Probability

A young aspiring Angel was walking on the roof of a nine-story building, counting flying over pigeons and squinting in the midday winter sun. Despite his complete immunity to the natural cold, his wings occasionally quivered slightly, and eyes narrowed every now and then as if he was trying to see a face that he had known since birth, far away in the city streets. Not since the birth of an Angel, of course – for they, immortals, didn’t count own other-worldly years – but since the birth of his entrusted human soul on the planet Earth.

The Angel was indeed shivering a little – yet not from the winter cold, as some casual passer-by might have thought having glanced up at the sky and seeing his slightly visible silhouette in the sun rays – but from his own agitation. Yes, even Angels were prone to worrying – especially on the day of their trial, which was determining their future heavenly fate! And so he tried to somehow distract himself from this feeling that was spreading in his wings, watching the passing birds of the sky.

The birds, let’s credit them, were well aware of the presence of their sky companion, but just like humans they could not see him with their usual unarmed glance without proper attention and concentration, so they flapped carefully over him, never descending too low. Well, and people who are always in a hurry on their, most certainly, extremely important business did not even think to lift their heads up and look at the blueish sky – and therefore our Angel was not afraid of being discovered by them at all. As a matter of fact, he was only really interested in one person, whom he had kept and protected since her birth, and this girl was about to appear at the intersection of two roads at any moment.

“If only she wasn’t detained!” the Angel mentally hoped on even more higher powers. “Or she may pass by and the chance will be lost. And there will be no long-awaited meeting, no happy dates, no friendly family… How important it is sometimes to be in the right place and at the right time…” he reflected, carefully like a cat and totally with no fear of falling walking back and forth on the slippery icy ledge.

All imaginable and imaginative preparations had already been made. Dreams, advice, omens, agreements with his colleague, even the necessary warm and encouraging thoughts that he had whispered to her from time to time… And still, Angel’s wings trembled, and he could not find comfort. But he didn’t lose hope, and love for his maker and humans lived in him from the very moment of his own creation.

On this day, he had to leave the girl for a short time in order to complete all the necessary preparations. Angel really wanted it all to work out. But the free will of people is such a capricious thing…

And that’s why the Angel kept trying to mentally calculate the probabilities of various events and their numerous combinations, including the final probability of meeting of two future lovers. No matter how you fly it, but higher mathematics is not what students are being taught in universities.

Flakes of snow, glowing in the sun’s rays, kept falling and falling down on the Angel’s even more snow-white wings, the Earth continued its eternal course in space, and the girl was still not visible.

“Did something happen to her?” the Angel kept asking himself over and over again, but his heart and feelings told him that there was nothing to worry about in this regard.

His partner – the Guardian assigned to the young man with whom the girl was supposed to meet today – also disappeared somewhere. Gone with the snow, so to say. Just try to find a white-winged angel in the white snow! And why is it so cold today?

As he continued to pace up and down the roof of the house, occasionally brushing away snow that clung to his wings, the girl’s Guardian Angel did not have time to notice how in one bright moment his celestial partner materialized right behind him in a blinding flash of light.

“Frost and sun… the day… is fun!” he said, leaning face down while still trying to catch his breath after a long and apparently very fast flight.

“At last, and fast! I’m wondering what kind of sky you were in. I’ve been waiting here for ages. Even counted all the pigeons in the last half hour – there was exactly one hundred and twenty-one birds out there! Are you tired?”

“You won’t believe it,” his comrade said, still trying to catch his breath.  “I was literally over the moon. In an audience… with the Supreme One.”

“The Supreme himself?” the girl’s Guardian Angel’s eyes widened in surprise, and his wings fluttered with excitement. “Well, whoa! We are not allowed to go there at all. Only in exceptional cases or occasions.”

“Well… they did allow… as part of the plan. So, where is yours… passion? Hasn’t she shown up yet?”

“Not ye…”

“There she is, down below, white as snow. Finally!” and the sharp-eyed colleague pointed with his wing at one of the sidewalks.

“And where’s your man?” She will now pass by – and no one will remember! All preparations will be stuffed under Pegasus’s wing, and probabilities turn to zero.”

“He’s around the corner. See over there? Well, are you ready? Gathered snow in your wings, prepared to mentally shout them “stop!”? We act strictly on the command from the above!”

“What command are you talking about? We have only discussed this plan together with you!”

“You are a funny fellow, always you do worry about probabilities. I have just explained to you that I was at the audience where plans were discussed. Do you even know how likely they are to meet each other today, my friend?”

“How likely? Would they not meet after all that had been shared between them in their last birth?”

“The chance is… inevitability, that’s what!” and the young man’s Guardian Angel laughed and patted his partner’s wing encouragingly. “Now count to three in a row and fire from the roof with the snow!”