It was dark when I turned onto the familiar street.

There it was — the house the signal had come from. A nightlight glowing. An open window. I was expected. I cut the engine.

 

— Nevian! Hi! I really need your help. You’re an angel — you can do anything, you know everything. Help me find Phil!

 

I’m glad to look into those eyes, where hope has just lit up.

Will it become a habit — waiting for an Angel? I don’t know. Not now. I’ll decide when the time comes. But for now…

 

— Hello. Thank you for believing. It gives strength to me… and to the whole Heavenly Host.

— Host?! You mean like a real army? Who do you fight?

— Hmm. Are you really interested?

— You’re asking? Of course I am! You’re always so composed, so confident… like a special forces commander…

 

That feeling… I once admired warriors in armor too — their fearlessness, their loyalty, their righteous strength. I wanted to be one of them, to join those who walk into fire, into darkness, into the terrible unknown, risking themselves to save, to bring freedom and relief.

 

And now I see in this boy the same desire — to be a hero, to save at any cost.

 

I tell him how we resist temptation, why we train, why sometimes we must step back… withdraw…

 

— Withdraw? From the one you protect? Is that even possible?

— We never truly leave. We step aside, respecting the soul’s choice. Sometimes the greatest help is to let a person do what they choose. To walk their path to the end. To understand, to accept… and return.

— Even if they’re doing something bad?

— Yes. We respect the choice. But it’s hard — to watch the pain and wait. To hold a silence stretched tight like a wire.

— But why not just stop them? Take their hand? Don’t let them do wrong?

— Because that would be force. And force always breeds resistance. Presence, love, and trust — they help a person accept truth… and faith.

 

For a long time, I thought you had to hold on with all your strength.

And now?…

Now I know — you can only help the one who wants help. You cannot hold someone who wants to leave. It is pointless to wait for someone who is not coming toward you.

 

There are always those who need you.

 

— Now… about Phil. When did you see him last? What did you feel?

 

He pauses, remembering.

He remembers… and we rush through pitch darkness…

 

A clearing. A bush.

 

Something flashes bright inside me…

A strange click at the back of my head…

I don’t know what it is, but it feels familiar.

Not now…

I’ll come back to this place later.

 

Oh. There he is. We found him.

 

Tears…

So familiar.

 

— I… I can’t take him home. He’s ruined. Nevian… what should I do?

 

No, I can’t save a childhood friend. Despair. The pain of loss.

He doesn’t know what comes next… how to go on… how to live without him.

I understand him so well.

 

But I must calm him. Find the right words — like once before…

 

— Yes, you can’t take him home. But look — he’s settled here, under the bush. The forest creatures have accepted him. Soon he’ll become part of their world.

— Is he dead?

— No. He’s simply crossed into another world. He’s no longer your toy. He belongs to the forest now.

 

I wipe his tears and look into his eyes.

 

— Sometimes the time comes to part. When holding on is no longer possible — you have to let go. A bird into the sky. A fish into cool water. A heavy burden… or someone who can no longer stay with you. Do you understand?

 

The boy nods. I continue, quietly, like a prayer:

 

— To give freedom. Maybe it will return. Maybe it won’t. But that is no longer your choice.

 

He nods, sniffles…

He understands.

 

In moments like this, something inside me grows warm. I could cry myself — from the joy of acceptance.

 

It is done.

 

I’ll take him home and give him a feather to remember. He won’t forget this moment.

 

— Thank you. See you!

— We will meet again.

 

It’s time…

He will forget me for a while.

 

And I…

I will gather my thoughts.

 

I still need to understand what this clearing is.

Or do I?…

 

Let it go?…