Hangman: a Journey to Redemption

By Michael Harper II

In our own minds, we believe that we are perfect. The reality is: we are. Until we make that one tainted decision against wisdom that moves us from perfection to imperfection. This applies to all of us. Most of us are familiar with the story of that one angel who got in trouble for doing something bad, right? But what about the angel that gets in trouble for doing something good? Youve been there; your good intentions were mistaken for something totally contrary to what you set out to do? Well, you are not alone. Angels make mistakes too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503549005

Michael Harper II

Hangman author, Michael M. Harper II, has always had a gift for writing. Yet, a gift means nothing if it is not used. Never taking writing seriously until that fateful day when he wrote Secrets of the Heart: How Men Really Feel, Vol. 1 in seven days, he realized that he was the source of all his problems; which also told him that he was the source of all his successes. The result is this book you hold in your hands now and he wishes to share his generosity with you to keep you glued to the pages.

Book preview

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but does the beholder truly have an eye for beauty? Perhaps this would depend on the types of eyes the beholder uses. Regardless of the form of vision used, one must always focus on seeing clearly to observe that which is beautiful.

The beautiful thing, nevertheless, is that dedications are meant to separate the significant from the ordinary.

Giving reverence, this literary work is dedicated to the Master of the Universe, the Most High, the Holy One, blessed be He for giving me the gift to create works of art like this for your enjoyment.

Additionally, dedication is due to the pillars of support who helped balance out the process of bringing this literary work to reality: wife and The Expanding Mind… author, Arthur J. Smith.

Lastly and significantly, the entire theme of this literary work is dedicated to anyone who has been awarded the love, grace, and mercy of a second chance in life.

HANGMAN:

A JOURNEY

TO

REDEMPTION

CONCEPT

ARTHUR J. SMITH

STORY

MICHAEL M. HARPER II

Copyright © 2015 by Michael Harper II.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015903415

ISBN:  Hardcover         978-1-5035-4897-8

             Softcover          978-1-5035-4899-2

             eBook               978-1-5035-4900-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 04/27/2015

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

1 JUDGMENT: THE ANGELS AND THE GLASSBLOWER

2 SACRILEGE: THE THIEF, THE NUNS, AND THE PRINCESS

3 MALPRACTICE: THE DOCTOR AND THE CARPENTER

4 COUNTERFEITING: THE BANDITS AND THE BANKER

5 SACRIFICE: THE THIEF AND THE SHERIFF’S DAUGHTER

6 VENGEANCE: THE MALEFACTORS AND THE DOCTOR’S CHILD

7 CONDEMNATION: THE BANKER, THE SHERIFF, AND THE BLACKSMITH

8 REDEMPTION: THE ANGEL, THE SHERIFF, AND THE COUNTERFEITER

ADDITIONAL AUTHOR TITLES

ROFL

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Let it be acknowledged that the work you are about to read is the evidence of the intellectual properties of Arthur J. Smith and Michael M. Harper II. The collaboration of the minds of these two individuals has produced a creative work that will engulf the reader, stimulate the mind, and electrify the imagination. Most importantly, final acknowledgment is extended to The Almighty for giving us the vision and inspiration to bring this creative gem into reality for your enjoyment and entertainment.

CHAPTER 1

JUDGMENT:

THE ANGELS AND THE GLASSBLOWER

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth; before these, He also created the constructs of time, space, measurements, dimensions, intelligences, energies, and realms. Through the miraculous powers of creation, all things were made, including the seen, the unseen, the known and unknown, then us.

Us, people, flesh creatures, human beings, mouth breathers, weak creatures possessing complex emotions and diminished spiritual fortitude but imbued with unimaginable strength. Yet, we all have our moments where we feel like as long as we are doing what we are supposed to do and not get involved, everything will be okay. Then there are those times when we don’t do something, and we feel guilty. Maybe that’s the inherent good that sits inside us. That happens to all of us, even angels.

Even angels have the ability to decide what to do and when to do something. Remember the story of the Angel aspiring to be like the Most High and striving to do so? He made a valiant effort with one-third of the angels siding with him to attempt this amazing feat. Though they were unsuccessful, they still chose to do so with great abandon.

The same applies here to Leuviah (pronounced loov-yah), an angel of Heaven who is tasked with the simple duty of categorizing the prayers of the humans with whom he’s in charge over into the Prayer Archives of Heaven.

Leuviah is going about his daily duty as he always does. When on his way to the Library of Heaven to categorize the days’ prayers, he passes by the Angel and a small multitude of angels focused attentively on the words coming from the Angel’s mouth. As Leuviah travels past, he overhears the Angel consorting, conspiring, and devising a plan to be like the Most High.

The small multitude of angels agreed to the sound of this plan and joined with the Angel. However, Leuviah does not hear any details of the plan and makes a mental note to bring this information to the attention of the Most High after he completes his duties at the prayer archives.

Once Lucifer’s revolt began, there was war in Heaven, and Lucifer and his angels were defeated and cast down from Heaven in the TWINKLING OF AN EYE. All angels fought in this war, including Tsanquette, the angel in charge of mending women’s hearts who have lost children and desired to have a husband as the head of their homes, and Leuviah, our protagonist. Leuviah and Tsanquette worked in the same general area of Heaven and were familiar with each other’s reputations.

After Lucifer’s revolt, The Most High asked if any of His holy children knew about the conspiracy Lucifer began. Leuviah answered that he heard him while on his way to perform his duties. The Most High asked him why he didn’t say anything about what he had heard. He responded that his duties were important, and he had intended to say something when he had finished. He also mentioned that he hadn’t heard enough to think it was going to happen as soon as it did.

G-d acknowledges his loyalty and dedication to his heavenly duties, yet he cannot ignore his failure to immediately bring the intent of Lucifer to the Creator’s attention. So spoke the Creator to Leuviah, You are correct in your statement that your duties are important concerning man. However, you chose to wait to report what you had seen and heard, which brings the condition of your heart and loyalty into question.

Leuviah responds in his defense, Creator, my loyalty lies with you! To even hear of what my heavenly brother was talking about doing was enough to disrupt the very energy that flows within me. To avoid falsely accusing him of anything wrong, I remained silent because I did not have the full story of what I was hearing and was going to bring it to your attention after my duties were complete. The Creator responds to Leuviah’s rebuttal, I see.

Your position at the moment was perhaps precarious indeed, and your plea has been considered. Therefore, you will not be cast out of Heaven and down to Earth in the manner the Son of the Morning and his angels were. You will be sent there to carry out your correction. My judgments are just and merciful, and it is I who sees the intentions in the hearts of those I created. If there is anyone here who wishes to add anything in support of Leuviah, let their word be heard now.

No angel was able to say anything in support of Leuviah due to them carrying out their own duties, except for Tsanquette since she worked in the same general area of Heaven as he. Tsanquette replies in support of Leuviah, O Creator, may it please you to hear my report of Leuviah’s performance with his archival duties. His work is always perfect and his timing is always punctual; not only with categorizing the archives, but also with the prayers of those whom you have given him charge. Please remember, it is You who created him to do the tasks which he does so well, so that the humans may know You are the one who hears prayers and give humans the power to have them answered.

Well noted, My daughter, replied the Creator. With your testimony and the support of your sister, your loyalty is no longer in question. Because I am a just and righteous G-d, your correction must be carried out as I have stated. It will be carried out to test your resolve, your heart, and your character. It will be a testimony unto you. Therefore, the following sentence will be imposed on you Leuviah, My angel of the archives:

You will be cast down from this upper world to the lower world of Malchut to the kingdom of Earth. There, you will be subject to the laws, limits, and restrictions of that kingdom. You will be tested by the inhabitants of the Earth and by the one who rules that kingdom. You will be cast down there for an undetermined period of time. However, while you are there, you will not retain your regular angelic powers.

You must carry out your sentence in the same manner of those whose prayers you archive. As they pray to Me for their needs and wants, you will be a direct eyewitness to their extreme suffering at which time you will be able to make a decision to intervene or not. I will not be with you during your correction period; this is a time where you will be set apart from your heavenly community and placed outside of the realm of Heaven.

If you choose to intervene on behalf of the inhabitants of Earth while you are there witnessing their extreme suffering, you will save those you choose to help; yet you will do so at the cost of losing one or more of your specific angelic powers. Since your primary duties were here in Heaven, there was no need of your powers during your service at the Archives. You will now need use of your powers to assist you during your sentence on Earth.

"These are the specific powers you will be endowed with during your sentence on Earth:

1. Travel with the speed of thought;

2. Ability to hear the thoughts and feel the emotions on a magnified scale of those enduring extreme suffering;

3. Revive one who has died within seven minutes of their death, which you will only be able to do seven times;

4. Impervious to physical pain;

5. Divine power of persuasion;

6. Ability to see seven minutes into the future of any human;

7. Ability to take the place and appearance of a person being capitally punished and give them a new life."

To assist you in carrying out your sentence, the ability to replace one being capitally punished will be the only power you will keep during the duration of your sentence. Using this ability will cause you to lose one or more of your other angelic abilities and any skills associated with those abilities. This cannot be undone. This is a necessary factor of your sentence. Do you understand the terms and conditions of your sentencing, Leuviah?

Yes, Creator, I understand. You are most holy and righteous in your judgments. Praise to your Name! The Creator continues, Remember, Leuviah, you are not being cast down for punishment, but you are being cast down for correction of a minor character flaw, which, if not corrected, will cause you to become blasphemous and a willful rebel toward Me like your angelic brother Lucifer has done by counterfeiting his role as an authoritative angel by attempting to usurp Me.

Your correction will be overwhelmingly difficult but not impossible. As you begin your correction, you will be subject to the limitations of time, and you will become more human and less angelic with each intervention. Are the terms and conditions of your correction process clear? Leuviah responds, Yes, Creator. You are holy and your Name is holy and Your holy ones every day praise You forever. Your mercy endures forever!

Blessed are you, My child, for accepting responsibility of your actions and being accountable for the deeds you will encounter during your correction. Submitting yourself to authority and correction is showing me that you are mature as I have seen. Now, let your correction begin.

With those final words, The Creator, in the TWINKLING OF AN angelic EYE, whisked Leuviah down to Earth to begin his correction process. The Creator then turned to Tsanquette and spoke, "Tsanquette, you are to follow Leuviah and record the entire account of his correction process so that it may be included in the Annals of Heaven. Do not be alarmed by the magnitude of this task; for it should be easy for you to complete. This assignment pales in comparison to your first assignment with the humans, which has earned you the label ‘The Angel in Chains’. Do you remember?"

Yes, Creator, I remember. May it please you that I do all that is asked and needed for this assignment, but I do not wish to neglect my current assignment with the mother whose husband strikes her in anger and speaks hate into the home. The Creator responds, You will do well. It is important that your assignments are completed. Continue with your current assignment and the one I have given you.

You are only to record the entire account. You are not to interfere with his correction process in any way. Remember, this is an easy assignment. Perhaps the easiest since no human will be able to see any of you.

I hear and will do all that You have spoken, O Holy One, she answered.

You are to begin recording the account now! With those final words, The Creator whisked Tsanquette through the cosmos down to Earth in the TWINKLING OF AN EYE.

54846.png

Princess Zsabri (pronounced jzha-bree) of the Cimsoc ( 57390.png ) Aborigines was gathering water for her tribe and their animals during the morning twilight hours for the morning meal. As she is gathering water, she sees three flaming spheres of light falling from the sky. She knows they are not stars, as the stars can still be seen in the morning twilight sky.

Princess Zsabri turns pale as she remembers what her grandfather told her growing up as a little girl, The end will be near, and your walk will be fulfilled when you see the omen of the three fall from the sky … As Zsabri remembers those words, she falls on her face near the Sacred Spring and begins to pray for strength to overcome the omen of the three.

As she prays, the ground trembles from the impact of the three. They landed in three different places—Lucifer landed in the small nearby town of Klipot, Leuviah landed in the Sacred Garden of the Cimsoc Aborigines, and Tsanquette landed in a field near the glassblower’s home. Although they landed in separate locations, they impacted as one, hitting the ground at precisely the same time.

Zsabri smells a beautiful aroma that she had never smelled before while she was praying. She lifted her eyes and stood upright near the Sacred Spring and witnessed a slight trail of blue smoke near the edge of her tribe’s Sacred Garden. She approaches the smoke cautiously until she sees a manlike figure encased in a sapphire-colored chrysalis.

She had never seen a form of man like this before, so she moved closer for a better look. As she examined the chrysalis more closely, she could see tiny ancient letters dancing around the chrysalis in a particular pattern. These letters were also reflecting light to a central part of the chrysalis, forming the name of the manlike figure inside.

When she saw the name formed from the light, the light shone so brightly she could not look directly at the chrysalis. She could feel the energy and warmth from the light, and she reached out to touch the light from where it was shining while she blocked some of the light from her eyes. The moment she touched the light source on the chrysalis, the light immediately stopped shining and crystalized so she could read the name of the manlike figure. It was an original text, one she had not seen in a long time but was relieved to see. The name on the chrysalis was Leuviah ( Page%209.tif ).

Remembering what she had learned about this ancient language, she brushed her fingers across each letter to feel the energy emanating from them. When she reached the final letter, she stood up, looked directly at the chrysalis, and spoke the name in boldness, LEUVIAH! Immediately, the chrysalis shatters into a total of 613 pieces, 606 heptagonal pieces, and 7 decagonal pieces while the five letters of his name floated in the air.

While the letters floated face-to-face with Princess Zsabri, they began to emanate a warm blue glow. The shattered shards of sapphire began glowing the same blue glow and began bonding with the skin of the manlike figure. After a short while, the letters expelled a large burst of energy into the eyes of the manlike figure, awakening him. With a startled gasp, Leuviah looks around in his strange location. Zsabri comes to his aid to calm him, and the still floating letters of his name rocket into the sky, returning to Heaven.

Leuviah: What is this place?

Princess Zsabri: This is Earth. The place you have landed is in the Sacred Garden of the Cimsoc Aborigines. We are an ancient people who have endured centuries of opposition from the Dark Lord and his forces. Our purpose is ensuring that the evil he wishes to spread does not consume this beautiful yet altered world.

Leuviah: You knew my name and pronounced it correctly. How did you know that, and who are you?

Princess Zsabri: I am Princess Zsabri, ruler of the Sacred Lands. Your name was formed on the chrysalis you were encased in, which has now been shattered and fused into your skin. I knew how to pronounce your name because I was taught that ancient language when I was a little girl.

Leuviah: My skin? What do you mean by ‘skin’? I have no skin. I am an … Leuviah’s recollection of his sentence stops him in midthought, and he remembers why he is there.

Leuviah: "I am an angel sent here to Earth for neglecting to warn the Creator of information I overheard about the Son of the Morning planning to usurp His Throne. I am to carry out sentencing here on Earth. I am not used to having skin, nor am I used to this appearance I have. The one thing that puzzles me, though, is how is it that you can see me? The Creator said that no human would be able to see any of us, but you can clearly see me because you are looking at me and are not fearful. How is it you can see me?"

Princess Zsabri: My people are an ancient and holy people— Zsabri is interrupted by the cawing of ravens flying overhead toward the East, beyond the Sacred Garden.

Princess Zsabri: Damn!

Leuviah: What is it?

Princess Zsabri: Naomi’s in potential trouble. Zsabri exhales deeply and purses her lips to form a long wind-blowing sound as in making a call with her breath.

Leuviah: How do you know?

Princess Zsabri: Because the ravens were flying toward her house, but their calls were different. They sounded like they were emitting warning calls. That is never a good sign! I have to get over there. I’ll come back for you soon. Just stay put!

The ground trembles, and the vibrations become louder when, in the blink of an eye, Zsabri’s battle steed majestically gallops through at blazing speed while she grabs on to its mane and hops onto its back. Zsabri races away on her horse toward Naomi’s home, leaving Leuviah in the morning sunrise of the Sacred Garden.

Leuviah, astonished at how fast she departed on such a primitive beast, spoke with authority, "You will not leave my presence without answering my question! With his beautifully sapphire-studded skin and his angelic power of thought travel, he focuses on Zsabri’s life energy, and with a look of bewilderment on his face, he says, Creator? He then mumbles to himself, What is this life energy? You said You would not be with me here …" He makes a mental note, telepathically locks on to Zsabri, and follows her to her destination.

THE GLASSBLOWER

Naomi: Did you feel that?

Glassblower: Yeah, it’s probably another stampede of horses running through the field.

Naomi: That didn’t feel like a stampede this time, dear. Can you go check it out?

Moaning reluctantly, throwing back the covers, and walking to the bathroom in a zombielike state while massaging his scrotum, the glassblower gives his response as he lets out a long, harmonious fart while he urinates.

Glassblower: I’ll go check it out after breakfast.

Naomi: Thank you, honey.

Glassblower: ‘Thank you?’ You should be kissing my ass and making me breakfast after the shit you pulled with that wetback snake from the bank! he says as he garbles the words while brushing his teeth.

Naomi: Aww, Kris honey, you gonna start on that again? He gave us a really good deal on the house and the land, and we practically own it. After these last two payments, it will all be ours!

He spits his toothpaste muck into the basin.

Glassblower: A good deal? Hell, he only did that because of you! Why else would a man give such an ‘awesome deal’ to another man who has a skilled trade just like he has? I don’t even like the guy, and I know he hates me! So explain to me what reason he would have to do that, huh? I’m listening!

Joshua: Mom, Dad? Is everything okay? It sounded like you guys were having a ‘tough talk’ again.

Naomi: Everything is fine, sweetheart. Daddy and I were talking about our plans for today. Go get ready for breakfast.

Joshua: Okay.

Glassblower: It’s because of that little runt, ain’t it? Mr. ‘Banker Man’ wants to make sure the kid is taken care of right? Well, what about the work I do to put food on the table of this house? It sure as hell doesn’t seem to be appreciated since I have to be made to feel like less of a man by my own wife ’cuz she FUCKED THE TOWN BANKER!

While sitting on the side of the bed after sending Joshua away, Naomi stares at her husband and lowers her eyes in shame and anticipation from what may follow next.

Glassblower: What the fuck do you want for breakfast!

Naomi: It’s been twelve years, honey. I … am … sorry! You hurt me so deeply all those times when you stayed out late and came home drunk. You acted like you didn’t care about your family, like I didn’t matter. How could you say you love me but get sloppy drunk and curse me, hit me, rape me, and not comfort me?

We got married and made vows before G-d and those vows were destroyed when you did what you did repeatedly for all those years. I have only wanted to feel love from a man, from you, from my husband, and you won’t even give me that. So to answer your question, I don’t want anything for breakfast except your love. After Naomi gives her response, her husband retorts back.

Glassblower: Fine. Starve then.

55149.png

Tsanquette emerges from her clear-colored chrysalis in the nearby field of the Glassblower’s house. She is still an angel, so she cannot be seen by humans, nor can her chrysalis be seen. Just like Lucifer and Leuviah, she is still subject to the limitations of Earth. Since she is here unrestricted with two purposes, she is allowed to wear her earthly, angelic form, which is symbolized by her chrysalis.

Upon emerging, she is still in her heavenly form—a pure being of light. She looks to the heavens and immediately declares in the Heavenly language, Blessed are you, Holy Creator! I will do all that is required of my assignments you have given me to do. Immediately after completing that declaration, the rays from the sun converge on her, and her body of light transforms into a transparent silhouette of the most brilliant crystal ever seen.

Tsanquette prepares herself for her current assignment, and she positions herself in the Glassblower’s home. She watches Naomi talk with herself about the incident her husband referred to earlier, and Naomi begins to change.

Tsanquette sees the change in Naomi’s body, as Naomi makes a conscious decision to not take the years of abuse anymore and step up to her husband. Tsanquette wishes to monitor the family more closely, so she disguises herself as a beautiful Glasswinged butterfly.

Naomi makes it downstairs, and her husband has a beautiful, hearty, and healthy breakfast prepared and spread out on the table for the three of them. While they are eating breakfast, Naomi compliments her husband on the appearance and flavor of the meal and tells him how much she appreciates what he does even though they have their rough moments.

Her husband cuts his eyes at her with indignation and shakes his head with uncertainty and says, Do you really, Naomi? I mean, do you really appreciate me as a person, as a husband, and for all that I contribute to this family? Because if you do, you have a hell of a way of showing it because I certainly don’t feel like you do.

Joshua joyfully interrupts, Look, Mom, a butterfly!

Naomi responds, That’s nice, baby. What kind is it? I do appreciate you, honey. I have explained this the same way over the years, and my answer has always been the same. It hasn’t changed. I do appreciate you and all that you do and have done for this family.

He acknowledges her answer. Joshua chimes in a second time, It’s clear, Mom! Look, it’s a clear butterfly! Dad, look! You can see right through it! Naomi happily interjects, Clear? I’ve never seen a clear butterfly. Lemme see! Joshua sets the Glasswing butterfly on the table and lets it crawl around. He then looks at his mother and lovingly smiles at her with an expression on his face of an unbreakable bond shared between them.

Her husband sits quietly at the table, recalling their marriage from the beginning up until today. Once a respected artisan in his trade, he is now plagued with the constant reminder of his wife’s infidelity; this illegitimate boy who sits across from him, marveling over this clear butterfly. Ever since those rumors began about Naomi and the charismatic banker, there has always been speculation that Joshua was not his, but over time, it was accepted as such.

As Joshua finishes his drink, he looks at the butterfly, smiles, and says, Mom, when I grow up, I want to be a worldwide banker, make a lot of money, and give money to those who need it so I can help them. Wouldn’t that be cool, Mom? he asks. Yes, baby, it would. It’s always nice to have dreams …, Naomi says encouragingly.

Glassblower: You’ll never be a banker. You’ll never amount to anything. You’re just a spoiled ass brat who thinks the world owes him something. You ain’t shit. You’ll never be shit. I never wanted a piece-of-shit kid like you, and I wish you were never born!

Naomi: Honey!

Glassblower: Shut up, bitch! You whoring piece of shit! With that statement, he catapults himself from the table and slaps Naomi in the face. He slaps her so hard that she falls out the chair, hits her head on the floor, and is knocked unconscious.

Joshua (jumping up and screaming): Mom! Don’t hit my mommy! He strains out these words as he grits his teeth and begins beating on his dad. His dad turns around and looks as though he bypassed anger and went straight to rage.

Glassblower: Fuck you, you piece of shit!

He pushes Joshua off him and punches him in the center of his forehead, leaving a concave indentation. Joshua stumbles backward in a foggy daze and falls onto the floor, landing on his lower back. In a flash, he mounts Joshua, grabs him by the throat and begins beating him in the head while screaming, I hate you! I hate you!

After tiring himself out, he stops, looks at Joshua, and realizes that Joshua is dead. He stands up, looks down at Joshua, smiles, and says, "I told ya. You’ll never be a banker ’cuz you’re a dead little shit now."

He hears Naomi moaning and moving as she slowly regains consciousness. He looks over at her and walks toward her with a sense of false pride and says aloud, And this lying, cheating, wannabe righteous, holier-than-thou whore bitch here ain’t no damn better!

Naomi struggles to her feet, looks him in the eye, and says, I am SO fuckin’ tired of you slapping me around when you get into your feelings, you insensitive inbred fuck!

Glassblower: Oh yeah? What the fuck are YOU gonna do about it? Have another kid on me like you did with this little bastard bitch here? he retorts as he points to Joshua. Naomi looks over at Joshua and sees him lying on the floor, bloody, beaten, and lifeless.

She walks over to him, picks him up in her arms, and says, Baby? Joshua, baby, are you okay? Talk to me, baby. Mommy’s here … With no response from Joshua’s lifeless body, she begins to sob and send piercing screams through a flood of tears and cries out, What have you done to my baby! You MONSTER!

She gets up and begins beating her husband in the chest. He looked up to you! He wanted to learn …—sob—. . . so many …—sob—. . . things from you …—sob—how could you do this to me! she shrieks as she beats his chest in rhythm with her questions.

His fists have gotten so tight, the whites of his knuckles are showing. "You want an answer? Here’s your answer! BOOMPOP!" He punches her in the center of her forehead just as he had done to Joshua moments ago. The blow was so strong that the punch sent vibrations through a hollow portion of her skull, and she was unconscious before she hit the floor.

She falls to the floor with a deathly thud. He straddles her still breathing, almost lifeless body and says to her menacingly, I got a surprise for your ass, bitch.

He picks her up, tosses her over his shoulder and carries her out the back door and puts her in his company truck. With the success of his recent account with the town bank, Fitz and Counter Bank and Trust, he had given his employees the day off, so there was no one at the glass factory. He then drives away from the house, heading toward the glass factory.

Tsanquette transforms from the beautiful Glasswing butterfly Joshua was fascinated with earlier into her normal crystal clear form. As she recalls the events of the last few minutes, she is frozen with devastation about what just occurred in this family.

As she looks at the horrific scene in the kitchen, the intimidating sound of an aggressive gallop filled Tsanquette’s ears as Princess Zsabri arrived at Naomi’s front door with Leuviah appearing without a sound closely behind her undetected. Knocking frantically, Zsabri screams, Naomi! Naomi! Are you okay? There is no answer.

Without hesitation, Princess Zsabri busts down the door and runs upstairs to Naomi’s bedroom, which she finds Naomi is not there. She looks in the bathroom with no success. She looks in Joshua’s room with no answers there. She then runs downstairs into the family room with no answers there or in the adjacent dining room either. She then bolts down the hallway and opens the door to the cellar, which is just short of the kitchen, and runs down the cellar stairs searching for Naomi, fearing the worst.

Tsanquette breaks out of her state of shock and hears Zsabri running through the cellar. Knowing that no human can see any of them, Tsanquette moves into a corner in the kitchen, anticipating Zsabri coming into the kitchen at any moment.

Leuviah, now safe from Zsabri knowing he is there, walks into the house, heading directly toward the kitchen. Tsanquette sees Leuviah and is a bit surprised to see him there because, this is her assignment, so what business does he have here, is the exact thought going through her mind.

She knows Leuviah doesn’t know she’s there at all, especially to observe and record the entire account of his correction, so she plays it safe and intends on transforming back into the Glasswinged butterfly and remaining in the kitchen to begin recording Leuviah. But what about Naomi? What is she supposed to do about her? Didn’t she just lose a child? Isn’t Naomi her current assignment and Leuviah is her new assignment?

Zsabri has run up the cellar stairs and into the kitchen, frantically screaming, Naomi, where are y— Her sentence is abruptly cut off by the sight of Joshua lying on the floor beaten, bloody, and lifeless. Distracted by her own thoughts, Tsanquette remembers that Leuviah can see her. She looks at Zsabri burst through the kitchen door screaming Naomi’s name and immediately takes her Glasswinged butterfly form.

Zsabri (in a muffled whisper): "Oh god, no! Joshua? Oh, no, Joshua! Naomi! Where are you?