FFM 1 Angel of the East Wind

You should know: I am not some insignificant angel. Oh no. I am the Guardian of the Gate of the East Wind. Impressed? Well, you should be.

I have sent my gift to sailors and aviators who are at blown about at the mercy of the breeze; monarchs have entrusted winged messengers to the protection of my hands. I have eased the burn of distant desert and carried the healing rains to fields. I have breathed sweet perfumes into the deepest slums, and cast soft blooms before the most jaded eyes.

I've offered my aid to the far corners of the globe, and yet… And yet, I am all unknown to the mortals below. I am here, tied to the East Gate, and needed only to let the swift winds free.

Do you even know my name? Well… do you? No, of course not.

I am Hadriel, and I am sick and tired of being ignored and forgotten.

What have I ever done to deserve such an ignoble state, I ask you. Have I ever once failed at my duties? Of course not. Have I ever procrastinated the tiniest bit on opening the Gate, even once? Absolutely never.

I wouldn't dream of letting my Lord and Master down, or of failing those who depend on me.
Wouldn't once upon a time. Now though, now I'm just a little aggravated and tired of taken for granted day after week after year after century after millennia.

So, I think it's time to plan my revenge. That's right, ole Hadriel is going to shake things up a bit. But how? Hmmm. That is the difficult question.

Perhaps I could set the East Wind free for a while, see how the mortals like it when that powerful force runs free. When hurricanes rage about and tornados whip through the country side. When sailors are blow off course, and airplanes are forced form the sky, grounded until the Wind's rage passes.

But no, that might be a bit too extreme, don't you think? More than likely if I go that far, I'm liable to anger my Heavenly Father. So, how to make a statement without harming a bitty mortal and getting exile for it? That is really the difficult side of the equation.

I could… No. That would lead to too much damage. Or- No, that would be just as bad and take far more effort to clean up.  Yes, yes, I know that would be a problem. Really, could you offer some useful advice instead of just laughing? It's most distressing.

I want to be seen again. Noticed. Is that so much to ask? Is it really? I don't think so. I don't think so at all.

Well, no. I suppose even if I do plot and plan, the mortals will not know what I have wrought. They'll blame the ozone layer or El Nino or the bloody icecaps melting. It's not as if I could actually appear before them after all.

No matter what I do, I will still be needed here… at the Gate. For time out of mind for ages, it seems.
Is it enough, do you suppose? To serve without acknowledgement or adoration, for nothing more than the knowledge that we do our best alone?

I do not wish to think on this anymore. Be off with you. Flit away with the breeze.

Of course. I will be waiting to open the gate when you return.
Where else would I go?