Fireflower groaned, "Am I ever going to live it down, Lord?"

    "Well actually yes, in ten billion years."

    Fireflower sighed, "Can I have a rest period now? I want to soak up some rays, go back to Tubal-cain's World and see what he and Rodric are up to."

    "You can have a rest period but you will have an adventure before you get to do any resting." God's laughter rumbled across the Universe.

    Fireflower streaked on.

    Suddenly Fireflower noticed a blue-green blur far in the distance.

    "Who's that? Emerald Dawn?" He expected God to answer or for Emerald Dawn himself to come to a sudden halt and cry out, "Hey Fireflower, long time no see!" But this did not happen. The green blob had apparently come to an earlier halt in space.

    Curiosity never killed an Angel. Fireflower soared towards the blur, his head cocked in puzzlement. Suddenly the blur materialized into features; green scaly skin, six powerful looking arms, a red jacket with gold trim, a huge gaping jaw full of needle sharp teeth, glowing red eyes with the longest of eyelashes: A glorified Rigelian, and judging by his distance from Rigel, a Rigelian UP to something.

    Now what was that Rigelian greeting? Fireflower stopped himself in space and scratched his head. It was hard sometimes trying to remember an eternity's worth of happenings when one only had a finite mind. Oh yes! "What goes with you, friend?" Fireflower materialized in front of the Rigelian and bent down his head for the traditional ear nip.

    The Rigelian only stared, "Zees got the wrong idea little sparkler! I'm a modern Rigelian. That greeting went out with our buggy days! We say 'what what' now. We've shortened it."

    "Oh." said Fireflower, a bit embarrassed, "It's been a few orbits since I've talked with one of God's Green Glories. I'm so out of it I'll probably react to you as if you were Human. Know you of the Humans?"

    The Rigelian raised his huge top right, six fingered fist over his head, (the Rigelien gesture for yes) "But I try to stay away from them." The Rigelian crossed all his arms indicating confusion and fear, "They frighten me! Every time one of those oddballs sees one of me for the first time, they squeak 'Oh look, ziz devil!' Zix not fair I tell you. I've got feelings! I am as patriotic as any other creature, loyal to the FIRST cause. Never ever considered falling! Zix silly to go want to do that!"

    Fireflower nodded. (It was so hard to suddenly give up Earthling gestures just on the spur of the moment). "I know. In this century Earthlings are only getting used to the idea that beings like you and me exist. Many of them still think that God made Earth and then had to rest. Well their scriptures do say that He did. But it also said that He made the Heavens and the Host of the Heavens at the same time, but they forget about that and have Him working on Earth alone in their minds without any other dust balls thrown in."

    The Rigelian swooped both top left and right hands in the air and crossed the other two sets in a confusing tangle that had Fireflower's blue eyes practically popping out of his head; the Rigelian equivalent of 'Hmmmmmmf.' "What a boring concept. A one-world Universe!"

    "Well at this very moment they are changing as fast as they can handle it." Fireflower was quick to defend his favorite nonangels. "I'll have to introduce you to the concept of science fiction sometime."

    The Rigelian bent down and peered into Fireflower's face long and hard. he meant nothing hostile about it. That was just a Rigelian way of showing unusual interest. "I would love any friend that is yours. I know it deep in my hearts. Funny funny! You act like an Earthling, Little Sparkler. What they call you?"

    "My God given name is Fireflower. When God created me He said, 'The power from the stars sinks into the soil and rises again as a flaming fire.' That's me. I like it."

    The Rigelian grinned, "My God name is secret of course. I am too young yet to tell you. But my own kind call me Poka Pacco Parechezus Patan, the third of the only true egg clutch of Algeezus which......"

    "Whooooooooh!" said Fireflower. "Humans nickname us Angels all the time, and now I see why. From now on you're Poko to me."

    The Rigelian made both top fists swing forwards in what would be by Earthling standards a violent gesture. In Rigelian body-language it symbolized a shove which was a Rigelian way of showing affection. "Poko I am then, fat little Sparkler. Do you wish to see zees I am doing?"

    Fireflower nodded.

    Poko saw this and grinned, a body signal Angels, Humans and Rigelians shared in common. Grinning looked a little frightening on a Rigelian though; all those teeth. "Ah Earthling EARTHLING little Sparkler! You act so like an oddball creature. Ah but you twinkled now! That Sparkleleeze. I smile see. Zeez what we have with Earthlings too, the same way to show love."

    Fireflower nodded (again a Human gesture)."Isn't it interesting that the only sign of showing affection you can share easily with Humans and Angels developed on all three planets out of a show of power?"

    "True zees. Love IS power. Now zees I am doing, watch." The Rigelian darted forwards as fast as he could, which wasn't very fast even by Earthing standards. Rigelians had never been a fast species on their heavy world and even now when glorified God saw it wise to limit their speed for a time until they would be able to cope with it. It would be a few years yet before Poko could keep up even with Tubal-cain, but already hewas trying. He was racing by his people's standards.

      He went all the way to just over the speed of light and let out the most frightening roar. Fireflower was shook a moment before he realized the Rigelian was "whooping" with joy. "Look zees what I see when I do fastness." The Rigelian hissed with glee.

    The Doppler effect, of course! The stars were changing pretty colors as he sped towards them and away from them at near the speed of light. Rigelian are intelligent beings, plenty smart enough to have fun enjoying beauty.

    "I wish to like zees very long." The Rigelian dropped all three sets of arms sadly and then crossed them in a gesture indicating deep desire. "But Zees impossible! My feet they want to stay put while my brain goes traveling. Understand fat little one?"

    Fireflower nodded, then caught himself in time and raised his fist over his head, "Of course." He thought a moment considering the situation, hands on chin. it was IMPOSSIBLE to get away from Earthling gestures! Finally he said, "Bend over, Poko. I'm going to pick you up by the seat of your pants."

    The Rigelian looked down at himself, hands crossed in confusion, "Zees impossible. Zeess no pants on me."

    "Bend over anyway."

    Poko crossed his middle arms in puzzlement but did so. Fireflower picked the Rigelian up, if not by the seat of his pants, at least by the lose folds in his scaly skin, and shot forwards at normal Angel speed while still holding him. He even remembered to hold on and not let go in startlement when the Rigelian roared again with glee "Look Zees! Look look Zees!" The STARS! They grow younger behind you before my senses!" TER-ROOOOOO Little Sparkler, you true friend"

    The stars, of course, did appear to get younger as Fireflower traveled away from them. He found a conveniently young star and paced himself perfectly at just the right speed as he darted away from it. Before the Rigelian's startled, delighted eyes, the fireball "uncreated" itself all the way back to its first broadcast of light.

    WHOMP.

    "TER-ROOOOO what Zees?" The Rigelian practically wilted into a folded collection of arms. "My head Zees ringing like a donder bell!"

    "We ran into an asteroid." Fireflower shook a little himself. "I had to go into solid mode in order to hang onto you." The asteroid was spinning crazily now too. "I was watching what you were watching instead of where we were going." Fireflower reached out with a little burst of energy and straightened the revolutions of the little whirling world. "I'm very sorry!"

    The Rigelian unfolded himself and looked with amusement at the rock. "Zees fun fun little Sparkler, not terrible terrible. Look the little world, Zees has day and then night like a speedy, like you, not like our big world which takes forever to even consider wanting to turn. I like Zees one. Oh I like both yes. I like you."

    Fireflower grinned, (again a show of power really, love is power). "How can we not like one another. He who made me made you. (That was an old Angel greeting).

    The Rigelian stuck his fist over his head, "Zees true, now fat little Sparkler you take me back the old way? Forwards this time? I not find my way back to there from Zees. Zees too far!" His glorified body brightened and that was a universal signal of happiness. "I've gone new places that no Green Glory ever go before. I tell my friends I be big hero. I shove you now little." The Rigelian gave Fireflower an affectionate shove. It almost knocked him back into the asteroid.

    "I sure would like to show you a certain Human television show sometime," Fireflower grinned.

    The Rigelian bent down again and Fireflower picked him up again by the 'seat of his pants. "Someday maybe I will. Then you would realize that Earthlings are learning things finally, and that all the young at heart have much in common, for the same Great Artist made us all."

    They reached the place where Fireflower had found Poko. "Will this be all right?"

    The Rigelian lifted his fist over his head again, "Zees fine. Ter-roo little Sparkler! Soon I miss you!"

    Fireflower lifted his fist, "Yes Poko soon I miss you too. Now what what. I have to go."

    The Rigelian stared as Fireflower flashed away like a small nova, a visual sonic boom. "He funny funny Earthling like little Sparkler, and he say 'What what' when he should have said 'off off’ which is short for 'off I go to other parts, you come sometimes too?' Strange, Sparklers are oddballs too."

    Fireflower giggled as he streaked through space. Green Glories were such pixilated people!

Where had been home originally? Fireflower searched his store of knowledge and was not frightened or surprised to discover that he could not remember. Angels have eternal life but not infinite minds. Though Fireflower could connect with God's Mind if he wanted to and find out, he chose not to do so. Long Ago Fireflower, like most Angels, had forgotten where and when their original planet was. Just knowing that God knew kept him from needing to know himself.

Universes and universes ago, the Angels had been as the Earthlings, dwellers on one world. Now that they owned space and time itself they were content to help the younger species up.

Fireflower sped past Pluto and Neptune and cast a longing glance at Saturn. But Saturn was so beautiful! Fireflower knew that if he stopped to gaze at her even for a moment, that moment would end up being all eternity. Why, two eternities wouldn't have been enough to devour her beauty!

Fireflower sped on and playfully loop-de-looped around Jupiter using the huge gas world's own awesome gravity to effect his orbit like a child hand-swinging around a small tree. Then he broke away from Jupiter and zipped past Mars swooping low in that rusty red world's thin atmosphere, sending up clouds of swirling dust into its pinkish bleeding skies. The natural winds of Mars picked up the dust and hurled it further. Fireflower noticed, applied reverse thrust and darted back again, back tracking to plop down on Phobos. This caused the small potato shaped moon to wobble a bit as it orbited. Fireflower carefully unwobbled it and turned his attention to the surging dust storm blow. Fireflower loved to create dust storms on uninhabited worlds. Pixilated he shouted with glee!

Fireflower continued his Angel journey. Glee made him go a bit too fast and Fireflower swerved just in time to avoid running into the Moon. Fireflower had done that once, and he'd been going so fast he'd oozed right through it, a most uncomfortable experience.

Fireflower entered the Earth's atmosphere and 'pancaked' himself against the air to help him slow down. The friction heated air glowed as he sank lower into the stratosphere and on thousands of radar screens all across the planet Fireflower became momentarily visible as a radar 'ghost' or UFO.

Finally he succeeded in stopping and floated gentle as a cloud above Washington, D.C. Where was he? Fireflower gazed serenely at the match box world below. Ah there was the White House! He grinned and saluted the flag that flew gaily and proudly on the lawn. Everything looked so CUTE from this height. But suddenly he sensed he was about to have company.

He peered below. "Yikes!" A whole squadron of fighter planes was darting up to his level!"

Fireflower made the air smoke as he streaked upwards. Behind him several disbelieving Air Force pilots were left open-jawed and shocked speechless, their faith in the nothingness of the void severely shaken.

Out in the serene, safe, comfortingly familiar void, and Earth only a beautiful blue globe beneath his feet, the frazzled Angel tried to collect both his dignity and his nerves. It was an attempt almost as futile as a goldfish trying to fly!

Fireflower glowed with deep embarrassment. Only God saw His inner dignity.

In a pondering mood Fireflower went for a lazy-loop-de-loop around the Earth. He carefully detoured around three telstars, two nuclear powered spy satellites and an old piece of rocket dangerously low in orbit and destined soon to be a child's wishing star. Fireflower gave it a kick with his foot and sent it streaking over East Africa.

How many children and wise-hearted adults saw its light and made wishes for good things to happen? A useful spin-off, wishing stars. Not at all like UFO hunting warplanes