Now acquaint yourself with Him and be at peace so that good will come to you. Receive, please, instruction from His mouth and lay up His words in your heart. ~ Job 12:21-22

Rodney was riding home from the hospital in the back seat of a Lyft car. Barook, the dominion angel assigned to keep Rodney safe and on the right spiritual track, was flying just above the car. With his wings spread wide, Barook was bigger than the Prius below him. Barook’s supervising angel, Adoram, was flying next to him. He was checking in on the pair, making sure Rodney didn’t become unhinged by his newfound geisterseherkraft—a kind of spiritual perception that allowed him to see angels and demons everywhere he looked. Because Rodney didn’t want anyone but Kim to know about his supernatural gift just yet, and because he didn’t want to appear crazy in front of strangers, he had warned his angels that he would ignore them during the ride home.

Inside the car, the Lyft driver named Mike attempted a conversation. “So, are you feeling better? You said you were just released, right?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine, thanks. Just like the doctor said, no permanent damage,” answered Rodney. Then, under his breath, “Nothing that shows up on tests, anyway.”

“Glad to hear it,” said Mike. A little Pomeranian dog put his paws up on the back of the front seat, peered around, and gave Rodney what looked like a smile.  Rodney laughed at how adorable this pup was with his tongue hanging out.

Rodney’s eyes wandered out the window to the sidewalk as the car pulled up to a red light somewhere in the patchwork of streets along the flat desert floor of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. There he noticed a man in filthy clothes with matted hair rummaging through a trash can. Rodney could see an evil spirit shaped like an octopus gripping the man’s chest and arms. He was beginning to recognize the glow of beings who weren’t visible physically. Supernatural frogs hopped around the man’s legs and on his head. “Oh yikes!” Rodney unintentionally blurted out at the sight of the evil principalities. The Pomeranian looked out the window and barked. Following their gazes, Mike said, “Not everyone has a pleasant way to make a living.”

“I—I know. I didn’t mean to be insensitive. I’m sorry.” Just then one of the demon frogs jumped out of the trash can and onto the window of the car. “Ahhh!” screamed Rodney as he recoiled in surprise. The dog barked furiously at it. Realizing too late that Mike wouldn’t be able to see the frog, Rodney began to make up an excuse for his being startled. “There are roaches in there. Oh, poor guy. I guess he’s used to them by now. Oh, man.” Rodney was beginning to suspect that the dog could see the demons. He wondered if animals could see angels as well.  

The spirit frog, named Scumbert, was about to leap off the window when he noticed something: Rodney was looking back at him. Demons and angels clocked each other constantly, but this boy wasn’t supposed to be able to see him. This boy even fell backwards a bit when he landed on the window. What was going on here? Scumbert decided to stay on the window as the car continued along. He decided he would investigate this situation further. Torturing the homeless man could wait.

The Prius pulled onto Hart Street, just east of Van Nuys airport, a not-so-charming but safe area that was affordable to those in the middle and upper-lower classes. Rodney usually enjoyed scanning the airport tarmac for fancy private jets owned by people who lived in Beverly Hills or Calabassas. He wasn’t in the mood to do that right now. Mike eased his car into Rodney’s driveway and Rodney jumped out, eager to get upstairs to his room—his sanctuary where he could mull things over, maybe figure some things out before he headed to school. As Rodney walked up his driveway, he noticed his Pacer was parked on the curb. He figured his mom and dad must have picked it up from the church’s parking lot for him. He took two seconds to appreciate their efforts as he unlocked the front door.

Barook and Adoram landed and followed Rodney on foot, stepping in front of Scumbert as he hopped after the young man. Rodney’s angel helpers were not comfortable with this frog following Rodney. They knew what was at stake if the demon found out about the boy’s new powers. They had been instructed to keep it secret from the demon principalities for as long as possible. Adoram didn’t want to tip the frog off by shooing it away. Maybe he should have risked it.

Rodney ran upstairs, into his room, closed his door, and leaned against it with a sigh. As he did so, his companion angels floated through the door and flew into the center of the room, followed by Scumbert whose eyes were glowing red. Adoram wanted to warn Rodney not to reveal his special sight to the demon frog. But how to warn Rodney without talking to him? And how to tell Rodney not to talk to them? Just then, the family’s cat wandered up the stairs and, seeing Rodney’s door closed, tried turning the doorknob with her paws. Rodney, startled by the noise and the movement of the doorknob, jumped away from the door and stared at it. Miss Kitty managed on a second try to get the door ajar. She pushed it open with her sleek black furry body and slinked into the room. “Mra!” she demanded.

This gave Adoram an idea. Maybe he could tip off Rodney while pretending to talk to the cat. “I wonder if Rodney senses the presence of a principality” he said a bit too loudly while staring at Scumbert.

“Yes, Adoram, I sense its presence” said Rodney, looking at the frog who was hopping around Rodney’s dirty socks and underwear scattered all over the floor. So much for that plan.

Rodney then switched his gaze to the cat. “Hey guys, tell me about Miss Kitty. I can see that she is looking at you. Can animals see spirits?”

Barook was waving his hands excitedly back and forth while shaking his head “no.” The bullfrog was now studying Rodney, taking note of the fact that he answered a question he shouldn’t have been able to hear, and was seeing things that he shouldn’t be able to see. Barook threw his hands over Rodney’s mouth and allowed them to materialize for a moment. He was attempting to prevent further damage, but the jig was up. Scumbert was onto them.

“Whab arb you booing?” Rodney asked Barook through muffled lips. Scumbert let out an excited “Ribbet, ribbet, ribbet!” and hopped out the second-floor window onto a nearby tree. Scumbert didn’t want to start a confrontation. He was in over his head in this situation. He decided he would hang out in the tree and watch for a bit, unseen if possible. He needed more information before he could comfortably report anything.

Adoram watched him go and declared, “Well that didn’t take long. So much for keeping things under wraps for a few days.”

“Whab nowb?” asked Rodney. Barook took his hands off the boy’s mouth, dematerialized them, and said, “I thank you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise but revealed them to babes.”

“But why me?” whined Rodney. “What did I do to deserve this? I’m no Bible hero. I’m not very devout. I don’t pray all the time or study the scriptures. I didn’t ask for gastric ulcers or whatever it’s called.”

Adoram answered him, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”

“But I didn’t desire to see them or hear them. I don’t understand,” said Rodney rolling his eyes back in his head and flopping backwards onto his bed. “I’m gonna text mom. I don’t feel well enough to go to school today. I’m a hot mess right now. I’ll go tomorrow.”

Barook knelt down beside Rodney’s bed and said quietly, “That sounds like a good plan. It will give us time to pray and think. Hopefully that will make you feel better.”

“K,” said Rodney closing his eyes and clasping his hands together on top of his chest. “Good idea. What did you say your name was again?”

“Barook.”

“I’ll call you Bazooka.”

“Let’s pray.” Barook raised his hands to heaven and recited, “Show me your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. On you I wait all the day long.”

“Amen,” said Rodney. “Thanks for talking like a normal person, Bazooka. So, did the prayer work?”

“Let’s go now to the source to find all knowledge and the answer to this question.”

“The source of all knowledge? What’s that? A sphinx or something?”

“No, it’s a book stuffed full with grace for those who look. God wrote His wisdom in it; pick it up and find no limit.”

“You’re sounding a little weird again. I think you mean the Bible. I have one right here. I don’t read it very much. It confuses me.”

“Turn to Psalm 32:8.”

“Psalm, Psalm, Psalm,” mumbled Rodney flipping through the clean pages of his pristine Bible looking for the old testament book of songs written by King David. “Where is that? After John?”

“You have a lot of work to do,” sighed Adoram, looking sympathetically at Barook. The family cat meowed in agreement. To the cat, Adoram said, “Keep an eye on that demon frog. Don’t let him get too close to Rodney.” To Rodney and Barook he said, “I must be getting back to heaven now.”

Barook nodded as he and Rodney watched Adoram flap his beautiful, shimmering angel wings and fly out the window.