At first it was just the crunch of delicate white feathers being crumpled up in thorny palms... And then a snap, and a sickening twist, as bones broke and sinews stretched like rubber. Bursting with blood that trickled down the smooth back of a small angel weeping scarlet tears that mingled with innocence lost. Her wings were brutally wrenched from her body, smelling foully of rotted flesh and burnt feathers, as her natural healing agents alighted her back with fire. Her teeth grinded, head bowed to the grip of the might Creator taking hold and ripping once strong and powerful wings from an unblemished - now marred - body. Sickened by the stench, and the sound of bones being fractured, she vomited over the ground, letting pale white goo from her belly blemish the untouched holy lands. Pain wracked her frame, pulsing with every beat of her heart. She stumbled, getting used to leg strength and maneuverability from her remaining limbs. Never again, would she fly to heaven and back, to indulge in pleasures untold to the purest of beings. Angels. She breathed, reminiscing, of worth and beauty. Sweat trickled down her brow, slowly watching the Creator walk away - shutting doors behind him. She could never go back... now. But... If innocence lost and wings dismembered was the price to love and be loved... Well, then, who wants to be holy, anyway? September 13, 2004