It was a terrible storm that hit that afternoon along the beach. The weather forecasters hadn't predicted it; it simply seemed to form out of nowhere and lashed the beach with a fury that hadn't been seen in years. Dark clouds, rain and lightning drenched the area, then just as quickly as it had come, it dissipated, leaving those who lived in the houses along the beach shaking their heads in disbelief. Little did anybody know that something other than rain also fell to Earth during that terrible storm.....
It was a long time before anybody came out onto the beach that evening; it was already growing dark, so most people decided to stay indoors. Four young men in their twenties, Mike, Micky, Peter and Davy, bored with staying in their beach house, decided to go for a walk. Maybe something of value had washed up on shore and they could sell it. They were a rock quartet who called themselves the Monkees.
Times were usually pretty tough for them; with so many rock groups out there, it was hard to get many gigs. Still, they had the optimism of youth, plus their deep friendship for each other to see them through.
As the sun set over the ocean, the four slowly walked down the beach, over logs, seaweed and other flotsam and jetsam. But they didn't see anything that looked valuable.
"Man that was some storm." Davy said, picking up a piece of log and throwing it back into the ocean.
"True, I never saw Peter crawl under the bed so fast!" Micky laughed.
"Well, it was a bad storm." Peter said quietly, "It seemed so angry, so mean."
"It was just a storm, Pete." Mike replied, "Y'know, all that stuff about warm and cold air coming together and falling air pressure is what made that happen."
I suppose..." Peter trailed off. Through the growing darkness, he spotted something a short distance away. "What is that?" He pointed to something on the beach.
"Let's go see." Davy replied.
The four Monkees walked over to what looked like a log from a distance, but as they grew closer, they realized it was a human figure, a young woman, covered in sand, grime and seaweed.
"It's a woman!" Micky exclaimed as the four raced over to her. She was laying on her stomach, barefoot, her white dress dirty and torn.
Micky gently rolled her over on to her back.
Mike took her wrist and felt for a pulse. After several seconds he found it, weak, but steady.
"She's alive." Mike said with relief, as he pulled some of the seaweed off her short blond hair.
"How'd she get here?" Peter asked.
"Either she was caught out when the storm started, or she might've fallen overboard from her boat." Davy replied.
"Let's take her back to the pad and get her cleaned up." Mike said.
Micky gently picked the girl up and the Monkees quickly made their way back to their beach house.
Once back at the pad, Micky laid the girl on the chaise lounge, while the other three got soap, water and some wash cloths. Then, slowly, gently, the Monkees began to wash the grime and dirt from the girl's body. As they cleaned her up, the guys were glad to see she didn't have many cuts or scrapes on her. They washed cleaned her up as much as modesty would allow and dried her off.
Finally, Peter washed the girl's hair and combed it out. Mike took the girl's wrist and felt her pulse. It was stronger than before. Mike smiled and told the others. Davy brought over a blanket and covered her with it. The four then stared down at her.
"She sure is pretty." Peter said softly.
"Pretty?" Davy said, getting stars in his eyes, "She's beautiful."
"Take it easy, Davy." Mike admonished, "We don't know anything about her. She could be married."
Davy nodded his head as Micky bent down to fix the blanket. He smiled at the girl, then impulsively gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
"Micky!" The others said.
Micky smiled sheepishly. "Just trying to see if 'sleeping beauty' can work in reverse."
Suddenly, the girl moved around and slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at the four men around her and seemed afraid for an instant, then slightly smiled. The four Monkees knelt down by her.
"Hello, miss." Mike said quietly. "Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you. We found you on the beach and brought you here to our house."
The girl looked at the four men. They were certainly handsome! One was tall with dark hair hanging over his forehead and wearing a green wool hat, another had brown hair in a Beatle haircut, and the third had lighter brown hair while the fourth had a mop of brown curly hair. She knew right away these were good men and she had nothing to fear. She slowly sat up and put her feet on the floor.
"Thank you for rescuing me." She said softly. "My name is Elizabeth. What are your names?"
Mike, Davy, Peter and Micky quickly told her their names.
"Would you like a glass of water?" Mike asked. Elizabeth nodded, and Mike got up to get the water.
"So you four found me on the beach?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yeah, you didn't look too good." Micky replied, "How did you get there?"
"I'd...rather not talk about that right now."
Elizabeth replied as she took the drink from Mike's hand. "I'm grateful to all of you for your kindness. You'll be rewarded for what you've done."
"Oh, it was nothing." Peter replied modestly. Elizabeth smiled at Peter. Yes, this was a good, kindhearted man. She pulled the blanket away from her, then quickly pulled it back around her when she noticed how torn her dress was.
"We're about the same size, Elizabeth." Peter said quickly, "I'll let you borrow some of my clothes."
"Thank you Peter." Elizabeth replied. Peter got up and went into the bedroom he shared with Davy. Elizabeth looked around the pad. "This is a nice place you have here, guys." She said, then spied a sign that said, "Money is the root of all evil." Elizabeth shook her head as she read the sign aloud.
"Yeah, if that's the case." Mike said, "Then there's no evil in this place."
"Actually, it's the 'love' of money that's the root of all evil.
Money itself is just pieces of paper or metal. It's what people do to get money that's evil."
Micky, Mike and Davy looked at each other. They had never thought of it that way. Peter came back with a pair of pants and a shirt.
"Here you go, Elizabeth." Peter said, "Try these on."
Elizabeth took the clothes from Peter, while the Monkees quickly went into Peter and Davy's bedroom to give her some privacy. They immediately went into a huddle.
"What do you think of her, guys?" Mike asked in a whisper.
"She's a bit on the formal side," Davy replied, "But I think she's alright."
Peter and Micky nodded in agreement. In the living room, Elizabeth changed into the clothes Peter gave her and then called the out to say she was changed. The Monkees came out and were stunned at how even more beautiful Elizabeth looked now. She smiled at the guys.
"What's the matter?" She asked.
"Noth...nothing, Elizabeth." Micky stammered.
"Would you like something to eat?" Mike asked.
"Yes, I would, thank you." Elizabeth replied.
So while Elizabeth and the others talked, Mike made their last box of the macaroni and cheese. He called her over to the kitchen when it was ready. Elizabeth came over and sat down and began to eat. The others joined her at the table. She noticed the hungry looks of the others.
"Aren't you boys going to have any?" She asked.
"Ah, no, Elizabeth." Peter said quickly, "We're not hungry."
The truth was, that Elizabeth was eating the last food in the house.
The Monkees hadn't had a gig in a while and food was a luxury right now.
Elizabeth looked into Peter's eyes and gently laid a hand on his arm. "Go into the pantry. I'm sure you'll find something for you and your friends."
Peter looked into Elizabeth's pale blue eyes for a moment. Then, without a word, he walked over to the pantry and opened one of the cupboard doors.
The cupboard was jammed full of bread, cereal, crackers and canned goods! Peter let out a gasp. The other three joined him and stared open-mouthed at all the food. Stunned, Mike opened the refrigerator....and found it stuffed with Milk, orange juice, eggs, vegetables and soda. The freezer was also full of meat, chicken and fish. There was enough to feed the four of them for at least a month!
"How did all this get here?" Davy said slowly.
The four of them turned to Elizabeth, who was still eating her mac and cheese. But before they could ask her anything, the doorbell rang. Micky answered it and in stormed their landlord, Mr. Babbitt.
"Where's the rent?" He demanded, "You boys are two months behind as it is!"
"Mr. Babbitt, we have a guest here." Mike replied, indicating Elizabeth.
"I'm sorry, young lady," Babbitt said, "But your friends are late with the rent."
"That's ok, Mr. Babbitt." Elizabeth replied, digging into the pocket of Peter's shirt. "Here you go." She said, walking over to him and pulling a wad of bills out of Peter's shirt pocket. "Here's the back rent and this month's payment." She handed the money over to the stunned landlord. Babbit counted it out. It was the exact amount he needed. He quickly wrote out a receipt and handed it to an equally stunned Mike.
"I'll see you boys next month." Babbitt smiled and quickly exited the pad.
The four Monkees looked at Elizabeth with a mixture of awe and fear.
First all that food and now somehow she got all that money from Peter's shirt. What was going on?
"Who....are you?" Peter asked, a little frightened.
"My name is Elizabeth." She answered, "Elizabeth Boniface."
"What...are you?" Mike asked slowly.
Elizabeth gave each of the Monkees a warm smile that put them at their ease before she answered.
"I am an angel."
Chapter 2
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