“Because I had to see for myself. I had to see inside the church. To see who it is that I’m fighting for.” “And did you see?” (remembered Jesus, the son of God and his saviour smiling at him.)Sam smiled. “Yes, I most certainly did.”

“Stained-glass windows glowed faintly in the moonlight streaming through, illuminating the sculpture of Christ on the cross that hung above the altar. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Then the sculpture seemed to move, and Christ’s body twisted on the cross to look directly at him. ...Jesus, the son of God and his saviour, seemed be smiling at him.”

“And remember your promise,” said Sam, wagging a finger at him. “Don’t follow us.” The man glared at him but kept silent....“What?” asked Sam, slightly confused by his good humour. “I can’t believe you said that.” “What?” “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry. Do you think you’re the hulk or something?” He laughed again. Sam found himself smiling although he was just telling the man the truth. He wouldn’t like him when he was angry. No-one did.”

“And I won’t get to see Hikari or Aimi again? How can that be fair? What have I done to deserve this?”-“It’s not what you’ve done, Sam. It’s who you are. You are destined for greater things because of who you are.”

“Where did you learn to use a gas cooker?” Sam asked.... “And couldn’t you just, you know, use magic or something?” He wriggled his fingers dramatically. Gabriel smiled ... “I’ve been around for a long, long time. Thousands of years, in fact. Don’t you think I would’ve spent at least some of that time here on earth amongst you humans?”

“Did they really deserve this?” “Why is it that I always end up having these conversations?” Gabriel sighed. “The answer is yes and no. Yes, they deserved it because they didn’t believe in Our Lord. And no, they didn’t because they were innocent of sin. They made their choice, however. God has a plan for all of us – including the innocent.”

“As with everything she did, Aimi excelled. Academically, she was in the top one percent of students in the state and was in the track team that had just won the nationals. She said she only went in for cheerleading because she liked the physical activity. It made sense though, Sam thought. Because of her bright, cheerful attitude, she was also incredibly popular. At times Sam felt slightly jealous of her, but mostly he was just immensely proud.”