CHAPTER 1- The Creator

He could sense the thunder filling his ears as his consciousness emerged into existence. Like a cascade of light, his form took shape—first his face, then his torso, then his hands and feet. In mere moments, he stood complete, dressed in an elaborate white tunic that stretched down below his knees. His bronze hair framed a chiseled face and eyes that burned like a silent flame. His lithe but muscular form glowed with an ethereal light that seemed to emanate from the core of his being. Like him, he now stood in a realm that was bathed in light and glory.

Before him, a voice that seemed to come from everywhere boomed, ‘You shall be called, Ariel.’

It was then that Ariel’s eyes fell upon the one whose very presence flooded everywhere with Shekinah glory. The imposing being had an unquestionable air of authority. His eyes burned like twin torches. His hair was a cascade of white light spiralling off at the edges into tiny clusters of rainbow colours. His robes were a train of platinum and gold, and with each movement, they glimmered like Jasper. All around him was roiling thunder that rose rhythmically each time he moved.

‘You are, Yahweh,’ Ariel heard the words falling from his own lips. ‘You are my Creator and my Lord.’

The almost blindingly brilliant figure that sat upon a throne of solid fire nodded his head with a paternal smile of approval.

Ariel fell to one knee, bowed, and clasped his fist to his chest. ‘I live to serve you, most Holy One.’

Even as Ariel uttered this and rose to his feet, he saw countless others of like form and glory as he himself sparkled and solidified. Endless sparks of light showered into existence, heralding the emergence of another glorified being. Soon there were rows upon rows and columns upon columns of glowing figures, silhouetted against a void backdrop of nothingness.

The almost blindingly brilliant figure that sat upon a throne of solid fire nodded his head with a paternal smile of approval.

Ariel fell to one knee, bowed, and clasped his fist to his chest. ‘I live to serve you, most Holy One.’

Even as Ariel uttered this and rose to his feet, he saw countless others of like form and glory as he sparkled and solidified. Endless sparks of light showered into existence, heralding the emergence of another glorified being. Soon there were rows upon rows and columns upon columns of glowing figures, silhouetted against a void backdrop of nothingness.

As the final number of glowing beings was created, Yahweh stood, thunder awakening as he did. ‘Angels of light, my heart rejoices in your being. Rejoice with me in the birthing of creation.’

Yahweh stepped out into an empty space of void darkness and clouds of fire rose up beneath his feet and pillars of smoke. ‘Here I shall create a realm of spirit and light.  It shall be our dwelling place and here I will establish my throne and my abode.’

Ariel watched the proceedings with as much awe as did his fellow angels. Everyone waited with bated breath to see what the Creator was about to do.

Yahweh raised his hands and spoke.

Suddenly, like a gracefully unrolling carpet, grassy meadows, mountains, and rivers seeped into existence, covering the nothingness that was there before. Rolling hills and whole forests of glowing trees came into view. Above it, all soft ribbons of multicolored clouds laced what was now a beautiful pale blue and sedately lavender sky.  Just when everyone thought it was all finished, they gasped with delighted surprise as they found themselves in the midst of majestic buildings made of what appeared to be glass, precious stones and solid light.  Eyes stared in wonderment. There were now parks and gardens, walkways, and fountains, all richly coloured in soft and bright tones.

Every structure was magnificent, but the one building that caught all eyes was the one that now stood in the center of what was now a city of light.

‘The temple,’ Ariel whispered to himself with inborn knowledge.

Like a rising tidal wave, shouts of praise rose up from the multitude of angelic beings.

Holy, holy

Is the Lord God Almighty

Full of power, glory and majesty

Great is your wisdom

And hallowed is thy name forevermore

In the din of praise that rose up, an outstandingly brilliant angelic being rose up above the throng, the light that poured from him almost drowning out that of the other angels that were nearby. Gracefully, the being levitated on expansive wings that were beautifully translucent and reflected the colours of surrounding objects like a jeweled mirror. All eyes were fixed on the breathtaking being whose beauty rivaled that of even its Creator. The being threw its head back in rapturous repose, and the most captivating melody rose from his throat. It first started as a melodic hum, then climbed and climbed, then deepened, and miraculously, both tone pitches emerged simultaneously. The being was a choir all by itself. The being’s singing brought every angel to an awed hush.

Hallelujah

Hallelujah

All praise and honor

To our Creator

He is Lord of all

It was moments after the last note faded in the air that the angelic multitude came out of their euphoric trance. Yahweh sat back on his throne and looked out on the angels with mirth and satisfaction.

‘All the splendours of heaven are yours to explore, learn and enjoy. Take in its mysteries, for in discovering them, you will learn of me, of my nature and my love. By evening, you will assemble in the recesses of the North. At the Mount of Assembly.’

Like fireflies, scores of angels took to the skies on jewelled wings, leaving trails of glittering light. In all directions, they went off to explore their new home, which was a wonder beyond imagining.

Slowly, Ariel raised his head and looked up at the expansive sky above him. With a mere thought, he found he could generate wings that unfolded from his back and shoulders. Like the rising crash of an ocean wave, bright, glimmering wings that shone like caged lightning carried him off the ground in graceful flight. The sensation of being aloft was new and exhilarating. With effortless ease, Ariel streaked over the vast landscape of heaven, passing over fields and meadows with dazzling progression.

As Ariel was angling around a mountain range and banked to his right, he spotted a drove of horses running with wild abandon along a grassy meadow. It amazed Ariel that such wingless creatures could move with such great speed. As fast as he was flying, the horses were only a short distance behind. Cutting his speed slightly, he dove down, then leveled off just over their heads. The throng of horses suddenly made a ‘u’ turn, and Ariel instantly found himself face-to-face with the flank side of the herd.

Before he had time to adjust his speed and direction, the hulking form of at least half a dozen horses charged into him.

Ariel felt the thundering jolt jarring every bone in his body as he fell through the air. Earth, sky, earth, sky—head over heels, he went in a cartwheel spin. In a most undignified fashion, he crashed into the ground, digging up tufts of grass and sending up sparks of light as he did. His head pounded, his ears throbbed, his body ached, and he felt the ground shaking like thunder beneath him. There was no mistaking it. The horses were coming, and he was right in their path. His mind screamed at his body to move, but his joints felt heavy with pain and would hear none of it.

The thunder of the horses’ hoofs was joined by something else. It sounded like the ruffle of garments cutting through the air at a whistling pace. Before Ariel could comprehend what was happening, he felt four burly arms grab onto him like a storm, moving a leaf, and lift him from where he fell. Speeding wind throbbed in Ariel’s ears as he looked down and saw the ground passing beneath him in a blur, then slowed and gently got closer as he felt himself descending.

Two glowing figures laid Ariel on the grassy turf. He looked up at the faces of his rescuers and smiled impishly. The two angels smiled back, though they were visibly trying to hold back a laugh. One of them was built like a mountain and had dark hair and a beard. The other one was lithe and had curly blond hair.

The burly, dark-haired angel bent forward with his hands on his knees and stared at Ariel with a good-humored smile. ‘Only the first day of creation and you could not wait to be trodden to a pulp.’

‘Are you alright?’ the blond angel asked, his face softening with concern, ‘You took a pretty bad spill back there.’

Ariel sat up and looked at the bruises on his hands. The wounds were already closing up and healing. ‘I think I will live. I cannot thank you two enough for picking me up when you did.’

The blond angel reached out, took Ariel by the hand, and helped him to his feet. ‘I am called Joel,’ then turning to his dark-haired companion, he said,  ‘and this is Gaius.’

‘Nice to meet you,’ Ariel replied as he shook their hand in greeting, ‘I am called Ariel.’

Another smile crossed Gaius’ face. ‘We know,’ he said, ‘you were the only angel Yahweh paused to examine after he created.’

‘Really?’ Ariel asked with arched brows.

Joel nodded. ‘Gaius and I were among the first to be created. He would simply call out the names, and instantly the angel would emerge into existence. You were the only one, however, who he deliberated over.’

‘Do you know what that could mean?’ Ariel queried as he looked out on the herd of horses that were now grazing.

‘We have no knowledge of that,’ replied Gaius with resignation.

Ariel took a deep breath, and he could feel the winds of heaven pouring through him, giving him life and vitality. ‘Do you know who were the first angels he created?’

Joel shook his head. ‘Those would be Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer, the three Chief Princes.’

Ariel was about to speak again when Gaius gave him a hearty slap on his back. ‘No more questions; let us go and scour this realm.’

‘You are right,’ Ariel agreed, ‘after all, we have to be back at the Mount of Assembly by evening.’

‘See that Mountain range over there?’ said Gaius, pointing to a mammoth projection that towered majestically out of the landscape of heaven. ‘I’ve seen some tiny little creatures headed in its direction.’

Ariel’s face lit up. ‘Hmm. A mystery.’

Gaius unfurled his wings and began to climb the air. Smiling benignly he said, ‘I thought that would catch your interest.’

Although most of the Mountain was rather steep there were parts of it that were relatively level. It was covered with tiny plants that looked like a carpet of multiple colors. Aromatic smells emanated from them and filled the air was a heady fragrance.

‘No sign of them,’ Gaius murmured.

Joel took a seat on a rock and rested his chin on his hand, ‘You must have seen wrong, Gaius.’

‘Well Ariel, have you seen anything?’ Gaius asked, not looking in his direction.

There was no answer.

‘Ariel?’ queried Gaius, still gazing towards the top of the Mountain.

Still, there was no answer.

‘Ariel!’ Gaius almost shouted as he turned around to see the angel bent down and closely examining the tiny carpet-like plants.

Ariel snapped out of his trance of concentration. ‘Uh, yes, Gaius?’

Somber-like Joel snickered a laugh.

Gaius, looking quite indignant, threw his hands up in the air. ‘We came up here to find the tiny creatures and you’re studying plants?’

Ariel gave a disarming smile, ‘Um, sorry.’

Just then a tiny voice squealed out, ‘We are called Myriads, not little creatures,’ it said in a tone of protest.

‘Who said that?’ Gaius exclaimed as he looked around.

Joel hunched his shoulders in ignorance.

‘Over there,’ Ariel pointed.

What appeared to be a tiny angel with twinkling wings made a beeline toward the summit of the Mountain, leaving a glimmering trail as he went

‘Why is it running away from us?’ Joel puzzled.

‘I don’t know,’ replied Gaius, ‘let us follow him; I want to see where he is going.’

The three angels snapped their wings open and shot upwards to the top of the Mountain in the direction the Myriad had taken. When they reached the top of the Mountain they alighted.

‘No sign of the little fellow,’ Ariel reported, ‘where could he have gone?’

Gaius gazed around the top of the mountain, circling it as he did, but saw nothing of the little angel.

‘Maybe they can disappear,’ Joel volunteered.

‘I doubt it,’ Ariel replied.

Gaius came down beside him and frowned in consternation. ‘There is no way he could just be gone out of sight.’

Ariel stroked his chin for a moment. ‘Hmm. Maybe he did not.’

Gaius raised an eyebrow. ‘What do you mean?’

Ariel gave a rueful smile. ‘Let us look on the ground to see if there are any small holes.’

Gaius knotted his eyebrow, obviously puzzled. ‘Look for small holes?’

Ariel nodded in confirmation.

‘Surely you jest,’ Gaius shrugged, ‘why would we do that?’

Joel began gesturing to them. ‘Over here,’ he called from where he knelt. ‘There is a hole right here.’

Ariel and Gaius peered over Joel’s shoulder. The spot where Joel pointed had a small, round opening that was the size of a fist.

‘Just as I had thought,’ said Ariel, beaming with excitement

‘What does it mean?’ asked Gaius as he stroked his beard.

Ariel grabbed the angel by his shoulders. ‘The mountain is hollow!’