I stood in the balcony as my body trembled in excitement and fear. The excitement of watching a surreal sight and the fear of unknown. I observed that person lying in my backyard from the balcony in silence. My mind went blank for a while. It appeared as if time had stopped.

Some of the feathers floating in the air drifted near me. I couldn't stop my hand from reaching towards one of those falling feathers and grasping it. It was so soft. Velvet would be considered rough as sandpaper if placed for comparison. It was as black as night, but it had a metallic lustre as if it was polished. It would be blasphemous to compare this feather to the feather of any bird.

I let go of the feather and looked down again. After that person fell, his feathers fell after him. There were so many of them. I was going to have one hell of a time cleaning it all.

That guy was lying on his ground, motionless, as I looked at him. His wing was resting on the left side of his body. No human would survive that fall, but he was, after all... special.

The excitement I was feeling gradually lessened and fear took over. That person wasn't like other angels because he had a single black wing. It frightened me when I thought that person might a devil. The winds blew through the trees and the sound of rustling leaves made me realize I was doing nothing.

Whatever he was, an angel or a devil, he wasn't a human for sure. I should at least check if that person was alive before deciding anything further.

Positive. Be positive.

He's not a bad guy.

I tried to console myself with those thoughts. I didn't feel any bad vibes from that person when he was trying to reach me. There was no use in thinking the other way.

After affirming my thoughts, I ran. I ran through my room, down the stairs, across the hallway, towards the backyard. I ran the way I would if a calamity was to fall on me.

I opened the door to the backyard and saw him lying on his stomach. His face was facing the other direction. His long coat was covering him like a black shroud covering a dead body. I realized that he was wearing a white scarf. It was surprising that I couldn't see the scarf before. It was in total contrast to all the black clothes he was wearing. His silver hair must have hidden it.

He was neither making any noise nor showing any moment. I feared that silence. I was still frightened, but I took small steps. They say that we have to keep moving on no matter how frightful things might be. It doesn't matter how small those steps might be. All it matters is you keep moving on. While thinking of absolute nonsense, I walked towards him. I reached him quicker than I originally thought I would. I guess my steps weren't that small.

I sat down near him, on my knees. I was finally going to touch the wing of an angel! I didn't even know what he was, but my subconscious mind had already accepted that person as an angel.

My hand was trembling as I touched his wing that appeared like something crafted out of some deadly black diamond. But it felt exactly the opposite. It was like touching a cotton ball. No! It was more like touching clouds. At that moment, all I wanted was to keep rubbing my hands on his wing. I just caressed his wing.

Just then, his wing moved. It shook at first, as if it was a beast waking up from its sleep. I pulled back my hand and quickly backed off a few steps. The wing started to disappear from the point it was connected to his back. It crumbled within itself and started disappearing inside the body of that angel. I wondered how the wider part of the wing would go inside him, but that part just shrank to fit itself.

It was like a cat that looks big but is flexible enough to pass through any small place. Those freaky cats came to my mind, and I cursed myself for using the example of a cat. That wing was not like a cat! It was like a turtle hiding back in its shell. It was like a sword retreating into its sheath.

His wing soon disappeared, and I saw his coat was torn from the centre, horizontally. It must have torn when his wing came out. I looked closely, only to see his bare skin. He was not wearing anything beneath his coat.

I had imagined a wound on his back when I saw the wing disappear inside him. At least a scar. But his skin was unblemished. I wondered how it happened. The wing was contracting and squeezing itself inside him. There had to be something because of it. Anyway, that was only a small mystery compared to his whole self.

I went near him again and pulled on his arm so that he would turn. I was amazed when I looked at his face. From that close, he looked so innocent. His face was painted in serenity. It was glowing with brightness. It looked similar to a carefree child's face. From his expression, one couldn't believe that he just fell from the sky.

The only thing devilish about him was his handsomeness. His skin was pale. Those few strands of his long hair scattered on his face only made him look more appealing. I pushed his hair behind his ears and traced the curves of his face with my eyes. And those lips. They were crimson red as if he had savoured some blood. His appearance was bewitching, his charm transcendent. I could keep looking at him forever.

As I was gazing upon him, I felt that I had seen him before, somewhere. But I was sure that if I had seen that pretty face anywhere, I'd surely not forget it for the rest of my life. I just couldn't remember where I had seen him. I tried hard to remember, but it was all go nothing. It was just like a memory that you can't remember no matter how hard you try. Perhaps he was disguised when we met.

He shook a little. His mouth opened. I thought I accidentally touched his wound.

"Now..." he said in a faint voice as if he didn't have any strength left. I brought my ears close to his mouth so that I could hear clearly. Those could be his last words, after all. My heart almost jumped out of my chest when I thought about that...

I remembered that kind of fear. It was the same fear when I saw my little sis lying in the hospital trying to fight with death, and I couldn't do anything at all. I felt like crying when I thought that this angel will die, even after he put so much effort to fly with his one wing.

"Yeah?" I replied so that he could know I was listening.

"Now... I'm finally... gonna be... alright... angel heart..." He said with his eyes closed and stopped moving. My heart was too weak to watch another person die in front of me. Why does it happen to me all the time? Was I cursed to bring death to everyone who comes near me?

My hand moved towards his chest. His long coat was open from the upper portion. I placed my hand over his heart. His heart was still beating, albeit the beat rate was too low. Those tears stopped midway, and I sighed in relief that he had just passed out.

I pondered over his words. What was this 'angel heart' mean? Did I hear it right? Was it some secret code word? Why would they need a code word? Or perhaps it was something else? What was he trying to say to me? Like the other mysteries weren't enough already, he added one more.

I decided to take him inside first. It was cold out there. His coat was thin, and he wasn't wearing anything inside. If he didn't die of fall, he would probably die of cold out in the open. But I wasn't sure how I could take him inside. He was around six feet tall and appeared healthy. I wasn't confident that I could move him easily.

But I still tried. I put his arm around my neck to get a grip and tried to pull him on his feet. Unexpectedly, he was light. He appeared to be at least two hundred pounds from outside, but I felt he was half that weight. Still, I had trouble maintaining my balance while carrying him alone.

I kind of half dragged him to the room that once belonged to my parents. It has been empty for a while. I was glad that I cleaned it up a while ago. Otherwise, the room would have been a mess. I laid him on the bed and sat near him. I deserved a good rest for my hard work.

But then my little caring heart screamed to me and said that it wasn't the time for rest. I had to look at him for injuries. He looked fine from outside but he still had fallen from the height of clouds or perhaps somewhere even above the clouds.

I hoped he would forgive me for what I was about to do.

"I'm sorry for doing this, but you must know I've to do this for you," I apologized in advance even though I knew he wasn't listening. I unbuttoned his coat slowly and pushed the cloth aside to inspect for injuries.

My eyes widened, and I gasped when I looked at his bare body. Not because he was hurt. He had just a few scratches. Everything else was normal. In fact, everything was just too good. I looked at his body without blinking. It appeared like his body was sculpted out of a rock to absolute perfection. Without realizing, I started to feel those carved bumps with my finger. I gazed upon him as if there was no tomorrow.

When I regained my mind, I realized I was on the verge of drooling... What the hell happened to me!? Never had I ever thought like that about another man. Never had I ever felt that type of attraction before. I had no idea why I behaved like that. This damn angel was too devilish...

I took off his coat in a hurry and after making sure he had no injury in his back too, I covered him with a blanket. I certainly didn't want to appear impolite in case he woke up.

I folded his long coat and put it beside the pillow. I then sat on the couch near the bed and gazed upon this creature from the sky. He looked so beautiful as he faintly smiled while sleeping, like the sleeping beauty who was waiting for her Prince Charming to wake her up. That smile made me smile.

Perhaps he was in a peaceful slumber he so desired...