of cold fire in
the chest, or in the eyes, or in the sexless groin, as the last of
the glow of life left it for ever.
(beat)
Blood pooled in rubies on its chest and
stained its white wing-feathers crimson. It was very beautiful,
even in death.
(beat)
It would have broken your heart.
LUCIFER
You must find who was responsible for this,
and how; and take the Vengeance of the Name on whoever caused this
thing to happen.
RAGUEL THEN
I know. The hunt, and the retribution: it is
why I was created, in the Beginning; it is what I am. Who was
this?
LUCIFER
The Angel Carasel. He worked in the Hall of
Being, there.
RAGUEL THEN
Impressive building.
LUCIFER
Perhaps. It serves its function. Do you know
who did it yet?
RAGUEL THEN
No. Not yet.
RAGUEL NARRATION
I leaned down to examine the body. All
luminescence had by now left it. It was a dark thing; a parody of
an angel. It had a perfect, sexless face, framed by silver hair.
One of the eyelids was open, revealing a placid grey eye; the other
was closed. There were no nipples on the chest and only smoothness
between the legs.
RAGUEL THEN
Help me turn him over.
/SFX/ MOVING AND A GRUNTING.
LUCIFER
What happened to it?
RAGUEL THEN
It’s a mess. Let’s see: Carasel’s wings are
broken and twisted; the back of the head staved in; I think its
spine has been broken as well. In a couple of places. There’s blood
all over its back.
(to Lucifer)
Okay. Let’s turn him back again.
(inspecting)
His front is pretty clean. The only blood is
in the chest area. Hmm. Some kind of hole in its front. Look -- if
I probe it with my forefinger, it enters the body without
difficulty.
LUCIFER
What have you learned?
RAGUEL THEN
He fell. And he was mortally wounded before
he fell.
(Voice treatment -- Raguel in his aspect. He
is addressing the whole city, but quietly:)
Somebody is responsible for this. Somebody
made this happen... I will find you, whoever you are. And I will
take the Lord's vengeance upon you.
LUCIFER
You’re very certain.
RAGUEL THEN
Yes.
LUCIFER
I have work to attend to.
/SFX/ FLAPPING WINGS.
RAGUEL THEN
Before you go! Who discovered the body? Was
it you?
LUCIFER
Phanuel. The senior designer in the Hall of
Being. You can find him inside.
RAGUEL THEN
Yes. I can. Thank you, Lucifer.
LUCIFER
You are most welcome. Now, if you’ll excuse
me...
RAGUEL NARRATION
He flapped his wings, once, hard, and rose
upwards; the gust of wind sent the dead angel's loose feathers
blowing across the street.
NARRATOR
The man took the cigarette stub from behind
his ear, lit it with a match.
/SFX/ LA STREET. A MATCH IS STRUCK,
HYPER-REAL...
RAGUEL NOW
Waste not, want not. That’s what they say,
isn’t it?
NARRATOR -- LIVE
That’s what they say, yes.
NARRATOR
I could smell the ashtray smell of a dead
cigarette, acrid and harsh; then he pulled down to the unburnt
tobacco, exhaled blue smoke into the night air.
RAGUEL NARRATION
So. The angel who had first discovered the
body was called Phanuel.
/SFX/ THE HALL OF BEING. INT. ANGELS
FLAPPING. NOISES OF STRANGE MACHINERY. BUT WITH THE LA NOISES STILL
GOING OVER...
RAGUEL NARRATION (CONT’D)
I spoke to him in the Hall of Being. That
was the spire beside which the dead angel lay. In the Hall hung
the... the blueprints, maybe, for what was going to be... all
this.
NARRATOR -- LIVE
All what? The cars? The streets? LA?
RAGUEL NOW
Yeah. All that and more. The universe.
NARRATOR -- LIVE
The Universe?
/SFX/ LA NOISE ENDS. HALL OF BEING NOISES
GET LOUDER...
RAGUEL NARRATION
Phanuel was the senior designer; working
under him were a multitude of angels labouring on the details of
The Creation. I watched him from the floor of the hall. He hung in
the air below the Plan, and angels flew down to him, waiting
politely in turn as they asked him questions,
the chest, or in the eyes, or in the sexless groin, as the last of
the glow of life left it for ever.
(beat)
Blood pooled in rubies on its chest and
stained its white wing-feathers crimson. It was very beautiful,
even in death.
(beat)
It would have broken your heart.
LUCIFER
You must find who was responsible for this,
and how; and take the Vengeance of the Name on whoever caused this
thing to happen.
RAGUEL THEN
I know. The hunt, and the retribution: it is
why I was created, in the Beginning; it is what I am. Who was
this?
LUCIFER
The Angel Carasel. He worked in the Hall of
Being, there.
RAGUEL THEN
Impressive building.
LUCIFER
Perhaps. It serves its function. Do you know
who did it yet?
RAGUEL THEN
No. Not yet.
RAGUEL NARRATION
I leaned down to examine the body. All
luminescence had by now left it. It was a dark thing; a parody of
an angel. It had a perfect, sexless face, framed by silver hair.
One of the eyelids was open, revealing a placid grey eye; the other
was closed. There were no nipples on the chest and only smoothness
between the legs.
RAGUEL THEN
Help me turn him over.
/SFX/ MOVING AND A GRUNTING.
LUCIFER
What happened to it?
RAGUEL THEN
It’s a mess. Let’s see: Carasel’s wings are
broken and twisted; the back of the head staved in; I think its
spine has been broken as well. In a couple of places. There’s blood
all over its back.
(to Lucifer)
Okay. Let’s turn him back again.
(inspecting)
His front is pretty clean. The only blood is
in the chest area. Hmm. Some kind of hole in its front. Look -- if
I probe it with my forefinger, it enters the body without
difficulty.
LUCIFER
What have you learned?
RAGUEL THEN
He fell. And he was mortally wounded before
he fell.
(Voice treatment -- Raguel in his aspect. He
is addressing the whole city, but quietly:)
Somebody is responsible for this. Somebody
made this happen... I will find you, whoever you are. And I will
take the Lord's vengeance upon you.
LUCIFER
You’re very certain.
RAGUEL THEN
Yes.
LUCIFER
I have work to attend to.
/SFX/ FLAPPING WINGS.
RAGUEL THEN
Before you go! Who discovered the body? Was
it you?
LUCIFER
Phanuel. The senior designer in the Hall of
Being. You can find him inside.
RAGUEL THEN
Yes. I can. Thank you, Lucifer.
LUCIFER
You are most welcome. Now, if you’ll excuse
me...
RAGUEL NARRATION
He flapped his wings, once, hard, and rose
upwards; the gust of wind sent the dead angel's loose feathers
blowing across the street.
NARRATOR
The man took the cigarette stub from behind
his ear, lit it with a match.
/SFX/ LA STREET. A MATCH IS STRUCK,
HYPER-REAL...
RAGUEL NOW
Waste not, want not. That’s what they say,
isn’t it?
NARRATOR -- LIVE
That’s what they say, yes.
NARRATOR
I could smell the ashtray smell of a dead
cigarette, acrid and harsh; then he pulled down to the unburnt
tobacco, exhaled blue smoke into the night air.
RAGUEL NARRATION
So. The angel who had first discovered the
body was called Phanuel.
/SFX/ THE HALL OF BEING. INT. ANGELS
FLAPPING. NOISES OF STRANGE MACHINERY. BUT WITH THE LA NOISES STILL
GOING OVER...
RAGUEL NARRATION (CONT’D)
I spoke to him in the Hall of Being. That
was the spire beside which the dead angel lay. In the Hall hung
the... the blueprints, maybe, for what was going to be... all
this.
NARRATOR -- LIVE
All what? The cars? The streets? LA?
RAGUEL NOW
Yeah. All that and more. The universe.
NARRATOR -- LIVE
The Universe?
/SFX/ LA NOISE ENDS. HALL OF BEING NOISES
GET LOUDER...
RAGUEL NARRATION
Phanuel was the senior designer; working
under him were a multitude of angels labouring on the details of
The Creation. I watched him from the floor of the hall. He hung in
the air below the Plan, and angels flew down to him, waiting
politely in turn as they asked him questions,
Similar Books
Deep Space Endeavor
Ron Francis
Lilac Spring
Ruth Axtell Morren
Terror at the Zoo
Peg Kehret
Jane and the Canterbury Tale
Stephanie Barron
The Mountain and the Wall
Alisa Ganieva
Intimate Kiss (Bend To My Will #3)
Emily Jane Trent
The Wolf Who Fought for His Soul Mate
Scarlet Hyacinth
THE CINDER PATH
Yelena Kopylova
Combustion
Steve Worland
A Death in the Family
Michael Stanley