XIV - Temperance

Harmony, Transmission, Patience, Comfort, Sweetness. There was a time when angels and humans coexisted and formed unbreakable bonds (not romantically) between them. These pacts were destined to last forever, perpetuating across the centuries. An indestructible and sacred connection between kindred souls. Present day. You’re walking down the street when you stop at a pedestrian light. You calmly wait for the green to light up, humming a tune you’ve heard somewhere. It’s almost evening, and the sky is painted with warm orange hues, giving the night a comforting appearance. The light turns green, and you start to cross when suddenly a car, speeding toward you at full force, appears out of nowhere. Your eyes widen in shock, and instinctively you try to dodge, but you know it’s too late. You close your eyes, certain you're about to die. Yet, nothing happens. For a moment, you think you’ve passed on, and this is what it feels like. Then, you slowly open your eyes, and it feels as though time has frozen. The car is right there, inches away, halted, as are the people around you, frozen in place, their eyes wide with shock. But they are all motionless, like statues. You try to move, but you can’t. Maybe this is how it happens. When you’re about to die, it’s not that you see your life flash before your eyes, but rather time halts for a moment, and you have time to realize what’s happening. Then, from the corner of your eye, you see something. Someone. Tall, ethereal, wrapped in white light, with pure wings. It’s blurry, and the light is so intense that you squint your eyes. When you open them again, chaos erupts before you. People are running toward you, screaming, smoke, the car you saw earlier crashed into a wall, and there you are, in the arms of a man you've never met but somehow feel you've known forever. He holds you as if you were the most precious thing in the world, and with the most comforting smile, he whispers something.