'Lost Angel's Ease'

‘Lost Angel’s Ease’.

Kerri was beside herself when the invitation arrived. She’d won it some how, she’d no idea how, but why toss away a chance of a lifetime. She was invited to visit Los Angeles, all paperwork taken care of, the trip covered from her nearest airport. The only thing she needed to do was pack.

What to take, though? She really had no idea. Not that she had that extensive a wardrobe to select from. T Shirts, sweaters, shorts and jeans. A couple of pairs of sneakers....and shades, she mustn’t forget those. Make-up, toiletries, everything packed in to one bag and she was all ready to go.

They certainly wanted her to travel in style. Kerri had her own special seat on the plane, and on landing, there was a large limousine waiting. The windows were so darkly tinted she could not see through them, but why worry, this was sure to be some really special break.

The car pulled up, the driver walked around and opened the door for her. Before she had a chance to say ‘thank you’ the car had disappeared in to the distance. There had to be some mistake. This was no city she was standing in, but an open expanse of sand. Not a building was to be seen in front of her but, when she turned, what she saw stunned her.

Rock, thick and high, making a gate-way. On either side stood an angel; giant, white and both identical. Their wing tips touched high up in the sky forming a tunnel of sorts. Kerri stepped forward, trying to see through to the other side. Nothing! No people, no buildings, no bustling city streets.

She took out the letter she had received, and had kept carefully folded in her bag and read it again. She had thought it was a mistake, an error, a name perhaps typed by someone foreign. What she had read as Los Angeles actually said ‘Lost Angel’s Ease.’ Clearly it was her mistake not the writer’s.

So what should she do? Kerri looked around her, at the empty expanse of nothing. It seemed that she had no choice but to walk through the gates and try to find out, not only where and what it was, but why she had been brought there.

Pulling her bag up firmly on to her shoulder, taking one last look behind herself, Kerri stepped forward and walked through those gates.