Street

Submitted December 18, 2004

Street Angel

by Matushka Barbara Bruce

Once upon a snowy evening, a street person huddled frozen, outside a grocery store. The girl's gloveless hands were red and raw. Nobody seemed to notice her.

However, one person's heart was pricked with pity. Even though she only needed milk, she quickly bought many extra groceries. She purchased things she imagined a street girl might need.

Outside, at the far end of the parking lot she spied the little street girl trudging away through the wind and snow. The woman ran to her car, slipping and sliding, laden with three heavy bags of groceries. Carefully, she exited the parking lot and drove up beside the street girl.

Rolling the passenger side window down, she called out into the howling wind. "Hello! Can I give you a lift somewhere?!"

The streetgirl's eyes carefully searched the woman's face. She broke into a gentle smile, and hopped into the car. "Thank you!" Her voice was soft and musical. The car began to reek of unwashed clothes.

The woman tried not to gag. Casually, she rolled down her car window a few inches, hoping for fresh air, and also that the girl wouldn't notice. "Where to, and what's your name?"

The snow was deeper here, and blew harder. Huge flakes swirled covering all in a pristine white. "Have you a place to stay in this weather?" The woman panicked for a second, wondering what she would do IF Nina had no shelter tonight. 'I couldn't just bring her home'- she thought- 'What would my husband say?!' Besides, the girl could be psychotic... the woman's thoughts ran wild. She even began to doubt herself for picking up a complete stranger!

As if she could read the woman's thoughts, Nina looked amused, and assured the woman she would indeed be quite comfortable. Nina directed the car down a side street and halfway along, said "Stop! Here. This will be fine. You have been so kind!"

The car lurched to a halt in the deep unmarked snow. Nothing had travelled this way for a long time. Nina's feet crunched upon the snow as she stepped outside.

The woman awkwardly cleared her throat. "I bought you some things you might need, my dear, I hope you don't mind. Please, accept them as a gift, in memory of my departed mother!"

Nina's smile was brilliant. "Thank you," she said. The woman reached behind, unlocked the backdoor of the car, and Nina easily hauled out all three heavy bags of groceries. "Goodnight," said Nina, "May God bless you."

The car door shut with a groan and Nina walked away down the middle of the road. Two seconds later, the woman, about to drive off, noticed one grocery bag still remaining on the back seat. 'What...? I thought Nina took all three parcels!' Leaping out of the car she called to Nina, "Wait, you left a bag!"

There was no sign of Nina. Very strange! The woman followed Nina's fresh tracks in the snow . About twenty feet away from the car, Nina's tracks completely stopped, disappearing- into nowhere. Goosebumps arose upon the woman's neck, arms and legs... not caused from the bitter cold.

Thoughtfully she walked back to the car. She peeked gingerly inside the brown paper bag to see what "Nina " had left her. It was the milk she had needed to buy in the first place.

Alms can extricate the soul of a sinner even from the depths of hell. The Alms Angel stands perpetually before God's Throne, and sings of all the alms that are being given.



Volume 6 Number 51 - Tuesday, December 21st, 2004	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY