The celestial bar was busy when Gabriel arrived. Puriel and Dokiel were slumped at the corner table, weary heads resting on their palms, sipping their drinks and not saying much. Raziel was at the end of the bar, shuffling papers in and out of his black briefcase, glancing around every time the golden locks clicked open or shut, ensuring that no one was paying him much mind. Conquest and War circled a billiards table, keeping unsteady time with the clacking of ivory balls punctuated by the heavy thumps of them falling into pockets.
“Hey, Gabriel,” Ariel said, turning away from his dart game. His opponent, Seraphiel, gave an acknowledging nod and started lining up his throw. “How’s it going?”
“Not too bad,” Gabriel murmured, scanning for the one he’d come to see. He didn’t have to look very far – not much changed night to night, and the broad back occupying the third stool to the right of the bar’s bend was right where it should have been.
He asked about some of the others in an attempt to not be rude, but as soon as he could, he excused himself. He tried to hurry, but kept needing to pause to smile and greet those who noticed him. Though he was well known, he was also easy to miss, especially without sounding his trumpet as he did on those formal occasions when his status needed recognizing. The space was a sea of wings and haloes, and, rising like rocks from the surf, the
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I am a writer and poet originally from Pennsylvania, but have been calling South Korea home for quite a while. While not teaching ESL to young children, I'm kept busy by my daughter and trying to find time to write. Other short fiction of mine has appeared in online journals such as Three Crows Magazine, Aurealis, and various anthologies from Black Hare Press. More work is forthcoming in Kaleidotrope.