For my transgressions, I was cast out of Heaven and exiled to planet Earth.
My fall was brutal as my six large white wings caught fire entering the Earth’s atmosphere. I cringed, cried and screamed as the flames consumed feathers and flesh. I looped and spiraled in the air, all the while stirring and reaching toward the flames, but there was no relief from the oppressive pain or the desperate stench of roasted fleshy tissue. The fire was quenched when only the burnt bones of my wings remained. I wailed and winced, writhing in the air as the bony frames were yanked from my skeleton by a powerful force. This is what the male angels I led astray with my insatiable carnal appetite experienced as they fell from grace. I deserve worse for corrupting so many.
I splashed into a swamp.
It was night, and the only light source was the brilliance of a full moon.
The swamp was dominated by woody plants and teeming with animal life. The water seemed to push down on me from all sides. I floundered and flailed my arms and legs, but it only made me sink faster. I sank further and further in the swamp and away from the light of the moon. Soon, I was shrouded in darkness. My lungs burned for air. In horror, I screamed and warm, murky water filled my lungs. I shook and convulsed as my eyes caught site of alligators, snakes and all manner of swamp creatures witnessing the water take me away.
My eyes snapped open. I was floating over the water. I survived? I was not sure how long I was unconscious, only that it was a different night—for the moon was no longer full. I trembled in fear and remained still, allowing the current to carry me wherever it may. As I came near the bank of the swamp, I took hold of a cypress’s knee, clambered to my feet and waded out of the water. I teetered and faltered, inexperienced in walking without wings. I am no longer an angel, I thought, realization piercing my heart. What am I now? I broke the rules of celibacy in Heaven and tempted so many to do the same with my female ways. My lustful desires and sexual appetite were my ruin. Now I am alone, never to feel the pleasure of a caress.
My wide eyes flickered in every direction, trying to find a way out of the desolate and wild place. The strong, earthy, musky smell of decomposing vegetation and animal matter wafted into my nose, making me grimace with revulsion. There were no such smells in Heaven. Oh, how far I have gone from Heaven’s joyful fragrances!
I staggered in circles, my feet sinking into the spongy, wet ground. The moisture was so dense in this habitat that everything was wet. A film of moisture covered my naked body. Water soaked my long, blonde hair and pulled my curls flat. I heard the hooting of an owl. My eyes lifted to a nearby tree and there it was, lurking in the shadows. Its large glowing eyes stared at me. Snakes slithered around my feet. Alligators peered at me with their strange eyes peeking over the surface of the water while they remained immersed. Where am I? There are only wetlands as far as my eyes can see. How am I to survive here? Do I desire survival? My body trembled, and desperate tears fell and blended with the moisture on my face. No one can hear me cry. I am alone. I continued to walk for miles. There were many sunrises and many moonrises, yet I remained alone in a world of swamps.
Swarms of mosquitos tormented me with their stinging and their buzzing in my ears. I had to deter countless attacks from snakes and alligators. I was covered in welts, bumps, scratches, bites and bruises from such attacks. My body itched, ached and throbbed mercilessly. I deserve no less for sating my erotic desires without a second thought for the countless archangels, seraphim and cherubim I debauched with my impious, enticing and lustful ways.
