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Chapter 18

Chapter 18

I have been out a and walking, for hours without having to turn because of a wall inwith a new set of clothes, strange to the feel but faht (from television) Jeans, sweatshirt, and sneakers, as well as some socks and boxer shorts

"Put these on I' you out for a walk," said Raziel

"As if I were a dog," I said

"Exactly as if you were a dog"

The angel was also wearing ly handsoht have been held to his body with fla spikes

"Where are we going?"

"I told you, out"

"Where did you get the clothes?"

"I called down and Jesus brought the store in the hotel Come now"

Raziel closed the door behind us and put the room key in his jeans pocket with the money I wondered if he'd ever had pockets before I wouldn't have thought to use them I didn't say a word as we rode the elevator down to the lobby and made our way out the front doors I didn't want to ruin it, to say soel to his senses The noise in the street was glorious: the cars, the jackhaht! The smells! I felt as if I must have been in shock e first traveled here fro so vivid

I started to skip down the street and the angel caughtinto et away, that if you run I can catch you and snap your legs so you will never run again You know that if you should escape even for a few minutes, you cannot hide from me You know that I can find you, as I once found everyone of your kind? You know these things?"

"Yes, let go of me Let's walk"

"I hate walking Have you ever seen an eagle look at a pigeon? That's how I feel about you and your walking"

I should point out, I suppose, what Raziel was talking about when he said that he once found everyone of o, as the Angel of Death, but was relieved of his duties because he was not particularly good at them He admits that he's a sucker for a hard-luck story (perhaps that explains his fascination with soap operas) Anyhen you read in the Torah about Noah living to be nine hundred and Moses living to be a hundred and forty, well, guess who led the chorus line in the "Off This Mortal Coil" shuffle? That's where he got the black-winged aspect that I've talked about before Even though they fired him, they let him keep the outfit (Can you believe that Noah was able to postpone death for eight hundred years by telling the angel that he was behind in his paperwork? Would that Raziel could be that incompetent at his current task)

"Look, Raziel! Pizza!" I pointed to a sign "Buy us pizza!"

He took some money out of his pocket and handed it to ht?"

"Yes, we had commerce in my time," I said sarcastically "We didn't have pizza, but we had commerce"

"Good, can you use that lass

"If it doesn't open with that little handle, then no"

The angel looked perturbed "How is it that you can receive the gift of tongues and suddenly understand all languages, and there is no gift that can tell you how things work in this time? Tell me that"

"Look,the res" I meant that I could have learned ht Ithe channel buttons

"Knowing how to use the television isn't enough You have to kno everything in this world works" And with that the angel turned and stared through theof the pizza place at the h into the air

"Why, Raziel? Why do I need to know about how this world works? If anything, you've tried to keep "

"Not anyo eat pizza"

"Raziel?"

He wouldn't explain any further, but for the rest of the day andered the city, spendingIn the late afternoon Raziel inquired of a bus driver as to where we one another two thousand years without seeing the kind of disappointave his answer We returned here to the roo cities full of humans"

"I knohat you h it was o out of fashion, and not a el needed to hear it There's a difference between bearing false witness and saving sos Even Joshua knew that

"Joshua, you're scaringto the disembodied voice that floated before me in the temple "Where are you?"

"I am everywhere and nowhere," Joshua's voice said

"How come your voice is in front of me then?" I didn't like this at all Yes, ard to supernatural experiences, but htinvisible

"I suppose it is the nature of a voice that it o"

Gaspar had been sitting in the temple and at the sound of our voices he rose and cary, but then, he never did "Why?" Gaspar said toeveryone's meditation with your infernal noise, you barbarian?

"Joshua has attained enlightenment," I said

Gaspar said nothing, , So? That's the idea, you unworthy spawn of a razor-burned yak I could tell that's what he meant by the tone in his voice

"So he's invisible"

"Mu," Joshua's voice said Mu ness in Chinese

In an act of distinctly uncontrolled spontaneity, Gaspar screaht in the air Monks stopped chanting and looked up "What was that?"

"That's Joshua"

"I ao," Joshua said There was a little squeak and then a nasty stench infused us

I looked at Gaspar and he shook his head He looked at ed

"Was that you?" Gaspar asked Joshua

"Me in the sense that I as, or as?" asked Josh

"The latter," said Gaspar

"No," said Josh

"You lie," I said, as amazed at that as I was at the fact that I couldn't see my friend

"I should stop talking now Having a voice separates me from all that is" With that he was quiet, and Gaspar looked as if he were about to panic

"Don't go away, Joshua," the abbot said "Stay as you are if you must, but come to the tea chamber at dawn tomorrow" Gaspar looked to me "You come too"

"I have to train on the poles in the ," I said

"You are excused," Gaspar said "And if Joshua talks to you anyht, try to persuade him to share our existence" Then he hurried off in a very unenlightened way

That night I was falling asleep when I heard a squeak in the hall outside of my cell, then an incredibly foul odor jolted me awake

"Joshua?" I crawled out of h in the walls through which ht on the stone "Joshua, is that you?"

"How could you tell?" Joshua's disembodied voice said

"Well, honestly, you stink, Josh"

"The last tiave Nu It didn't sit well"

"Can't i after, oh, two hundred years or so"

"They bury the them up"

"Is that why I can't see you?"

"No, that's because ofI've achieved perfect freedom"

"You've been free ever since we left Galilee"

"It's not the same That's what I came to tell you, that I can't free our people from the rule of Romans"

"Why not?"

"Because that's not true freedoiven can be taken away Moses didn't need to ask Pharaoh to release our people, our people didn't need to be released from the Babylonians, and they don't need to be released froive them freedom Freedom is in their hearts, they merely have to find it"

"So you're saying you're not the Messiah?"

"How can I be? How can a huive?"

"If not you, who, Josh? Angels and miracles, your ability to heal and comfort? Who else is chosen if not you?"

"I don't know I don't know anything I wanted to say good-bye I'll be with you, as part of all things, but you won't perceive ine how this feels, Biff You are everything, you love everything, you need nothing"

"Okay You won't be needing your shoes then, right?"

"Possessions stand between you and freedom"

"Sounded like a yes to h, okay?"

"Of course"

"Listen to what Gaspar has to say to you toent answer to soht to myself Joshua was innocent, but he wasn't stupid I had to co to save the Messiah so he could save the rest of us

"I'"

"Not if I see you first"

"Funny," said Josh