A Heavenly Christmas: An Angel Falls

ick heard the thump just as he saw the dark shape hit his window.  He ripped open the door only to find himself in a blizard so thick that he couldn't see the figure outside his window less than a foot away.  He reached out into the blinding snow grasping soft cotton.  He continued gropping until at last he felt an arm beneath the cotton.  He knew if he moved from the step he'd loos his way back so he pulled the dead weight toward him until he felt a body lean against him.  He barely managed to pull them inside and close the door.  He had never known such intense weather.  The thought barely flitted accross his mind that he would not likely be able to go to work in the morning.

 

He looked down at the snow covered body laying on his floor.  She was simply the purest thing he had ever seen.  Why he thought of her in that way he had no guess, but no other word would fit her so perfect.  Her hair was silver; not blond, not white, but silver.  Her face was the palest cream.  He was sure her eyes must be blue beneath those heavy lashes.  Her lips were softly parted and, like Prince Charming in a fairy tale, he had to kiss them. 

 

Unlike the fairy tales it didn't wake her but it did help him realize how cold she was.  How long had she been out there?  It looked as though she were dressed in an oldfashioned night gown.  She looked more like a child than a woman, but the curves beneath her gown were far from childlike.  He gathered her in his arms and stood, suddenly regretting the tequila he had earlier.  He stood for a moment holding her cold body close.  "How romantic," he thought.  "I have a beautiful woman in my arms and I'm holding her tight so that her cold body can keep me from throwing up.  Thank God she's unconscious!"

 

It took a few seconds, but at last Nick regained control of himself.  He had no idea how this woman could smell like roses in winter.  He carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her down on the bed.  He wrapped the blankets around her freezing frame and left the room to find anything else he could use to cover her.  He had never regretted how sparse his apartment was.  Now he wished he had taken the time to purchase some of the things every home had.  Like extra blankets.  Since he had none, he turned the heat up and used bath towels for what extra warmth they could provide. 

 

She had begun to shiver with the faintest whimpers of pain.  Nick was beside himself.  He had never had to take care of another person before.  What was he suppossed to do?  Then it came to him: body warmth.  "She's probably going to wake up and deck me," he thought, but still Nick crawled under the covers next to her and wrapped her in his arms.  The whimpering was replaced by a soft sigh.  Soon her shivering stopped and Nick could feel warmth begin to flow into her cold limbs.

 

Throughout the night Nick lay there holding this strange woman.  He gazed at her face, memorizing each detail: the way her lashes curled slightly at the end, the fullness of her bottom lip.  There was something about this woman that made him want to protect her.  He wondered what had lead him to his door in this kind of weather.  "She must be a new neighbor who got lost," he thought.  He gathered her hand to check for a ring.  There was no sign of any jewlry.  He smiled at that lacing his fingers through hers.

 

He started as he looked again at her face and saw that she was now observing him.  "Hello," she spoke in a near whisper.  It was almost as if she didn't know how to use her voice.

 

"Hi," Nick whispered back.  "You were cold.  I hope you're feeling better."

 

"I...I...well, I'm not too cold now I guess."  With each word her voice got stronger.  It was so soft with a delicate suggestion of...was that bells?

 

"That's a start.  Would you like something warm to eat or drink?  I could make some coffee.  I might even have some tea.  You should really have some soup."  Nick made the suggestions, but did nothing to get any of these things.  For some reason he was very reluctant to let go of her.  It was as if by letting go she would disapear into the storm that brought her to him.

 

"I, I'm not sure I've ever had those things."

 

Nick took a hard look at her.  He had seen the bruise over her right eye.  Now he wondered if it wasn't more serious.  "What do you mean you don't know if you've ever had those things?"  Nick was suddenly all business.  Even though he had spent nearly all night awake he was now alert as though it were mid-day.

 

"I really, I mean I...I just don't remember."

 

"Let's start with the basics:  what's your name?"  He noticed the startled expression as she discovered she didn't know.

 

"How about where you live?"  She started to shake her head then her bewildered face grimiced in pain.  "Let's start slow.  What's the last thing you remember?"  The tear that formed in the corner of her eye was a dagger in his gut.  "No, no, no!  That's ok," he said as he gathered her tight to him again.  "Don't mind about that.  Old Saint Nick will keep you safe from the storm.  You just rest here and don't you worry about a thing.  We'll take care of all that later."  Nick rocked her gently cooing, "don't you worry.  Don't you worry about a thing," untill at last he felt her relax into sleep again.

 

About the only thing Nick was sure of was that she had a concussion and shouldn't sleep for long.  A few minutes wouldn't hurt anything though, so he carefully rolled away from her and slipped out of the bed.  He soothed her sleepy distress and went to the kitchen to make soup.  Nick didn't keep much in the house.  He didn't often cook for himself, but he found a couple cans of chicken soup and quickly prepared some for the woman.

 

As the soup warmed, he took a concerned look at his pantry.  If that storm was as bad as it apeared, they would both be in trouble soon.  He didn't have any supplies for a long stay.  He went to his window to peek out, but it was covered in white frosting.  He could see a flaw in the natural patern where her head had apparently struck the glass.  He carefully opened the door.  His car was completely burried in snow.  Still it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.  The storm had obviously died as quickly as it started.  He wasn't going to make it to work on time if at all, but by the afternoon he might be able to make it to the corner store at least. 

 

He returned to the kitchen to find the soup ready.  Using a cookie sheet as a tray, Nick carried the unusual breakfast into the bedroom and set it on his desk.  He carefully sat on the side of the bed and stroked the woman's hair softly whispering, "Hey...hey.  I need you to wake up."  Nick felt somewhat bewildered by not having a name to use then it came to him:  she was like some kind of snow angel that came out of the blizzard so that's what he'd call her.  "Angel I have some soup for you."

 

As soon as the word "angel" came from his mouth her eyes popped wideopen.  "What did you call me?"

 

"Angel.  I, um, I decided you were like a snow angel and since I didn't know your name...."  His voice trailed off.  He couldn't read her reaction.  Did he spark some kind of memory?  With her colouring he wouldn't be surprised if her name really was Angel.  She was trying to sit up so he stood to help her, reminding her to be careful.  She was pale with the effort of sitting so he sat down again and held her hands until she regained her color.

 

Brushing her hair from her face he gently asked, "Ok now?"  She started to nod, but thought better of it and answered in the affirmative.  Nick rescued the soup and sat with her as she ate it.  When she was done she looked better than he had yet seen her so he felt she might be more capable of answering questions.  "How are you feeling?"

 

"Better.  Thank you."

 

"If you're up to it, I think we should try to figure out where you came from.  Do you remember anything?  Anything at all?"

 

Angel screwed up her features with concentration.  "I remember falling.  It was all white like I was falling from the clouds.  And then...then there was you."

 

"That actually makes sense.  Obviously you did fall.  The bruise on your forehead is evidence enough of that.  And I can see how a blizzard can be like clouds...cold clouds, but clouds none the less.  That still leaves us where we started from.  Is there anything else you can remember?  Anything at all?"

 

"Yes!" she exclaimed so suddenly Nick jumped.  "I have to do something before Christmas!"  He could tell by her expression that she was excited to remember this, but it wasn't at all helpful.  Still he smiled at her.  Angel gasped and reached up to touch his cheek.  "You smiled."

 

"Yes," he said smilling a bit wider.  She seemed so pleased at something so simple he couldn't help but be pleased himself.

 

"That's something you haven't done in a long time," she whispered.

 

Nick frowned.  "How do you know that?"

 

"I don't know.  I'm just sure of it.  You haven't been happy for a while.  For a long while.  Seeing you smile made my heart leap."  Angel sounded unsure of herself.  He couldn't tell if it was from her faulty memory or if it was because he was obviouly upset.  What he did know was, he didn't like the fact that she seemed to know more about him than about herself.

 

In a voice that was a bit gruffer than he planned he asked, "Why were you outside during a storm in your nightgown?  You have to be at least staying here close."

 

Her whole frame seemed to cower at his displeasure.  "I'm sorry.  I just don't remember."  He heard the tears in her voice before they surfaced.  He was determined to ignore the pain in his heart.

 

"Do we know each other?  Have we met before?"

 

"No, I don't think we've met, but I know I've seen you before.  I...I've seen you several times.  I just can't remember where."  Nick thought for a moment.  Well, that was quite possible.  If she lived close by she probably had seen him before.  But he was sure he would have rememebered someone like her in the neighborhood.  Maybe she had seen him at the bar.  It was dark in there and he usually didn't pay much attention.  He was sure that hair would have picked up any light atracting his attention though.  Still, for some reason he was sure Angel was being completely honest with him.

 

"Look, I'm going to make a few phone calls.  Here's the remote for the tv.  I'll be right back."  He turned on the television and stepped into the living room. 

 

Angel looked at "the remote" in her hand.  It was a flat black box with buttons on it.  She wasn't sure what she was supossed to do with it.  She looked up at the box he called a tv.  "Oh!"  she exclaimed.  Nick hurried in with another odd shaped box held to the side of his head.  "I've seen that!  We have one of these, except it's round!"

 

"You have a round tv?" Nick asked in a strange voice.

 

"Yes!  But we don't call it a tv.  I think...I think I've seen a tv before though."  It was obvious Angel was thinking hard.  "But I seem to remember people who were gone....oh!  I know.  Videos!" 

 

Nick shook his head.  He couldn't understand why she was so happy to remember watching a home video; for him the idea contained nothing but bad memories.  "Yeah.  Ok.  That's good.  Just keep remembering what you can.  I'll be right back."

 

Nick re-entered the living room.  A level 3 snow emergancy ahd been declared so he didn't need to worry about work.  All the guys had been called and since they had worked so hard this week, all his deliveries were on the road all ready.  They only thing he had to worry about was last minute orders and, since they weren't garunteed, he could relax and enjoy this improptu day off.  Except that he had a strange woman in his bed.  He smiled at the idea.  This had the potential to be the best day off he'd had in a long while. 

 

He peeked in at Angel.  She was absolutely inthralled by a comercial for Cambell's soup.  Nicked went to re-asses thier situation thinking about how they could keep themselves occupied for the day.  With a sigh he realized that there was no way he could do the things he was thinking about with Angel.  She was just too...pure.  Too bad he hadn't let that vixen from the bar the other night stay over.  Now that would have been a fun woman to be snowed in with. 

 

After a quick and disapointing inventory of his pantry, he once again checked the situation outside.  Even if he could get his car out of it's parking space, he wasn't going to be able to get far, so he was going to have to hoof it.  He stepped back in the door.  This was going to require extra layers.  Nick went into the bedroom and began to pull out more clothes to put on what he was already wearing.  Angel watched him with thoughtful eyes. Nick assumed she wanted to know what eh was doing so he outlined the situation ending it with "you'll have to stay in bed until I get back.  You've got a concussion so you could hurt yourself worse if you go moving around too much.....What?"  She had not stopped staring at him since he entered the room.  he wasn't even sure if she had heard anything he'd said.

 

"Was that Campbell's soup you gave me?"

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"Was that Campbell's soup?"

 

"Yeah, actually I think it was.  Why?"

 

He was completely overwhelmed by her expression.  In his whole life he had never seen anything more beautiful. 

 

"The tv told me Campbell's soup is for the ones you love.  And love is the greatest gift of all.  Even I remember that.  I don't think I've ever been loved before, except by god of course."

 

Nick sat down hard in his desk chair.  He was completely stunned.  She didn't just believe the comercial, she believed the comercial.  She thought he gave he soup because he loved her.  He had no clue what to do.  He was afraid that the magnificant expression would go away if he explained to her the ideas behind making comercials.  He also knew that no matter what, he did not want to see her expression if her heart was broken.  He'd figure out a way to tell her while he walked to the store.

 

"Right.  Campbell's soup.  Is there anything else you want from the store?  Anything you particularly like?"

 

"A Big Mac, Cocoa Puffs-wait, I don't want to go co-co.  That doesn't sound nice.  How about that doll that cries and wets her diaper.  Oh!  And I've got to have some of that silly putty stuff."

 

Nick shook his head.  Was it possible that this woman had never seen a comercial?  "Angel, sweetheart.  They aren't likely to have those things at the store I'm going to.  Do you have a favorite kind of food?  Something simple that a small store might have?"

 

"Oh.  I've never been to a store.  And I really don't remember having any kind of food before your soup this morning."

 

Nick just stared for a moment then shook his head and stood up.  "Stay there.  I'll be back as soon as I can."

 

"Um, Nick?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"I'm feeling, well, a little uncomfortable."  Angel was shifting back and forth.  Nick finally understood.

 

"Oh!  The bathroom's right here.  Let me help you get up."  Nick gently helped her rise and walk the few steps to the bathroom.  "Do you want me to wait?"

 

"No!  That's ok.  I've got it."  With that she shut the door.  She stood listening for him to leave.  When at last she heard the outside door close, Angel turned to look at the strange chair in this room.  "Ok, he said this was the bathroom.  I've heard people talking about "using the bathroom".  What on earth do they use it for?" 

 

By now Angel wasn't just uncomfortable, she was doubled over in pain.  She just had to sit down. She looked at the bathroom chair.  She noticed the hole in the top with water standing in the bottom.  "Oh!  It's a tv!  She looked into it, but no pictures came.  After a few short moments she realized it wasn't a tv or it wouldn't be shaped like a chair.  She tentatively turned around and sat on it.  "What a silly chair!" she exclaimed. 

 

Then she had an idea.  Somehow she knew this was a naked room so she took off her nightgown and sat on the bathroom chair again.  She noticed several knobs in the room.  No one was around and Angel was bored so she twisted the one closest to her.  As soon as the water poured into the tub her eyes turned into wide saucers.  The pain left and she stood up looking into the bathroom chair.  "Ohhh!" she said with sudden understanding.  She looked at the chair closer.  There must be someway to get fresh water again.  On the back of the chair was a lever.  So she pushed it.  All the dirty water swirlled away as clean water came in.  "Oh!"  she said again and pushed the lever.  After a few more times of just watching the water she noticed the roll of thin paper nearby.  She pulled it off one sheet at a time watching the water pull it down and away. 

 

She realized she had forgotten to turn the knob off again.  She twisted it on and off, on and off.  Then she reached for the second knob.  It didn't do anything.  The third knob did the same as the first one.  She sat back and looked at the three knobs.  Then she reached out and turned the first two knobs together.  Water splashed down on her head making her sputter, "Cold! Cold! Cold!" until she turned it off again.  She looked at the curtain hanging next to her.  Slowly she pulled it until the knobs were in thier own room type thing.  Then she reached in and turned the second and third knobs.  This time the water was hot.  Angel turned and twisted the knobs until the water was a perfect temperature. 

 

She carefully stepped into the stream of water.  "Oh that's much better!"  She saw bottles of pretty liquid and recognized it from the tv.  It wasn't exactly the same, but it had to be used for the same thing.  Just like the lady on the comercial she squeezed it into her hand and rubbed it all over her head.  "Ow, ow, ow!"  her eyes burned.  Angel closed her eyes and rubbed them until they stopped watering.  "They didn't show that on the tv!"  She poured more into her hand and soaped up her arms just like the other lady did then she looked down.  If they didn't show the lady getting soap in her eyes, maybe they didn't show everything.  Angel decided she'd assume some things.

 

Once Angel had cleaned everything and rinsed off all the soap, she turned the knobs so the water would go away and opened the curtain.  She didn't want to put her nightgown back on while she was wet so she grabbed the cloth hanging on the wall and dried off.  By this time she was barely able to put her gown back on and make it to the bed.  Her head ached terribly and she just wanted to rest. 

 

 

Nick returned home frozen and exhausted.  He was thankful that the owners lived just above thier store though.  They had opened today just incase some of the locals needed soemthing.  He had gotten as much as he could carry.  He was also thankful he lived in the days of easy to carry plastic bags that didn't fall apart when they got wet instead of the old paper bags.   He dropped everything on the kitchen counter and began to take of the outside layers.  He dropped them in the kitchen and went in to check on Angel.  Aparently she had managed to take a shower.  Her hair was poorly wraped in his towel and wet tendrils lay accross her pale face.  Nick frowned and checked her  pulse.  She over-exherted herself.  He'd make some lunch before he woke her up.

 

Nick went back to the kitchen for more soup.  A few minutes later he was also showered and the soup was ready.  Once again Nick gently woke Angel.  "Angel."  His hands stroked her face.  "Saint Nick is back with more soup," he whispered.  Angel opened her eyes and smiled.  Nick thought he'd never recover from that smile.

 

"Soup!  Is it Campbell's?"  Nick was sure Campbell's soup would be her favorite food from now on.

 

"Yes, darling.  It is.  Here."  Nick couldn't help smiling when she smiled.  "That smile will be usefull if he have a black out," he thought to himself.  He watched as she ate her soup with one eye on the tv.

 

"What are they doing?"  she asked pointing to the screen.  He turned to see what was on.

 

He swallowed hard.  She was watching a soap opera and he didn't quite know how to explain the bodies under the sheet.  He figured he'd keep it simple.  "They're having sex."

 

"Ohhh!" she said with her eyes wide.  "They show that on tv?"

 

Well at least she knew what sex was.  "Yeah, sometimes."

 

"Why?"

 

Nick was silent for a moment.  Then he realized that an honest answer was going to be the best answer.  "I don't know," he said with a shrug.  "Hey!  I got something for you!" he said and went back to the kitchen.  When he returned he held out both closed fists to her.  "Pick a hand."  Angel chose the right hand and was delighted to see his uncurling fingers reveal Silly Putty!  In the other hand he held Silly Putty in green.

 

"Green's my favorite color!" she exclaimed.  "Oh thank you!" and punctuated it with a kiss on his cheek.  Nick didn't know what to say so he sat in silent pleasure watching her experiment with this simple child's toy.  After about an hour, Nick relalized that if she was that enthralled with Silly Putty, he had plenty of other things that she would probably enjoy.  He went to the hall closet and pulledout the few games he had.  For the rest of the afternoon they were like two children enjoying the simple pleasure of spending time together. 

 

In the late evening, after they had played each game at least twice, Nick and Angel sat curled up watching tv.  His arm curled around her and she lay her head on his shoulder in quiet contentment.  They had an enjoyable day but there was still the problem of her identity.  He had called the leasing office with her description, but no one there remembered her.  He had to face it.  He was going to have to call the police to see if she was missing.  That would wait until morning he decided.  He didn't want anyone to disturb the first peace he had had in years.

 

 

Venus watched the tv without really seeing it.  This felt good.  This wole day was just about perfect as far as she could tell.  Perfect except that tomorrow was Christmas Eve and she knew she had something that must be done by Christmas.  She also knew something horrible had happened that brought her to this place.  What would happen if she forgot everything?  If she forgot about where she came from and whatever happened to her and her assignment.  Her assignment?  What a strange way to think of it.  Either way, tomorrow was another day and for now she was content to enjoy this moment that she somehow knew she was not likely to ever experience again.