A cherub approached the Aidenn abode, flying as fast as its small wings allowed. On seeing the Manor, an unsettling feeling clouded the messenger’s thoughts, an idea that Aidenn and all things about Aidenn were unnatural. For if eternal souls existed in eternal bodies, Aidenn and this residence would be unnecessary. The angel wished this place razed and filled with an extension of the bordering heavily wooded forest.

The mansion was massive and architecturally unique. Its entrance included a circular parlor crowned with a dome attached to four wings that contained separate living and dining spaces. The structure’s materials blended harmoniously with the natural surroundings, but its existence defied the area’s untouched beauty. Tall windows stretched across a facade shrouded in draped curtains. Vines and ivy climbed the outside walls as if attempting to reclaim the space. The imposing building fascinated and repulsed the cherub, feeling it a testament to Aidenn’s mysterious and unnatural existence. He put this paradox aside as he fluttered to the front door and rang the bell.

A uniformed butler opened the door. The attendant stood at attention and peered down his prominent nose at the small messenger. The butler’s polished appearance, formal attire, and matching attitude further emphasized the strange juxtaposition of Aidenn’s residence with the surrounding environment.

“Yes,” snarled the servant.

“I have a message for Aidenn,” replied the cherub.

“Do you mean Aid, Ide, End, or Den? All live here.”

“I didn’t know of four Aidenns.”

“Everyone knows that. Aidenn is their surname. You must be new,” sniffed the butler.

 Ignoring this vanity, the angel asked, “Please allow me to see all four.”

“Why?”

“I bring a message from El.”

Hearing El’s name, the snob morphed into an unpretentious servant.

“Certainly, I’ll summon the four at once. Please come into the parlor and make yourself comfortable. May I bring you any refreshments?” asked the now subservient butler.

“Thank you. A glass of water would be nice,” smiled the cherub.

The butler raced from the room to complete his assignment.

The cherub entered the parlor and sat on a stuffed sofa bracketed by four oversized wingback chairs in front of a massive stone fireplace. The room’s décor was unusually dark and dismal. The owners had incorporated leather and brass in the furniture and bric-à-brac. Portrait paintings and night landscapes covered the walls, and heavy drapes shrouded the windows.

As the butler reappeared with the water, Ide entered the room.

“Please call the others,” Ide ordered the butler.

The servant hurried off.

“So nice to meet you,” Ide bowed before his visitor and sat in one of the adjoining chairs. “I understand El requires our presence.”

“Yes, He asked me to summon Aidenn. I got your location from our directory and hurried here. I didn’t know there were four of you.”

“Did He say Aid, Ide, End, or Den?”

He said, “Summon Aidenn.”

“Then He must mean all of us. Hearing our name, one might assume we are one, a common misunderstanding, but as you have learned, we are four.”

Ide’s handsome face, casual demeanor, and sonorous voice put the angel at ease. He reminded the cherub of an admired archangel. Ide appeared as a tall, muscular male human. He stood over six feet, with dark skin and a pleasing face under a dense concentration of hair.

The messenger sank into the velvet sofa and asked, “Are you four related?”

“You could say so. We are like family, with the same purpose and abilities, but we go about our jobs differently to reach the same end. As you see, we live together.”

“Why does El ask for you?” queried the curious cherub.

“We are the midwives of death. We specialize in appearing as animals when we escort souls to El.”

“How so?”

“A unique animal, a favorite pet, may have held an important place in a human’s history. If so, El will call us in, though he could use others of our kind to accomplish the mission. As Scripture teaches, ‘it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.’ Time is malleable here. We use an interlude, a pause, to escort souls from death to judgment. Are you new?” asked Ide. “You are full of questions.”

“Yes, this is my first assignment for El. I want to please Him. I hope you don’t mind my asking.”

“No. I don’t mind, but don’t question the others.”

“How long have you been here?”

“All our lives. This is home, but we don’t measure time.”

“Are you called often?”

“Yes, we are busy. El sees us as an unwanted necessity, so He calls us as needed, but He grieves to ask for us.”

“Who is grieving?” came a voice from behind the sofa.

The cherub turned to see one who appeared to be Ide’s sister.

“Hello, I’m Aid. I understand El wants to see us.”

Aid exuded an ethereal beauty that commanded attention, not just because of her height, which seemed to rival Ide’s, but also the magnetic pull of her eyes, deep and mysterious, making it hard to look away from her. Her pleasant face featured high cheekbones, a well-defined jawline, and lips that held a gentle curve as though hiding a secret or a whispered prayer.

Though she resembled Ide, Aid had a unique aura, a blend of strength and vulnerability. Her presence was comforting and slightly intimidating, a testament to her power and role.

Responding to Aid’s persona, the cherub spoke without thinking, “Wow. You are beautiful. I didn’t think an angel of death could be attractive.”

“Thank you,” replied Aid. “Death can be a mortal’s best friend, so we come as a relief and appear alluring to some. We end suffering, and some are glad to see us, though many think we come unfairly and too early. That timing is out of our hands. We serve at El’s pleasure.”

“Do humans question El, thinking they are in control?”

“Some do. Others believe they are at the mercy of random forces. We are a mystery to mortals.”

“When “El asked me to summon you, I didn’t realize you were four.”

“Many have made the same mistake.”

“Butler tells me El is calling for us,” a new voice interrupted. That voice belonged to End, a third angel of death, who appeared at the parlor’s door.

“We have a new assignment,” Aid replied. “We don’t know who El will give us, but the mission must be important. We are His elite among the many other angels of death.”

“Will we have a briefing? Our last mission came without instructions. I need details,” declared End.

“Who is my target?” End barked at the cherub.

“I don’t kkknow,” stammered the messenger.

End’s physical size and the raw, untamed power he signaled made the cherub shiver. End’s muscles stretched his skin taunt, and his face was a labyrinth of creases with deep-set eyes that betrayed a warrior’s spirit. A similarity in appearance existed between Aid and Ide but not with End. The cherub felt pity for any confronting End.

“What good are you if you don’t know? I must study my target.” chided End.

“I am following orders. El was not specific,” added the cherub, trying to redeem himself.

“How should we go?” demanded End.

“What do you mean? How should we go?”

“Can you not answer a simple question? What form does El want us to take? We can appear as any of His creatures.”

“He did not say. He said, ‘Summon Aidenn.’ I was not going to question Him. I also serve at his pleasure, and I obey without question. No doubt El will answer you at a time He knows best,” the now assertive cherub replied.

The three residents sat in chairs facing the sofa and waited for their fourth member. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. The four looked at each other, opened their mouths, and paused. None spoke. Momentarily, they heard someone or something moving down the hall toward the parlor as the sound of bare feet plop-plop slapped the polished stone floor.

Preceding the movement was an odor. The cherub had an eagle’s eyesight and an earthworm’s nose, yet the smell upset him even with this limited olfactory sense. How is it possible to produce this stench? he thought. Then he saw Den standing in the parlor’s entrance.

Like chameleons changing colors, the four angels could morph into different creatures. Den entered the parlor as a Sasquatch with a wild and unkempt appearance. Hair, never cut nor cleaned, covered his naked body. He stood over eight feet tall with arms hanging to his knees.

 Uninformed of the messenger’s purpose, he looked to the Cherub and thundered, “Why are you here?”

The startled angel blurted, “El asked me to summon you.”

Den laughed a tooth-rattling cackle, saying, as he navigated to the vacant chair. “Marvelous! He must have another world for us to infect,”

“Please don’t do this to our guests,” demanded Ide. “Why do you want to alarm everyone? You’ve been a Yeti three times now, and I am tiring of it.”

“I like being a large biped. I want to stand out in a crowd. We are unnoticeable on assignment, so at home, I remove my anonymity.”

“Well done! There is no way to be invisible in that form, but can you find a less malodorous creature to be? Perhaps a unicorn or a homo sapiens?” challenged Ide.

“I will consider that if only to please you,” replied Den.

 Aid looked at the cherub. “Where are we meeting?”

Taking a moment to recover from the shock of seeing and smelling Den, the angel answered, “In a garden. Is that a place you know?”

“We know the garden well. Tell El we will be there,” replied Aid, who turned to address the group. “When we see Him, please act with humility. End, you and Den be especially careful. He can create worlds we have no chance of entering. Do not provoke Him.”

The messenger left to return to El.

“Will He make a place where we are unnecessary?” Ide asked.

“A place without death?” replied Aid. “There is no death here.”

“Please . . . you know what I’m thinking. I know El doesn’t need us here in this world. Will He make other worlds we can’t enter?”

“Probably not,” replied Aid. “The trade-offs are significant. Consider that these created beings have consciousness and freedom. With freedom, they can follow El or choose a substitute. Without liberty, they would be like trees or grass—beautiful inanimate objects with no free will. Apparently, El wants part of His creation to return the love He shows them. Love radiates out to those with freedom and is returned unconditionally.” 

“But some defy Him,” said Ide.

“Exactly! Thus our necessity.”

“What about the Divisor and his council?” asked End.

“We serve at El’s pleasure,” said Aid. “I’m sure Lucifer, or the Divisor as you call him, knows what has happened and is pleased with the outcome. When necessary, we will deal with him and his cohorts, the evils of Pride, Envy, Greed, Lust, Wrath, Sloth, and Gluttony. For now, prepare to meet El.”