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Here to Listen to
"Change the World"
Hi all, before we get onto the
newsletter just a quick announcement that we will be having another
election for President of Dyeland soon. In a couple of weeks we will be
having a debate with the candidates. They are: Andrew, our current
president, Kiwi, Chiwawa, and Legolas the elf. If you have a question
for any or all of these candidates please email it to Jenni. Please be
inventive with your questions. Think
goofy, not welfare or social security benefits. :-) Also, please excuse
any sappiness in this issue. The authors are trying to deal with TBAA's
pending finale.
It had been quite a show. A fine way to say farewell to John. The
Dyelanders had wanted to do something to commemorate TBAA coming to a
graceful close. When Andrew had told them about a recent assignment
where he had aided a small, community theatre they were inspired. The
Roseate Theatre in Dyeland was cleaned and rehearsals started and
costumes were being sewn at a wild pace. The result had been a musical
revue with song lyrics rewritten so that they were now about John, his
career, and his time in Dyeland. They wanted to show their appreciation
for his years of work. And they wanted to say good-bye. Maybe not
forever, but who knows when he would return. He'd have no reason to
consult Andrew any more and who knew where his life would take him now,
perhaps far from the entrances to Dyeland.
Everyone was a bit heartbroken. Even
Andrew seemed a bit distracted as
he went through the Roseate, turning off stage lights and picking up
abandoned programs. It had been strange watching John leave Dyeland and
disappear into the realm of Earth. Andrew had trusted John with...
himself, really. It wasn't easy to appear to a human, tell them they
were supposed to portray you, walk away and hope they would do okay.
Left to hope they didn't make you look scary or anything. Andrew
thought about when he'd first met John. It had been a strange meeting...
*~*~*
John sat at a table sifting through some paperwork. Job offers, fan letters, and at least 20 offers to get an interest-free credit card. The latter got pushed into the paper shredder. The fan letters were read and filed away.
The job offers... well, those needed
to be considered. Suddenly, a blinding light filled the room.
"What the..." John started but was
immediately struck dumb as the light
began to subside. The figure in the center became visible. Gradually
the facial features became evident. Suddenly John realized he was
staring at himself, or something that looked exactly like him only with
longer hair. He started to blink and so did the figure. He rubbed at
his eyes trying to make what was obviously a hallucination disappear.
The other figure did the same. Then they just stopped and stared some
more.
"You really do look like me, I thought Monica was exaggerating," the being finally said.
"Monica?"
"She's a friend. Another angel. Not an angel of death or anything. She's a caseworker actually. There's a TV show about her, maybe you've seen it?"
"And you are??"
"Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Andrew, angel of death." Andrew walked toward John and offered him his hand to shake.
"Nice to meet you Andr... Wait, I'm sorry. Angel of death, did you say?" John suddenly felt a bit shaky.
"That's me. Oh but don't worry. I'm
not here in my official capacity."
"Official capacity... Huh. Well, not to be rude but would you mind explaining what this is about."
"No problem. I came to help you pick your next role," Andrew walked toward the table where the papers were spread out. "Ah, here it is. The Father would like you to do this one." Andrew handed John an envelope.
John took the envelope and tore it open. He read it and began laughing. "You want me to play you on a TV show?! I've heard of people getting acting jobs under some rather unorthodox conditions but this is certainly new. An angel appearing in your kitchen and asking you to portray him on TV! Wow..."
"You don't have to... But the Father
thinks you would be best suited
for the role. You certainly have the look. Maybe you could grow your
hair a bit?"
"I don't know... I'm not sure I want long hair."
"Maybe you could try it for a year
or two. Then cut if you want. I'm
sure no one will care."
"Well, I haven't exactly decided yet... I mean that show about the psychic cop with the talking dog and the wife who is actually an alien sounds kinda intriguing..." John looked at one of the other job offers on the table.
"You can't be serious!" Andrew sounded a tad unangelic.
John started laughing. It was kinda fun to get one of the heavenly host flustered. "Andrew, I'd be more than happy to play you on TV. Let's hope I get the job."
"Oh, don't worry about that I have it on the highest authority..."
"Yes, I know. The Father."
"Right."
"Well, hey maybe we can meet up and you can give me some tips sometime."
"I'd love that. It'll give me an excuse to come down here without... working."
"Just one last thing. Is it a very sad job?"
"I won't lie. It is. But it's also very happy," Andrew beamed as he said that.
John seemed reassured by this. "Well, I guess I'll see you soon, Andrew. Thanks for your help." John shook the angel's hand.
"No, thank you. I think it'll really
help people understand what I
do... who I am. Oh, one last thing, always say 'God loves you.' Good
bye, John. God loves you."
*~*~*
And now that era was almost ended. Only Andrew was Andrew now. He hoped people would not grow afraid of him again, once the show was off the air. He hoped Dyeland continued on.
"Oh it will. And there will always be a place for you in it." Andrew was startled to hear the voice. He jumped around to see one of the Dyelanders standing there.
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
"Thinking? Andrew, you were talking out loud. Must be hanging around JenniAnn too much, now you're talking to yourself, too," the woman said with a laugh. "Hey, everyone come on out," she added.
Suddenly the theatre was filled
again with Androolers.
"We wanted to do something for you, too. But not like John's musical revue. Not a good-bye. Never a good-bye to you. This is just... a thank you party," she explained.
Andrew began to hug the assembled Androolers. Maybe some things don't change, he thought silently.