Inklings 2023

Untouchable was the Forlorn Angel. Atop the town where she dwelled, a high castle was where she lived: a fabulous fortress. I never could see her face. She never would get close enough. But her pearly-white dress, her milky, diaphanous skin, and her sparkling hair all glowed. This glow kept the town’s homes, factories, offices, schools, and streets lit at night. The Forlorn Angel sang a daily song, modifying parts of it with each passing day. Her spellbinding sounds flowed mellif- luously from her castle to the town, like a fruitful river. She began with a mellow melody, but eventually, it grew into a cry, an awful moan. Yet her voice was so perfectly lovely, that, even to her cries, the schoolchildren continued to dance and rejoice. The shopowners kept selling, the cooks kept cooking, and the teachers kept teaching. All the men and women of the town continued on their days, laboring and humming to her nostalgic song. Despite her attempts to whine, she truly only ever could produce the gentlest and most polished of sounds. I still wonder what words the Forlorn Angel sang, as she did not speak a language, she only spoke in tunes. On a sunny Saturday in the marina, my coworker became so curious about the angel that he decided to pay her a visit. She sings to us and provides us light, he explained, yet no one knows her face. His curiosity no longer allowed him to remain idle. He began his trek uphill. Night had now fallen. Passing through the cattle, the vines, the river, and the hill, he finally reached the foggy, freezing fort. We gathered to watch from the town center, leaving our responsibilities aside. The man called for the Forlorn Angel, confessing his love for her beautiful dress, hair, and skin. She did not even turn to face him initially, but at hearing his sweet words her heart warmed up. She inched towards him, still cautious. “May I stroke your face, oh sweet Angel?” he requested. She slowly approached the entrance of her castle, her long hair remaining over her face. This was the closest any of us had seen THE FORLORN ANGEL Denise Suarez ’23 24