When the angels fall
Shadows on the wall
In the thunder's call
Something haunts us all
When the angels fall
("When the Angels Fall" - Sting)
-----
She was old -- ancient really. Ageless and timeless. Immortal. Created at the dawn of time, before the world had even existed. She had been known by many names. The Greeks had called her Klotho, the Romans had called her Nona, though neither was her true name. That had been lost and forgotten long ago.
She was last of her kind -- the only one who remained, refusing to give up, refusing to abandon the mortals she so loved. They were, after all, like children to her. They needed someone to guide them, to show them the way. The others had lost all hope for humanity and had departed the world long ago, but she had stayed, believing that without her, all would turn to chaos. She was not wrong.
The demons who ruled the Underworld craved mortal souls, wishing to corrupt and capture any who stumbled upon life's path, while those who ruled the Heavens sought to save only the righteous and the pure. It was an old conflict. Good versus evil. Heaven versus hell. Angels versus demons. For eons, it had been this way, but all that was about to change.
The long-prophesied battle was fast approaching -- that which had become known as the Apocalypse, the final battle between good and evil. There were three who stood between them -- between an eternity of salvation or damnation. It was up to her to make sure they chose the proper path in life or all would be lost. After all, she was the Spinner, and their fate was in her hands.
The first had been a boy born in Mystic, Iowa, at midnight on a warm summer's night. Though no Star of David proclaimed his birth or angels heralded his arrival, he was special. There had been no one like him born among men in over two millennia. He was, in fact, so special that the event of his birth had been kept a carefully guarded secret by those who would protect him. Now that he was born, it was up to her to spin the thread of fate that would determine his life's path upon the Earth.
Deftly, she cast her thread. She had done it countless times before, but never at such a crucial time as this. She frowned thoughtfully at what she saw, the future playing out before her in all its random possibilities, depending upon his choices.
She saw that his life would be a difficult one, fraught with hardship and pain, but if he made the right choices and did not stray from the path of righteousness, all would be well in the end. There would be a struggle for his soul, which if lost, would lead not only to his own damnation but the destruction of all that was good in the world. If won, there would be peace and at the end of the struggle, the reward of a mortal life lived to its fullest.
But he was not alone in the struggle. There were two others not yet born, one male and one female. Though upon entry into the mortal realm, none of them would remember their divine origins; their souls had been bound together in time immemorial. Each had chosen this particular path out of love and loyalty for the others; each knew both the risks and the rewards.
A girl would be born a few months later in Boston, and though her fate was linked to his, she had her own destiny to fulfill. Her life, too, would be filled with tragedy and grief, and yet, she would endure. It was because of her that he'd been born, risking his very soul to win her love.
And lastly, a second boy would be born shortly after the girl in the city of New York on All Soul's Day. A friend and brother to the other two, he would complete the circle, balancing the scale with the firstborn at the center, the other two at either side, the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance.
It was the Spinner's job to make sure the three remained true to their purpose, for if any of them should falter, the great battle would ensue, and the world and all those who lived within it would be destroyed for all eternity.
Shadows on the wall
In the thunder's call
Something haunts us all
When the angels fall
("When the Angels Fall" - Sting)
-----
She was old -- ancient really. Ageless and timeless. Immortal. Created at the dawn of time, before the world had even existed. She had been known by many names. The Greeks had called her Klotho, the Romans had called her Nona, though neither was her true name. That had been lost and forgotten long ago.
She was last of her kind -- the only one who remained, refusing to give up, refusing to abandon the mortals she so loved. They were, after all, like children to her. They needed someone to guide them, to show them the way. The others had lost all hope for humanity and had departed the world long ago, but she had stayed, believing that without her, all would turn to chaos. She was not wrong.
The demons who ruled the Underworld craved mortal souls, wishing to corrupt and capture any who stumbled upon life's path, while those who ruled the Heavens sought to save only the righteous and the pure. It was an old conflict. Good versus evil. Heaven versus hell. Angels versus demons. For eons, it had been this way, but all that was about to change.
The long-prophesied battle was fast approaching -- that which had become known as the Apocalypse, the final battle between good and evil. There were three who stood between them -- between an eternity of salvation or damnation. It was up to her to make sure they chose the proper path in life or all would be lost. After all, she was the Spinner, and their fate was in her hands.
The first had been a boy born in Mystic, Iowa, at midnight on a warm summer's night. Though no Star of David proclaimed his birth or angels heralded his arrival, he was special. There had been no one like him born among men in over two millennia. He was, in fact, so special that the event of his birth had been kept a carefully guarded secret by those who would protect him. Now that he was born, it was up to her to spin the thread of fate that would determine his life's path upon the Earth.
Deftly, she cast her thread. She had done it countless times before, but never at such a crucial time as this. She frowned thoughtfully at what she saw, the future playing out before her in all its random possibilities, depending upon his choices.
She saw that his life would be a difficult one, fraught with hardship and pain, but if he made the right choices and did not stray from the path of righteousness, all would be well in the end. There would be a struggle for his soul, which if lost, would lead not only to his own damnation but the destruction of all that was good in the world. If won, there would be peace and at the end of the struggle, the reward of a mortal life lived to its fullest.
But he was not alone in the struggle. There were two others not yet born, one male and one female. Though upon entry into the mortal realm, none of them would remember their divine origins; their souls had been bound together in time immemorial. Each had chosen this particular path out of love and loyalty for the others; each knew both the risks and the rewards.
A girl would be born a few months later in Boston, and though her fate was linked to his, she had her own destiny to fulfill. Her life, too, would be filled with tragedy and grief, and yet, she would endure. It was because of her that he'd been born, risking his very soul to win her love.
And lastly, a second boy would be born shortly after the girl in the city of New York on All Soul's Day. A friend and brother to the other two, he would complete the circle, balancing the scale with the firstborn at the center, the other two at either side, the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance.
It was the Spinner's job to make sure the three remained true to their purpose, for if any of them should falter, the great battle would ensue, and the world and all those who lived within it would be destroyed for all eternity.