"Yes," the woman answered. "I appear to have a flat tire, though I can't understand it. They're supposed to be puncture proof!"
"Well we'd better change it for you," the young man insisted. "This isn't a very good neighborhood. We wouldn't want you stuck around here alone."
"Well, thank you!" the young woman answered. "There's a coffee shop right down the street. Could I treat everybody to a cup in gratitude?" "Most certainly!" all the young men replied.
The Ancient One motioned to his companions and they started off. "They'll be sharing a lot of coffee together for the next 61 years!" The Ancient One commented. "And they won't be apart more than a month after that."
"Is that right," Esther asked, "to do something like that?"
"God never controls His people," The Ancient One answered. "He only knows what will happen when He puts two of them together. And He only warns them what will happen if they don't do right. You don't think you got caught in that phone booth by accident, do you?" "What?" Esther snapped, looking at David.
"Don't blame me!" David put in. "I only wanted to call my girlfriend. After we got you out the only reason I called her was to cancel our date."
Esther still looked quite preturbed. They landed again on the balcony. "Perfect timing!" The Ancient One snapped. "Here she comes! Wait 'til she gets inside and then give her a good shove, right between the shoulder blades!"
Esther looked horrified but obeyed. As she did so the woman's feet went out from under her on the slippery floor. She fell forward and her forehead met the bathtub. Her body never rose. As its spirit did Esther didn't have to be given any instructions. She began to beat it furiously, screaming "You don't do that to little girls, you bitch! You don't do that to little girls! You don't do that to your niece!" The Ancient One stretched out his hand "Here's the portal!" he snapped. Esther hurled the woman's soul through it. It kept right on going.
"She got through!" Esther snapped.
"Yes," The Ancient One answered, "She's going to be spending an awful long, unpleasant time in the Darkness, but you can be assured that when she's reborn eventually, she'll never touch another little girl like that, or, a woman either!"
There was a pitiful little moan and they all turned to see the young girl standing there looking at them in terror. The Ancient One closed the portal. "My God!" Esther cried, "She can see us!"
"Yes," The Ancient One answered. "She has the power. But she won't say anything. We were never here, understand, dear?"
The girl nodded her head. "Are you an Angel?" she asked."That's highly debated!" The Ancient One answered.
"He most certainly is!" David put in, "And, one of the greatest of them! He can be a real pain sometimes, but he really is an Angel."
The Ancient One walked over to a table where the phone was, picked up a note pad, wrote a number on it, ripped it off, and handed it to the girl. "Hide this," he instructed, "in something they'll let you take with you. When they have you in a shelter call this number. They're very nice people. They're looking for a child to nurture and love. Neither one of them would do anything with you like she was doing. But when you get a little bit older their nephew might be interested."
"Thank you!" the girl giggled.
"Let's go!" The Ancient One snapped. They took flight and The Ancient One opened a passage into The Afterlife. They entered The Kingdom Of God and landed in The Holy Of Holies before The Holiest Of All. The Ancient One turned to David and Esther. "Go on in!" he snapped. "They're waiting for you!"
Both looked very troubled, but nodded and entered The Holiest Of All. The Ancient One and Durga chatted with some people outside until they returned. "God The Mother is so beautiful!" Esther commented. "I'm so glad she is now with Him. It never seemed quite right without her." The Ancient One nodded, then took them home.
"Do you go through stuff like that every single night?" Esther asked.
"Not every night," The Ancient One answered. "That was an exceptionally good night. With the creatures of Darkness regenerating for a while we had some good opportunities. If we had a little bit more public support we could probably get a lot more opportunities! But we usually manage to bash a few of them around every night, and put them out of circulation for a while."
"Maybe you should be getting more support," Esther moaned. "Maybe you should be getting a lot more support!"
The Ancient One nodded. "Well, see you tomorrow!" he remarked. "What?" Esther snapped.
"Our friend's going to be gone for a week," The Ancient One answered.
"A week?" David moaned. The Ancient One and Durga took flight, both of them roaring with laughter.

THE END