It was hard for twenty-one-year-old Kathy Milner not to cry as she hugged her worn purse tightly to her side. Cider Avenue was just as inviting and cheery as its name could imply, lined with a myriad of friendly little shops that attracted a crowd almost every morning, even though it was located in the worst part of town. Little Emily had always loved coming down here with her mother close at hand, peering though the windows to see the variety of merchandise that lurked in each one. Kathy could remember all the times that her daughter had asked for candy or toys, but had been denied for lack of money; and oh, didn’t she wish that she could have purchased something for the little girl before she’d been carted off to some unfamiliar place full of strangers. Poor Emily must be terrified, Kathy thought, feeling the tears prickling from behind her eyelids, but she forced them back. It wouldn’t help to start crying now.

It is often the little things that start off a turn of events; and that particular Tuesday morning it was barely even significant. Cerise and Raven Sullivan, being new in town, were “getting to know the territory” and exploring a bit. For those of you who haven’t already figured it out, the two teenage girls were really Aurora and Twilight, our stained glass angels; for Twilight thought it a better approach to conceal their identities in case anyone found out about the windows and connected too many dots.

Cerise was forever stopping constantly to examine the window merchandise, while her sister was forever hurrying along. Raven had never been one to fraternize much, and she didn’t like being out in public or around crowds. In fact, she loathed strangers. But Cerise, however, was completely the opposite, having an outgoing and friendly personality.

Raven was so busy looking around to make sure no one was starting at them, that she wasn’t watching where she was going, and tripped over an aluminum can which had been carelessly thrown on the walkway. She landed, face-flat, at the feet of a pretty young woman who exclaimed, “Oh my goodness! Are you all right?”

Kathy reached out her hand and helped Raven get up; and for just a second, their eyes locked. But that was all the angel needed, for in that span of time she read pain and sadness interlaced through the soft, soulful brown color.

“The real question is,” she answered carefully, “are you all right?

To Kathy’s horror, she suddenly burst into a torrent of tears. “No, I’m not all right!” she sobbed. “They’ve taken my husband and my baby, and now I’m alone in the world!”

“Please don’t cry,” Cerise said compassionately, the crystal fountain running down her own cheeks. “You’re never truly alone, because whether you know it or no, there’s always Someone who is waiting for you to run into His tender embrace for protection.”

Kathy looked up at the comforting words, and suddenly the tears ceased to flow. Even though she couldn’t quite understand what the girl meant, it felt nice to know that someone cared about her troubles, for once. “Why don’t you come with me,” she said quickly. “So we can talk in private.”

The two girls exchanged looks, then followed the woman who turned on her heel and headed toward home with a strange new courage in her heart.

Copyright © 2009 by Lavender Westmarch