Good Omens - Original Angel named Tadhiel
28.1.2020 & 29.1.2020
Tadhiel was born in the year 1777 in response to some technical differences. Things weren't great for humanity, and despite Jesus Christ's sacrifice, humans were still in something of a tight spot. And with the end times just 241 years away, God needed a little something extra up their entirely metaphorical sleeve.
Thus was born the youngest angel.
the following decades were spent learning things. Everyone else already had such a head start on human culture she felt very left behind. She spent years eating with people, speaking, listening. When she - at the time he - put herself - himself - through every university they came across. Thomas Adam Heel became one of the most academic gentleman in the world. He didn't really mind the title all that much.
In the winter of 1863 (English calendar), she returned to the place of her making. Neither Heaven nor Hell. Another kind of place that was meant to be a middle ground for humans who lived simple lives.
she built her new place based on earth. Soft dirt, endless skies and cool waters. It was a place for humanity to rest. It held none of the splendour of Heaven. though it was comfortable. It held non of the trappings of Hell, though it was no homestead.
Tadhiel hung the final star - a mere glowing rock hung by string in the sky - looked at the place she'd created and left this place of hers.
She walked through Germany in the year 1941. It was decimated in ways that she hadn't thought was possible. Ways she hadn't realised that humans were capable of doing to one another. She gathered the dead into her arms and took those unworthy of Heaven and Hell to her plane. By doing so of course, she threw the original plan out the window. She just hoped that that was the plan.
* * *
Tadhiel was a nun for a while. She'd gone through training to be a midwife (again. She'd gone through it once before in 1830) and the Satanic Nunnery the anti-Christ would "born" in welcomed her eagerly.
Crowley was far less snake-like than she had thought he'd look but that was alright. She nibbled on Sister Margaret's biscuits while the 3 card juggling act was carried out. Really, that would have happened without her. but there was something she'd be responsible for.
Because the third baby needed a home.
>> With that done, Tadhiel went a long and got a job as a child care teacher (she did have that Bachelor of Child Development and the Masters in Developmental Psychology from the University of California and Harvard, respectively). She became friends with Deidre Young through a gardening social club. she was often asked to watch over her son when she and her husband went to dinner. Adam was a sweet boy, ever inquisitive and always trying to crawl over everything.
"I am the Beast!" he declared one Saturday evening, at the lovely age of 3. He didn't seem to be aware that he had said it. "I am the Beast! Devourer of souls and Prince of Hell!" Young Adam Young might have gone on, but Tadhiel presented him with a chocolate donut and whatever else he might have said was lost to sugary goodness.
Adam may not have had the upbringing of little Warlock, but he had two parents who loved him and an almost angel for a baby-sitter.
That had to count for something.
>> The Week Before the End of the World, when Anathema Device rented the witches cottage in Tadfield, Tadhiel went and welcomed her.
"Not very many people are welcoming in this town," Anathema said, then seemed to think better of it. "I mean to say that not many neighbours have introduced themselves... you know. Yet."
"I wouldn't hold my breath!" Tadhiel laughed then said in her american-voice (she had one), "Not many people are so welcoming in this town."
Anathema laughed. "Thats a very good american accent," she said. "Have you been?"
"I studied at University of California, Culver and New York around 45years ago," Tadhiel - presently an older lady in her mid to late 70's - replied. "It was a good time. Loved the weather. But I had a dream that I moved to England and so I did."
Anathema quirked her head. "You moved here on a dream?"
"Oh yes," Tadhiel nodded. "I always trust my instincts. The weather is not as warm as California but I have found a home here."
That was their first tea-time, and certainly not their last.
- - -
the Them were at their clubhouse when, on the Tuesday Before the End, Tadhiel found them with sandwiches. "How're things?" she asked and was replied with a round of, "Alrights'" through full mouths. "Be home by dark," she told them before carrying on her way.
- - -
A.Z Fells was, rather oddly open the Thursday Before the End. "Can I help you miss?" Aziraphael asked politely. "Its only that we're about to close for the afternoon," he said nervously.
This was the first time that Tadhiel had met Aziraphael. He was far more charming than she thought he'd be. She would even go so far as to say he was adorable. "I wanted to look at occult books? I'm looking for the Right and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch."
"That is an impossible book to find," he chuckled nervously. "Perhaps you should consider another book in another bookshop," he ushered her out and hurried along.
- - -
When the M5 around London burst into flames, Tadhiel was in her afterlife, sitting in the shade of the stars and watching over Adam in the surface of the a pond.
"You're fretting," said God, sitting besides her on the earth.
"Adam is a good kid," Tadhiel replied. "And I seem to recall that choice was something of a big deal a few millennia ago."
"You think he'll choose another path?" God asked.
"He's already chosen," Tadhiel replied. "He loves the world too much to let anyone hurt it."
God replied, "He is hurting it though. He is the cause of the storms and the fire and the Krakken! A Krakken Tadhiel!"
"He'll fix it," Tadhiel said with conviction. "He knows he has to put right the things he's wronged. Deidre has been teaching him that for years."
"Deidre?"
"We're friends," Tadhiel said a touch defensively. "We have coffee every week."
God leaned in rested against Tadhiel's side. "I know."
- - -
Tadhiel walked the dead back into the world, right where she'd taken them. It took a while, but time was of no consequence to an Angel of Sorts doing her work.
As the last gentleman was returned, Tadhiel watched as Aziraphael and Crowley were abducted by angels and demons respectively. That was odd. It almost looked like they were working together. Huh. That was odd.
Tadhiel had been to both Heaven and Hell before. She'd found both to be dreadful and had never been more than the once.
She followed Aziraphael first. Heaven was painfully bare and bright. None of the Archangels really noticed her; just one minor angel moving along. She almost laughed aloud when she realised the ploy of the them. Having taken far less time to get to the quote-unquote execution, Crowley-as-Aziraphael was back on Earth in no time.
Tadhiel went to Hell to watch Aziraphael-as-Crowley's case. She pushed to the front of the the viewing room just quick enough to watch Michael finish up poring out the Holy Water. Because of course Heaven and Hell would work together if only to kill usurpers.
She laughed outright when he managed to crawl into the tub without wetting his socks.
She laughed harder when he couldn't get out without wetting his socks.
The look on Michael's face was pretty good too.
- - -
It was lovely to watch them finally be relaxed. She hadn't realised how harried they'd both been. Although the last week had been rather tense.
Tadhiel had intended to confront them when Armageddon was over, but seeing them so happy and content and free, she couldn't quite bring herself to... interrupt. She finished her ice-cream and turned to leave only to be faced to chin (he was the taller) with Crowley.
"Can I help you?" he asked unpleasantly. "Only, you've been watching us an awfully long time now," he said. He paused. "Aren't you a nun?" he asked suspiciously.
"She doesn't look like a nun," Aziraphael commented.
"I wasn't a nun, I was a midwife," she explained. "Hellish cultists directly involved with the world ending don't tend to study hard."
"Oh!" exclaimed Aziraphael. "You were! I know you too! You came into the shop last Thursday and asked for the True and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch! Who are you?"
"Ugh," she groaned. "My name is Tadhiel and I am an Angel. More or less. I'm more of a lightly fallen angel though. God was always very particular about my being neither Angel nor Demon, but I think that Angel is arguably more accurate than Demon."
"If you're an angel," Crowley asked, making no efforts to hide the dubiousness of the statement, "Why don't I remember you? Eh? I can't remember an Tadhiel, can you Angel?"
"No," he replied. "I rather can't."
Tadhiel looked from one stormy face to the other. "Thats because I;m younger than you," she explained. "I'm only 241!"
The proverbial storms parted to reveal the silver lining of confusion.
"Look-"
"241?"
"That's absolute Bullocks!"
"At least could have gone with a more believable lie!"
"Why would you be the youngest of us?"
"Its utterly ridiculous!"
"Do you know how hard it is to make and angel?"
They carried on, but tadhiel was out of patience. She snapped her fingers.
The As Yet Unnamed Plane That Regular People End Up In was a perpetual dusk. Never completely dark as the stars were enough to illuminate everything.
They stumbled.
"Where the bloody Earth are we?" Crowley demanded.
"I don't quite have a name yet," Tadhiel admitted. "But this place was made by me. God said that Heaven and Hell wasn't enough. Or rather, they they give the wrong impression. God always wanted that afterlife to be simple and content. But things got out of hand."
"Out of Hand!?"
"Yes out of hand," Tadhiel began to walk. "God didn't mean for all that to happen over the humans. Put a total stopper to other expanding planets!"
"You uh, seem very in the know about, well, God. Did ah, God tell you all this?" Aziraphael asked.
"Oh yeah," Tadhiel grumbled. "I never hear the end of it." She glanced back to see them following. "We talk about you two quite a bit as well."
"God knows about us!?" they both yelled.
"Oh yes," Tadhiel laughed. "We watch you in the water together and chat about your dumbassery. I think its hilarious that your romance has been 6 thousand years in the making."
They both looked very unimpressed.