel, those angels you’re talking about fell because they abandoned God and have been imprisoned indefinitely for their disobedience until the final Judgement Day. They aren’t living it up in some sort of paradise like you’re imagining. They’re most likely imprisoned in a realm of eternal darkness with their wings chained to the ground so they can’t fly if they even still have their wings at all. They chose to follow Lucifer and engage in blasphemy and now they’re paying for it by not getting to experience the grace of God or Heaven anymore. Their freedom has been revoked and until God’s son comes back to judge the world, they’re going to stay there in darkness and solitude. And even when the final day comes, they still aren’t guaranteed their freedom afterward. Scripture says they will be judged for their crimes, and only God knows what’s going to happen to them. Do you really want to compare yourself to them?”

    Daniel stood there, silent, eyes wide in shock. He had never seen Michael so serious before. It made him speechless. He knew that the first angels had left Heaven in search of better things, but he had never really studied any of the Scriptures to really know what happened to them. He just assumed they had become rogue angels that had the freedom to do whatever they wanted without fear of consequence, given that they were no longer tied to the laws of Heaven. He never realized how seriously this decision could impact his life.

    “I…Michael, I… I didn’t know…” He was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to respond to such a hardcore assertion.

    Michael sighed and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

    “Don’t you see? This is exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. You can’t just make ill-judged decisions without first seeking council about it. It could lead to your eternal demise if you aren’t careful.”

    Daniel stood there looking at his friend. His best friend. The first person he had met when he came to Heaven, besides his Guardian. They were so close. They did everything together: training, racing each other through the skies to see who the faster flier was. Of course, Michael would always win the race, given that he was a track star back when he was alive, and his speed on the track carried over into his speed in the air, but Daniel wasn’t too far behind. They would spend their free time together just hanging out and watching the sunset some days. On others they would practice their gifts together, Michael’s being healing and Daniel’s being the ability to speak in tongues. Did he really want to give all that up for his own selfish desires?

    “You’re right, Michael,” he finally said, straightening up. “I guess I never really thought about it that way.”

    Michael breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally, you understand.”

    “Yeah, I think I do. And I think I’ll take your advice, too,” Daniel admitted, smiling.

    This made Michael smile as well. Finally, he had gotten through to his friend.

    “I’ll just make sure I stay careful while I’m down there.” Daniel reached up and grabbed hold of his halo, removing it from above his head.

    Michael became alarmed.

    “Wait. What are you—“ Michael started.

    Suddenly, Daniel shoved the ring of light into Michael’s hands and gave him a quick hug.

    “Say goodbye to my parent’s for me, will ya?” Daniel said with a wink. And with that, he turned around and jumped off the cloud.

    “Wait! NO!” Michael reached out to try and grab hold of Daniel’s shirt, but it was too late. Daniel had already fallen too far down to catch him.

    Michael stood there, stunned. Immobilized in disbelief as to what just happened. His friend, his best friend, just turned his back on him. Even after all they had been through, it wasn’t enough to keep him there. He knelt down and leaned over the edge, still cupping the ring of light in his hands. He could see Daniel’s form growing smaller and smaller the further he fell away.

    Suddenly, a swirling red and black portal opened up below Daniel. He looked up, winked and gave a thumbs up, and disappeared into the swirling mass. A loud, thunderous crack sounded and the portal warped closed and disappeared, leaving a few streaks of lightning in its wake across the sky.

    Michael looked down at the golden ring in his hands. As soon as the portal closed, its glow significantly weakened. Then it flickered, went out, and disintegrated in his palms. A gentle breeze rolled in and swept away the tiny flakes from his hands. He couldn’t believe it. Daniel did it. He actually fell from grace of his own accord. He was gone now, forever. His best friend was gone, and he would never get him back.

    Stinging tears began forming in Michael’s eyes. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Sorrow wasn’t supposed to be experienced in Heaven. So why did it feel like his heart was being ripped apart? He was scared, angry, distressed, and heartbroken. He needed solace and comfort right now, and the best place to get that was at home, where he could worship and pray in peace. He would seek counsel from the Father, the way he always had before. He would always feel better afterward. It was the only thing he could think of doing at the moment.

    He stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes and started the long walk home. His hair hung in his eyes, shadowing them from any passersby. He didn’t want to have to share this experience with anyone else right now but the only one who could help him.

    As he finally got back to his home, he looked up at the sky one last time at the setting sun. It would be the last one that he got to share with his best friend. It always gave him warm feelings to watch the sun go down below the clouds, only to resurface moments later in the other end of the sky. The sun never really set in Heaven, it just sort of traveled around, keeping everything continually lit, but for once—just once—Michael wished that it would go down, and that he could experience the cool comfort of night time once more. But that wasn’t how God had planned it. There was no darkness in Heaven. No sin. No wrongdoing. Just perfect grace and love, forever. And yet, things like this could still happen…

    There was nothing Michael could do to change things now. What happened happened. The only thing he could do was seek counsel and pray that Daniel would somehow make his way back to grace one day.

    He opened the door and went in, closing it behind him. He went to his prayer room, the most sacred room in his home, and began crying out in worship and in prayer, tears streaming down his face. He needed this more than ever right now. He knew of no other way to calm the raging storm of emotions inside him.