“They arranged a lot of foster care families for me.”

In the ward of the Philadelphia Hospital, Billy Batterson sat in a chair next to Father Paul.

While peeling an apple for the priest, he was nagging about telling the priest about his past stories.

The story of an orphan who was sent to a foster care facility at a very young age.

"In the beginning, we sent me to a family without children, where it looked perfect, the couple were decent, the husband was a lawyer, and the wife worked outside."

Billy said while peeling the apple:

"But in fact, it just looks happy outside, and that family is actually full of tragedy."

"The wife and husband sleep in separate rooms. The husband should maintain a good image. When he is angry outside, he will go home and vent his wife."

"They quarrel every day and occasionally fight."

Billy looked at Father Paul, shrugged and said:

"I was still young at that time and was frightened by their quarrels. I hid under the bed every day, afraid that the crazy man would hit me. Later, I couldn't stand it and ran away."

"That was my first escape."

"It was not difficult for the orphans. I ran back to the orphanage, told the nun about the family, and then stayed in the orphanage for a while."

Billy cut the peeled apple open, carefully soaked it in hot water, and handed it to the priest.

He said:

"I actually don't want to go to other families. I have a mom, she just didn't find me."

"So you run away from foster care home again and again, and then you become a 'problem child'."

The priest took a sip of hot water with apple smell, and he held the cup and said to Billy:

"You reminded me of a girl. In New York, she has experienced a lot of things like you."

"Is she looking for mom, too?"

Billy joked:

“I don’t think there are many stubborn kids like me.”

"No, there are quite a lot."

The priest closed his eyes and leaned against the head of the bed, and he remembered the children in Merlin's house.

Eric, Lorna, Daisy, Matt...

Those children are undoubtedly more lucky than the little Billy in front of them.

When they encounter darkness in their lives, they meet someone who can take them out of darkness.

After a moment, the priest opened his eyes and said to Billy:

"Many children will encounter things like you. I have seen many of them. They give up on themselves, grow up in grief, and are tempted by the hostility and darkness of society, and embark on the wrong path."

"But there are other things that have encountered more terrible things than they have happened to you, but they are lucky to return to normal life under the guidance of good people."

"Listen to me, kid."

Father Paul reached out to Billy's hand and said softly:

"I know you are confused. It is your obsession for finding loved ones. It has run through your life, but besides this thing, there are many things worth doing in this world. Don't close your soul to this century, Billy."

"Go and hug it and extend your hand bravely to it, and you will gain a feeling, perhaps friendship, family affection, and there will be love in the future."

"I have a friend who told me that disasters in life are like shadows. They look powerful and invincible, but only a beam of light will disappear."

The 15-year-old child sat next to the priest, and he lowered his head, not knowing how to respond to the priest.

He and Father Paul have only met once.

They are not very familiar with each other.

After a few seconds of silence, Billy suddenly turned around with some sense. The child suddenly stood up and walked to the window. He looked at the empty lawn outside the window.

In his eyes, he could see a woman in a white suit, high heels, with blond hair and neutral face walking towards the priest's ward.

That woman was like an ordinary office worker.

But behind her, there were open wings.

White, like a swan's wings.

The gentle light shone behind her, embellishing her like an angel falling from the ordinary...

No.

That's a real angel.

Billy turned around and said to the priest:

"She's here to pick you up."

"who?"

Father Paul asked in surprise:

"Who will pick me up?"

"Angel..."

Billy pointed out the window and the child said:

"I've never seen her before, I thought they were just legends..."

"I've hidden something, priest, I can see something that others can't see, but I can only see it occasionally."

“Hmm?”

The priest blinked.

He recalled some of the things Merlin had told him, some rumors that he treated as jokes.

"There are always some people in this world who are talented, and most of them will never come into contact with mysterious things in their entire lives, which is no different from the lives of ordinary people.

But if you add a little bit of luck, they will really get into it."

A new world.

"The gorgeous world will open its doors to them."

The priest whispered the things Merlin told him.

He looked up at Billy by the window and said:

"You are a gifted child, so you are wandering... It wants to see a story about breaking out of the cocoon and becoming a butterfly, so it makes you suffer."

"She's coming in, Father."

Billy was a little nervous, he didn't hear what the priest said clearly.

All his attention was attracted by the angel stepping into the air and passing through the wall.

The angel seemed to be surprised too.

She seemed to have noticed Billy's abnormality, but she didn't say anything.

As she walked through the wall and entered the ward, she reached out to touch Billy's head.

It's like teasing a child.

Billy felt the warmth.

He watched the angel walk to Father Paul's bed and look at the priest.

At the end of life, the world before the priest became brighter, and he also saw the beam of light and the woman standing in the light.

She is completely different from the statues placed in the church.

She didn't wear a robe, and replaced it with a more modern suit.

The suit was worn on her, very decent, full of an indescribable, neutral, and sacred beauty.

"I'm Gabriel."

The angel looked at Father Paul lying on the hospital bed and said:

"I haven't personally taken a soul to heaven for many years... Paul, but you are special."

The priest was not nervous or excited.

Although as a clergyman, he should be nervous or excited after seeing God's miracles appear with his own eyes, he did not.

He was very calm and calm.

He looked at Gabriel, the Archangel in front of him, and his fingers were placed on the Bible, and he whispered:

"Is it because I am special? Or is it because I am Merlin's friend?"

The priest blinked, and he was like a child.

He said:

"He's a great man, right?"

"What Merlin Riley did has spread all over the world."

Archangel Gabriel shrugged, she said:

"But believe me, Paul, even without him, you are still qualified to ascend to heaven..."

"In this era of material desires, there are few pure souls like you, and you are the treasure of the Lord."
To be continued...