He sipped the aromatic hot liquid. His mind was obviously wandering elsewhere, far away from this sleepy kitchen and from his strange companion.

‘When I first saw her, she was only five,’ he finally spoke with his eyes closed, a faint smile on his thin lips. ‘She was running across a meadow, little curls bouncing in the wind, little feet pounding the new grass, little eyes shining with life and laughter. When children laugh, they laugh. And when they cry, they cry. They do it all wholeheartedly, they haven’t learned yet to be wise and wary.

‘Of course, I had seen a lot of little girls and a lot of little boys. I had seen them grow up, become bitter, angry, disappointed, anxious, crazy—and very seldom happy. I had seen them die young. I had seen them die old. But whether young or old, they always died, all those little girls and little boys, they all ended up dead...’

He opened his eyes and faced the white haze.

‘So, I did know that there would be an end. But that’s life—it’s all about endings that always become new beginnings. Things always change, and that’s how it should be… If you came for me, then I’m ready.’

The formless cloud shifted uneasily.

‘You are so matter-of-fact about it. No requests for extension?’

Nagel chuckled.

‘Am I getting special treatment? When the time’s up, it’s up.’

His companion sighed.

‘Your time’s up. Gabriel has sent me to fetch you. You’ve been promoted.’

Nagel gasped.

‘Promoted? I thought I had resigned!’

‘Well, think again. If angels start resigning, who’s gonna do the dirty work and clean it all up? Officially, you were granted a leave of absence. And now they want you back on the job.’

‘But… what about Alyson?’

‘Dunno. You’ll have to ask the boss. Didn’t you say her health’s failing anyway?’

‘That’s right, but…’

‘Sorry, I have my orders. You come with me—now.’

With a look of utter astonishment on his face, Nagel clutched at his chest. His body crumpled in the chair.